Malabar Branch Library

The Malabar Branch Library on Wabash Ave. in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles was built in 1926. The one-story, brick structure is known for the ornamental frieze in cast stone above its main entrance and its use of fieldstone to suggest archaic building methods from Latin America. The Malabar Branch Library was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 as part of a grouping of historic buildings of the Branch Library System of Los Angeles dating from 1913 to 1930. It also is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. The building has been enlarged slightly since the 1970s and still holds a branch of the city's public library.

The City of Los Angeles issued its first Library Bond in 1925. A number of library branches were built from the funds, including the Malabar Branch in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The Malabar Branch took its name from the Malabar Street Elementary School, built in 1913, whose Parent-Teacher Association helped to create a local book-lending service in 1915. The first location for the neighborhood library was in the Brooklyn Heights Methodist Church; the second was in a store at Wabash and Evergreen, where it remained until the Malabar Branch was built.

The new branch opened in 1927. From its beginnings, the library has offered books in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Armenian, French, and Italian. The architect of Malabar Branch Library was William Lee Woolett, who produced a design without excessive ornamentation. By using rough field stone on either side of the entrance, Woollett was inspired by archaic building methods. The images in the cast stone panel above the doorway also are archaic and rugged, harking back to rural Latin America. Medallions are above the windows, and a plaque is affixed to the east of the main entrance. Woollett also co-designed the interior of Los Angeles' Million Dollar Theater and became a member of the city's Municipal Arts Council in 1933.

The Malabar Branch Library covers two lots on Wabash Ave. opposite the intersection with Forest Ave. The building is set back from the intersection, accessed by a low double set of concrete stairs by the Wabash Ave. sidewalk leading to a pair of concrete walkways. Rectangular fieldstone planters flank the steps, and a low fieldstone wall edges the front lawn. Another set of concrete steps leads to the main entrance, flanked by another pair of fieldstone planters; a handicapped-accessible ramp has been added to the west of the main entrance. The entry vestibule leads to the tile-floored lobby and the librarians' desk. Beyond the desk lies the main reading room, with a fireplace of brick and fieldstone along the back wall. The interior features wood trim and stuccoed walls.

When the building was documented for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it was roughly rectangular with a narrow rear wing off of the northwest corner. Since then, a wide rear wing has been built on the east side. There is a paved, treed courtyard behind the original main block, between the rear wings. In 1978, it was one of only eight branch libraries remaining that were built from the 1925 Library Bond. Twenty-four of the city's branch libraries, including the Malabar Branch, were listed in the National Register as part of a thematic resource nomination in 1978; the structures were built between 1913 and 1930. By 1985, two of the libraries were removed from the listing due to demolition or extensive remodeling. The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) is celebrating its 150th anniversary (1872-2022) from December 2022 to May 2023. The system now includes the Central Library plus 72 branches.

Los Angeles Public Library. Malabar Branch Library, Locations & Hours. January 1st, 2023. Accessed March 18th, 2023. https://www.lapl.org/branches/malabar.

Mouck, Richard. Miller, John, et al. NRHP Thematic Resource nomination of Los Angeles Branch Library System, California. Edition revision of 1978. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1985.

University of California. Image: Malabar Street Elementary School, Boyle Heights, California, California Digital Library: Calisphere. January 1st, 2023. Accessed March 18th, 2023. https://calisphere.org/item/6515cc9397bd8c5213120d498edac4bf/.