LOS ANGELES CENTRAL LIBRARY - MAGUIRE GARDENS
Los Angeles, California 1992 - 1996
with Lawrence Halprin
Our design for the Los Angeles Central Library's West Lawn (Maguire Gardens) is an interpretation of Goodhue's original design and thematic concept for the library - "The Light of Learning". The design re-establishes the three pools of the original central axis and creates a plaza forecourt for the new cafe pavilion. The articulation of the paving and walls extends the original vocabulary of the architecture into the garden. The planting consists of "classical" evergreen trees making up layers of vegetation in various hues and textures sited to complement the massing, axis and structural systems of the building. The Italian Cypress allee has been restored. Vertical masses of Dombeyas accentuate the entry. Following the original design, a light screen of plantings forms a cross axis. Drifts of trees on the lawn offer shade. The forecourt for the pavilion is planted with olives and lined with low walls to provide shaded places for rest and a setting for the outdoor cafe.
