Santa Monica Library Celebrates 100 Years at the Ocean Park Branch Library

March 28, 2019 9:15 AM
by Rachel Foyt

Amid balloons and fanfare the conclusion of a year-long celebration honoring the centennial of the Ocean Park Branch Library, 2601 Main Street, was held on Saturday, March 23, 2019.

Attendees enjoyed music provided by DJ Patrick Miller, crafts, games, and a historical photo booth. The cupcakes went like hot cakes as did the 12 containers of lemonade. Both the Santa Monica Conservancy and the Ocean Park Association who participated in the event made new friends in the neighborhood.

“This lovely Carnegie building represents all that is special about Santa Monica and our community commitment to reading and learning. The Ocean Park Branch has played a significant role in the Library’s response to the community’s needs by providing carefully selected popular materials and acting as a neighborhood hub. Every year more than 100,000 visitors frequent these doors, borrow more than 100,000 items, ask more than 24,000 questions, or attend any of the 400 programs offered for all ages. Thousands of people use the meeting room to create community, make use of the public computers, listen to a story, or learn something new,” says Patty Wong, Director of Library Services, Santa Monica Public Library. 

The Branch represents one of the few Carnegie-endowed structures still functioning as a public library in Southern California. Designed by local architects Frank T. Kegley and H. Scott Gerity in the Classical Revival architectural style, the Branch was built in 1917-18 on land donated by the Tegner family.  It opened to the public on February 15, 1918.

For more information about the Ocean Park Branch Library, click here. 

Authored By

Rachel Foyt
Senior Administrative Analyst