Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-09
WILL MOVE
LIBRARY TO
NEW BLOCK
THIRD FLOOR OF HAMBURGER
BUILDING CHOSEN
DEAL NOW BEING CLOSED FOR
10000 FEET FLOOR SPACE
New Quarters Selected by Board VIII
Provide Ample Accommodations
for Several Years-EscaIator
Among convenlences

The library trustees are closing deal
with the Hamburgers by which 1t is
planned that when the new store build
ing is completed at Broadway, Eighth
and Hill streets, the library will occupy
a large portion of the third floor Of the
building.
The present quarters of the library
embrace about 10000 square feet, and
there is available in addition about 5000
square feet of the roof garden, wnich
ad1oins the library proper.
Under the terms of the deal there
will be available in the library proper
about $1,000 square feet and in addi-
ton about 10000 square feet for storage
and binding purposes, besides a space
OF approximately $4,000 square feet on
the roof, to be used as a roof garden.
This makes a total of nearly 10000
square feet for the library, as against
about $4,000 square feet at it's present
location.
The change will be made without any
material increase in the rate Of rental.
The lease of the present quarters ex-
pires in March, 1909, and at that time
the rent will be raised
The new room has been chosen after
a careful and thorough study of the en-
tire Hamburger building by the MEM
bers of the library board and the libra
rian. Various parts of the building
were inspected, and 1t was finally
agreed to take that portion of the third
floor which is known to the public as
"the Hill Street building" together
with "trip of twenty-eight feet ex-
tending through the entire Eighth
street frontage, distance of 800 feet,
Has Moving Stairway
Access to these quarters is had by
eight express elevators and an escala-
tor, or moving stairway which in itself
is capable of accommodating about 1000
people an hour.
The Hamburger building is now near
completion, and is expected to be ready
for occupancy by July. This building
is the largest and most magnificent
commercial structure west of Chicago,
and the trustees of the library, in maxi
ing this selection, have obtained prac-
tically a choice of the buildings floor
space for the most commodious public
library in the west.
While the great building has been
slowly rising, few people have appreci-
ated either its size or the care which
has been taken to equip it with the
latest appliances. 1t is not only fire.
proof, but it is heated and ventilated
throughout by modern blast air sys-
tem-both hot and cold--which will
change the air every thirty minutes,
and at the same time enable patrons
of the library to inhale pure air at
constant temperature of 70 degrees.
The Hamburgers have installed their
own water system and their own light
ing and cleaning system. They have
also made thorough provision for the
prevention of fires, and these advan-
tages will all accrue to the library.
The trustees insisted upon obtaining
the entire Eighth street front of the
~ >. IL.
light is considered the most desirable
for library purposes, and besides this.
the board secures twenty-eight feet on
Broadway and 1859 feet on Hill street,
making a total of SIT feet of street
frontage all on one floor of the build
ing, and this in the Hamburger build
ing is equivalent to one entire block of
frontage on Broadway or Spring street
Travel Is a Factor
The library trustees have had in
mind the convenience of city travel
After a careful study, they believe that
the facilities for reaching the Ham
burger building are lperior to those
for reaching the present library. Every
street car line either passes the Ham
burger building or transfers there, and
the building is almost in the exact
center of the city. The library is used
for study purposes likewise, by many
residents of out-of-town points, and
they can readily reach the new quar-
tiers on either the Pacific Electric, the
Interurban or Santa Monica lines.
The negotiations for these new quar-
tiers have been pending for some time,
and as progress was made the library
trustees suggested improvements and
alterations to be made, which were
promptly agreed to by the Hamburg
ers.
The trustees insisted that separate
entrances be provided for the general
public, and this the Hamburgers con-
scented to, so there is a complete sepa-
ration OF the store from the library.
There now remain no obstacles in the
way of the early completion of the deal,
every point between the board and the
owners of the building having been set
tied.
The city librarian, G. f. Lummis, al
ready has partially prepared designs
for the new arrangement, and when
they are completed he expects to have