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Photograph of Cahuenga Branch
Photograph by Mfield, Matthew Field, http://www.photography.mattfield.com, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Cahuenga Branch

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. 18 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1894.

From the record

“Cahuenga Branch is the third oldest branch library facility in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located at 4591 Santa Monica Boulevard in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, it was built in 1916 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie.”

Wikipedia article Cahuenga Branch Library, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 616 National Register listings published here for Los Angeles County · listed in 1987 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 4591 W. Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, 90029
  • When was it listed? May 1987
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Los Angeles Branch Library System TR
  • Census division. Los Angeles
  • Architectural style. Mediterranean Revival architecture, Renaissance Revival architecture
  • National Register reference number. 87001006 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Then and now

1894 to 1979

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 85 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering Cahuenga Branch, surveyed 1979
Topographic sheet covering Cahuenga Branch, surveyed 1894

Fires near this property

94 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 94 fires within 5 miles of Cahuenga Branch between 2005 and 2020, burning about 1,032 acres in total. None started naturally. 9 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined57
Smoking16
Arson/incendiarism9
Misuse of fire by a minor6
Debris and open burning3
Equipment and vehicle use2
Recreation and ceremony1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 September 2009Smoking1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
24 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
18 September 2012Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
14 September 2016Smoking1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
10 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
30 August 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
26 August 2009Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
21 August 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Every fire recorded in Los Angeles County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 24 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 24 workings within 5 miles of Cahuenga Branch: 16 past producers, 4 prospects, 2 unknowns, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Gold. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Unnamed AditGold, CopperProspect
Unnamed Calcite OccurrenceCalciumProspect
CahuengaGoldProspect
California Portland Cement CompanyLimestone, General, ClayPast Producer
Southwestern Portland Cement CoLimestone, General, ClayPast Producer
Brush Canyon QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Los Angeles Park Dept. QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Mill City QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Unnamed QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenUnknown
BeyrleSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Los Angeles County

Storms near this property

8 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Los Angeles, the town this property stands in, in 8 storm reports between 2000 and 2026: 3 flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind, 1 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2023Tornado (EF1)East Los Angeles1 hurtA weak tornado developed in the community of Montebello. The EF1 tornado impacted the area around the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue. There was substantial damage to the industrial warehouse and commercial business district, including nearly total roof collapse in one building and a total of 17 damaged structures. Numerous vehicles were damaged due to flying debris.
February 2000Thunderstorm WindLos Angeles1 hurtno account filed
February 2026FloodLos Angeles-Heavy rain produced significant roadway flooding on Interstate 110 near West 39th Street.
February 2026Flash FloodLos Angeles-Heavy rainfall generated flash flooding near the intersection of Interstates 10 and 110.
February 2026Thunderstorm WindLos Angeles-Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees in the South Los Angeles area.
March 2002High WindLos Angeles-no account filed
February 2000FloodLos Angeles-no account filed
April 2000FloodLos Angeles-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Los Angeles County

Maps showing this location

18 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Nursery School for Visually Handicapped Children0.5 miles2025
Hollyhock House0.7 miles1971
Residence A0.7 miles1971
La Casa Del Rey1.1 miles2018
John and Mary Lautner House1.1 miles2016
Bungalow Court at 1516 N. Serrano Ave1.2 miles2010

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 87001006 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Los Angeles CountyAll 616 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.