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Photograph of Former Van Nuys Branch Library
Photograph by Los Angeles, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Van Nuys Branch

Built in 1926 (Spanish Colonial Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. 20 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1894.

From the record

One of 616 National Register listings published here for Los Angeles County · listed in 1987 · category: Building · built in 1926, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, by Allison & Allison.

Sources: 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. 14553 Sylvan Way, Los Angeles, 91411
  • When was it listed? May 1987
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Los Angeles Branch Library System TR
  • Census division. San Fernando Valley
  • When was it built? 1926
  • Architectural style. Spanish Colonial Revival architecture
  • Architect. Allison & Allison
  • National Register reference number. 87001019 - 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 Van Nuys Branch, surveyed 1979
Topographic sheet covering Van Nuys Branch, surveyed 1894

Fires near this property

24 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 24 fires within 5 miles of Van Nuys Branch between 2000 and 2020, burning about 240 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was 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/undetermined13
Smoking6
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Equipment and vehicle use1
Arson/incendiarism1

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
4 August 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined60 acresLos Angeles Fire DepartmentHARVEY DRIVE FIRE
26 August 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined60 acresSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaENCINO
26 August 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
22 August 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
21 August 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined10 acresSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation Area405FWY
2 August 2010Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
19 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
16 August 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Every fire recorded in Los Angeles County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 13 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Van Nuys Branch: 13 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. 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
Mission Brick Co. PitClayPast Producer
Valley Brick & Supply Co.ClayPast Producer
Arrow Rock Co.-Sun Valley PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Blue Diamond Corp. - Roscoe PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Boulevard PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
California Materials Co. PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Cooperative Building Materials Co.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Graham Bros.-Roscoe PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Granite Materials Co. - Wick St.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Granite Materials Co.-Tujunga Ave.Sand 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

20 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
Great Wall of Los Angeles, The2.1 miles2017
Rancho El Encino2.2 miles1971
Great Wall of Los Angeles, The2.3 miles2017
North Hollywood Branch4.3 miles1987
George R. Kress House5.0 miles1998
Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation and Museum5.1 miles1998

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 87001019 in Record Group 79.
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.