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Photograph of Vermont Square Branch
Photograph by Los Angeles, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Vermont Square Branch

Built in 1913 (Mediterranean Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. 16 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1896.

From the record

“Vermont Square Branch Library is the oldest branch library in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Located about a mile southwest of the University of Southern California campus, in the Vermont Square district, it was built in 1913 with a grant from Andrew Carnegie.”

Wikipedia article Vermont Square Branch Library, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 616 National Register listings published here for Los Angeles County · listed in 1987 · category: Building · built in 1913, Mediterranean Revival architecture, by Sumner Hunt.

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. 1201 W. Forty-eighth St., Los Angeles, 90037
  • When was it listed? May 1987
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Los Angeles Branch Library System TR
  • Census division. Los Angeles
  • When was it built? 1913
  • Architectural style. Mediterranean Revival architecture, Renaissance Revival architecture
  • Architect. Sumner Hunt
  • National Register reference number. 87001022 - 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

1896 to 1901

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 5 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering Vermont Square Branch, surveyed 1901
Topographic sheet covering Vermont Square Branch, surveyed 1896

Fires near this property

224 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 224 fires within 5 miles of Vermont Square Branch between 2005 and 2020, burning about 93 acres in total. None started naturally. 15 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/undetermined151
Smoking24
Equipment and vehicle use16
Arson/incendiarism15
Misuse of fire by a minor10
Debris and open burning8

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
9 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
5 September 2019Arson/incendiarismunder an acreLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot named
27 September 2010Arson/incendiarismunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
25 September 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
23 September 2005Smoking1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
20 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
18 September 2012Misuse of fire by a minorunder an acreLos Angeles County Fire Departmentnot 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 Vermont Square Branch: 12 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, General, Talc-Soapstone. 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
L.A. MillTalc-SoapstoneProducer
California Portland Cement CompanyLimestone, General, ClayPast Producer
Southwestern Portland Cement CoLimestone, General, ClayPast Producer
Alameda St. PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Blue Diamond Corp. - Alameda PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Western Rock & Sand Co.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
City Brick Co. PitClayPast Producer
Independent Brick Co. Pit and PlantClayPast Producer
Los Angeles Brick Co.-7th St. YardClayPast Producer
Simmons Brick Co.-Boyle Pit/PlantClayPast 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

16 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
Moneta Branch1.0 miles1987
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum1.1 miles1984
Natural History Museum1.3 miles1975
John Muir Branch1.3 miles1987
Exposition Park Rose Garden1.3 miles1991
University of Southern California Historic District1.6 miles2015

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 87001022 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.