ARCHITECTURE
HISTORY
In 1894, the La Jolla Reading Club is formed and begins meeting at The La Jolla Park Hotel. In 1898, The Reading Club moves to a small cottage donated by Florence Sawyer, which becomes known as The Reading Room or The La Jolla Library. In 1921, The Reading Room cottage is replaced by a Spanish Colonial Revival Style building designed by noted architect William Templeton Johnson. In 1955, the La Jolla Library becomes part of the San Diego Public Library system. In 1988, the library is moved to its current location on land donated b Ms. Florence Riford. In 2004, the La Jolla/Riford Library is renovated and expanded with the new 25,000 sq. ft. addition known as the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Library Annex.
​
To view a video about the design and building of the annex, please click here.
NOTABLE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES
​​Patio Room
An exterior courtyard and water fountain (now interior) provide overflow reading space and a pleasant retreat during sunny afternoons.
Skylight-Covered Atrium and North-Facing Stained-Glass Window
Architects and local artist Christopher Lee worked collaboratively on the 2004 expansion’s most unique and dramatic feature: a skylight-covered atrium and a two-story high, north-facing stained-glass window. The north window of the library is made of cast glass panels dispersing light throughout the space. The design continues overhead, the length of the skylight over the upper floor and atrium of the library. Piercing the plane of the north window are three glass “sails” suggesting another component of the library as a vessel. The textured glass elements continue throughout the main lobby.
Catamaran Chandelier
An abstract catamaran acts as a dramatic chandelier sculpture.
​​Stair Railing & Balcony
The stair railing and balcony overlooking the lower level in the Children’s Area include intricately cut steel panels in the form of waves breaking from a ship’s bow.
“Voyage of Discovery” Plaque
All of these individual elements combine to form a symbolic vessel of learning, the journey of exploration in La Jolla Library’s “Voyage of Discovery.”
