April 2, 2025 - Wednesday - Today we were in the heart of Los Angeles to visit the Maguire Gardens. Maguire Gardens is a 2.3 acre park adjacent to the Richard J. Riordan Central Library, which is commonly known as the Los Angeles Central Library. The park is named after Robert Maguire. It was completed in 1988 with preservation architects Hardy, Holtzman + Pfeiffer and developer Robert Maguire. The space, occupying a former parking lot adjacent to the Central Library, is a passive public park, with a restaurant, outdoor dining terrace, fountains, pools, overlooks, site-specific public art, and a generous lawn. These elements, Postmodern in style, all contribute to a dignified setting for the iconic Egyptian Revival library building, originally designed by Bertram Goodhue in 1926.
The risers on the steps are all carved with miscellaneous inscriptions.
Looking northwest from the gardens is the Bonaventure Hotel featured in the original Die Hard movie.
We went into the library to get Judy a library card for digital book loans.
After the gardens, we took a short drive for lunch at the Eastside Italian Deli.
Judy had a Caprese sandwich with a huge amount of mozzarella.
I had their eggplant parmesan sandwich that I barely finished.
