Brewitt Neighborhood Library, the cozy library branch located in the Zaferia district in Long Beach, turned 75 years old on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
Brewitt Neighborhood Library has continued its tradition as a small 5,225-square-foot friendly neighborhood branch, connecting residents with a wide range of book selections and technological resources.
In 1954, the library branch was renamed in honor of Theodora Brewitt, City Librarian from 1921–1950.
As can be seen in the photos below, the library has made some changes throughout the years, but the spirit of providing neighborhood connections and resources has remained the same.
The first photos are of two librarians relaxing with a book at the information desk.
Drag the sliding bar in the middle of the photos to compare between the two.
On the left is a photo from 1972 of Virginia Desmond, a longtime resident of Long Beach and Signal Hill, where she worked as a children’s librarian after the death of her late husband Gerald Desmond (yes, the bridge one.)
Onto the exterior of the building.
The photo on the left was taken the year the library first opened in 1948. As can be seen in the 2023 photo on the right, part of the wall is now gone to accommodate a parking lot.
The photo on the left of the main reading area was taken in 1948 during the opening of the library. The curtains once adorning the north-facing windows are now gone, allowing for more light to seep in.
The reading area was often filled with service members studying while using their newly earned GI Bill benefits after the end of World War II. Today it serves as an extended information desk and a computer lab for Long Beach residents.
Last is a view of the southeastern corner of the library that holds fiction books.
Today this area is still used for studying and reading, but now also serves as an area to take advantage of the air conditioning and free WiFi internet provided by the library.
Great visual storytelling !