Doheny Memorial Library
The Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles opened on the first day of school in September 1932. Prior to the university’s 50th anniversary in 1930, construction of a freestanding library building was a top priority. The 1929 stock market crash cast a pall over the plan until the family of oil tycoon Edward Doheny announced the gift of a library as a memorial to their son, USC alumnus Edward (Ned) Doheny Jr., who had been killed in 1929. Architects Samuel Lunden and Samuel Adams Cram sought to create an “original expression… that would harmonize with the other buildings on campus.” The library is considered the crown jewel of the campus, a gateway of learning with statues of William Shakespeare and Dante Alighieri flanking the main entrance, and the face of USC at each commencement.
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt