8. Central Library
The Central Library was built between 1923-1926, during the transition from Beaux-Arts to Art Deco. The architect Bertram Goodhue didn’t live to see his building completed. The library is decorated in the narrative manner with the personification of history, philosophy and other muses. It has many Mediterranean and Egyptian elements, including the mosaics on the dome. Inside, the rotunda was originally where the card catalog and reference desk were located. The murals by Dean Cornwall represent the stages of California’s history.
