These Are the Most Beautiful Libraries in the West
From small-town Alaska to downtown L.A., these architectural wonders impress with their stunning designs and swoon-worthy collections
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Geisel Library, University of San Diego, La Jolla, CA
This marvel of concrete and glass has become a standout landmark on the UCSD campus. Named for Audrey and Theodore Seuss Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss), the imaginative design seems to be fitting tribute. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwAQ-q3AIOC/Arabian Library, Scottsdale, AZ
In a rust hue and curving shape that pay homage to the surrounding desert landscape, the building’s award-winning design shines with indoor-outdoor elements, such as “canyon courts” that open to the sky.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTNvPtelaKW/Seattle Public Library
Famed architects Rem Koolhaus and Joshua Prince-Ramus took the helm of revamping Seattle’s public libraries in the late ‘90s, and their magic touch shows in the very contemporary glass-and-steel main branch. The architectural interest doesn’t stop once you enter its doors, either. Don’t miss the interior “book spiral,” a corkscrew-shaped display system connected by ramps that enable you to browse shelves while remaining on the same floor.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwAEHWAHjKI/Los Angeles Central Library
The largest public library in the West, the DTLA icon was designed with Ancient Egypt in mind in a nod to one of history’s most illuminated civilizations. You can see it in the tiled pyramid topping the structure as well as more subtle geometric motifs throughout the interior. https://www.instagram.com/p/BoNTGuXhpAk/UNAM Central Library, Mexico City
Housing one of the largest book collections in Mexico, this palace to learning happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Take a glance at its sublimely intricate edifice and it’s not hard to see why. The exterior mural is but one of many gracing the building inside and out. https://www.instagram.com/p/BneDM5VBI54/Vancouver Central Library
With a facade resembling the Roman Colosseum, a continuous outdoor piazza, and an internal glass facade and elliptical-shaped wall framing the entry, it’s one eye-catching feature after another at this downtown-set main branch. https://www.instagram.com/p/nwZ9R-hNuB/San Francisco Main Library
The modern building’s pièce de résistance is its dramatic, spiral-shaped skylight capping off a five-story atrium. In fact, incorporating natural light seemed to be a guiding principle in the design, as also seen in the light wells appearing throughout, intersected by bridges connecting the building floors. https://www.instagram.com/p/BpD2GmYAseo/Hawaii State Library, Honolulu
On the outside, it’s all Ancient Rome what with the stately columns and arches. The inside, however, is locally inspired: murals depict Hawaiian legends, a garden courtyard features a mosaic rendering of ocean waves.
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