Los Altos Library 60th Anniversary

Los Altos Library 60th Anniversary

This Tuesday February 21st, the Los Altos Library will celebrate its 60th Anniversary.

Councilman Daryl Supernaw announced the all-day celebration in his February 17th Weekly Newsletter.   

The anniversary day's events include:

• 2:30 pm light refreshments and Family Storytime with Miss Carla
• 3:45 pm Showing of The Lloyd S Whaley Story documentary film
• 5:30 pm light refreshments for "The History of Los Altos" with Press-Telegram columnist and author Tim Grobaty and retired Long Beach Librarian Claudine Burnett

click on 60th Los Altos Library

The Los Altos Library was built on land donated by Long Beach

developer Lloyd S Whaley.  The Los Altos Village neighborhoods were originally serviced by a library bookmobile. The Los Altos Library would be  the first local library completely built from the ground up at a cost of $132,000.

Original architect plans from the Long Beach Historical Society

Located at 5416 Britton Street behind the Whaley planned shopping center, the Los Altos Library would quickly become second in volume only to the city's Main Library as the Los Altos branch served not only the general public, but also provided Douglas Aircraft personnel with technical books and served students from the nearby Long Beach State College-now CSULB.

The Long Beach Historical Society information about the Los Altos Library states:

"Los Altos was second only to the Main library in circulation loaning 262,982 items the first year.  Staff also answered 29,911 reference question, filled 4793 reserves, hosted 133 adult meetings, 121 school visits and 44 story hours that first year."

For more information click on LBHS: Los Altos Library

Barbara Britton in 1953

Britton Street is the street where the Los Altos Library sits and the "main street" of the  neighborhood behind the library. The street was named by Lloyd Whaley for  movie star and Long Beach native, Barbara Britton.  Born in Long Beach in 1919, Britton attended Poly and LBCC.  She was "discovered"  by a Paramount Studio talent scout after her picture appeared in newspapers of her riding the City of Long Beach float for the 1941 Rose Parade. Appearing in movies (especially westerns)  and television (she played the original Laura Petrie in the pilot for the Dick Van Dyke Show- a role eventually given to Mary Tyler Moore). Barbara Britton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. The Britton star is located at 1719 Vine Street in front of Tiffany's on Vine just down the block from the iconic Capitol Records Building.

For more information click on:

Barbara Britton

Britton Star

Part 1 of the The Lloyd S Whaley Story