Los Angeles's central library, an art deco landmark in the city's downtown, has marked its 100th anniversary with celebrations that drew an estimated 12,000 visitors through its halls, courtyards and rotunda. The building, which opened in 1926, remains a much-loved civic institution and continues to feature prominently in popular culture, having served as a filming location for productions including Heat, Ghostbusters, Moonlighting, Murder, She Wrote and LA Law.

Designed by architect Bertram Goodhue and funded through a $2.5m municipal bond approved in 1921, the library blends Spanish, Egyptian, Byzantine and Islamic architectural influences and now houses nearly three million books across 89 miles of shelving. Its history has not been without darker episodes, including a visit from serial killer Richard Ramirez in 1985 and a devastating 1986 arson attack that destroyed 400,000 volumes and closed the library for seven years. Author Susan Orlean, who wrote about the library in her 2018 book The Library Book, was among those attending the centenary celebrations, which supporters describe as reaffirming the library's role as an inclusive public space open to all Angelenos.