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MAGUIRE |
Deserving particular attention are the three central rectangular pools and adjoining steps, which have been embellished by Jud Fine to create an expressive and challenging art work. Entitled "Spine" (1993), its theme is analogous to the structure of a book, leading as it does to the library. The ascending pools trace the metamorphosis of life in a series of symbolic sculptures. An early prehistoric predator fish, a rhipidistian, gushes water into a catch basin at the base. In the second pool, a California newt rises on a rock. In the third pool, poised for flight, is a Peregrine falcon. Some people have affectionately named these animals, Doug, Robin, and Sam respectively. |
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What originally had been the west lawn of the library, then a parking lot for the library staff is now Maguire Gardens, a park landscaped with a wealth of plantings and public art. It is named in honor of Robert F. Maguire III, a real estate developer who championed the restoration of the library and park. The acre-and-a-half expanse atop a 940-car garage is designed very much in a style of the original plan of Bertram Goodhue. A stepped fountain, lined by an allee of Italian cypress, leading to the west entry of the landmark library bisects the park. The forecourt is graced with mature olive trees. Other large trees dot the rolling lawns and shade the benches along the curving walkways; a drift of trees creates a buffer to the street. There is also a classic garden cafe from which to survey the very urban scene.
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Maguire
Gardens |
Etched into the risers of the steps are letters and forms depicting the different graphic approaches in the development of communication. The exact translations are detailed in a book, Spine, available in the library gift shop. Also in the garden is the Grotto Fountain, a tribute to civil liberties where you will find a quote from Frederick Douglass and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Take Hope Street, which continues on the south side of the library... |
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