Powell Library - Where Fahrenheit 451 Was Typed

Photo: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on UCLA Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Across the quad from Royce Hall is Powell Library, its partner from the start. Designed by George W. Kelham and finished in 1929, it was another of the four original buildings, and it takes its cues from the same Milan basilica as Royce. Notice the octagonal dome over the central tower, the arched balconies near its top and the copper cupola crowning it all. Above the entrance, look for the mosaics.

Powell was the main campus library until a larger research library opened in the 1960s, and it is still the undergraduate library. It is named for Lawrence Clark Powell, a longtime university librarian. Upstairs, a grand rotunda leads to the Main Reading Room, whose ceiling is decorated with the marks of Renaissance printers. Students nickname the place Club Powell because it is livelier than most libraries, and during finals week it stays open around the clock.

Visitors can usually step inside during open hours; check the library website for current hours. If you go in, climb to the rotunda and look up.

Getting here: Turn around: Powell Library faces Royce Hall across the quad. Walk to its front steps.

Did you know?: Ray Bradbury typed the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 on coin-operated rental typewriters in Powell's basement, at a dime per half hour, for about $9.80 in all.

Photo op: From the quad in front of the library, frame the dome and cupola against the sky with the entrance arches below.

More on Wikipedia: Powell Library · Ray Bradbury · Fahrenheit 451 · Lawrence Clark Powell

Powell Library - Where Fahrenheit 451 Was Typed

Stops on this tour