Silver Lake Library grand opening

This morning the Silver Lake Library opened on time and under budget, and there were speeches, balloons, news reporters, and a mob of local readers in attendance for the occasion. Apparently, a camera leash, too.


In addition to being a much-needed and much-appreciated resource for the community, the building is also a gold-standard green with energy cells, bamboo flooring, and a lot of recycled materials (45 percent, I think) going into it.


After the ribbon cutting, everyone was allowed in. Behind Wendy and Eloise are my friends Grace (Asian hot sauce taster from GR12), GR helper from the past Daniel (Robot Power, anyone?), and Christian (future proofreader).


The stairs. During the speeches, my Councilmember Eric Garcetti referenced the building's proximity to key Neutra houses and other architectural landmarks. The design is gorgeous and comfortable, and looks nice nearby our remodeled house.


Here's my family with our Councilmember. We told Garcetti--who actually attended a few neighborhood meetings on our street years ago and reads Giant Robot--that we love what's been happening with our neighborhood, from the walking path to the library.


The mayor does his thing. Somewhere in the crowd is Tom LaBonge, who is the Councilmember for the district across the street. If you ever hear him speak, he's like the Tommy Lasorda of local politics.


One window in the children's section actually faces our house, and you can see our highest windows framed by the clean white metal siding. Too bad we can't drop off Eloise and watch her from there.


We're returning to the library soon to get Eloise her own card and some new reading material. She can't wait to hang out there...