Introduction
Welcome to Brand Library & Art Center, a unique public library that focuses on visual arts and music. Now a branch of the Glendale Library, Arts & Culture Department, Brand Library is the former home of Glendale pioneer Leslie Coombs Brand. L.C. Brand, often called the “father of Glendale,” built his beloved Miradero estate in 1904, here at the base of the Verdugo Mountains, with views of orange groves and undeveloped land all the way to Griffith Park in the distance. Its Saracenic-inspired exterior was modeled after the East India Pavilion at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, which Mr. Brand visited. The mansion’s striking towers, minarets, and repeating scalloped arches soon caused locals to nickname it Brand’s Castle. In a generous civic-minded gesture, Brand left his home and adjacent land to the City for use as a public park and library when he died in 1925. After Mrs. Brand’s death in 1945, the City converted the building from home to library, which opened for business in 1956. In the conversion, many original interior architectural elements were removed or obscured, including exterior and interior windows and doors, light fixtures, and fireplaces. In 1969 an addition was built, which included a large art gallery and recital hall. In March 2012, the historic building closed for a highly anticipated renovation, which restored historic features of the mansion, as well as addressed seismic, accessibility, and infrastructure issues. Brand Library & Art Center reopened on March 27, 2014.This tour will walk you through the renovated library, highlighting its architecture and décor.Whether you are onsite or at home, we hope you enjoy your tour of Brand Library & Art Center!
Stop 1 - The Solarium
While the Miradero mansion exterior has an Indo-Islamic appearance, its interiors were designed and originally decorated in a traditional grand American Victorian style. A primary characteristic of this style is the use of ornamental woodwork for decoration. Incised, sawn, cut-out and turned wood techniques were all present in the original décor and you will still see exquisite examples throughout the building today. Decorated ceilings, window seats and elaborate leaded glass window designs were also popular; keep an eye out for these features as you tour the library.You are now in what was the Solarium of the Brand family home. The Solarium is said to have been Mr. and Mrs. Brand’s favorite room, the literal and figurative center of the house, with bedrooms and living areas opening onto it on all sides, and clerestory windows to let in light and fresh air. In the Brands’ day, the woodwork and ceiling beams were dark, as were the walls, and it was decorated in the Victorian style, with wall tapestries, ferns and flowering plants, rocking chairs, and ornamental bird cages for the Brands’ feathered pets; it even had an indoor fountain. In the 1950s when the mansion was repurposed as a library, doors and windows along the East wall were bricked-in and plastered over, as was a fireplace on the South wall and two elaborate beveled glass windows that flanked it. The renovation restored the doors and windows on the East wall. On the South wall, doorways with beveled glass transoms were placed where the windows used to be, in order to allow library patrons easy access to the other rooms. Thanks to the renovation, the Solarium is again the heart of the building, where you can ask art and music librarians for help at the reference desk, browse new books, search the library catalog, and stream music from one of our databases.Before you leave the Solarium, note the four copper clad drainage pipes in the corners of the room. Many people ask, “why are these exposed rather than hidden inside the walls?” Can you guess the reason? Find out the answer when you visit Tour Stop number 5, the Library.
Stop 2 - Reception Hall
You are now in the meticulously restored Reception Hall. Notice the remarkable craftsmanship in the carved columns and fireplace mantel, the original brass chandelier, and painted ceilings. The mansion cost $60,000 to build—a fortune in 1904! This would be just over $2,000,000 today. Mr. Brand spared no expense, reportedly bringing craftsmen from Italy to do the skilled work, and having Tiffany beveled leaded glass windows shipped from New York around Cape Horn.In the Victorian era, the front reception hall was meant to impress visitors with the family’s wealth, social position, and knowledge of current styles. The monumental fireplace is the focal point of the Hall, but during the Brands’ time there was also an elaborately carved piece of furniture called a hall tree, with decorative columns, brass hooks for hanging coats and hats, and a large mirror. Carved wooden banquettes with thick cushions for sitting flanked the fireplace, and a richly colored and patterned Oriental carpet covered the floor.Mr. and Mrs. Brand loved to entertain and regularly hosted parties and gatherings for family, friends, and members of the community. L.C. Brand surely enjoyed the impression made on his guests as they entered the Reception Hall through the carved double doors with beveled glass and intricately decorated cast brass hardware, below the grand and sparkling scalloped arch window.When the home was converted to a library in 1956, the lovely stone and brick fireplace was removed, as were the hall tree, banquettes, and the beveled leaded glass windows on either side of the fireplace that had matched the scalloped arch window above the front door. In later years a bulky check-out desk was installed, which diminished the magnificence of the space. The renovation restored the Hall’s grandeur by painstakingly recreating the fireplace and ceiling decorations, refinishing woodwork, and replicating sconces and flooring. We think Mr. Brand would be pleased that his Reception Hall once again makes an impression.
Stop 3 - Drawing Room
Welcome to the Drawing Room, where in Victorian times visitors would be entertained, in the way we use our living rooms today. The Brands' drawing room was decorated in a softer and lighter style than the other public rooms of the mansion. Notice the delicate pink roses, cherubs and musical, references in the ceiling painting and fireplace tiles and the pale blue color of the walls.Visitors often wonder what is at the top of the winding stair beyond the doorway in the Northeast corner of the room. In 1913 the Brands added a thirty-by-thirty foot tower, which contained a primary bedroom and bath. Beneath the tower was a porte-cochère, or “carriage porch,” where anyone arriving by automobile would be sheltered from the elements as they were received on the porch. The narrow and winding staircase makes it difficult to access the room, so today it is used as space for library staff.Take a moment to look up and admire the hand-painted ceilings. Historic photographs show that the mansion originally had decorative artwork on the ceilings in at least five rooms, including this one. Sometime before her death Mrs. Brand covered over the painting in some of the rooms. Any decoration that remained was covered with acoustical plaster—better known as a “popcorn ceiling”— when the home was turned into a library in 1956. Whether any of the original paintings remained was a mystery until 2001. At that time researchers determined that the paintings, though probably in poor condition, were there beneath the 1956 covering and a thick layer of plaster and chicken wire. When the time came to uncover the ceilings during the renovation, excitement and anticipation were in the air! What was revealed amazed everyone: there were traces of beautiful colors and delicate and detailed imagery of exotic birds, angels and cherubs, griffins, bunches of grapes and vines and ornamental patterns—keep an eye out for these motifs in the ceiling decoration throughout the Mansion. Conditions made it impossible to save the original ceilings. Instead Spectra Company, one of the leading California firms specializing in historic restoration and preservation, used a methodical process to document the ceilings in photographs. Using ceiling samples and historic and new photographs, Spectra’s artists did an extraordinary job recreating these gorgeous paintings. They transport us back to the early 1900s when this was a room for Mr. and Mrs. Brand and their visitors to enjoy. Now, with its comfortable seating, free Wi-Fi, and plenty of electrical outlets, it’s yours to enjoy.Spectra Company was able to stabilize and preserve some sections of the original ceiling; before you move on to the Library Room, which is the next stop on the tour, we invite you to look at the two framed examples hanging on either side of the fireplace.
Stop 4 - Library
Around 1906, Mr. Brand published a book that showcased his new home in photographs and flowery descriptions of both the interior and the grounds. The book’s introduction said the site of the Miradero estate was as “entrancing as elysian fields” and a “spot of unsurpassed natural adornments.” He was so proud of his new home that he even sent a copy of the book to his relatives in Missouri, which he left some 20 years before. He was surely pleased when the local Montgomery County paper did a write-up describing the elegant country home and the considerable wealth of the local boy who had made good out West.When you look around this room, which was the Brands’ Library, can you tell which features are original, and which were specially replicated as part of the renovation? Two windows in this room that had been bricked over in 1956 were recreated. The decorative hardware and woodwork were carefully replicated, but if you look closely, you might be able to tell the old from the new. The two chandeliers are not original nor reproductions, but are in a style that would have been popular in the early 1900s.One exciting discovery made during the renovation process was the existence of the original pocket doors between the Library and Dining Room. In the American Victorian style, almost every grand house featured a pair of sliding doors between double parlors or between parlor and dining room. Finding the doors and pulling them out for the first time in almost 60 years was a thrill! The doors are mahogany on one side and oak on the other, to match the wood trim in each room.On the West wall you will notice a frame that reveals the original makeup of the walls of the mansion. If you think it just looks like a pile of rocks, you are not mistaken! The thick walls are made of rocks grouted with small amounts of concrete. It probably wouldn’t be up-to-code as new construction today, but amazingly the building has survived earthquakes and the elements for more than 100 years. The renovation process included seismic retrofitting to ensure that both the historic building and the 1969 addition are protected for the future.Remember when we asked you to think about why the Solarium’s copper clad drainage pipes are exposed? Now you know the reason: it would be impossible to locate them inside walls made entirely of rocks! Come to Brand Library on a rainy day and hear the gurgling music of the water running through these pipes.On the West wall is a tapestry that belonged to the Brands—photographs show that it used to hang in the Solarium. When Mrs. Brand died, family members packed the house and removed almost all of the artwork and furnishings, but they generously left the tapestry to be enjoyed by library visitors.
Stop 5 - Dining Room
Welcome to what would have been the Brands’ Dining Room. In the Victorian era, the dining room, like the drawing room and reception hall, was meant to impress guests. Some of the most opulent décor in Victorian homes was reserved for the dining room, and Miradero was no exception. When the house was converted to a library, a large, tiled fireplace with a carved wood and mirrored mantel was removed from the North wall, where part of the library’s collection is located today. The wall that separated the Dining Room and the Solarium was also removed. Against this wall was an ornate sideboard—typically a focal point in Victorian dining rooms—that matched the fireplace. The fireplace mantel had commanding carved griffins—the mythical four-footed beast with wings and the head of an eagle—on both sides. Griffins were also in the original ceiling paintings, which Spectra Company has replicated. Fortunately, one of the most striking features of the dining room was not altered in 1956. The intricately carved wood screen and columns framing a West-facing window seat and a magnificent beveled leaded glass scalloped arch window are essentially unchanged since the mansion was built. In the Brands’ day, however, the view through the large plate glass window was of orange groves and rustic countryside.The large chandelier probably caught your eye when you first entered the room. It took craftspeople from the Santa Barbara firm Steven Handelman Studios several weeks to fabricate this reproduction of the original. Scale, proportion, and design details all had to be determined by examining historic photographs. The original fixture would have been both gas and electric, typical of the era when electric lights were a new and not entirely reliable invention. In recreating the piece, the Studio used wrought iron for the frame, an art glass called Honey Opal, vintage gas globes and hand-applied finishes designed to look like the original gilded finishes that were used in the early twentieth century.In the Drawing Room we saw the walls were a light blue color, but you may have noticed the other restored rooms are painted in typically rich, saturated Victorian colors, such as the blue you see here in the Dining Room. Throughout the mansion the wall colors you see were matched as closely as possible to what are believed to be the original colors. During the renovation these colors were discovered as the many layers of wall coverings were peeled back. With only black and white or sepia-toned photos of the original interiors, the revelation of these stunning colors was another highlight of the renovation.
Stop 6 - Breezeway
This welcoming and airy entry breezeway makes the library more accessible and connects the mansion and 1969 addition beautifully and efficiently. With the custom woodwork on one side and the streamlined metal cladding and wall cutouts with a view to the shelves on the other, the design reflects both the Victorian aesthetic of the original mansion and the modern look of the 1969 addition. In the historic portion, patrons can seek research help, use the computer lab, or relax and study. In the 1969 addition they will find the outstanding collection of books, scores, CDs, DVDs and other materials that make Brand Library a destination for music and art lovers from across Southern California.Brand Library has over 110,000 items, including DVDs, and more than 30,000 CDs and rare LPs. We provide access to online resources, like indexes to art and music magazines, auction record databases, art and music encyclopedias and image databases. With a library card, you can stream and download music and movies and download eBooks and audio books, all for free. The Glendale Library, Arts & Culture’s mobile app for Apple and Android devices makes it easy for you to access these resources, search the catalog, and log on to your library account anywhere, anytime.We invite you to take some time to explore the collections. Use the catalog and find something specific or browse and happen upon that special thing that you didn’t even know you were looking for. If you can’t find something, be sure to ask for help! Many back issues of periodicals, LPs, as well as books and scores are kept in a closed storage area, and we will happily retrieve them for you at any time!
Stop 7 - Plaza & Art Center
One goal of the 2014 renovation was to create a more unified entrance that would showcase all that Brand Library & Art Center has to offer, including the Brand Library Recital Hall and Art Gallery. The Plaza, with lighting and landscaping that complements the architecture, welcomes visitors to enter the Library or the Gallery through striking glass doors. The Plaza is also a perfect venue for our smaller outdoor events when weather permits.The Recital Hall and Gallery have been in continuous use since they had their grand opening in 1969—showcasing the best musical and artistic talents from Southern California and beyond. We like to imagine how many thousands of people have happy memories of visiting an exhibition, listening to live music, or watching a dance performance here.The Brand Associates, a non-profit membership-based, organization that formed in 1969 to support and promote Brand Library & Art Center, sponsors many of our programs, including the well-regarded music and dance series and the Annual National Juried Art Exhibition. By enhancing existing services and programs and developing programs for new audiences, Brand Library & Art Center will continue to be a regional resource for many decades to come.
Stop 8 - Porch/Veranda
Mr. Brand took his design inspiration from the East India Pavilion at the 1893 World’s Exposition. This style of architecture is described as Saracenic. Note the features that are characteristic of this Islamic-influenced style: decorated surfaces and tiles; bulbous domes; and horseshoe, pointed, and multifoil arches.The Porch, or Veranda, as the Brands would have called it, was a lovely place to relax on a summer afternoon. From it the Brands could enjoy the fragrant gardens and take in the dramatic view beyond the grand palm-lined drive. Historic photos give us a glimpse of the elaborately painted decoration that covered the interior of the dome above the front door. The light fixture you see is original to the Mansion and was refurbished as part of the renovation. The Brands were known for hosting “fly-in parties” and from this perch L.C. undoubtedly enjoyed watching visitors arrive by plane, landing on his airstrip that was just south of Mountain Street.The Brands put as much effort into Miradero’s grounds and outbuildings as they did into the mansion itself. The book L.C. Brand published describes “Rich foliage beds, rare plants and shrubs, shaded walks around a miniature lake where goldfish glance in the shadows, [and] gurgling streams and splashing fountains…” In later years the Miradero estate also had a tennis court, swimming pool, a conservatory with a leaded glass dome, stables, and a variety of outbuildings in a style that matched the mansion.Though much has changed at Miradero since the early twentieth century, the Brands’ legacy and love of arts and culture and the Southern California landscape live on in Brand Library & Art Center and beautiful Brand Park. Learn more about Brand Library's unique collections and programs at BrandLibrary.org or ask one of our friendly staff. We are always happy to help.
