Sphinxes, movie stars and 3m books: inside Los Angeles’s beloved art deco library

The library opened in 1926 and has been described as ‘a remarkable fusion of Spanish, Egyptian, Byzantine and Islamic influences’. Photograph: Damian Dovarganes/AP

The central library in downtown Los Angeles has seen its fair share of colorful moments.

The architectural gem, which turned 100 this week, has been the backdrop to the epic street battle between Pacino, De Niro et al in Heat, and was where the original Ghostbusters came across their first ghost, a friendly older lady librarian who was anything but. Television shows such as Moonlighting; Murder, She Wrote; and LA Law filmed there too, when characters were researching or investigating a case.