Mr. Foster loved trees and the (original Foster Library and city Hall) building was beautifully situated with an original star pine from the old Theodosia Burr Sheppard Gardens – it had a grand presence on a grassy hill with welcoming steps from the street...

The post World War II push for “progress” erased the memory of Mr. Foster’s library. The “new”- 1959 Ventura County & City Library building was sited on the (grassy hill) of the original building. Today, the old building still stands (although faceless) behind the modern edifice and is used as a storage repository. It awaits an uncertain future and is currently not a landmark. In 1960, the new Ventura County & City Library was literally built onto the original Foster Library facade. The front steps, entry, and columns that made up the striking brick facade were demolished so that a new modern library could be built on what had been the front lawn. The 1921 library building had grown too small, so City Librarian Elizabeth Topping advocated for a new, larger facility...

 

 

Today, the virtually unchanged E.P. Foster Library represents the most prominent example of Mid-Century Modern architecture in San Buenaventura. It has now become a landmark in its own right, as the architecture of the ’50s, and ’60s, becomes appreciated after being out of fashion for decades. In 1999, the City of Ventura Public Art Commission sought an artist to integrate public art into the library’s complete renovation. Local artist Sally Weber was selected and transformed the foyer of the library with Matrix – an artwork inspired by the design of integrated circuits in computer chips – consisting of colored digital film laminated within the glass walls of the library entryway. 

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