The original Washington Irving Branch library, located at 1802 South Arlington Avenue in Los Angeles, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At the time of its closure, no major physical changes had been made to the building since its construction, and books remained housed on thick wood shelves.

[3] The Washington Irving Branch was designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in April 1984.

It has a rectangular plan with side-facing gables, a symmetrical front elevation, a tiled roof and a bay window on the east side.

So would upgrading the historic building that houses the present branch, perhaps as a community center - where that 'neighborhood' feeling it now encourages would continue to be nurtured.

The majority of 62 speakers at a public forum on the closure spoke in favor of saving the old branch by renovating and expanding the existing structure.

"[6] The library commission agreed in 1991 not to move the Irving branch from its historic Mid-City home of 65 years until a new tenant could be found to take over the building.