The Palisades Library, which burned on January 8, collapsed inward. The Army Corps of Engineers cleared the property and now a portable building will go on the parking lot.
L.A.Mayor Karen Bass in an October 31 press release announced the decision to place a temporary library building on tennis courts 7 & 8 was no longer being considered.
The temporary library facility will be in the parking lot of the “burned” Palisades library at 861 Alma Real. The building will have public computers, Wi-Fi, printing and scanning, study spaces, a community meeting room, and of course, lots of books. The LAPL plans to open this temporary facility early in 2026, while the permanent building is designed and built (no timeline).
“This plan for the temporary facility comes after extensive community feedback over several months and the consideration of differing points of view on where it should be placed, as well as the need to avoid service disruptions to planned Palisades Rec Center and Library construction and to account for the utility needs of the temporary facility,” Bass said.
For the past three months during public hearings, Palisades High School students have spoken eloquently about how they had lost so much and they didn’t want to lose a place to play tennis, too. By placing a building on the courts, one-fourth of the tennis facilities would be taken away and the PaliHI boys and girls tennis teams would have no place to practice or play matches. The community, too, begged not to take away the needed recreational spaces, such as the courts.
Pam Shriver who is considered as one of the greatest doubles players in tennis history, supported the students and spoke at meetings, too. “This is about finding solutions,” said Shriver, who is president of the nonprofit Village Rising. “We need a different area for library because our kids need recreational areas and opportunities. We don’t need a library on 25 percent of the tennis courts.”
Ilise Friedman, who founded Village Rising, said, “We are so proud of the Palisades tennis community for showing up, using their voices, and moving positive progress forward, in spite of every little bump in the road. It certainly takes a village.”
Shriver and Village Rising are providing grants to the Palisades schools (and in Altadena) to tennis programs affected by the January fires. “We just gave out another round of support, totaling more than $75,000,” Friedman said.
Additionally, the project to rebuild the Palisades Rec Center is anticipated to break ground in January 2026 with a public-private partnership between Los Angeles, L.A. Strong Sports and Steadfast LA. Bass has said that the City is expediting reviews, coordinating walkthroughs and conducting design reviews. “We remain committed to this partnership and to restoring this vital community hub as quickly as possible,” Bass said in a press release.
In the foreground are tennis courts 5 & 6, which need to be repaired. At the top of the photo are courts 7 & 8, which the City initially wanted to put a building on the courts.
A great example of how community members advocating for themselves can make a difference. So easy to whine & complain amongst one’s selves , but it takes real determination & leadership to publicly defend your convictions… for yourself and for the community’s benefit. We’ve seen how the Pali tennis team – in a passionate, organized and respectful manner – united to enact positive change even at the highest levels of LA city government. Cudos to Mayor Karen Bass for doing what’s right by listening to her constituents, and taking action to honor their logical requests.
Hi Sue, can you please provide a link to the press release? Would love to share it with our library membership but doesn’t look like it went out to the public.
Thanks,
Cameron