Artist:	Ruben Guajardo
Date:	1987
District:	Fifth Supervisorial District
Location:	La Verne Library 3640 D. Street La Verne, CA 91750
Department:	Public Library

In 1985, Ruben Guajardo began work on the doors of the La Verne Library that would require three years to complete. Funded by Guajardo, SOLVE (Save Old La Verne Environment Committee), and Friends of the La Verne Library, the redesigned library doors are constructed of oak and tempered glass. The wood for this project came from the 500-year old landmark oak tree at La Verne Heights School, which was removed by city authorities because it had become a safety hazard. Guajardo was eager to use the salvaged oak for this project because he grew up in the La Verne area and climbed on the landmark tree as a child. Though some see this tree as an allusion to the “tree of knowledge,” Guajardo designed the doors as a gift to his parents, Jess and Sara Guajardo, and the citizens of La Verne.

About the Artist: Ruben Guajardo is a woodworker who was raised and currently resides in La Verne, California. He received an art degree from California State University, Fullerton but views himself more as a puzzlemaker than an artist. Guajardo works for the General Telephone Company and pursues woodworking in his spare time with the intention of elevating furniture design and construction to an art form. He has produced works for famous clients like singer Kenny Loggins and exhibited pieces at the Smithsonian Institution and the Federal Reserve, Washington D.C.