Malibu Library Reopens With Style

Hundreds came out in support of the grand opening of the renovated Malibu Library Sunday.

"This is really a momentous occasion. Prior to this makeover, Malibu Library, as we all know, stood virtually unchanged from 1963. The library that we are celebrating today is unique to the city of Malibu," Mayor Laura Zahn Rosenthal said in a ceremony that lasted nearly an hour and featured the release of butterflies at the end.

"Its architecture, which tells the story of our sun, sand and sea culture, was conceived to create a meaningful, welcoming and enriching space for the public it was built to serve and to unite the whole Malibu community."

Also in attendance were Mayor Pro Tem Lou La Monte, Councilmembers Pamela Conley Ulich, John Sibert and Jefferson Wagner, as well as Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely, and Dick Van Dyke.

The ceremony ended with a blessing of the Chumash Indian as attendees released hundreds of butterflies from triangular boxes.

Conley Ulich told the crowd that the library had transformed because of the collaboration of the community.

"This library will be a beacon of hope for all of you that honors our past, inspires the present and leaves a legacy of love of reading, of love of learning for the future," Conley Ulich said.

The library features a porcelain tile mural featuring an aquatic scene created by Christine Nguyen, a replica of a tile Persian rug from the Adamson House and a replica of the Malibu Pier that leads out to a reading patio, which looks onto Legacy Park.

The renovation cost $6 million.