The grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 13 included entertainment by the Kelsey Fullerton Jazz Trio and Monte Alban Folkloric Dancers. There were food trucks and booths from local partners. Representatives from ‘City on the Go’ explained the different resources offered by the city. In the newly renovated Hunt Branch Library, attendees gathered to see the Museum of Teaching and Learning exhibit, which displayed California’s grassroots struggle for school desegregation. The exhibit, Mid-Century Design, displayed vintage furniture custom-made for the Hunt’s grand opening in 1962. The Hunt Library is located at 201 S. Basque Ave, Fullerton, and is open Saturdays, 9 am-3 pm, and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 10 am-4 pm.

Gifted to the City of Fullerton by industrialist and art collector Norton Simon, who once displayed Rodins, Rembrandts, and Picassos in or around the building, the Hunt served as a branch of the Fullerton Public Library from 1962 to 2013, when the Fullerton City Council chose to defund it and lease it to a neighboring property owner Grace Ministries International (GMI) for $1,500 per month.

Councilmember Jennifer Fitzgerald and former Mayor (now OC Supervisor) Doug Chaffee supported selling the Hunt; however, community activism on the part of groups like Save the Hunt revitalized efforts to re-open the Hunt as a public resource. The California State Historical Resources Commission recently approved the Hunt Library, declaring it eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This was due to the careful research by Debra Chi of the group Fullerton Heritage. Also, the Save the Hunt group provided forums on the mid-century architecture of the Hunt Library with renowned architectural historian Alan Hess. Jane Reifer, representing the group Save the Hunt, said, “Our mission is to keep that building in the public realm for community use” and thanked both Fullerton Heritage and the HLAHC for their great work toward this effort.

The Hunt Library Ad Hoc Committee (HLAHC) report also identified several funding-related questions and included a list of potential grant opportunities and organizations to which the RFP for possible partnership opportunities should be distributed.

The HLAHC report prioritizes future uses of the Hunt in the areas of:

1. Literacy
2. Art, Culture, Exhibits, Museum Uses
3. Events, Activity, Classes

“The restoration and revitalization of this architectural treasure provides Fullerton with a unique opportunity to rebuild and strengthen a sense of community and belonging in our diverse and remarkable city. We envision the possibility of a renaissance of literacy in its broadest sense for Fullerton, our education community,” said Molly McClanahan, who was on the HLAHC.

Egleth Nuncci, also a member of the HLAHC, said that keeping the Hunt a cultural center is a great option. “We can get grants, we can get foundations on board. Please listen to the community and give us that opportunity to create that for our children and our families,” said Nuncci.

On the Library Board of Trustees, Ellen Ballard said, “We endorse the goals presented by the ad hoc committee, and we agree with their first priorities emphasizing a broad spectrum of literacy programs. This priority would include art, culture, museum uses, events, activities, and classes that would benefit the Fullerton community. This vision perfectly aligns with the Fullerton library’s mission, philosophy, and objectives and the donor’s original intent for this gifted library.”

Ballard added that the city needs to figure out how to refurbish and enhance the bridge leading to the library’s front door: “This may need special attention, and we suggest the council encourage our state legislators to include such a project in potential funding requests from Sacramento.”

A Hunt Library Ad Hoc Committee chose joint proposals for possible uses of the Hunt for Literacy, arts, and Culture programs. However, the agreement with the two non-profit arts groups, Heritage Future and Arts Orange County, to administrate the facility was terminated.

In 2019, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva secured a $2.5 million state grant to renovate and upgrade the handsome and understated building designed by William Pereira, creator of San Francisco’s familiar Transamerica Pyramid and best known in Orange County as the leading architect of the original UC Irvine campus. Senator Josh Newman also secured $2.5 million for renovations and programming.

At their June 2020 meeting, the Planning Commission voted to install additional fencing around the Hunt Library area to protect against vandalism. Planning Commission Chair Doug Cox shared recent photos he’d taken of the Hunt Branch Library, showing many smashed windows, graffiti, and other vandalism. Egleth Nuncci led a team of volunteers to clean the Hunt Branch Library after the devastating vandalism.

“Security issues are paramount, or we won’t have a library left,” Jane Reifer of Save the Hunt told The Observer.

At a city council meeting in February 2019, Council Member Jan Flory, who was also a member of the HLAHC, called the Hunt “an asset the city has that we cannot afford to lose.”

Flory made a motion to create a “study session” to fine-tune the priorities for the Hunt. This was seconded by then-Mayor Jesus Silva.

The city-owned Hunt Branch Library experienced extensive vandalism in the form of broken windows and graffiti in the summer of 2022. Fortunately, the city began the repairs just in time, and today, the Hunt looks better than new, with ADA-compliant bathrooms, new windows and lighting, maintained grounds, and so much more. The Fullerton community can once more be proud of this architectural delight.