the unique features of the remodeled Main Library (located at 503 Santa Monica Boulevard) was the mural by artist Stanton Macdonald-Wright. Commissioned by the Public Works Administration Project, Macdonald-Wright began work on the mural in February 1934. It took him 18 months to complete the project. Unveiled in 1935, the 2,000-square-foot composition made a lasting impression on visitors to the library. Children's books illustrator Eulalie Wilson painted the murals for the Boys and Girls Room in the Main library. Peter Pan, Cinderella, and other characters from children's books would grace the walls of the children's section for more than two decades. Further development of branch libraries By 1930, Santa Monica had a population of 37,000. It had a hospital, junior college, and was home to the new Douglas Aircraft Company and Clover Field. On July 1, 1931, the Fairview Heights branch library opened. Located at 1903 20th Street, it was a 15-foot wide storefront branch, sandwiched between a grocery store and barber shop. By 1942, it was clear the storefront Fairview Branch Library could no longer adequately handle increased patronage, and the library began to look for a more suitable location. On July 13, 1942, Fairview Branch Library opened in its second location at 2030 Pico Boulevard. During World War II, long time Fairview Branch Librarian Nellie Sullivan initiated a service she had read about: preschool story times. It was the first of its kind on the West Coast. Also, during the war in 1945, the basement of the Ocean Park branch library was converted to a Young People's Room, where teenagers gathered to study and play games. In subsequent years, this room housed children's books, then was used for meetings and library programs. By the 1950s, plans were underway for a larger building for the Fairview branch, which, since the opening at its second location on Pico Boulevard in 1942, had grown tremendously. In 1956, the third Fairview branch at 2101 Ocean Park Boulevard opened to the public. To meet the neighborhood library needs of residents on the city's north side, the Montana Avenue Branch, located in a rented building at 1528–30 Montana Avenue, opened in February 1952. The branch thrived, and within six years, the annual circulation climbed to over 80,000 items. The branch soon outgrew its rented space, and plans were made for a new building. The city purchased two lots at 1704 Montana Avenue, and groundbreaking