Theosophical Library Center
Open-knowledge reference entry

The Theosophical Library Center was located at 2416 North Lake Avenue in Altadena, California. It was destroyed in the January 2025 Eaton Fire. Founded in 1951 upon the relocation of the Theosophical Society's headquarters (see Theosophical Society Pasadena), it was purported to be the world's largest archive of Theosophical materials with over 40,000 library titles, an art gallery, and a detailed account of membership records dating back to 1875.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Theosophical Library Center” is open-knowledge reference entry. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Theosophical, Library and Center, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “open-knowledge reference entry” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 25, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q132200512. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2025, 1951 and 1875.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Theosophical Library Center”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Theosophical Library Center primary sources, Theosophical Library Center archive and Theosophical research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Theosophical Library Center”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Theosophical Library Center” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.