History | Los Angeles History

Video: Los Angeles in the 1970s

This is the Los Angeles I remember.

History | Los Angeles History

Take a trip through the magnificent department stores of old L.A.

Long before so many people did their shopping online, Los Angeles' department stores -- Bullock's, Robinson's, May Company, Hamburger's and more -- were the place to be.

History | Los Angeles History

40 Photos of Los Angeles Over From 1910 to Now!

So much has happened since the city was founded in 1871. It all started when studios popped up all over town and Old Hollywood took over.

History | Los Angeles History

30 Found Color Photos That Capture Everyday Life of California in the Late 1940s

This is pretty cool.

History | Los Angeles History

Lost History: The Ambassador Hotel & Cocoanut Grove — Finding Lost Angeles

The former site of the Ambassador Hotel and its fabled Cocoanut Grove nightclub, today sit behind bars like a fortress on Wilshire Boulevard. The once inviting motorist’s entrance seems like an out of place remnant to the unsuspecting eye, and there are few other clues that this site was once the location of the essential Ambassador and its Grove.

It's an absolute travesty that the predatory LA Unified was allowed to demolish this important piece of LA, and national, history.

History | Hollywood

On Its 100th Anniversary, Musso & Frank’s Grill Gets the Star Treatment

The venerable restaurant, an outpost of both Hollywood glamour and comforting camaraderie for a century, is honored on the Walk of Fame

History | Hollywood

Earl Carroll Theater — Finding Lost Angeles

Those famous words, "through these portals pass the most beautiful girls in the world," emblazoned in bright neon above Sunset Boulevard, once beckoned people from across Los Angeles to come to see one of the most glamorous shows the world had ever known.

I had NO idea that this theater had this much and history (and I knew about a decent amount of the history)!

History | Hollywood

Schwab's Pharmacy: The Hollywood Hopeful Hangout | KCET

"I drove down to headquarters. That's the way a lot of us think about Schwab's. Kind of a combination office, coffee klatch and waiting room. Waiting, waiting for the gravy train."

Tearing down Schwab's was a travesty. As it turns out, one of the first of a long line of travesties in failing to protect LA's history.

History | Hollywood

The Secret of Hollywood's Oldest Restaurant? Don't Change Anything - Los Angeles Magazine

Musso & Frank’s career arc has spanned almost a century

History | History

How Car Culture Shaped The Crazy, Cool Architecture Of Midcentury LA | LAist

Decades after they were built, some of the most iconic structures built to sell and service automobiles are being restored and repurposed.

Architecture & Interior Design | Googie

A Love Letter to L.A.'s Eternally Charming Diners and Coffee Shops - Los Angeles Magazine

They may not be fancy, but they offer a special kind of comfort

Architecture & Interior Design | Googie

Remembering Ships, L.A.’s Out-of-This-World Coffee Shops

With their boomerang-shaped roofs and futuristic neon signs, Ships Coffee Shops were impossible to miss. Inside, the small chain dished out American favorites, but the diners’ exteriors were otherworldly; they looked like UFOs!

I used to LOVE Ships! Another great Vintage L.A. article by Alison Martino!

Architecture & Interior Design | Googie

Eat a burger at Hollywood's favorite functioning retro diner | Stories | Roadtrippers

If Johnie’s Coffee Shop is the most commonly used non-functioning diner for Hollywood, Bob's Big Boy Broiler (also known as Johnie’s Broiler and Archie’s Atomic Drive-in) in Downey, CA is probably the most used active diner...

I need to check this place out. I have been going to Bob's since I was a kid, but I have never made it to this one.

Architecture & Interior Design | Googie

Norms Restaurant May Not Be Demolished, Yet | WEHOville

The LA Historic Heritage Commission will consider designating Norms restaurant an historic / cultural property.

This is very good news. It seems like not only were they ready to start tearing the sign down this week (according to Vintage L..A. on Facebook), but the instantaneous outcry on social media may have been responsible for the (idiotic) owner relenting. How do these people not understand that places like this are not just like a Denny's built in the 80s?

Architecture & Interior Design | Googie

L.A. to consider preservation of Googie-style Norms on La Cienega - LA Times

Fans of modern architecture are pushing to make the retro, angular building that has long housed Norms on La Cienega Boulevard a historic and cultural monument, worried that the beloved '50s building could be at risk.

LA is the home of one of the most important forms of mid-century architecture, a style known as "Googie." Yet the current brand of soulless bland L.A. architecture which blights the landscape is so accepted by the majority of Angelenos, there may not be a single example of original Googie architecture left in a few years.

Miscellaneous | Resources

The Raymond Chandler map of Los Angeles

The writer saw LA through a dark glass, but he was undoubtedly seduced and enthralled with the City of Angels.

Miscellaneous | Resources

Los Angeles Conservancy | Preserving & Revitalizing Greater Los Angeles' Architectural Heritage

The Los Angeles Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County.

This is the best resource in L.A. for preservation. Start here!

History | Downtown

The Century-Long History of Philippe’s and Its Famous French Dip Sandwich | KCET

For over a century, diners have been flocking to Philippe the Original to get a taste of its French dip sandwich, an iconic dish that is very much woven into the fabric of Los Angeles.

History | Downtown

A Split-Screen Tour of Los Angeles, Seventy Years Ago and Today - The New Yorker

A short film by Keven McAlester examines the streets of downtown Los Angeles’s Bunker Hill, past and present.

History | Downtown

Vintage Los Angeles Founder, Alison Martino remembers Clifton’s

Clifton's Cafeteria is reopening in downtown Los Angeles. Alison Martino shares her memories of going to Clifton's as a child.

History | Downtown

Clifton’s Cafeteria is Coming Back to Life at Long Last! - Los Angeles Magazine

The iconic restaurant’s new retro neon sign lit up Broadway this weekend. Here's what's in store next!

This is GREAT! It makes me happy that some things in L.A. are saved and can be refurbished to become places that retain their history AND be as popular as they ever were.

History | Downtown

The Quest to Save LA's Century-Old Batchelder Tile Masterpiece

On the ground floor of a run-down, four-story building at 217 West Sixth Street in downtown Los Angeles, on the block between South Broadway and South Spring, is one...

History | The Beach

Time Frame: Malibu’s Paradise Cove 54 Years Ago and Today - Los Angeles Magazine

Remember the Pendletones? Neither do most Beach Boys fans. That was the group’s name early on—a nod to the flannel shirts the heart-throbs were fond of wearing, as they did at this session with photographer Ken Veeder

History | The Beach

Alison Martino's "Vintage Los Angeles": What Third Street Promenade used to look like

This modernist outdoor space was once home to Sears and Woolworth’s ($11.98 for a pair of Wallaby’s!) plus dozens of mom-and-pop shops, which made it unique. The list of smaller businesses included Kress’, Lerners, Hartman’s, Bartons Candy Store, Leeds", The Smuggler, The Silver Cup Diner, Nana’s, Texas Records...

This IS amazing!

History | The Sunset Strip

When Rock 'n' Roll Loomed Large Over the Sunset Strip - Neatorama

Rock ’n’ roll billboards flourished on the Sunset Strip from the late 1960s to the early ‘80s. Music videos weren’t yet a thing, and a hand-painted billboard, paid for by the record company, was a sign that a band h

It is hard to believe that this picture was over 45 years ago!

History | The Sunset Strip

The Mystery of the Sunset Strip's Bullwinkle Disappearance Solved: Bullwinkle Statue fully restored!

On September 24, 1961, a gigantic revolving sculpture featuring the cartoon stars Rocky and Bullwinkle was erected at 8218 W. Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, directly across the street from a revolving statue of a cowgirl promoting the Sahara Casino Hotel in Las Vegas...

I am glad that it wasn't destroyed. I used to love seeing this as a kid.

History | Beverly Hills & Midtown

The Fish Shanty and old Kooky World of La Cienega | Alison Martino's "Vintage Los Angeles"

La Cienega and Beverly Boulevard used to be a playful pocket of themed eateries, amusement parks, and nightclubs

History | Beverly Hills & Midtown

Time Frame: The Beverly Hilton 58 Years Ago and Now

The hotel’s famous catering manager, Fred Hayman, was unimpressed with Conrad Hilton’s modernist venture when he came to work at the Hilton in 1954

History | Beverly Hills & Midtown

Remembering Beverly Hills’ Magical Public Library - Los Angeles Magazine

The midcentury oasis for reading was replaced more than 25 years ago

Remember Mike Brady's office building? This is it!

History | Beverly Hills & Midtown

The Story Behind L.A.’s Coolest Looking Gas Station - Los Angeles Magazine

Jack Colker’s 76 Station has been nominated for landmark status. Here its designer, Gin Wong, weighs in

I love this gas station. I REALLY hope that they make it a landmark. Honestly, I am amazed that it didn't happen earlier, but it's great that people are FINALLY starting to appreciate this kind of architecture.

Architecture & Interior Design | Threatened History & Preservation

Studio City's famed Sportsmen's Lodge hotel could be replaced by 520-unit apartment complex

Studio City's Sportsmen's Lodge hotel could be demolished and replaced with 520 apartment units.

They tore the restaurant down to build a mall, they always planned to tear the hotel down too. This is what developers do. They target historic sites, claim to care about some form of preservation, get what they want and then tear down everything else connected to the site. This is a historic and beautiful hotel that is one of the few things left that makes Studio City unique. But they want to destroy everything unique. L.A. will become a huge landscape of generic, plain, soulless boxes. The problem is that far too many people have the idiotic idea that all change is good. It’s the same moronic idea that drives the politics, in general, of California.

Architecture & Interior Design | Threatened History & Preservation

Gage Mansion, The Oldest Home In LA, Is Moldering Away Right in Front of Its Owners' Eyes

Residents are divided about whether to safeguard the landmark

Of course the County is ok with this because they hate historic buildings and purposely let them become decrepit so that they can then condemn and demolish them.

Architecture & Interior Design | Threatened History & Preservation

Viper Room Site To Become Home To 12-Story Mixed-Use High Rise Project

Viper Room Site To Become Home To 12-Story Mixed-Use Project With Memorabilia, Condos & Redesigned Music Venue

Because the few square inches of the sunset strip which are left, must be destroyed. This city REALLY has no regard for its own history. Nat “King” Cole played here. We have hundreds of glass and steel structures up and down Sunset. We lost the House of Blues, which has FAR less history to a similar developer. This won’t stop until there is nothing left from the 20th century.

Architecture & Interior Design | Threatened History & Preservation

The custom auto shop behind Hollywood’s most iconic cars may be closing

They made the Batmobile and Tom Wolfe's Kandy-Kolored Streamline Baby. But with its North Hollywood studio on the block, Barris Kustom Industries, soul of Southern California car culture, may be headed for the junkyard.

Because this soulless hellhole can’t preserve ANY of its history...

Architecture & Interior Design | Threatened History & Preservation

LA’s Historic Firestone Tire Building Is Reborn

After four long years, the fully restored Mid-Wilshire streamline moderne building reopens today with craft beer and tacos

History | Wilshire Boulevard

Take a trip down Wilshire Boulevard in the 1970s

The Los Angeles Public Library has a groovy new photo collection

This is great!

Miscellaneous | Places You Can Still Go

As Insurance Claims Are Denied, Classic L.A. Restaurants Are Struggling to Weather the Pandemic

Beloved local haunts report they won't see a dime from their insurers, but Musso & Frank Grill is fighting back

Miscellaneous | Places You Can Still Go

Crossroads of the World — Finding Lost Angeles

October 29, 1936 – “Tonight! Hollywood hails a new wonder.” Crossroads of
the World’s opening gala presented itself as a glamorous spectacle replete
with shopping, music and performances, and the attendance of international
film stars including several

Unfortunately, the soulless losers who run Los Angeles are allowing what’s left of this amazing landmark to be destroyed.

Miscellaneous | Places You Can Still Go

Craving nostalgia? Try one of these historic L.A. restaurants

Los Angeles architecture firm Armet and Davis designed the Googie-style Pann’s Coffee Shop for the Panagopoulos family in 1958. Featuring a sweeping roofline, stone walls, terrazzo floors, red leather booths and an animated neon sign, Pann’s has staye

Miscellaneous | Places You Can Still Go

LA's Oldest Restaurant Keeps a 130-Year Diner Tradition Alive

Saugus Cafe serves a side of history with every meal

Miscellaneous | Places You Can Still Go

Mapping California’s best remaining midcentury motels

Travel back in time to the golden age of motels. These are the ones still standing—and worth visiting.

History | Southern California

Lucille Ball's Former California Home Is Available For Rent | Mental Floss

The legendary comedian and 'I Love Lucy' star lived here with her co-star and real-life husband, Desi Arnaz.

History | Southern California

When Knott’s Berry Farm Was an Actual Farm | KCET

The Orange County amusement park started as a roadside fruit stand.

Architecture & Interior Design | Preservation Fails

10 L.A. Landmarks We Lost During the 2010s

Let’s take a moment to say goodbye to some historic places that we lost in the last decade

News | News

Why A Small-Scale Artist Is Rebuilding Tiny Versions Of Iconic LA Buildings, Including This Eastside Burrito Joint

Al & Bea’s Mexican Food, known for its warm and messy burritos, is artist Kieran Wright’s latest project to explore Los Angeles.