City Planning

#109: Mirlo Gate Lodge Tower (Palos Verdes)

#109: Mirlo Gate Lodge Tower (Palos Verdes)

July 31, 2022

This medieval-style tower was built in 1925 to house the gatekeeper of upscale Palos Verdes Estates. The history of the Mirlo Gate Lodge Tower tells us a lot about the development of the Palos Verdes peninsula, and it's a fascinating case study for how architects can create a unified aesthetic when planning a city.

#104: 52nd Place Historic District (South LA)

#104: 52nd Place Historic District (South LA)

June 28, 2022

A unique tract of one-story craftsman bungalows in South LA, important both for its architecture and for the story it tells about the movement of Black Angelenos in the '30s through the '50s.

#96: Old Fire Station No. 27 (Hollywood)

#96: Old Fire Station No. 27 (Hollywood)

May 4, 2022

Once the largest fire station west of the Mississippi, Old Fire Station No. 27 protected the residents and film studios of Hollywood for six decades. It now preserves LAFD history as a firefighters museum.

#90: John C. Fremont Branch (Hancock Park) | National Library Week

#90: John C. Fremont Branch (Hancock Park) | National Library Week

April 9, 2022

This beautiful Mediterranean/Spanish colonial revival library from 1927 fits right in with Hancock Park's tony, tasteful homes

#89: Wilshire Branch (Mid-Wilshire) | National Library Week

#89: Wilshire Branch (Mid-Wilshire) | National Library Week

April 8, 2022

The largest and costliest of the final batch of original LAPL libraries, the Wilshire Branch is a fine example of Italian Romanesque architecture, and tells the story of the LAPL's rapid expansion in the 1920s

#88: Cahuenga Branch (East Hollywood) | National Library Week

#88: Cahuenga Branch (East Hollywood) | National Library Week

April 6, 2022

Cahuenga Branch is the final Carnegie library built in LA, and an anchor for the East Hollywood community since 1916.

#87: Helen Hunt Jackson Branch (South LA) | National Library Week

#87: Helen Hunt Jackson Branch (South LA) | National Library Week

April 5, 2022

The smallest branch in the LA Public Library branch system, Helen Hunt Jackson Branch had an outsize impact thanks to Miriam Matthews – the first Black librarian employed by the LAPL.

#86: Felipe de Neve Branch (Westlake) | National Library Week

#86: Felipe de Neve Branch (Westlake) | National Library Week

April 4, 2022

An elegant architectural ode to the Spanish founder of Los Angeles, this library has been a community staple in Westlake/MacArthur Park since 1929

#85: Richard Henry Dana Branch (Cypress Park) | National Library Week

#85: Richard Henry Dana Branch (Cypress Park) | National Library Week

April 3, 2022

This community library served Cypress Park for 80 years. Its architecture alludes to the life of its namesake: attorney, politician and abolitionist Richard Henry Dana, Jr., author of Two Years Before the Mast.

#81: Hotel Glendale

#81: Hotel Glendale

March 20, 2022

Once the tallest building in Glendale, the beaux arts Hotel Glendale stands as a monument to the ambitious development that the city underwent in the 1920s

#71: 27th Street Historic District | Black History Month

#71: 27th Street Historic District | Black History Month

February 10, 2022

The century-old Victorian and craftsman homes of the 27th Street Historic District have housed generations of minority communities in LA – including a large population of African Americans during the heyday of Central Avenue

#66: Hollywood Argyle Apartments (Hollywood)

#66: Hollywood Argyle Apartments (Hollywood)

January 23, 2022

While this 1920s Hollywood apartment building is anything but glamorous, its story says a lot about the development of Hollywood over the past century.

#63: La Laguna de San Gabriel (San Gabriel)

#63: La Laguna de San Gabriel (San Gabriel)

January 9, 2022

An imaginative playground of concrete dragons, whales and octopi created by master artisan Benjamin Dominguez

#54 – #62: Historic Sites on the Rose Parade Route in Pasadena

#54 – #62: Historic Sites on the Rose Parade Route in Pasadena

December 29, 2021

All eyes are on Pasadena this week for the Rose Parade. Get to know the historic buildings that line the route of Pasadena's Rose Parade, a new year's day tradition since 1890.

#50: Los Angeles Plaza Historic District (Downtown)

#50: Los Angeles Plaza Historic District (Downtown)

December 14, 2021

The birthplace of Los Angeles and its one-time commercial/social hub, housing dozens of historic buildings and monuments to the founders of LA