Transportation Archives

#243-244: Point Fermin Lighthouse & Historic District (San Pedro)

December 15, 2024

Point Fermin Lighthouse has stood sentry over the San Pedro harbor since 1874. It’s the oldest standing lighthouse between San Diego & San Francisco, and still a beloved tourist destination, 80+ years after it last shone its beam out to sea.

#230: Mariposa Street Bridge (Burbank)

August 18, 2024

Recreation

Since 1939, Mariposa Street Bridge has connected the equestrian neighborhoods of Burbank & Glendale with the bridle trails of Griffith Park. It’s a reminder that, even though this is a car town, cowboy culture is still alive in LA.

#222: LAX’s Hangar One (Inglewood)

July 23, 2024

Aviation

Hangar One was the first building constructed for the LA Municipal Airport (now LAX), and the only one still standing from the airport’s earliest days.

#185: Holmes-Shannon House (Victoria Park)

December 24, 2023

Architecture

Embodied in this opulent craftsman home are the history of the Victoria Park neighborhood, the legacy of the eminent architects Train & Williams, and the fascinating backgrounds of financier Nellie Shannon, her husband Michael (the first traffic cop in LA) and their son Michael Francis, who once served as Grand Exalted Ruler of the Elks.

#184: Fireboat Ralph J. Scott (San Pedro)

December 14, 2023

Government & Politics

The fireboat Ralph J. Scott served the Port of LA from 1925-2003, making it the longest-serving apparatus in LA Fire Department history.

#177: Point Vicente Lighthouse (Palos Verdes)

October 23, 2023

Commerce

The old keepers of the 1926 Point Vicente Lighthouse used to tell of a ghostly woman that would move across the walkway garbed in a flowing white dress. Though the "Lady of the Light" hasn't been seen since someone applied a fresh coat of paint in 1955, and no keepers have minded the beacon since the early 1970s, the Point Vicente Lighthouse is still an important navigational aid for ships heading into the Ports of LA and Long Beach.

#170: San Pedro Municipal Ferry Building (San Pedro)

August 31, 2023

Architecture

From 1942-1963, this quirky streamline moderne building was the departure point for workers and sailors heading to Terminal Island's shipyards, canneries and Naval bases. It now houses the largest maritime museum on the west coast.

#111: Watts Station | Collaboration with The South LA Recap

August 11, 2022

Transportation

This 1904 train station played a crucial role in the birth and growth of Watts, and was one of the only buildings on 103rd Street that survived the 1965 Watts Rebellion. In this collaboration with The South LA Recap, we trace the history of this landmark up through today.

#103: Oaklawn Bridge & Waiting Station (Greene & Greene – South Pasadena)

June 23, 2022

Architecture

South Pasadena's Oaklawn Bridge is a unique entry in the canon of master craftsman architects Charles & Henry Greene. Enhancing its gracefulness are the adorable waiting station and mysterious obelisk attached to its eastern end.

#80: La Loma Bridge (Pasadena)

March 15, 2022

Transportation

As one of the only roadways crossing the Arroyo Seco in the early 20th century, the majestic La Loma Bridge was vital for the growth of Pasadena and the development of car travel in Los Angeles

#77: Old Santa Susana Stage Road (Chatsworth)

March 4, 2022

Pioneers & Settlers

This treacherous mountain trail through the Santa Susana Pass was an important artery for stagecoach passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the 1860s-70s, and an official Butterfield Overland Mail route during the Civil War

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

December 29, 2021

Architecture

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.

#51: Plaza Substation (Downtown)

December 20, 2021

Transportation

This electrical power station, right on Olvera Street, powered 40% of LA's streetcars from 1905-1963

#48: James Allen Freeman House (Heineman Brothers – Pasadena) + World’s First Motel

December 5, 2021

Architecture

A historic home in the posh Oak Knoll neighborhood, designed by the untrained Heineman brothers. PLUS: a visit to Arthur Heineman's Milestone Mo-Tel in San Luis Obispo, the world's first motel!

#45: Union Station (Downtown)

November 24, 2021

Architecture

A beloved landmark for travelers, architecture aficionados and culture vultures since it opened in 1939 Added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1980 I took these[…]