Etan Does LA

#100: The Looff Hippodrome & Carousel (Santa Monica)

June 5, 2022

Since 1916, the Looff Hippodrome has housed the famous carousel at the Santa Monica Pier. It's the Pier's oldest surviving attraction, and a link back to a golden age of seaside entertainment.

#99: Pioneer Oil Refinery (Newhall)

May 27, 2022

Commerce

From 1877 - 1888, the Pioneer Oil Refinery processed oil from Pico No. 4, the first commercially successful oil well in California. The refinery had a brief heyday, but it was an important part of the birth of the oil industry in California. Today it stands as the earliest extant refinery in California (some say the entire world).

Roadtrip: Etan Does Idyllwild

May 20, 2022

Architecture

For my 40th birthday, I visited the NRHP-listed landmarks in the SoCal mountain town of Idyllwild: a livable yellow UFO, a John Lautner cabin made of tree trunks and zig-zagging glass, a wooded State Park and a modernist tram station at 8,500 feet.

#98: John Lautner’s Foster Carling House (Hollywood Hills)

May 12, 2022

Architecture

This 1948 masterpiece by John Lautner seamlessly merges outdoor and indoor with an exterior wall that swings out at the flip of a switch and a pool that extends into the living room.

#97: Pico No. 4, First Successful Oil Well in CA (Newhall)

May 8, 2022

Commerce

Pico No. 4 is one of the most important LA landmarks of them all. This unassuming bit of rusty pipe is the remnant of the first commercially successful oil well in CA, drilled in 1876 and producing oil for 114 years.

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

May 4, 2022

City Planning

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.

#95: Villa Bonita (Hollywood)

April 24, 2022

Architecture

This 1929 apartment complex once housed Errol Flynn and Francis Ford Coppola. It distinguishes itself from the many Whitley Heights high-rises by the spectacular vines that wrap around it, as if mama nature herself designed the facade.

#94: Victorian Homes on 1300 Block of Carroll Avenue (Angelino Heights)

April 22, 2022

Architecture

The immaculately preserved Victorian homes on Carroll Avenue in Angelino Heights make up the highest concentration of Queen Annes in LA, and serve as a proud example of preservation efforts done right

#93: Lucretia Garfield House (Greene & Greene – South Pasadena)

April 19, 2022

Architecture

This pristine Greene & Greene home in South Pasadena's Oaklawn neighborhood was built for Lucretia Garfield, the widow of assassinated US President James Garfield. Throughout its history, a former first lady lived and died here; Madonna's sister lived here for a decade; and 3 Grammy-winning albums were recorded in the basement.

#92: Angelus Funeral Home (South LA)

April 17, 2022

Commerce

Founded in 1922, Angelus Funeral Home became one of the most successful Black-owned businesses in Los Angeles. This lovely building by architect Paul R. Williams was its home from 1934 through the '60s.

#91: The Watts Towers (Watts)

April 13, 2022

Art & Literature

One of the world's great works of folk art, the Watts Towers offer a glittering, enduring testament to the imagination and tenacity of Italian immigrant Simon Rodia.

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

April 9, 2022

Architecture

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

April 8, 2022

Architecture

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

April 6, 2022

Architecture

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

April 5, 2022

Architecture

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.