Etan Does LA

#23: Pacific Electric Railway Company Substation No. 8 (Altadena)

November 1, 2021

This power station once sent tourists to the top of the Altadena mountains by train & funicular on the famous, defunct Mount Lowe Railway. It's now a Mennonite thrift shop.

#21 & #22: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House & Lloyd Wright’s Sowden House (Los Feliz)

October 31, 2021

Architecture

Special for Halloween: A pair of Mayan revival homes with spooky connections from a master architect and his son Happy Halloween! For stops #21 & #22 in my Etan[…]

#20: Farnsworth Park (Altadena)

October 30, 2021

City Planning

UPDATE, 1/11/25: The William D. Davies Memorial Building and amphitheater burned down in the Eaton Fire that destroyed most of Altadena. Added to the National Register of Historic Places[…]

#19: Andrés Pico Adobe (Mission Hills)

October 27, 2021

Pioneers & Settlers

One of the oldest extant homes in LA. Though it's rather misleadingly named. Added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1966 The Andrés Pico Adobe is[…]

#18: Lopez Adobe (San Fernando)

October 26, 2021

Pioneers & Settlers

The retirement home of one of the San Fernando Valley's OG power couples Added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1971 The charming Lopez Adobe was[…]

#17: Mission San Fernando Rey de España (Mission Hills)

October 25, 2021

Missions

The birthplace of the San Fernando Valley. A place of light and darkness. Mission entrance, complete with anti-abortion signReredos at the Mission San Fernando Rey de EspañaConstructivist art commemorating[…]

#16: Venice Branch Library (Venice)

October 25, 2021

Architecture

It's not much to look at now. But that's not the point. https://youtu.be/v7UVLn8XNss Added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1987 After a visit to the[…]

#15: The Venice Canals

October 23, 2021

City Planning

Like the Italian version, but with more modernist architecture. And ducks. Added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1982 The Venice Canals were the vision of[…]

#14: Glendale Southern Pacific Railroad Depot

October 19, 2021

Transportation

Originally built in 1924, the Glendale Railroad Depot has a restored churrigueresque revival facade. Southern Pacific shut down over 30 years ago, but this stylish depot is still serving Amtrak, Metrolink & Greyhound.

#13: Great Wall of Los Angeles (North Hollywood)

October 18, 2021

Art & Literature

The longest continuous mural in the world, the Great Wall of Los Angeles documents the diverse communities that have defined CA history

#12: North Hollywood Amelia Earhart Regional Library

October 17, 2021

Architecture

My local LAPL branch, and still my favorite LAPL branch. Added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1987 I’m lucky that my local library happens to[…]

#11: Mentryville (Newhall)

October 16, 2021

Commerce

A boomtown turns to a ghost town on the site of the first successful oil well in California

#4 & 6-10: Historic Buildings in Van Nuys, Downey, Boyle Heights & Toluca Lake

October 12, 2021

Architecture

Historic sites in Van Nuys, Downey, Boyle Heights & Toluca Lake: Case Study House No. 1, a library, a hotel for mariachi musicians and more.

#5: Heritage Park (Santa Fe Springs)

October 11, 2021

Native Americans

The remains of a 19th century adobe, garden, carriage barn, aviary, railroad exhibit and a replica Tongva village hint at an uneasy histor

#3: Catalina Verdugo Adobe (Glendale)

October 10, 2021

Pioneers & Settlers

In which I visit the Catalina Verdugo Adobe, said to be the oldest extant house in Glendale. Situated on land that was once part of a massive Spanish rancho, this adobe was the site of an important 1847 parley that helped end the Mexican-American War in 1847.