#271: John L. Hartwell House (Pasadena)

#271: John L. Hartwell House (Pasadena)

November 6, 2025
Architecture
The John L. Hartwell House is a fine example of a modest Victorian home in Pasadena, representative of the growth of the city's northwest neighborhoods in the 1880s. But way more interesting than the architecture is the colorful cast of characters who've called this place home.
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#270: El Campo Santo Cemetery (City of Industry)

#270: El Campo Santo Cemetery (City of Industry)

October 30, 2025
Pioneers & Settlers
El Campo Santo was the private family cemetery for the Workman and Temple families, two dynasties who made massive contributions to the growth of Los Angeles in the 19th and early 20th century. Generations of family members, employees and influential friends are buried within its walls. But the most fascinating part is how the cemetery's evolution over 175 years parallels the tumultuous history of the people who are buried there.
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#268: Palomares Adobe (Pomona)

#268: Palomares Adobe (Pomona)

October 8, 2025
Pioneers & Settlers
The Palomares Adobe was home to the first non-indigenous family to settle in the Pomona Valley. In the 1850s the Adobe was the seat of a successful cattle-ranching business run by Don Ygnacio Palomares. It served as a general store, a place of rest for weary travelers, and an occasional Roman Catholic chapel. Today you can visit the fully-restored Adobe for a window into the long-gone rancho era.
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#267: Padua Hills Theatre (Claremont)

#267: Padua Hills Theatre (Claremont)

September 28, 2025
Entertainment
For over 40 years, the Padua Hills Theatre was a unique space where Mexican folklore was shared, by Mexican performers, with a largely white audience. It played an important role in Claremont’s development as a center for arts & culture, and its story offers a window into the complicated race relations of Los Angeles in the 1930s.
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#265: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Exposition Park)

#265: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Exposition Park)

August 28, 2025
Architecture
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has witnessed countless milestones in international sports, politics and culture. It's the only stadium to have hosted the opening and closing ceremonies at two Olympics, with a third on its way in 2028. But the stories behind the building itself – its evolving architecture, the goals of its construction, its governance, its preservation – are every bit as important to its history as what’s happened inside it.
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#264: Frank Thomas House (La Cañada Flintridge)

#264: Frank Thomas House (La Cañada Flintridge)

August 15, 2025
Architecture
This gorgeous mid-century modern residence was once the home of Frank Thomas, one of Disney's elite group of animators called the "Nine Old Men." Thomas worked on key scenes in Snow White, Bambi, Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, The Jungle Book and more. And when he was done with another day of making 2D drawings come alive, Thomas came home to this light and wood-filled nest, designed by architect Ted Criley.
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#263: Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden (Pasadena)

#263: Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden (Pasadena)

August 6, 2025
Asians
Pasadena's Storrier Stearns is a masterwork of Japanese garden design. While it'd be easy to get swept away by the tranquility here, if you’re inclined to seek it out, you can also find a complex narrative embedded in the landscape at Storrier Stearns: the stories of its maker, its benefactors and stewards, and the confluence of forces that brought a 1500-year-old tradition to a private estate in Pasadena in the late 1930s.
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#262: Claremont Depot (Claremont)

#262: Claremont Depot (Claremont)

July 13, 2025
Art & Literature
The Claremont Depot hosted the Santa Fe Railway's passenger & freight service for 40 years. After 25 years of vacancy, the depot was restored in 1992 and converted into a transit center and Metrolink stop. Today it's the home of the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art.
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#260: Oviatt Building (Downtown)

#260: Oviatt Building (Downtown)

June 24, 2025
Architecture
The Oviatt Building was commissioned by James Oviatt, haberdasher to the stars. It once housed LA's finest luxury department store – and in his 12th floor penthouse, Oviatt had LA's first art deco residence.
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#258: Higgins Building (Downtown)

#258: Higgins Building (Downtown)

June 2, 2025
Architecture
The 1910 Higgins Building pioneered the use of reinforced concrete in LA. Its occupants over the years included famed attorney Clarence Darrow, the socialist leader Job Harriman, General Petroleum Co. and the LA County Bureau of Engineering.
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#257: San Dimas Hotel / Walker House (San Dimas) 

#257: San Dimas Hotel / Walker House (San Dimas) 

May 20, 2025
Architecture
In its original incarnation as a hotel, this exuberant 30-room Queen Anne mansion never had a paying guest. But it would house six generations of the Walker family, pioneers of the San Dimas citrus industry. Its upper floor is now occupied by the San Dimas Historical Society, which helps to preserve all the history that happened here.
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