Etan Does LA

#110: Ralph Bunche House (South LA)

August 6, 2022

This small South LA bungalow was the boyhood home of Ralph Bunche, a revered diplomat who became the first Black man to win the Nobel Peace Prize who negotiated an end to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

#109: Mirlo Gate Lodge Tower (Palos Verdes)

July 31, 2022

Architecture

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.

#108: Edwin Hubble House (San Marino)

July 23, 2022

Science

This National Historic Landmark in San Marino was the home of one of the most significant astronomers of the modern era. Edwin Hubble proved conclusively that there were galaxies and nebulae beyond the Milky Way, and that the universe was expanding. After each of his astronomical mic drops, here's where he would lay his head.

#107: John Lautner House (Silver Lake)

July 15, 2022

Architecture

John Lautner's Silver Lake home, designed in 1939, was the first house the master architect designed by himself. It's a vitally important building for architecture history. It's also a beautifully put together home, packing a ton of creative details and spatial ideas into a very small footprint.

#106: Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building (Boyle Heights)

July 6, 2022

Commerce

The massive art deco Sears building in Boyle Heights was once the mail order center for the entire southwestern region of the US, and a fixture for generations of eastside Angelenos. Now abandoned, the building awaits an uncertain fate.

#105: Ard Eevin (Glendale)

July 3, 2022

Architecture

This eclectic 1903 mansion was the home of Daniel Campbell, an Irishman who emigrated to CA with $50, made a fortune in the Klondike gold rush, brought his family out to LA and soon became one of Glendale’s early civic leaders during the city’s first major growth spurt.

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

June 28, 2022

Architecture

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.

#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.

#102: Glendale Main Post Office

June 15, 2022

Architecture

This stately post office has served the city of Glendale since 1934, and survived multiple waves of USPS consolidations. Yes, its Italian Renaissance revival style was old hat by the time it was built – but what a lovely example it is!

#101: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Freeman House (Hollywood)

June 8, 2022

Architecture

Covered in tarps and "no trespassing" signs, the Freeman House is one of Frank Lloyd Wright's least appreciated homes in LA. But from an architectural, social and preservation standpoint, it's also one of the most fascinating.

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

June 5, 2022

Recreation

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.