South LA Archives - Etan Does LA

#254: Vermont Square Branch Library (South LA)

April 10, 2025

South LA's Vermont Square Branch was a pioneer within the LA public library system: the first purpose-built library building owned by the City of LA, and the first of six funded by a $210,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie.

LA Times: 10 Los Angeles Landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places You Can’t Miss (as curated by me!)

February 21, 2023

Press

Well hey now, the Los Angeles Times asked me to put together a list of 10 Los Angeles landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places that you need to see! Check out the article for a breezy overview, and click through to my own Etan Does LA deep dives.

#128: Prince Hall Masonic Temple (South LA)

November 30, 2022

Religion

Much of the early history of this brick-faced building in South LA is a mystery. What we do know is that since 1926, this Masonic temple has been a regular meeting place for Black fraternal societies in LA, primarily the Masons of the Prince Hall order - America’s oldest and largest Black fraternal organization.

#116: Fire Station No. 14 (South LA)

September 12, 2022

Government & Politics

As the home of the LA Fire Department's second all-Black engine company, Fire Station No. 14 was a symbol of both pride and pain for LA's Black community before LAFD was integrated in 1956. The current station was built in 1949, a time of great change as LA reckoned with its segregated past.

#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.

#110: Ralph Bunche House (South LA)

August 6, 2022

Government & Politics

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.

#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.

#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.

#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.

#75: Lincoln Theater (South LA) | Black History Month

February 24, 2022

Entertainment

From its opening in 1927 'til 1962, the Lincoln Theater was the biggest venue on Central Avenue catering to the Black community in LA.

#74: 28th Street YMCA (Paul Revere Williams – South LA) | Black History Month

February 20, 2022

Architecture

A vital community center and gathering place for Black Angelenos, and a major early building by legendary architect Paul Revere Williams

#72: Dunbar Hotel (South LA) / Hotel Somerville | Black History Month

February 14, 2022

Architecture

The hub of Central Avenue's vibrant jazz scene in the late '20s through the early '50s, the Dunbar Hotel hosted everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Thurgood Marshall to Joe Louis, and served as a symbol of Black achievement during the Jim Crow era

#71: 27th Street Historic District | Black History Month

February 10, 2022

Architecture

The century-old Victorian and craftsman homes of the 27th Street Historic District have housed generations of minority communities in LA – including a large population of African Americans during the heyday of Central Avenue

#70: Golden State Mutual Building (South LA) | Black History Month

February 5, 2022

Commerce

The original headquarters of one of the most successful African-American-owned businesses west of the Mississippi, and an anchor of the Black community around Central Ave. in the late 1920s - '40s

#69: Second Baptist Church (South LA) | Black History Month

February 2, 2022

Architecture

A center of Black community life since 1926, Second Baptist Church has hosted MLK, Malcolm X & James Baldwin, and is an early work of noted LA architect Paul R. Williams