In the late 1950’s, 1960’s and 70’s, ranch homes and housing tracts were the rage. And so were backyard swimming pools. Private pools were an impressive neighborhood novelty, coveted by those who could afford one and a true measure of middle-class ascendance. Above-ground swimming pools, called Doughboys, were one popular, but more pedestrian, option. However,…
I recently came across this recording by American folk singer Woody Guthrie telling the tale of the Flood of 1934. In it, he talks about the local towns besieged, the lives lost, and some of what happened during the disaster. His unique voice and singing is/was a touching memorial to a devastating historical event that…
L.A. is a city of neighborhoods. Like a giant patchwork quilt. You can live your whole life here and never see most of them. It’s just impossible. But each has its own history, personality, and, best of all, surprises. And those are everywhere. Like Hoover Walk and The Prospect Studios, tucked among a set of…
L.A.’s Koreatown is home to one of the city’s most interesting historical buildings. Chapman Plaza, originally known as the Chapman Park Market, is located in the heart of this vibrant neighborhood. It is an historic retail center that occupies 50,000 square feet of space on West 6th Street and Alexandria Avenue. Built in 1929, the…
Not many locals know that L.A.’s treasured Griffith Park was once the site of a major public housing project. Well, let’s dial back the clock to post-WWII. Military vets are returning home and a baby boom is just about to begin! From 1946 to 1954, a bustling pop-up village, complete with Quonset-hut homes and gardens…
