News

LA as Subject

Where Were the Mack Sennett Studios?

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content In April, the newly renovated Mack Sennett Studios at Fountain and Effie in Silver Lake welcomed then-mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti for a campaign event. “This isn’t just a place, it’s really a symbol,” Garcetti remarked about the historic building, recently purchased by music producer Jesse Rogg. “People…
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LA as Subject

How William Mulholland Made Water Flow Uphill

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content It’s likely that no public works project in Los Angeles’ history has inspired as much controversy as the Owens Valley aqueduct—controversy that has often overshadowed the engineering wizardry behind the project. Diverting the flow of the Owens River for 233 miles across the desert was difficult enough, but the…
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LA as Subject

Eastside Beer: Tapping Into L.A.'s Forgotten Brewing History

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Palm trees arc across cans of Golden Road’s Point the Way IPA, and a haloed Los Angeles City Hall peeks through the logo of Angel City Brewery. As craft brewers embrace the city’s unique iconography, transform historic downtown buildings into meeting houses, and find other ways to establish a connection with Los Angeles…
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LA as Subject

When Lincoln Park Was Eastlake

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Like many of Los Angeles' first public parks, Eastlake (now Lincoln) Park began as unwanted land: a fifty-acre site rejected by a railroad and given to the city for free. But like its crosstown rival, Westlake (now MacArthur) Park, Eastlake soon grew into one of the city's most popular outdoor…
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LA as Subject

KCET Video Series Debuts May 30

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content On Thursday, May 30, a new web video series showcasing L.A. as Subject member collections and the archivists, librarians, and experts who care for them debuts on KCET.org. Through photographs, maps, films, and other resources from L.A. as Subject member collections, Incline L.A. tells the story of incline railways from…
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LA as Subject

Arch and Castle Rocks: Lost Landmarks of Pacific Coast Highway

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Surfers. Palatial estates. Soul-crushing traffic. Pacific Coast Highway treats motorists to many iconic Southern California views and experiences. But two distinctively shaped rocks have been missing from the Pacific Palisades shoreline for decades, victims of the scenic highway's development. For as long as…
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LA as Subject

Executive Committee nominations now open

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Nominations for the L.A. as Subject (LAAS) Executive Committee members are now being accepted. There are 5 seats that need to be filled for the incoming 2013-2015 Executive Committee term, including the Executive Committee Chairperson. Please send your nominations for Executive Committee members and/or chair directly…
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LA as Subject

What's Missing From the Earliest-Known Drawing of Los Angeles?

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Without the handwritten caption reading "Part of Los Angeles," it might be difficult to place the above drawing -- generally considered to be the oldest extant drawing of the city. The Los Angeles that William Rich Hutton saw when he first arrived on July 7, 1847, is virtually unrecognizable today. Hutton came to Los…
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LA as Subject

The Mt. Lowe Railway’s Thrilling, Terrifying Circular Bridge

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Call it 19th-century L.A.’s idea of a thrill ride. Leaving the safety of the granite slopes, trolley cars raced out onto a creaking, cantilevered wooden trestle, soaring over a 1000-foot sheer drop—with no reassuring seat belts or safety bars. Keep reading the full post on Los Angeles Magazine's CityThink blog.
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LA as Subject

The History of Turning Right in Los Angeles

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content With apologies to Woody Allen, making a right turn on a red light is certainly not Los Angeles’ only cultural advantage. In fact, while it was once a Los Angeles idiosyncrasy, today the maneuver is permitted nationwide, with some local exceptions. Keep reading the full post on Los Angeles magazine's City Think…
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LA as Subject

Remembering L.A.’s Other Trolleys: The Yellow Cars

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Los Angeles remembers its Red Cars with an almost mythic reverence. Replicas of the Pacific Electric Railway’s red-liveried trolleys now transport tourists through a Disney theme park, while Angelenos swap wistful stories about the streetcar that would take you to the beach, deep into the Inland Empire,…
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LA as Subject

FINAL WEEK: "Becoming Persian" at the Fowler Museum

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content This installation highlights the work of local and award winning photographer Shelley Gazin and is featured in the "Light and Shadows: The Story of Iranian Jews" exhibit at the Fowler Museum. "Becoming Persian: Photographs & Text Threads Illuminating the Iranian-Jewish Community" is a photographic study by Gazin…
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LA as Subject

Incline L.A.: Angels Flight and Its Lost Sibling, Court Flight (Episode One)

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Angels Flight: a downtown Los Angeles landmark. Its orange, beaux-arts archways and simple, Edwardian technology stand in contrast to the modern skyscrapers of the financial district. This cherished historical monument is a remnant of an earlier age. In the early decades of the twentieth century, from downtown L.A. to…
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LA as Subject

Meet the 2013-2015 LAAS Executive Committee

Sat, 06/04/2016
Content Congratulations to Kenn Bicknell, David Boulé, Denise Mc Iver, Joy Novak, and Dale Stieber for being elected as the 2013-2015 LAAS Executive Committee. Their term will start at the LAAS August 20 General Membership meeting. Kenn Bicknell has served as Digital Resources Librarian at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan…
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