Rancho Los Cerritos is an historic home and gardens located in Long Beach, California. While the history of the land dates back many centuries, the house itself was built to be the headquarters of a 27,000 acre cattle ranch in 1844 by Los Angeles resident John Temple. The ranch evolved during the 175 years since its construction, its ownership and land use changing several times before becoming a…

The Santa Monica Historical Society was founded in 1975 as part of the city’s centennial celebration with the mission of collecting and preserving the history, art and culture of the Santa Monica Bay Area. In 1988, a Museum was established to house the Society’s growing collections of artifacts, documents, rare books, newspapers, textiles, artwork, and photographic images. Currently, the Museum’s…

The Skirball Cultural Center explores the linkage between American Jewish life and American democratic values through cultural programs and museum exhibitions for all ages and backgrounds. Designed by internationally renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the Skirball comprises a museum, a discovery center, an educational resource center, classrooms and various meeting and social facilities. On…

The SCGS Library holds nearly 40,000 volumes, with a relatively small portion of the material related to LA. We have published indices to cemetery records, vital (birth, death and marriage) records, and immigration and naturalization. We provide free access to some data on our website. The Society is in the midst of a project to recreate the 1890 Census for Los Angeles County. The census records…

The collection of the UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts comprises more than 45,000 prints, drawings, photographs, and artists' books dating from the Renaissance to the present. Established in 1956 with a substantial gift from Fred Grunwald, the collection has been steadily enriched through significant acquisitions and donations. A primary resource for teaching and research, the Grunwald…

Special Collections and Archives houses the UC Irvine Libraries' collections of rare books, manuscripts, archives, photographs, and other rare and special materials. Major collections include the Critical Theory Archive, the Southeast Asian Archive, and the University Archives, as well as in-depth collections on Orange County and California history, dance and performing arts, 20th-century…