The collection is currently being evaluated to determine content and needs for curation and as such is not yet available to the public.

The Topanga Historical Society (THS) was organized in 1974 by a group of dedicated community leaders who recognized the urgent need to collect and preserve records of Topanga’s unique history and to make them available to future generations. The Society maintains an Archive Center and presents quarterly local history programs.

The UCLA Geography Air Photo Archives houses two of the most extensive collections of historic oblique aerial photography available to the pubic anywhere. Oblique aerials are taken at an angle and are easily understood. The Fairchild National Collection contains most cities in the United States and many towns circa 1922 through 1965. The Spence Collection contains coverage of the Western Region of…

UCSB professor David Gebhard (1927-1996) founded the Architecture and Design Collection in 1963. Today it is one of the largest architectural archives in North America with more than 1,000,000 drawings, as well as papers, photographs, scrapbooks, models, decorative objects, and furniture. The focus of the collection is the design and architecture of southern California from the late 19th through…

Collection Description: Virginia Robinson Gardens, built in 1911, was the first estate in Beverly Hills. Today, it is listed on the national registry of historic sites. Social doyenne, art collector and philanthropist Mrs. Virginia Robinson resided in the house for thirty years and, before her death in 1977, she gave it to Los Angeles County for the public to enjoy. This historic estate, which…

Since 1912, Western Costume Company has supplied costumes for film, television, stage, and school productions. In 1915, this costume house established the first production research library. Today the library’s holdings document what people around the world have worn throughout the ages. The library’s archival holdings consist of costume sketches, historic costumes, and the Twentieth Century Fox…