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Sepulveda Canyon Road in 1930
How Sepulveda Canyon Became the 405
L.A.'s most hated stretch of freeway began as a bucolic country road through the Santa Monica Mountains.
A double-decker bus of the Los Angeles Motor Coach Company, circa 1932
When L.A.’s Buses Had an Upper Deck
When the double-decker transit bus arrived in Los Angeles, it came with a distinctly local innovation — an open-air top deck.
Orange Grove, Northridge
Where to Find the Bygone Citrus Groves of Southern California
Here are five great places to stand in the shadows of groves gone by and get a slice of some juicy citrus history.
City Hall, Lost L.A.
This Was L.A.’s City Hall for 39 Years
Before Los Angeles’ municipal government moved into the imposing, neoclassical skyscraper we now know as City Hall in 1928, it was content with a more modest, three-story structure.
Mud splatters Ralph Hamlin while competing in the Cactus Derby of 1912. His companion is likely Andrew Smith, the Franklin’s “mechanician.”
Ralph Hamlin: The Forgotten History of an L.A. Auto Pioneer
The racing legend became one of L.A.'s most successful car dealers.
Biltmore Hotel (thumbnail)
A Brief History of L.A's Grand Downtown Hotel, the Biltmore
The Biltmore was meant to confer "real-city" status on Los Angeles when it opened in 1923.
Frontiers magazine
From ONE to Frontiers, A Brief History of L.A.-Based LGBTQ Publications
Since 1953 more than 300 magazines and newspapers serving the LGBTQ communities have been published in Los Angeles.
The Senator (at lower right)
Horrible Catastrophe! Disaster in Civil-War-Era Los Angeles
On the morning of April 27, 1863, a boat ferrying San Francisco-bound passengers exploded in the middle of L.A.'s harbor.
Aerial Swallow (experimental monorail, Burbank, 1910-12)
Before Its Time: Burbank’s Experimental Monorail of 1910
In 1910, a colorful inventor cleared a swath through his Burbank orchard and built an experimental monorail, the Aerial Swallow.
Operating room, Los Angeles Infirmary, 1908. The nurses and doctors are assisted by a sister wearing her wing-like wimple.
How the Daughters of Charity Brought Social Services to 1800s L.A.
Until the Daughters arrived in 1856, L.A. offered few social services for the sick, poor, and orphaned.
Yamashiro
Where to Explore Japanese-American History and Culture in Los Angeles
Here are the five best places to discover how the Japanese influenced the L.A. metro area.
Knott's Berry Farm roadside fruit stand, circa 1926
When Knott’s Berry Farm Was an Actual Farm
The Orange County amusement park started as a roadside fruit stand.
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