The world might love Los Angeles for its glitz, sunshine, and youth culture, but Angelenos love their city for its less glamorous (and sometimes decidedly more shabby) gems–historic homes, mid-century diners, and dark bars with leather banquettes. And so, even as we celebrate our anarchic expansiveness, we simultaneously bemoan our lack of a sense of history and rootedness. When iconic sites like the Ambassador Hotel or Ray Bradbury’s home are demolished, we wring our hands collectively, wondering whether we don’t respect our past enough. To help us get a grip on our local heritage, the Getty and the City of Los Angeles have created HistoricPlacesLA, the first online system to inventory, map, describe, and help protect Los Angeles’ significant cultural resources. To celebrate the launch of HistoricPlacesLA, crime novelist Denise Hamilton, Libros Schmibros founder David Kipen, L.A. Office of Historic Resources manager Ken Bernstein, L.A. Weekly staff writer Dennis Romero, and KCET arts and culture columnist Lynell George visit Zócalo to discuss the places from the past that make L.A. feel like home today.
The Takeaway
Saving the Magic Portals to L.A.’s Past
In a City That’s Constantly Changing, Angelenos Share Their Affection for Ray Bradbury’s House, Rustic Beach Towns, and the First McMansion
To better preserve its past, Los Angeles needs a better sense of its history—and the places that define that history, said panelists at a Zócalo/Getty “Open Art” event at the …