LA History

From Fear Of Pirates To Dreams Of Leisure — How LA's Beaches Evolved

We talk to historian Elsa Devienne about how beaches developed and her new book Sand Rush: The Revival of the Beach in Twentieth-Century Los Angeles.

A black and white wide view of people wearing bathing suits while pose on the beach under palm trees. A person sits on a beach chair as another leans against an artificial palm tree waving at three others that are walking along the shoreline. The ocean can be seen in the background.

Former Brooklyn And Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher And Special Olympics Advocate Carl Erskine Dies At 97

Erskine had two career no-hitters and won a World Series with the Dodgers in 1955. But many remember his friendship with Jackie Robinson at a time when segregation was legal.

A man in a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball uniform and cap winks at the camera and raises is left hand up. Another man is behind his right shoulder and is making the same hand gesture. Two men in suit jackets are standing on each side of the frame.

How LA's Streetlights Serve As Beacons To The City's Past

Los Angeles has the most diversity in street light design of any American city.

Black and white photo of a large circular fountain in a park, surrounded by vintage street lights with white, round orb lamps that sit atop graceful slim poles with some intricate designs toward the top. There is a row of tall palm trees in the distance.

Nancy Valverde, LA’s Butch Lesbian Trailblazer, Has Died At 92

Valverde’s death comes after the city of L.A. honored her last year with a dedicated square.

A black and white image of a woman with a medium-light skin tone stting on the ground inside a group gifts and a TV. She has short dark hair and is a wearing pants and an oversized dark button down.

What Makes Pasadena’s ‘Bungalow Courts’ So Special? A Fan Of Historic Places Explains

The How to LA team visits Gartz Court with Etan Rosenbloom, an Angeleno who documents historic places on social media.

A single cement walkway on a lawn splits into two in the center courtyard section of a multi-family housing complex. It's made up of six identical single story homes. They have brown sloped roofs, white outer walls with decorative dark brown criss-crossed beams, two white columns flanking the porch steps, and chimneys covered in river rocks in various shades of grey.

The tangled history of residential hotels in DTLA

As Los Angeles boomed in the 20th century, more and more workers needed places to stay. Residential hotels sprung up — often offering bare bone rooms which still exist today.

A old black-and-white photo of a "flop house" offering beds and food.

Fact Or Fiction? Hollywood’s Madams In The Golden Age

Sex and the studios were once a dangerous pair.

A black and white photo shows a man, left, and a woman, right, standing together and conversing.

A Brief History Of How Los Angeles Became A Land Of Billboard Lawyers

The latest entrant to this crowded, crowded field is Anh Phoong, hailing from Sacramento. You may have seen her blue and yellow billboards around town.

A billboard in blue and yellow advertising for a personal injury lawyer named Anh Phoong.

Marilyn Monroe's Former Home Is One Step Closer To Getting Preserved

The city's Cultural Heritage Commission unanimously voted to move forward with declaring the Brentwood home a historic cultural monument. The move allows the commission to delay demolition for 180 days.