Full inventory of Negro Motorist Green Book sites released

Here's another reason to go on a road trip: The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has released a list of all the properties listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book from 1936 to 1964 during the Jim Crow era of rampant racial segregation. A full list of the properties and their statuses is here. Kaisa … Continue reading Full inventory of Negro Motorist Green Book sites released

National Trust shepherds preservation plan for Southwest Museum

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has added the century-old Southwest Museum of the American Indian as a "national treasure" and is devising a plan for its future, according to the Los Angeles Times. Here's what the newspaper found out: Over the next 18 months, the Washington, D.C.-based National Trust will gather ideas and build … Continue reading National Trust shepherds preservation plan for Southwest Museum

Route 66 exhibit was ‘most popular’ in Autry history

The just-completed "Route 66: The Road and the Romance" at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles was declared "the most popular show in the history of the museum" by its president. That pronouncement was made by museum president Richard West, according to Jim Farber in an email Thursday. Farber shepherded the creation of the … Continue reading Route 66 exhibit was ‘most popular’ in Autry history

Hollywood seeks a business improvement district on Route 66

Look who's arrived to the party -- the fabled neighborhood of Hollywood in Los Angeles is seeking a Hollywood Route 66 Business Improvement District along a 2 1/4-mile stretch of the Mother Road, reported the Beverly Press. The newspaper reported Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge is one of those who've taken the lead on the project: Business owners … Continue reading Hollywood seeks a business improvement district on Route 66

Los Angeles station gives major time to Route 66

KABC, the major affiliate of ABC in Los Angeles, in recent days gave a lot of time examining Route 66 in the region in its "Eye on L.A." show. Here is the San Bernardino to San Gabriel Valley segment: Monrovia to South Pasadena: The Arroyo Seco to downtown segment: West Hollywood to the end of … Continue reading Los Angeles station gives major time to Route 66

Anthony Quinn mural in downtown L.A. to be restored

The nearly 30-year-old mural of actor Anthony Quinn on the side of the Victor Clothing Co. building in downtown Los Angeles will be restored, according to several media outlets. Titled "The Pope of Broadway," the 70-foot-tall mural at 242 S. Broadway shows Quinn with his arms outstretched, a la a scene from the 1964 film … Continue reading Anthony Quinn mural in downtown L.A. to be restored

Another Broadway building in Los Angeles revived

The long-declining Schulte United Department Store building in Los Angeles' downtown Broadway district has been extensively renovated and reopened as Broadway Arts Tower, reported L.A. Downtown News. The Schulte building opened in 1928 at 529 S. Broadway as a department store with a huge cafeteria. Schulte United went bust four decades later, and the building … Continue reading Another Broadway building in Los Angeles revived

Interactive map sorts 1935-1945 photos

Starting in 1935, photographers with the New Deal's Farm Security Administration began documenting life in the United States during the Great Depression and, later, World War II. More than 170,000 photos were taken, and a few of them became famous, including Dorothea Lange's now-iconic image of a migrant mother. Although the vast majority of images … Continue reading Interactive map sorts 1935-1945 photos

Many brick buildings in California vulnerable to quakes

After a multitude of earthquakes in California during the 1970s and '80s, we've long assumed the state's old buildings are much less susceptible to damage because of new codes. That's not the case. The Los Angeles Times reported this week that thousands of brick buildings in the region remain unstrengthened against earthquakes, especially in poor municipalities such … Continue reading Many brick buildings in California vulnerable to quakes

Kickstarter fundraiser launched to restore sign

The new owners of Cindy's Eagle Rock Restaurant in Los Angeles have begun a Kickstarter campaign to preserve the historic diner's vintage sign, reported the Los Angeles Times. Monique King and Paul Rosenbluh bought the restaurant and reopened it in April. And, so far, they seem to be good stewards: They've kept the original booths, … Continue reading Kickstarter fundraiser launched to restore sign