Save Cool Old Things and Prosper edition

Gentle reader...

Tonight, in the city of Downey, a modest little stucco building in the Mission style will be loaded onto a flatbed truck and begin the overland journey across the southland to Irvine, where Taco Bell's "Numero Uno" store will find a temporary home at the fast food corporation's HQ.

It's the happy ending to a brief but worrying preservation crisis, starting when the long-shuttered restaurant was given a eviction order in advance of planned development of the site. Fans of old school vernacular architecture expressed alarm. Would this iconic California culinary landmark be demolished?

But preservationists are great gossips, and around the virtual water cooler the buzz came swift and loud: "Taco Bell thinks it's cool and they want to save it." Well, cool it is (especially newly re-painted in vintage candy colors) and saved it shall be, thanks to the corporation's cash and the able planning of our friend Katie Rispoli of preservation facilitators We Are the Next. And if you happen to be in Downey, Norwalk, Cerritos, La Palma, Buena Park, Anaheim, Orange or Tustin tonight, you can watch Numero Uno on the move. If the night air is too chill, you can follow along via webcam.

We're thrilled to see a huge corporation recognize the value in preserving its own history. Nine years ago, when we politely asked ConocoPhillips to please stop destroying vintage 76 Balls, it took a year and a lot of bad press and bad jokes before they saw the light. Taco Bell didn't need to be shamed to step in and do the right thing, and we think that means we're living in a more enlightened age. Here's to more mainstream preservation saves and fair winds and following seas for Numero Uno.

It was quite a scene at the Angels Flight fundraiser at the Million Dollar Theatre on November 5, with a house brimming with passionate Los Angeles history fans. If you missed it, or can't get enough, here's special guest presenter Harold Nebenzal talking about M, the 1951 film noir feature that was the centerpiece (his interview starts at 5:49).

If all press is good press, then we guess it's "a good thing" that The Architect's Newspaper has published an editorial comparing our campaign to restore John Parkinson's classic 1910 design for Pershing Square to the kitschy artificiality of Clifton's Cafeteria and Disneyland.

We don't think a formal park plan with fountain, path, trees and benches is all that wacky. But we do think it's worth advocating for, especially now that it's been confirmed that the Pershing Square Renew design contest is moving forward with no option for the public to vote "none of the above / restore!" So we've written an open letter to the ten contest semi-finalists, asking them to look to the past as they picture the future for L.A.'s oldest public park. Here's hoping the message will get through.

We're back on the bus on Saturday with Echo Park Book of the Dead, a new crime bus tour with a side of spirited Los Angeles history. We've got a special offer on this tour, $18 off when you use the secret code sistersays. So join us, do!

RECOMMENDED READING

This week, Los Angeles lost a remarkable soul: Phil Sloan, the Fairfax High School rhythm and blues savant who almost single-handedly invented folk rock during one magical night when, he said, an angel sprinkled several complete hit records into his eager ears--among them "Eve of Destruction." Sloan was a great songwriter a lovely person and a terrific storyteller, as Kim learned when she interviewed him for Scram years back. Anyone with an interest in the transformative power of music will dig his memoir. We'll miss the man.

COMING SOON

ECHO PARK BOOK OF THE DEAD - SAT. 11/21... New on our calendar, a crime bus tour meant to honor the lost souls who wander the hills and byways of the "streetcar suburbs" that hug Sunset Boulevard. See seemingly ordinary houses, streets and commercial buildings revealed as the scenes of chilling crimes and mysteries, populated by some of the most fascinating people you'd never want to meet. Plus a visit to Sister Aimee Semple McPherson's exquisite Parsonage, now a museum. (Buy tickets here. Save $18 off with discount code sistersays.)

LAVA's THANKSGIVING GATHERING AT CLIFTON'S CAFETERIA - THURS. 11/26... Join us and the history loving LAVA community to enjoy your holiday meal, or dessert and coffee on your way to grandmother's house, in a reserved space at the historic Clifton's Cafeteria. No host food and drink. Space is limited, so reservations are essential.

RICHARD'S 47th BIRTHDAY BUS TOUR OF THE PALOS VERDES PENINSULA - SAT. 11/28... Pack a picnic lunch (we’ll supply the birthday cake and coffee) and join us for an all-day outing exploring the history, landscape and built environment of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. This is a one-time only special event bus adventure that will never be repeated. (Get more info and buy tickets here.)

PASADENA CONFIDENTIAL - SAT. 12/5...The Crown City masquerades as a calm and refined retreat, where well-bred ladies glide around their perfect bungalows and everyone knows what fork to use first. But don't be fooled by appearances. Dip into the confidential files of old Pasadena and meet assassins and oddballs, kidnappers and slashers, black magicians and all manner of maniac in a delightful little tour you won't find recommended by the better class of people. (Buy tickets here.)

HOTEL HORRORS & MAIN STREET VICE - SAT. 12/12... Through the 1940s, downtown was the true city center, a lively, densely populated, exciting and sometimes dangerous place. But while many of the historic buildings remain, their human context has been lost. This downtown double feature tour is meant to bring alive the old ghosts and memories that cling to the streets and structures of the historic core, and is especially recommended for downtown residents curious about their neighborhood's neglected history. (Buy tickets here.)

2016 tours include: The Real Black Dahlia (1/9), Charles Bukowski's L.A. (1/16), The Lowdown on Downtown (1/23), Eastside Babylon (1/30), South Los Angeles (2/7), Raymond Chandler's L.A. (2/13), Weird West Adams (2/20) and Boyle Heights & the San Gabriel Valley.

LAVA'S FORENSIC SCIENCE SEMINAR - SUN. 1/17

Four times a year, we gather in the teaching crime labs of Cal State Los Angeles under the direction of Professor Donald Johnson to explore the history and future of American forensic science. Your $36.50 ticket to Detective's Casebook: L.A. Bombing & The Making of A Serial Killer benefits graduate level Criminalistics research. For more info, click here.

OUR HISTORIC L.A. PODCAST

In the latest edition of You Can't Eat the Sunshine, we get the inside scoop on Barlow Sanitarium's legendary gift shop from 99 year-old Margaret Freed, shopkeeper. Plus, a visit with performance artist Elisha Shapiro maestro of Downtown L.A.'s 1984 Nihilist Olympics. Click here to tune in.

AND FINALLY, LINKS

Skid Row, 1921.

Copyright is a killer. Free the fishwrap!

Taking the dark path through Los Angeles.

A new look for our time travel blog On Bunker Hill.

Court approves rescue efforts for Lake Norconian resort artifacts ahead of El Nino. (Learn more about this astonishing place on our podcast.)

Sixth Street sayonara.

Vilma, our favorite 1950s El Monte spitfire, gives the dirty dentist a piece of her mind.

RIP Matthieu Giroud, scholar of gentrification and urban geography, killed at Le Bataclan.

SUPPORT OUR WORK

If you enjoy all we do to celebrate and preserve Los Angeles history and would like to say thank you, please consider putting a little something into our digital tip jar. Your contributions are never obligatory, but always appreciated.

yrs,
Kim and Richard
Esotouric