Gentle reader,
Earlier this week we found ourselves in the Westlake District, checking in with some of our friends who care for historic properties. On the east side of MacArthur Park, we spied a Black-crowned night heron resting up in a palm.
Across Alvarado, we stepped into the Westlake Theatre, where you can shop for snazzy Western wear surrounded by baroque plaster decorations that were never meant to be viewed in bright fluorescent light.
We nipped down to Witmer, to show the nice folks who run E & L Autobody (est. 1975) a photo we just discovered at the Huntington Library of how their handsome brick building looked when it was the shiny, new Hotel Mayfair Garage. It’s quite possible that Raymond Chandler, who lived in the hotel during his oil executive days, kept his ride within.
Then we took a ride on Angels Flight Railway, where we found Bunker Hill historian and funicular operator Nathan Marsak practically apoplectic about the mysterious disappearance of every bench in the fenced off Angels Knoll park parcel.
Finally, we detoured on our way home through Lincoln Heights, to see the newly uncovered Starland Theatre facade, which has been hidden under Art Deco plaster for about 90 years and is the fanciest ghost sign to come into the light in many years.
In a time of such loss of Los Angeles heritage, what a kick it is to see this grand old theater’s terracotta garland studded with electric light sockets. We hope they plug this beauty in—and bring back the marquee band!
On this excursion, we were reminded that even in this time of great sorrow and trouble, with so many landmarks lost and good people struggling to find their way forward without their homes and communities, that Los Angeles is truly the most wonderful of cities, with the nicest people and the coolest urban wildlife, and the only place we want to be, working hard every day to tell her stories and make things better.
Saturday’s tour is Evergreen Cemetery, 1877, a stroll through L.A.’s biggest and most diverse burial ground, packed interesting Angelenos, gorgeous monuments and offbeat lore. New on this tour: vintage photos of some of the lively carnie folk who rest eternally beneath a big pink tiger. Join us, do!
And new tours are now listed through July, so pick one that appeals and let us show you the secrets of the city we love.
Yours for Los Angeles,
Kim & Richard
Esotouric
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Our work—leading tours and historic preservation and cultural landmark advocacy—is about building a bridge between Los Angeles' past and its future, and not allowing the corrupt, greedy, inept and misguided players who hold present power to destroy the city's soul and body. If you’d like to support our efforts to be the voice of places worth preserving, we have a tip jar, vintage Los Angeles webinars available to stream, in-person tours and a souvenir shop you can browse in. We’ve also got recommended reading bookshelves on Amazon and the Bookshop indie bookstore site. And did you know we offer private versions of our walking tours for groups big or small? Or just share this link with other people who care.
UPCOMING WALKING TOURS
• Evergreen Cemetery, 1877 (Sat. 2/1) • Film Noir / Real Noir (Sat. 2/15) • The Real Black Dahlia (Sat. 3/1) • Hotel Horrors & Main Street Vice Downtown L.A. (Sat. 3/8) • Bunker Hill, Dead and Alive (Sat. 3/15) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (Sat. 3/22) • Franklin Village Old Hollywood (Sun. 3/30) • John Fante’s Downtown L.A. (Sat. 4/5) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (Sat. 4/12) • Leo Politi Loves Los Angeles (Sat. 4/19) • Downtown Los Angeles is for Book Lovers (Sat. 4/26) • Human Sacrifice: The Black Dahlia, Elisa Lam, Heidi Planck & Skid Row Slasher Cases (5/3) • Charles Bukowski’s Westlake (5/10) • Highland Park Arroyo Time Travel Trip (5/17) • The Run: Gay Downtown History (5/24) • Evergreen Cemetery, 1877 (5/31) • Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue (6/7) • Raymond Chandler’s Noir Downtown Los Angeles (6/14) • Miracle Mile Marvels & Madness (6/22) • Westlake Park Time Travel Trip (6/28) • Film Noir / Real Noir (7/12) • The Real Black Dahlia (7/19) • Broadway (7/26)
CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS
Heck yeah, brick! Altadena's National Register Pacific Electric Railway Company Substation No. 8—better known to bargain shoppers as the Full Circle Thrift Shop—survived the Eaton Fire and will again be of service to the community that loves it.
Court watch FYI: after a lively hearing this afternoon, Judge Mark Windham (The Jinx) ruled that on 2/4 at 9:30am Deputy City Attorneys will testify under subpoena about alleged bias by City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto towards non-violent protesters who blocked a freeway.
Empty Los Angeles reports on efforts to protect the Glendale Garden Homes from demolition and reveals something shocking: 20 of the 37 apartments are intentionally held vacant. As Eaton fire victims struggle to find decent housing, this is a moral crime. Sign the petition and show up at Glendale City Hall on February 4 to fight back.
Preservation pal Damian Sullivan reports the Dinah's Fried Chicken bucket at 4106 San Fernando Road was degloved in the brutal winds that fanned the Eaton fire. Dinah's wants to restore the retro sign--and Glendale should let it spin once again!
Jeremy Hunter bids farewell to his haunted, modernist Altadena landmark home, the Evelyn and Jackson Holmes House (Whitney Smith, 1941), lost to the Eaton fire.
Peter Hyams' Busting (1974) was the inspiration for Starsky and Hutch and used Grand Central Market for this terrifying chase and shoot out scene. You'll see some favorite legacy vendors, beautiful neon signs and the raw ingredients that made GCM a destination for L.A.'s gourmet cooks.
Why are Los Angeles parks in such crummy shape? Antonio Villaraigosa sought to impose an austerity budget, but librarians fought back at the ballot box with Measure L. Parks had no such champion, and must pay millions into City Hall's General Fund.
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association had to cancel its big California fair because the Pasadena Convention Center is housing Eaton fire refugees. You can support rare book dealers and find treasures for your shelves during a virtual fair February 6-8.
Don Peebles and Victor MacFarlane’s Angels Landing Partners have sued the City of Los Angeles for allegedly unlawfully terminating their contract to build the $1.6 billion Angels Landing project, seeking $20 Million. If the case goes to court, will confessed racketeer Jose Huizar be called to testify about why he choose this team to develop the city owned parcel?
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