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When I Think of Home: Images from L.A. Archives

Art Center students photographing a 1952 Ford Crestline Sunliner on the front lawn of the Third Street campus, circa 1952

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1. Los Angeles as it appeared in 1871 Bird's eye view of Los Angeles surrounded by vignettes symbolizing key moments and features in the city's history to 1871, including ranchos; old and new city halls; a view of the pueblo in 1853; zanjas and waterwheels; Placerita Canyon, site of discovery of gold; early vehicular traffic (the Spanish carreta); hacienda life; Chinese dragons from fiesta parades; the Battle of La Mesa 1847; the Federal Building, site of many vigilante hangings; and more.
2. Aerial view of the Northrop Aircraft plant, Hawthorne, looking east from Prairie Avenue, 1946 Aerial view, 1946, of the Northrop Aircraft plant in Hawthorne, between 120th St. (right) and Jack Northrop Ave. (right), looking east from Prairie Avenue, showing housing for Northrop employees. Note the difference between the houses in the foreground and the near left, which appear to have been built individually, one at a time, and the houses in the upper left and upper right, which were built by developers.
3. Compton Architecture
4. Aerial View of Pueblo del Rio, ca. 1948 This aerial view showcases the bold yet rational design of Pueblo del Rio. Built in 1940 for African-American defense industry workers, the mid-century modernist project, located at 52nd Street and Long Beach Avenue, was designed by the Southeast Housing Architects, led by African-American architect Paul Revere Williams. The group also included Richard Neutra, Gordon Kaufman, Adrian Wilson, and the firm of Wurdeman & Becket.
5. View of Pueblo del Rio, ca. 1948
6. Walkway View of Pueblo del Rio, ca. 1948
7. Los Angeles footage: aerial footage, circa 1964, silent Take an aerial trip through Los Angeles landmarks, circa 1964, visiting city streets before sweeping stops to the Hollywood Bowl, Griffith Observatory, Dodger Stadium, City Hall, and Union Station. In the first shot, get a glimpse of the May Company Building, now home to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Filmed on 16mm, this served as an audition reel for Pan Am World Airways. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.
8. Rendering, Tennis Court House Experimentations in domestic architecture are a feature of the landscape in L.A. Renowned L.A. architect Edward Fickett, known for his work on large tract-home developments, designed the Tennis Court House for a 1971 issue of Architecture and Interiors magazine, which featured case study houses for the community of Bon Vivant in Woodland Hills. The “roof” of the house takes the unusual form of a tennis court sitting atop the living spaces below.
9. Luxury Townhomes
10. Beyond Neutra & Schindler: Did Modern Design Improve the California Lifestyle? (September 22, 1976) The tape begins with short clips of the participants. At 4:19, Shelly Kappe introducing Whitney Smith, A. Quincy Jones, John Lautner, and Carl Maston. Kappe silently presents a selection of slides depicting each panelist's work. At 13:11, a brief video with highlights of last week's design forum is presented, featuring Gregory Ain, Harwell Harris, Thornton Abell, and Raphael Soriano. Ain argues that architecture is about solving a problem while Harris argues that architecture is about solving personal goals as opposed to social goals. Abell discusses form and function, and Soriano argues that style is thought with a minimum amount of words. At 25:13 the live discussion begins. Carl Maston remembers Raphael Soriano and reflects on some stories from Soriano's history. Whitney Smith jokes about how various generations all believe they are going to save the world. He talks about the importance of communication, the AIA, and he compares the profession to a fraternity. A.Quincy Jones discusses the importance of ecological design. Lautner defines architecture as a search for a better human environment, the need for meaning in the work, and the difficulty of progress. John Lautner discusses his arrival in California and getting started as a young architect. Whitney Smith brings up the subject of programming and collaboration. A. Quincy Jones discusses client relationships and programming in terms of a project for a factory. Carl Maston talks about clients in rocky marriages who turn to two things as a solution; building a home or having a baby.
11. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home to many sports teams and events
12. Chavez Ravine, 2016 Chavez Ravine by Miyo Stevens-Gandara depicts Dodger’s Stadium, a triumphant icon of Los Angeles pride and identity, with the bulldozed phantom of the Chavez Ravine community that existed in its place before the stadium’s construction. Stevens-Gandara draws parallels between the historical accounts and testimonies of the Chavez Ravine community’s displacement and the present issue of gentrification and displacement facing communities everywhere.
13. Children Playing in Front of Porch
14. San Fernando Valley is Home
15. "Stop Demolition" This poster opposes the demolition of public housing in Los Angeles. Gentrification and a lack of affordable housing creates life-threatening conditions in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Posters are key for organizing resistance. Whether the residents win or lose, they become empowered by the process of fighting for the stability of their communities—and posters such as this one record their struggle and empowerment.
16. Colorado Street Bridge, 1913 This bridge was designed by architects Waddell and Harrington of Missouri but the local contractor from Los Angeles, John Drake Mercereau, changed the design to use natural strong footing in the Arroyo saving money to the city and giving the bridge it's distinctive curve. It was the first high bridge across the Arroyo Seco with an eleven-arched reinforced concrete structure. It connected Pasadena with Highland Park and gave way to more development of both sides of the Arroyo.
17. The Darling House in Claremont Designed by the Greene and Greene architectural firm of Pasadena, the Darling House was built for Mrs. Mary Darling at College Avenue and 8th Street in 1903. In 1921, the house was sold to Pomona College professor, M. B. Jones. This photograph is part of the Wheeler Scrapbooks, which chronicle life at Pomona College and in the city of Claremont from 1884 to 1938. The digitized scrapbooks are featured on the Claremont Colleges Digital Library.
18. Home of an Aerospace Engineer, 1958
19. Groves of the Italian Vineyard Company Established by Secondo Guasti in 1900, the Italian Vineyard Company accounted for thousands of acres of agricultural land, and at one point became the largest vineyard in the word. The acres of vineyard and accompanying walnut groves depicted here helped to create the town of Guasti, California. Secondo Guasti's heavy Italian influence in the area led to the Italian consulate in Los Angeles to promote the agricultural town to Italian workers during this time.
20. Lanterman House Exterior, West Elevation, 1915 Built in 1915, the Lanterman House was one of the first reinforced concrete homes built west of the Mississippi River. This innovative building material was chosen because of the Lanterman’s interest in preventing fire and earthquake damage. Designed by Arthur Haley, the house features a U-shaped Mexican Colonial hacienda design with a fountain courtyard in the middle, pergolas with plantings on all sides of the house, and English Arts and Crafts design elements throughout.
21. Streetscape of the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and South Normandie, Los Angeles, 1942
22. Art Center students photographing a 1952 Ford Crestline Sunliner on the front lawn of the Third Street campus, circa 1952
23. Art Center's Hillside Campus, circa 1977.
24. Hollywood Miniature
25. Brochure excerpt for the Hollywood Miniature, 1946 This is an excerpt from a larger brochure highlighting the six miniatures made in the 1930s that toured the country from 1946 to 1948, as a celebration of Hollywood and Los Angeles. This page is the short text explaining the miniature of Hollywood and how it came to be. The brochure covers all the models but we are including just the pages on this specific model. The brochure was created to promote the tour of the models.
26. Brochure excerpt for the Hollywood Miniature, 1946 This is an excerpt from a larger brochure highlighting the six miniatures made in the 1930s that toured the country from 1946 to 1948, as a celebration of Hollywood and Los Angeles. This page is an image of the Hollywood Miniature. It is the companion to the text page submitted separately. The brochure covers all the models but we are including just the pages on this specific model. The brochure was created to promote the tour of the models.

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Art Center opened in 1930 in Los Angeles. Our institutional archival collections date from the early 1930s to the present, and contain photographs, publications, documents, and moving images that trace the history of the College. We receive research requests looking at art and design education in Los Angeles, or researching specific designers and artists. Anyone studying Los Angeles car culture might be interested in looking at our Transportation Design collection. https://archives.artcenter.edu/
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