Author Archives: Sam Gnerre

First things first: Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., shown at left, did not design Central Park in New York City. Born in 1870, he actually was the son of the Central Park architect Frederick Law Olmsted. He took over the firm together with his stepbrother, John Charles Olmsted, when his father died in 1895, renaming it Olmsted Brothers.Continue reading “Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.”

The Roundhouse at the end of the Manhattan Beach pier is one of the city’s most recognizable icons. But it wasn’t part of the city’s original Iron Pier, below right, which stood from 1901 until the winter of 1913-14, when it was destroyed by violent storms. The city’s residents spent several years coming up with designsContinue reading “Manhattan Beach pier’s Roundhouse”

Of the three lighthouses that dot the South Bay coast, the Angels Gate lighthouse, right, has the lowest profile. The Point Fermin lighthouse is surrounded by a lovely park with its famous cliffs, while the lighthouse at Point Vicente, long-rumored to be haunted, is situated on one of the most scenic stretches of coastline on theContinue reading “Angels Gate Lighthouse”

“Nothing is permanent but change,” said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, sounding like he would have felt right at home on the South Bay landscape. Another philosopher named Joni Mitchell once sang, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” That’s certainly happened in the South Bay, too, though maybe not as often as oneContinue reading “South Bay transformations”

When 13-year-old Johnny Maus of Hermosa Beach started to sing at the Beverly Hills home of casting director Bob Corcoran in April 1957, he thought it would be for a couple of songs, not for a 45-minute performance. But the show biz audience at the high society gathering loved him and insisted that he runContinue reading “Johnny Maus sings for ‘high society’”

The Lady Alexandra floating restaurant at its Redondo Beach mooring in the late 1970s, before disaster struck.   The Lady Alexandra’s saga begins in Vancouver, Canada and ends at the bottom of the sea 50 miles off of Redondo Beach. The vessel was built by Scottish craftsmen in 1923 and was designed specifically for shortContinue reading “The Lady Alexandra”

A sign at the left of James Collins’ original Hamburger Handout stand advertises 10-cent hamburgers in celebration of its sixth anniversary in this 1958 photo.   Sometimes pop-culture phenomena only capture the public’s imagination for a short time. Sometimes they catch on, and eventually turn into worldwide mega-corporations.Hamburger Handout is a good example. The 19-centContinue reading “Hamburger Handout”

No, it’s not one of those old homes in downtown Torrance, the Banning Residence Museum in Wilmington or the Centinela Adobe in Inglewood. The honor goes to the Dominguez Rancho Adobe in the Rancho Dominguez area near Carson, which was built by Manuel Dominguez in 1826. He built it on 75,000 acres of land that his uncle, Juan Jose Dominguez, had been given in 1784 byContinue reading “The oldest house in the South Bay”

Rodeo in Torrance? A cowboy displays his lassoing skills at the 1969 Torrance Mounted Police Rodeo, held that year at the Torrance High football field.   A full-blown rodeo. A 3 1/2-hour procession described as “the biggest parade in southwest Los Angeles County history.” Game booths, rides, a midway, an aquacade and an annual beauty contest.Continue reading “Torrance’s Ranchero Days”

After visiting San Pedro many times while working as a railroad man for the Southern Pacific, George H. Peck Jr. decided that he liked its look. He settled there in 1886, and would become a wildly successful real estate developer. He also helped organize the original Bank of San Pedro in 1889.   He built a ramblingContinue reading “George Peck’s Tale of Two Cities”