John Blanton was the first architect to be listed in the phone book when he began his Manhattan Beach practice in 1964. Such was the state of South Bay residential architecture at the time. Thousands of homes had been built during the postwar suburban boom of the 1950s, but few of those in the SouthContinue reading “Manhattan Beach architect John Blanton brought stylish homes to South Bay neighborhoods”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Llewellyn Iron Works helped shaped Torrance as a new industrial city
When Jared Sidney Torrance set about establishing the new city south of Los Angeles that he named for himself, he shrewdly began courting industries to locate there and employ its potential new residents. His decision to focusing on attracting big business was advantageous. Downtown Los Angeles had just experienced an outbreak of labor violence thatContinue reading “Llewellyn Iron Works helped shaped Torrance as a new industrial city”
Cruising to the Wich Stand was a way of life in the 1960s
The Wich Stand, located just over half a mile north of the Inglewood city limit, became such a popular hangout during the 1960s that Hawthorne resident Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys wrote a song about it. The restaurant dates back to the 1930s, when two locations operated in Los Angeles, one at Pico Blvd.Continue reading “Cruising to the Wich Stand was a way of life in the 1960s”
The Paradise becomes Westchester’s second theater on Sepulveda
The Paradise Theatre in Westchester was a testament to 1950s postwar optimism. Its developers chose to locate it just a couple blocks south of the Fox Loyola Theatre, a big success upon its opening in 1946 at 8610 S. Sepulveda Blvd. near Manchester. The Paradise, located at 9110 S. Sepulveda Blvd. at Will Rogers St.,Continue reading “The Paradise becomes Westchester’s second theater on Sepulveda”
Hollywood-Palos Verdes Parkway: a grand idea that remained on the drawing board
Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., the man who designed Old Torrance and parts of Palos Verdes Estates, also published a landmark treatise on California urban planning, A Major Traffic Street Plan for Los Angeles, in May 1924. Shortly after its publication, Olmsted and his firm got to work on a specific South Bay trafficContinue reading “Hollywood-Palos Verdes Parkway: a grand idea that remained on the drawing board”
A renovated, reimagined Lawndale High rises from the ashes
“School’s out forever at Lawndale.” So read the Daily Breeze headline from June 18, 1981. For the next 17 years, Lawndale High was a member of the South Bay/Harbor Area closed high schools club that included Fermin Lasuen, Aviation, Miraleste, Palos Verdes (later reopened) and Lennox. When it opened its doors to 500 ninth andContinue reading “A renovated, reimagined Lawndale High rises from the ashes”
Dr. Paul Carlson gave his life for what he believed in – mercy
Paul Carlson, the son of Swedish immigrants to the U.S., was born in Culver City in 1928. His parents, Gustav and Ruth, were members of Rolling Hills Covenant Church in Rolling Hills, part of the Lutheran offshoot the Evangelical Covenant Church, which was founded by Swedish immigrants in 1885. After serving in the U.S. Navy,Continue reading “Dr. Paul Carlson gave his life for what he believed in – mercy”
Canal Street transforms into Avalon Boulevard in Wilmington
Wilmington’s Canal Street, which ran perpendicular to the Los Angeles harbor, was the town’s main street. And yes, it literally was a canal. The settlement tracks its founding back to 1863. Wilmington was originally built flush with the level of the natural harbor on its southern edge, on mud flats that packed hard when dried,Continue reading “Canal Street transforms into Avalon Boulevard in Wilmington”
The Torrance Freeway would have changed the face of the South Bay
Ever wonder why getting around the South Bay depends mostly on the use of surface streets? A few freeways impact the area: the 405, the 91, the 110 and the 105. But large swaths remain freeway-less. It seems like a miscalculation and lack of foresight, this failure to link a primo business and retailContinue reading “The Torrance Freeway would have changed the face of the South Bay”
Pro sports teams gravitate toward training in the South Bay
Southern California has long been an attractive place for major pro sports teams to practice, dating at least as far back as the 1920s, when the Chicago Cubs trained on Catalina Island. Even out-of-state teams have trained in the area. For 26 years starting in 1963, the Dallas Cowboys held summer training camp at CalContinue reading “Pro sports teams gravitate toward training in the South Bay”
