Clark Stadium, Hermosa Beach’s longtime recreational hub, came off the drawing board and into reality during the depths of the Depression. Mayor Logan Cotton and Councilman (and former mayor) John M. Clark helped break ground for the ambitious recreational center at 861 Valley Drive between Eighth and 11th streets on June 21, 1932. The siteContinue reading “Clark Stadium has served Hermosa Beach’s recreation needs since 1937”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
San Pedro’s Marine Mammal Care Center a byproduct of Marineland’s demise
Few were happy with the actions of Marineland of the Pacific’s new owner, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, in the days following HBJ’s December 1986 acquisition of the marine park in Rancho Palos Verdes that had opened in August 1954. Trucks spirited popular orcas Corky and Orky away to Sea World in the middle of theContinue reading “San Pedro’s Marine Mammal Care Center a byproduct of Marineland’s demise”
The long road to Manhattan Beach’s landmark library
Manhattan Beach was a thriving beach town when it officially incorporated on Dec. 2, 1912, but it didn’t have all that many permanent residents. A small group of strong-willed women, led by Jessie Bell Smith, were determined that their town have all the necessities: a good school system, fire and police departments and its ownContinue reading “The long road to Manhattan Beach’s landmark library”
Airplane enthusiasts can pick their spots at LAX
When the Theme Building opened at a remodeled Los Angeles International Airport in 1961, one of its most popular features was an observation deck. For 10 cents, airplane enthusiasts, who were and still are numerous, could take an elevator up 80 feet up to the outdoor deck above the restaurant. (The restaurant would be revampedContinue reading “Airplane enthusiasts can pick their spots at LAX”
“Miss Maggie” created an education powerhouse on the Peninsula
Chadwick School, the first high school on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, was founded by a woman whose life reads like a movie script. Margaret Chadwick was born Margaret Lee on April 26, 1893, in Spanish Fork, Utah. Her father, a Presbyterian minister, had been posted there as a missionary charged with attempting to convert Mormons.Continue reading ““Miss Maggie” created an education powerhouse on the Peninsula”
Cinema meets miniature golf at Hawthorne’s Plaza Theater
When the Hopkins-McNeil Investment Co. set about to develop a portion of downtown Hawthorne in the 1920s, one of the amenities it promised investors was a first-class movie theater. The Plaza Theater was announced as part of the development plan in late 1925. Architect John J. Frauenfelder was selected to design the new theater, toContinue reading “Cinema meets miniature golf at Hawthorne’s Plaza Theater”
Living with the Newport-Inglewood Fault
At its closest point to Los Angeles, the San Andreas Fault passes by 35 miles to the northeast of the city. Responsible for the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta shaker, the state’s largest fault line ranges from the Salton Sea to the coast of Mendocino County. Scary stuff. But whenContinue reading “Living with the Newport-Inglewood Fault”
Tracking the history of the Olympic Velodrome in Carson
When Los Angeles won the Summer Olympics for 1984, the city already had in place most of the sports facilities it needed to host the event. Only two new venues were built: the swimming and diving stadium at USC, and the cycling velodrome at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Originally, four locations were in theContinue reading “Tracking the history of the Olympic Velodrome in Carson”
How Torrance’s municipal plunge got its name
The post-World War II suburban boom in areas such as Torrance forced many municipalities to scramble to provide services and facilities. Schools, roads, recreational facilities – many parts of the public infrastructure needed to be revamped and expanded to accommodate the exploding population. A three-person slate of candidates known as “BID, whose slogan was “BIDContinue reading “How Torrance’s municipal plunge got its name”
Paul Conrad’s barbed editorial cartoons landed him on President Nixon’s enemies list
Longtime Rancho Palos Verdes resident Paul Conrad often claimed that making President Richard Nixon’s enemies list in 1973 was one of his proudest accomplishments. But Nixon was only one of many public figures that the former Los Angeles Times political cartoonist skewered with barbed pen and ink drawings during his long career. He was bornContinue reading “Paul Conrad’s barbed editorial cartoons landed him on President Nixon’s enemies list”
