It’s fair to say that the descent of suffocating grey clouds into the Los Angeles basin on the blazing hot day of July 26, 1943, caused unhappy sensations in the ever-growing metropolis beyond the burning eyes and painful breathing. Denizens of the downtown area didn’t know who to blame for the new plague. Was itContinue reading “The search for solutions to the perilous Los Angeles smog attacks of the 1940s and 1950s”
Tag Archives: los-angeles
Some ideas for using Alondra Park land didn’t work out, but others did
According to the official list kept by the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions, World’s Fairs in 1938 were held in Berlin, Helsinki and Glasgow. Missing from that list: Alondra Park. I wrote about the history of the county park ten years ago, but I thought a look at some of the early plans for theContinue reading “Some ideas for using Alondra Park land didn’t work out, but others did”
The first San Pedro breakwater transformed the Port of Los Angeles
Wilmington shipping magnate Phineas Banning was among the first to understand the importance of improving the Harbor Area shoreline to accommodate larger ships. His freighters brought all manner of goods to the growing city of Los Angeles 20 miles to the north, building and construction materials chief among them. In 1869, he opened the firstContinue reading “The first San Pedro breakwater transformed the Port of Los Angeles”
A long tale of a short freeway: California State Route 47
The 47 Freeway may not be the longest in the Los Angeles area – only the 3.1-mile Marina Freeway is shorter – but it provides a vital link to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Officially known as California State Route 47, or California 47 for short, the freeway was part of theContinue reading “A long tale of a short freeway: California State Route 47”
Torrance planners struggled for years to connect Cabrillo and Eshelman avenues
Though scarcely more than a decade old, the city of Torrance was humming during the 1920s. Major industrial plants had set up shop there, employing thousands of workers, and developers were kept plenty busy trying to build enough housing for them Many of the workers from outside the area who commuted to their jobs atContinue reading “Torrance planners struggled for years to connect Cabrillo and Eshelman avenues”
Torrance’s Old Towne Mall developers wanted to add a lot more to the mix
Those who remember the enclosed Old Towne Mall in Torrance often remark on the quaintness of its old-time nostalgia vibe. The mall was built by developer Robert Brindle through his El Segundo-based Lincoln Realty Old Towne arrangement with Mik Brindle, Clifford Hemmerling and the Southern California Financial Corporation. Brindle’s firm wasn’t attempting to compete withContinue reading “Torrance’s Old Towne Mall developers wanted to add a lot more to the mix”
Some South Bay and Harbor Area cities found the road to incorporation rocky
Here’s a trick question for you: Which South Bay/Harbor Area city was the first to incorporate officially? The answer: Wilmington, in 1871. The second? San Pedro, 1888. An incorporated city is a municipality whose business affairs, public works and civic activities are managed by elected officials who have been chosen by the votes of itsContinue reading “Some South Bay and Harbor Area cities found the road to incorporation rocky”
The Fox Theatre was the Palos Verdes Peninsula’s first movie palace
The carefully planned development of the Palos Verdes Peninsula that began to be implemented in the early 1920s did not include any shopping centers. The Peninsula’s first commercial area in Malaga Cove Plaza had a few small stores that fit the character of the semi-rural community of Palos Verdes Estates, which would become the Hill’sContinue reading “The Fox Theatre was the Palos Verdes Peninsula’s first movie palace”
Hermosa Beach’s early boom town days included a Redondo annexation offer
The South Bay’s three major beach cities, Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan, all incorporated within 20 years of each other. Redondo came first in 1892, followed by Hermosa in 1907, and Manhattan in 1912. Hermosa’s earliest beginnings as a city actually go back to 1900, when Los Angeles businessmen A.L. Burbank and Eugene Baker purchased 1500Continue reading “Hermosa Beach’s early boom town days included a Redondo annexation offer”
