by Kim Cooper | Jan 12, 2018 | The Esotouric Blog
Over on the California State Archives website there’s a terrific new collection of amateur travel photography by William and Grace McCarthy, San Franciscans who traveled widely, camera at the ready, between 1905 and 1938. We’re still digging through their...
by Kim Cooper | Jan 2, 2018 | The Esotouric Blog
Gentle reader… As we slam the door on 2017, it’s time for that annual Esotouric tradition: our very opinionated list of the past year’s Top Los Angeles Historic Preservation Stories. Because preservation is never as simple as buildings being lost forever or rescued...
by Kim Cooper | Dec 8, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
[This essay originally appeared in the Esotouric newsletter] Yesterday, we attended the annual laying to rest the ashes of the unclaimed at the County Crematory and Cemetery in Boyle Heights. Since 1896, Los Angeles County has sponsored this sacred ritual, ensuring...
by Kim Cooper | Nov 24, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
On the evening of Tuesday, November 21, 2017, I received an email from a person that I don’t know asking me what had happened to Vermonica. Within a short time, through inquiries and observations from people in Los Angeles, it was confirmed that the piece had...
by Kim Cooper | Oct 8, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Brooklynite Henrietta Kaye lived an incredible American life, from Cooper Union sculpture study to half-draped Broadway showgirl, comic foil to Orson Welles in the Surrealist theatrical sensation Horse Eats Hat to noted Hollywood hostess with second husband Jim...
by Kim Cooper | Sep 22, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Welcome to the sixth in a series of 3-D explorable tours of historic Los Angeles spaces, created by Craig Sauer using cutting-edge Matterport technology. This one is special, as for the first time in our partnership, Craig got us inside a building we’ve been longing...
by Kim Cooper | Sep 7, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
The total solar eclipse that slashed across the continental US on August 21 provided a great excuse to take our favorite kind of road trip: a few semi-scheduled days roaming the blue highways, seeking out historic Main Streets, graveyards, roadside attractions,...
by Kim Cooper | Aug 30, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
With just two more days (!!!) until Downtown L.A.’s restored Angels Flight Railway returns to service, we found ourselves consumed with the urge to ride a funicular. Since Angels Flight isn’t available, we set a course for points south and the nearest best thing: Dana...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 25, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Once upon a time, in a sillier city, Jay Ward thought it would be fun to open a store at 8200 Sunset Boulevard, next to his animation studio at the eastern terminus of the Sunset Strip. From 1972 through 2004, Dudley Do-Right’s Emporium was the place the find oddball...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 23, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Our Kim Cooper has a knack for rooting out facts about Raymond Chandler that other scholars miss. New on her The Kept Girl blog, war archives reveal Chandler to be one of the fortunate survivors of the Spanish flu pandemic.
by Kim Cooper | Jul 18, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Hello there, lover of old Los Angeles and the colorful places where grim fate sets its traps. Have you wondered what’s doing with Thelma Todd’s Beach Cafe, recently sold for a lowball $6 Million and its future uncertain? We sure have. We stopped by this week, and...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 7, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Update, November 2019: The Marciano Art Foundation has closed, and all 70 visitor-facing staff members were fired, after they announced their intention to unionize. File under: when a “landmark” isn’t actually landmarked, property owners can make...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 3, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Welcome to the fifth in a series of 3-D explorable tours of historic Los Angeles spaces, created by Craig Sauer using cutting-edge Matterport technology. And what cooler space to explore than the lobby of the newly rebranded CalEdison, an Art Deco masterpiece that was...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 26, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Yesterday’s free (with RSVP) LAVA Sunday Salon and walking tour focused on the holy grail of Los Angeles mass transit history: the sealed-off streetcar station and tunnel located beneath the Subway Terminal Building. How eager are Angelenos to see...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 7, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
In these trying hours, it’s helpful to remember that there once was a time when American politics was not the focus of every waking thought, and to console ourselves that one day it will once again be the boring sport of wonks. To that end, we bring you this Map of...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 3, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Update, November 2019: The Marciano Art Foundation has closed, and all 70 visitor-facing staff members were fired, after they announced their intention to unionize. For as long as we can remember, the mysterious, windowless lodge building has stood on its prominent...
by Kim Cooper | May 18, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
Last week, we decided we had to get a break from the relentless 2017 news cycle. Which was convenient, because the unseasonably cool weather made it the perfect time to explore one of Southern California’s most inaccessible natural and historic attractions, Santa Cruz...
by Kim Cooper | Apr 26, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
REDEVELOPMENT PLANS HALTED • June 16, 2020 – “it became apparent that the… Project may no longer be in the best interest of the City.” – Bureau of Engineering report (PDF link) BREAKING NEWS: FORGET IT, JAKE… THE FIX WAS IN! •...
by Kim Cooper | Apr 21, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
For the past few weeks, we’ve been offering support and advice to Doug Quill, the filmmaker who has been petitioning to keep a 1929 bungalow on The Lot (formerly Goldwyn Studios and United Artists) from being demolished for an expansion of LADWP’s...
by Kim Cooper | Jan 25, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
UPDATE: We have learned that someone did steal the plaque, but a Bunker Hill resident was able to retrieve it. That person plans to turn it over to the BID, which awaits city approval to reinstall it. Stay tuned for more details as we have them, and Long Live Cal...
by Kim Cooper | Jan 24, 2017 | The Esotouric Blog
On March 29, Esotouric’s Kim Cooper and Richard Schave are honored to present an illustrated lecture on their offbeat Southern California history research at the legendary Los Angeles Breakfast Club. This will be followed by a book signing, featuring Kim’s...
by Kim Cooper | Dec 29, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Gentle reader… As we slam the door on 2016, it’s time for that annual Esotouric tradition: our very opinionated list of the past year’s Top Los Angeles Historic Preservation Stories. Because preservation is never as simple as buildings being lost forever or rescued...
by Kim Cooper | Dec 11, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
On December 11, 1866, Cristobal Aguilar, the Mayor of Los Angeles, a town of about 5000 souls still recovering from the brutal upsets of the Mexican-American War, signed an ordinance concerning a swampy patch of land due South-West of the Plaza: “Lots from Nos. 1 to...
by Kim Cooper | Dec 6, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to tour the historic Boys Republic school, situated on the Rancho Santa Ana Del Chino, near the modern cities of Chino and Chino Hills. (Here is an early ranch map, here a modern aerial view.) It was on this site in September...
by Kim Cooper | Oct 31, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
The South Park neighborhood around the Los Angeles Convention Center is positively lousy with new development projects, and some charming commercial structures are being lost around historic Automobile Row. This afternoon, we paid our last respects to The Hartwell...
by Kim Cooper | Oct 11, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
When lost Los Angeles is your beat, as it is ours, you’re dependent on the stray relics that survive in photographic archives, books and on film. The buildings and vistas that obsess us were captured at precise moments and specific angles, and while we’re...
by Kim Cooper | Sep 23, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
These are heady times for lovers of the Arts & Crafts movement, as the Pasadena Museum of History celebrates the gift of Dr. Bob Winter’s incomparable Ernest Batchelder collection with a fascinating and eclectic show on his influential Arroyo pottery....
by Kim Cooper | Sep 16, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
PETITION: Mayor Eric Garcetti, Fill the Vacant Seat on the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. On Thursday afternoon, September 15, 2016 an SRO crowd gathered in room 1010 of Los Angeles City Hall for the final hearing in the historic-cultural monument...
by Kim Cooper | Sep 13, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Early on Thursday we got the word, via a Twitter photo posted by the good folks at DTLA Walking Tours, that Angels Flight Railway had been hit with a major graffiti bomb. The rest of the day was a blur of emails and calls, seeking out the people who could do something...
by Kim Cooper | Aug 18, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
History-loving Los Angeles, sit down: we’re about to blow your collective mind. You know, of course, that behind a rolled down grate in the heart of Downtown’s Broadway Theater District is a magical 1914 space called the Dutch Chocolate Shop, containing...
by Kim Cooper | Aug 9, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
The Subway Terminal Building was erected in 1925 in the 400 block of South Hill Street, in response to congestion in the growing metropolis of Los Angeles. Here, for thirty bustling years, passengers descended into a cavernous station, where they boarded Hollywood-...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 21, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
On July 23, 1888, Raymond Thornton Chandler was born in Chicago, a smart, sensitive kid dealt a strange deck that would, in time, make him the great chronicler of the dark side of the California dream. Join me in celebrating the master’s 128th birthday with a...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 11, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
FOR THE LATEST ON LACMA, L.A. TIMES BUILDINGS, ETC. SCROLL DOWN TO PRESS CLIPS RECENT ACTIONS: On December 3, 2019, Save LACMA board members gave public comment at Los Angeles City Hall opposing the gift of air rights over Wilshire Boulevard for the new LACMA...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 2, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
We’re shocked to hear about events booking portal Zerve shutting down over the holiday weekend with scant notice after a failed attempt at marketing the company for merger and acquisition. This is terrible for the hundreds of small tour companies who rely on...
by Kim Cooper | Jul 1, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
You have to get up pretty early in the morning to see a 121-year-old Victorian duplex moved across the road, and luckily for you, we do. We arrived at First and Soto Streets to find the crew from Brandt House & Building Movers staging the dirt in front of the...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 30, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Despite the triple-digit temperatures, the western end of Route 66 seems a bit cooler today thanks to a newly-restored piece of roadside signage; the vintage 1967 Van de Kamp’s Holland Dutch Bakery windmill (since 1989 a Denny’s) on Huntington Boulevard,...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 28, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
On September 10, 2015, I read the transcript of a short KPCC radio piece about 20 Boyle Heights families facing eviction from their rent-controlled apartments by low-income housing developer East L.A. Community Corporation (ELACC). Residents had been organized by...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 18, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
When the Chandler family relinquished ownership of the Los Angeles Times in 2000, it sounded a discordant note all across the southland. For while the Chandlers and ancestor Col. Otis before them were imperfect stewards, they were undeniably devoted to the growth and...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 10, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Most Saturdays, we host a few dozen “gentle riders” on the Esotouric tour bus, revealing the lost lore of Los Angeles through visits to landmarks both notable and obscure. Because most of our passengers are Southland locals, we don’t offer tours during the busy...
by Kim Cooper | Jun 6, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
To go directly to the 3-D Angels Flight tour, click here. It has been 1005 days since Angels Flight Railway, the beloved funicular that is, with the exception of a stone retaining wall, the last remnant of the lost Victorian neighborhood of Bunker Hill, suffered a...
by Kim Cooper | May 29, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Earlier today the Smell, the legendary all-ages club in Los Angeles’ historic Skid Row, shared a photograph of a demolition permit application notice posted on their building. Even at the start of a holiday weekend, the response from incensed patrons...
by Kim Cooper | May 17, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
It was 1995 when arson claimed the derelict Hotel Californian at the corner of 6th and Bonnie Brae in the Westlake District. But before the grand old H-shaped structure was demolished, the city removed its massive twin neon roof signs and placed them behind a chain...
by Kim Cooper | May 7, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Most Saturdays, we host a few dozen “gentle riders” on the Esotouric tour bus, revealing the lost lore of Los Angeles through visits to landmarks both notable and obscure. Because most of our passengers are Southland locals, we don’t offer tours during the...
by Kim Cooper | May 4, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Here’s something new under the sun: a searchable database of 19th century California trademarks, including some delightful Los Angeles oddities. Whether your tastes run to sporting man’s club life or electrically-charged cordials, underpants full of flea...
by Kim Cooper | Apr 14, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
One of our favorite Los Angeles buildings is the Barclay Hotel (originally the Van Nuys), a Beaux Arts gem constructed in 1896 on the northwest corner of 4th and Main Streets by pioneering architects Morgan and Walls. We love the hotel because it’s beautiful,...
by Kim Cooper | Apr 9, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Most Saturdays, we host a few dozen “gentle riders” on the Esotouric tour bus, revealing the lost lore of Los Angeles through visits to landmarks both notable and obscure. Because most of our passengers are Southland locals, we don’t offer tours during the busy...
by Kim Cooper | Mar 31, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
In the early morning hours of December 6, 1959 in a handsome Spanish-style mansion in hilly Los Feliz, California, Dr. Harold Perelson took up a hammer and murdered his wife Lillian in her bed, then attempted to kill his sleeping daughter Judy. But his aim was poor,...
by Kim Cooper | Mar 30, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
A couple of weeks ago, we trekked down into a trash filled drainage tunnel off the Los Angeles River with graffiti scholar Susan Phillips and 3-D photographer Craig Sauer to document a wordy folk art environment created by an obsessive 1940s-era hobo known only as JK....
by Kim Cooper | Mar 29, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
Most Saturdays, we host a few dozen “gentle riders” on the Esotouric tour bus, revealing the lost lore of Los Angeles through visits to landmarks both notable and obscure. Because most of our passengers are Southland locals, we don’t offer tours during the busy...
by Kim Cooper | Mar 28, 2016 | The Esotouric Blog
We were nearly ready to head back to Los Angeles, after a full day exploring Helena Modjeska’s country house and other interesting Orange County canyon sites, when Richard suggested we pay a visit to historic Cook’s Corner. There’s been a building on...
