Sometimes in LA, Everything Old is New Again...

Earlier this month, an article appeared in the online post Preservation Nation, discussing the resurgence of neon and neon-related signage in Highland Park.

The recent restoration of the Highland Theatre and Manning's Coffee Store signage has greatly added to the largest historic neon district in Los Angeles, relinking the past with the present.

The Highland Theatre, designed by architect Lewis A. Smith, opened its doors in 1925 and is now a registered Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Landmark. Smith went on to design additional theaters in the greater Los Angeles area, including the Beverly Theater (now closed), the El Portal in North Hollywood, the Rialto in South Pasadena (currently closed) and, in the Los Feliz area, the Vista Theatre.

The Manning's Coffee Stores originally began in the Seattle area in 1908 as a coffee/tea stand. Eventually, the Manning brothers expanded their cafeteria/restaurant chain to 40 locations throughout nine western states; 19 of which were located in the Los Angeles area. The Highland Park location closed in the 1950s and today houses Las Cazuelas Restaurant (serving up Salvadorean/Mexican cuisine). After nearly a century, the last Manning Cafeteria (in San Francisco) closed its doors in 1984.

The outpouring of community support has moved this process forward in Highland Park, which is as it should be; ultimately, it is the community that will prosper from this resurgence.

David Kipen at the Los Feliz Library on April 19th

Author and bookstore owner David Kipen is the featured speaker at the upcoming Architecture & Beyond Lecture Series on Thursday, April 19th, 6:45pm at the Los Feliz Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, located at 1874 Hillhurst Avenue in Los Angeles.

Kipen, founder of the Libros Schmibros lending library/used bookstore in Boyle Heights, will discuss the reissued "Los Angeles in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City of Angels.” Kipen wrote the introduction to the guide.

Before opening his Boyle Heights book shop in 2010, Kipen served as director of literature for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Previous speakers this year include: Kimberli Meyer from the MAK Center; Author Susan Morgan speaking on "Sympathetic Seeing: Esther McCoy and the Heart of American Modernist Architecture and Design" and Richard Stanley "How to identify and appreciate our local housing styles." The A&B Series at the Los Feliz Library has been hosting speakers for eight years.

For more information on this event, call the Los Feliz Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library at (323) 913-4710 or go online to http://www.lapl.org, and click Locations & Hours for the Los Feliz Branch.

Los Angeles at the Forefront

Go anywhere in Los Angeles and bask in the architectural richness that can only be found in LA.

One of my personal favorites is the Griffith Park Observatory. In 1896, Griffith J. Griffith donated 3,000+ acres to the city and in his will (he died in 1919), funding was donated for construction of the observatory. The structure, based on the original design of Russell W. Porter was developed by architects John C. Austin and Frederick Ashley, and completed in 1935.

In 2002, the Observatory underwent a massive restoration effort and expansion, reopening to the public in 2006.