The Library will be closed on Thursday, November 28 & Friday, November 29, 2024, in observance of Thanksgiving.

Kelly Wallace, Librarian, History Department

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stylized view of the parking structure on first and olive

RIP Parking Lot 17

January 23, 2019

Have you been by the corner of First Street and Olive recently? Remember that ugly structure where you parked when you had jury duty? Familiarly referred to as the Erector Set or Tinker Toy garage, the infamous parking structure is no longer there.


TransLogic system tracks running through the library

Translogic: Central Library's Forgotten Book-Mover

October 10, 2018

When the gleaming “new” Central Library opened its doors on October 3, 1993, seven years after the devastating fires of 1986, it touted the latest innovations in computer automation.


Photo of a drawing by Edward Vischer of El Aliso at the Vignes winery

Forgotten Los Angeles History: El Aliso, the Big Tree of Los Angeles

April 27, 2018

“Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”

—Trees by Joyce Kilmer


Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building

The Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company

February 22, 2018

In 1920s Los Angeles, insurance companies considered black Americans to be either uninsurable or extremely high risk. As a result, black people were routinely denied coverage or charged exorbitant premiums.


graphic of chocolates in a heart box, raw chocolate and stacked chocolate candies in wrappers

See's Candy: A Sweet Success Story

February 14, 2018

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” ―Charles M. Schulz.


Detail of a map of Los Angeles, as it appeared in 1871, showing the site of the 1871 Chinese massacre

Forgotten Los Angeles History: The Chinese Massacre of 1871

May 19, 2017

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a month in which we celebrate the culture, traditions, accomplishments, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.


Library cards

What's In Your Wallet?

September 23, 2016

“A library card is the start of a lifelong adventure.”—Author Lilian Jackson Braun


The intersection of Adams and San Pedro today

Revisiting East Adams

May 20, 2016

If you drive through the neighborhood around the intersection of Adams and San Pedro Street today, you will see a strip mall and on the opposite corner a clothing store. Everywhere you look, there are businesses with signs in Spanish, reflecting the predominantly Latino population.


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