I love this thread.
Since I kind of barged into it with replies to posts and no introduction, using initials for regulars as if we're old friends, etc., I figured some introduction now might be polite.
I'm a lifelong northern Californian, the last 25 years or so in the Bay Area. I've always had a love for architecture, maps, and history, and when the three go together, all the better. Particularly fond of Art Deco architecture, along with craftsman and streamline modern, but I have a growing appreciation for a wide variety of styles. I get a serious thrills when I see beautifully designed and/or historic buildings from the past have either been kept up or lovingly restored. I spent a good number of vacations in my youth poking around the LA area with my dad while visiting grandparents (mostly in search of great bargains on antiques). My interest in LA's history and development has long exceeded my knowledge, so this thread is right up my alley.
Many months back, after so many years of driving down I-5 and catching glimpses of favorite buildings like city hall and the old county hospital, I decided to do some searching around online for photos of them from way back when. That pretty quickly led me here, and right away I felt the need to grab a certain
noirish nighttime Toys for Tots city hall shot as my desktop wallpaper.
I've followed pretty much everything in here over the last several months, learning so much about the layout and history of LA old and new along the way, but still have yet to work my way very far through the beginning of the thread. I will get through all of it eventually though, in spite of some missing pictures due to website reconfigurations, there's so much great stuff to be learned here. I want to thank you all for the time you've put in here and the most pleasurable education it's given me. I hope that I'm able to spend enough time researching to give a little back along the way.
And thanks for indulging my very self-indulgent introductory post!
