The singlemost important book in my library of Los Angeles history remains Reyner Banham's seminal 1971
Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies. Like everyone else of a certain age, movies and television piqued my interest in faraway California, and mythologized the state, L. A. in particular. I've now been there many many times, often specifically to explore its architecture, I've read dozens of histories of it, and, of course devoured every photograph of its history I could find--the myth still trumps reality. Anyway, among the Banham book's illustrations is a small photo of the now-vanished Crenshaw Motors Ford, which was at 5311 S. Crenshaw until recently. (The dealership closed in early 2007 after 70 years, the building demolished more recently. Last I heard a Tesco market of some sort is to be built there.)
jericle cat
labeez
If you haven't already, the next book you read should be Banham's:
http://www.amazon.com/Los-Angeles-Ar...520219244#noop