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Adrian Sosa
Prof. Malvin
English 115
9 November 2015
A Jump to the Past
As time goes by, communities change, and with that change, a majority of history is
erased. Los Angeles is arguably one of the most famous places in the country and even the world.
Known for its presence in Hollywood blockbusters and T.V. shows, L.A. is the destination for
many tourists. Los Angeles is jam packed with history which became glorified through the movie
industry in the sixties. Now the county has come a long way, but unfortunately has outgrown the
roots that once made it truly special. However, over time, much of the character that set Los
Angeles apart from other places in the U.S., has been replaced and modernized. Rather than stray
away from these classic roots, L.A. should embrace them, and bring back the classic architectural
styles that contributed to Los Angeles image in the movie industry. To do this, I feel that a
historic community or area needs to be selected to be to be retrofitted with classic architecture
from any important movie era like the sixties to instill Los Angeles history for all to enjoy and
learn from.
Los Angeles county has seen plenty in short time in existence. The county has seen both
world wars and several other wars that shaped its history. On top of this, L.A. is where the movie
industry settled in the early 1900s because of the perfect weather. These two influences mixed
with a very diverse population, made a very unique place that created some of the biggest trends
that the country soon followed. However, over the years, Los Angeles continued to modernize
and leave behind some of the trends that made it great. The trends of the fifties were quickly

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overshadowed by trends of the sixties, which were overshadowed by the trends of the seventies
and so on. Today there doesnt seem to be that kind of rapid change, and our architecture is the
proof in itself. We are half way through a decade and Los Angeles looks relatively the same as it
did ten years ago, bland and without character. A writer for the Los Angeles Times, Hector Tobar
comments on the current state of L.A.s character. Tobar says one of L.A.'s great traditions is
smashing and stomping upon our own history. We are addicted to newness. So we topple
landmarks and neighborhoods as if they were unsightly weeds (Tobar). Dedicating a district to
Los Angeles history would be a step in the right direction for L.A. in what would be the
reaccepting of the past. We have an incredible history here in L.A. and doing this will build on a
lackluster sense of community and strengthe
To understand where we are, we must first understand where we have been. Like I said
before, Los Angeles is jam packed with history. And as any history buff will tell you, history
repeats itself, and architectural trends are a prime example of this. The history of Los Angeles
teaches us a lot about our individual upbringings, because of this, it is important to have a space
dedicated to this history so that Los Angeles natives and tourists can all enjoy and learn from the
past. I have also noticed a disconnect between past and present with todays young generation. I
work at a middle school and I have tried having conversations with my group of kids about the
past and they know nothing of anything before the 2000s. In fact, Mike Davis mentions this
disconnect in his part of Anna Smiths play Twilight Los Angeles 1992. Davis says this
city is at war with its own children, and refuses to talk to those children (Smith, 29).
Considering this disconnect, one can see how Los Angeles has barely changed over the past few
years but still looks so different from its earlier years. Jessica Gelt, also an author for the Los
Angeles Times, comments on the differences of the county from the past compared to today. Gelt

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states Grand old restaurants become bland storefronts and midcentury-modern Travelodges that
would make Mad Men fans drool are transformed into run-of-the-mill, two-star motels (Gelt).
Having a public space dedicated the past would not only teach younger generations, but could
also inspire young minds to take classic styles and innovate them to create their own modern
styles while still maintaining the roots that shaped their ideas.. This would give Los Angeles the
character it deserves while keeping up with the ever evolving times. Otherwise, Los Angeles will
continue to blend in with other places in this country and will live its life as a famous place with
little to no character and will only be known for the studios located within the county.
The idea of dedicating a public space to historical architecture isnt my original idea
however. There are other places in the country that have done just this, and with great success.
One example of another county doing this, is the Miami Beach Architectural District located in
South Beach Miami. The colorful buildings that line ocean drive have the eighties written all
over them even though the architecture is from the twenties and thirties and have been featured
in countless movies, TV shows, music videos and books. A writer for the National park service
says The district was one of the earliest National Register listings to recognize the importance
of the architecture of this period (nps.gov). This shows that preserving history is important to
even the government and to the people of that county. Though Los Angeles is also featured in the
media, it isnt the same because it is only featured for the actual location rather than the
architecture and the landmarks that make up LA. Dedicating a district to a certain time in Los
Angeles would insure that LA will be remembered for its places that tell history rather than just
the place where movies are shot and where celebrities live.
Though Los Angeles already has a theater district, I feel that there is a lost time in LAs
history that hasnt gotten the attention it has deserved. This time is the sixties. The sixties set

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many trends the rest of the country followed and deserves to be brought back. I believe a good
location to dedicate to the sixties is Riverside Drive where the original Bobs Big Boy is located.
Bobs has been around for almost half the time that Los Angeles has been around and made the
sixties as their theme for their architecture. On top of this, Bobs Big Boy hosts a weekly car
show in which families consistently come to appreciate the classic cars and their history. If the
area around Bobs were to be remodeled given a retro look and feel, more and more people
including tourists would visit the area to learn about Los Angeles in the sixties. Doing so will
also bring a lot more money to the county because it will have become an attraction where
people will spend more money in. On top of this, the location could be used for movies which
would bring a significant amount of revenue to the county both from the movie industry and
tourists who want to visit the site after being featured in movies.
Remodeling an entire district all at once could be a monumental task. In fact, this could
be a main argument of an opposing viewpoint, that and/or the amount of money it will take.
These factors to consider are nothing but trade-offs. To gain something, one must first give
something. In this case, to gain a district dedicated to history, the city of Los Angeles must put
forth the money and the space to do so. In return, the city of L.A. will gain an important space
that will quickly become a part of what makes Los Angeles so great. Some may still hold their
position that the cost out-weighs the benefit, but they would only be thinking of the near future.
For the 60s themed district to become beneficial for the county, it would need time to gain
popularity with in the county and the country. Eventually the spot will be considered an essential
place to visit when touring L.A. On top of this, the county would be moving in the right direction
not only in recreating a classic style district, but also in preserving establishments we have today.

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Los Angeles is always changing, evolving, and adapting to the future. But in doing so, it
has left behind its heritage. History can never be erased and history, at the end of the day, defines
Los Angeles, no matter how much L.A. changes. Rather than straying away from this past, a 60s
style district should be built to pay homage to L.A.s history. It would be important to do so for
several reasons. The first of which is simply to become a visitors destination which will educate
tourists and Los Angeles natives, of a small portion of the countys history. Secondly the district
would inspire young minds to innovate the classic styles and give Los Angeles a future where it
is distinguishable when compared to other top counties. Creating such public space could be very
beneficial for the people and profitable for the county.

Work Cited

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Davis, Mike. "Surfer's Desert." Guide to Twilight Los Angeles: Conceived, Written and
Performee by Anna Deavere Smith ; Directed by Marc Levin. Brookline, MA: Facing
History and Ourselves National Foundation, 2001. 28-29. Print.
Gelt, Jessica. "Flashback L.A.: 'Postcard Views, Then and Now' Captures Lost City." Los
Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015.
United States. National Park Service. "Florida Historic Places." National Parks Service. U.S.
Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
07, May. "Honoring the Lost Neighborhoods of Los Angeles." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles
Times, 07 May 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2015

Evaluation Letter

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For this essay, I tried to keep my writing in relatively in order. Since I am the writer of
this essay, I decided to put my thoughts of the subject, supported by other works, first before the
counter viewpoints. Id have to say that my biggest difficulty would have to be filling the essay
to the required essay length (5 Pages). Once I said everything I had to say, I didnt know wat else
to write, and at this point, I still dont. Continuing with my writing didnt feel right because I felt
like I was just writing to fill space and my words had little meaning. I believe that of all types of
writers blocks, thinking of new material to satisfy the amount of pages required is the one I find
the most difficult to overcome. In the rough draft peer review, my group seemed to have focused
more on the mention of Bobs Big Boy, but I feel that they missed the point. I only mentioned
Bobs simply as an example as a place which has done something similar to what I proposed in
my essay. But I only intended for Bobs to be just that, a source of inspiration. All in all, I feel
that I did a good job on my essay but Im sure I could make it better and revise it for the final.