Author Archives: Nathan Marsak

Poking about the internet today, I found this new-to-me movie posted by the Office of Image Archaeology. It’s pretty neat! The uploading fellow said if you know any locations post ’em in the comments, which I commenced on to doing, but then, ended up here. The film has some nice shots of Hollywood, and theContinue reading “A New Movie!”

Happy Presidents’ Day! Yes, I know it’s really Washington’s Birthday (it irks me George is not celebrated specifically, he being my first cousin) but, I’ll accept it. After all, who morphed Washington’s Birthday into Presidents’ Day? The mighty Angeleno, that’s who: among those many things invented in Los Angeles, Presidents’ Day is among them, asContinue reading “The President of Bunker Hill”

So I’m on the Instagram, when there on the page of forgottenmadness_la, was this post. FMLA noted that the nifty image was part of a LIFE magazine feature titled “Ugly America,” shot by Walter Sanders. I flew immediately to the greater collection, archived at Google Arts & Culture, here. I am deeply indebted to FMLAContinue reading “A New Trove of Bunker Hill”

There is, course, no better way to ring in the holiday season than with a three-hour tour, specifically, one focused on serial killers, bar brawls, gangster abductions, desecrated cemeteries, and other horrible happenings. Oh, and a subterranean race of Lizard Men. Two weeks from today—Saturday, December 17th—the good folk at Esotouric are hosting the BunkerContinue reading “Bunker Noir TOUR!”

Quick, how many former residents of Bunker Hill have appeared on United States currency? I can hear you now yelling “ooo! ooo! DeWitt Clinton!” but sorry Horshack, no, and you’re way off. We’re talking about a woman, and on a coin. At which point you wise up and say “ahhhh, right—because I read this, IContinue reading “Bunker Hill—Home of the Stars!”

First, one must establish what gift is best, in this spookiest of holiday seasons—the answer being a copy of Bunker Noir!, of course, replete as it is with horrible horrors, terrible terrors, and all manner of wacky weirdness. Now, you may purchase copies directly from me, and I have as well made them available viaContinue reading “Where Can You Buy the Perfect Hallowe’en Gift?”

UPDATE! Due to overwhelming demand, the ADSLA has added ANOTHER tour! Yes, tickets for a November 6th ‘encore tour’ are now available. Buy soon: we anticipate them to sell out rapidly! Click here! https://artdecola.org/events-calendar/spooky-oviatt-tour-2022-encore It is the Spooky Month! There’s certainly no dearth of spookified going-ons around town, but if I may make a suggestion:Continue reading “A Haunted History of the Oviatt Penthouse!”

There are many disparate, interconnected elements to the study of Old Bunker Hill. Component parts include the Hill’s architecture, and stories of its residents, and the famous tale of its slash-and-burn urban renewal. Then there’s crime. The true-crime genre often casts an eye on Bunker Hill—heck, there’s a website, and book, devoted solely to theContinue reading “A Serial Killer on Bunker Hill”

You read that right, I have in fact secured gainful employment. Which is tough since I’m basically unemployable: there are evidently few wishing to engage my kind, whose lot in life is one endless discourse involving Bunker Hill. (That, coupled with this relentless need to go on and on about community mausolea and Richardsonian RomanesqueContinue reading “I Got a Job!”

I picked up a nifty old photo the other day and thought what the heck, I’ll give it a quick scan and toss it on the blog, you know, just to share. Of course one thing lead to another, and here we’ve ended up with 2800 words and about as many pictures. Ladies and gentlemen,Continue reading “The Richelieu”