Author Archives: Nathan Marsak

Hello again! After last Friday’s blogpost about Channel 5’s Chavez Ravine video, blog reader janey_dlh asked “did you listen to the new Tinseltown Ghost Stories podcast?” so, here’s a rather similar investigation (though, good news, much shorter than last Friday’s post) into the claims made on the Tinseltown podcast. Granted, I was moved to pickContinue reading “Deflating More Chavez Ravine Nonsense”

Honestly, after last May’s Chavez-o-thon, I thought I was done with the subject. Of course with baseball season upon us, and the Arechiga eviction anniversary nearing, I assumed we’d be exposed to a bit more Chavez Ravine chatter, sure, but — behold! what is likely Chavez Ravine’s most-seen media concoction ever, a product of suchContinue reading “Channel 5 Flubs Chavez Ravine”

Authors on Architecture: Marsak on LA Before the FreewaysSAH/SCC Zoom PresentationSunday, May 04,2025, 01:00 PM Join me via zoom this Sunday, as I talk the lost architectural landscape of our Victorian downtown. Click here! LA Before the Freeways—Sunday, May 4, 2025; 1-2:30 PM Pacific; $5. Go to http://www.sahscc.org and pay via PayPal; or mail in orderContinue reading “This Sunday, an Event with the Society of Architectural Historians! Plus LAPL and OC Register Interviews”

It’s that time of year again! Come on by the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, all day Saturday and Sunday, at USC. A whole gang of Angel City Press authors will be there to sign books, and talk with YOU alllll about their Los Angeles-related obsessions. I’ll be there under the ACP tent onContinue reading “LA Times Festival of Books, this Weekend”

I’m not a morning person, and wouldn’t wish sunrise on my worst enemy, but I will still nevertheless appear for you at a 7:00 am event, come the 16th! If you’re not familiar with the LABC, they are great group of folk and the club has just entered its hundredth year! Learn about them here.Continue reading “EVENT! Los Angeles Breakfast Club, Wed. April 16”

Postscript: we had a GREAT turnout! I want to heartily thank the Book Club of California, and the good folks at Pasadena Heritage. The Book Club of California will host lil’ ol me in Pasadena this Wednesday the 9th! I’ll be delivering an illustrated lecture about Arnold Hylen, his books, how I came to reprintContinue reading “EVENT! Book Club of California, April 9th”

So you’re flipping through your copy of Los Angeles Before the Freeways and thinking well, that’s a great old building, I wonder what’s there now? So, just for fun (if your idea of fun is a hefty dose of hiraeth) here are ten shots from Freeways, paired with a contemporary view: ABOVE: Looking north onContinue reading “Before the Freeways: What’s There Now?”

Fresh on the heels of this Instagram post, a nifty KCRW piece hit the airwaves this morning: https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/kcrw-features/before-freeways Check it out! And while I have you here— —I want to thank everyone who came out last Saturday to the book launch! We had a time!

Los Angeles Before the Freeways is officially out-and-in-stores as of this morning. Go grab yours! And if you do not as yet own Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, grab that too! And if you want to know more about Bunker Hill — specifically, its less savory aspects — might I suggest you pick up the quaintContinue reading “The Big Four”

********* There’s a terrific review of the book by Local News Pasadena‘s Robert Savino Oventile— —which you may read by clicking here: https://localnewspasadena.com/2025/picturing-history-in-las-architecture/ ******** Then, in HeySoCal! — Click →→ https://heysocal.com/2025/03/10/book-los-angeles-before-the-freeways-captures-images-of-lost-architectural-gems/ ←← here! ******** And check out this article in The Eastsider by clicking here!