Author Archives: Nathan Marsak

The gifting season is upon us! When you give unique and useful Christmas presents, you are remembered differently, because of the comfort they supply; they are as well every day reminders of your thought. So remember folks, for that historically-minded person on your list, Angeleno or no, they are sure to be pleased by theseContinue reading “The Gift of Bunker Hill Makes for a Merry Christmas Time!”

Bunker Noir! details the crime and vice that occurred on the Hill, as well as all manner of dark goings-on: fires, car wrecks, cryptids, train derailments…up to and including its oddball architecture, specifically the roadside vernacular to be had in the early-1930s olde-tymie log cabins built by Kenneth Bemis for his White Log Coffee ShopContinue reading “The White Log at Fifth and Flower”

There are those folk who are Bunker Hill royalty, their noble lineage descended from Old Bunker Hill. You are of course familiar with Gordon Pattison, he of royal blood. Back when a group of us were writing for OnBunkerHill (which is how we met monarch Gordon), Kim Cooper thought it prudent to come up withContinue reading “The Bunker Hill Bookie”

As you know, in 1906 the Los Angeles-Pacfic Railway petitioned the City to construct two single-bore tunnels; one ran up Hill from roughly First to Temple, the other from just above Temple to Sunset. They opened in September, 1909.  September 1913 saw the opening of a second bore on the southern part of the tunnel,Continue reading “Hill Street Tunnel, Single Bore”

When Foreword Reviews placed Bunker Hill Los Angeles among its list of finalists for a prestigious INDIE Award, far be it from me to think we’d actually *win* one, being among such august company and all. But we did! BHLA earned a silver in Regional Non-Fiction. Drinks on me at the Angels Flight Café!

This being Pride Month, there has been an uptick in journalistic chatter about the Cooper Do-Nut Riot (e.g., here/here/here). The story, in a nutshell: Cooper’s was a little doughnut spot nestled between two venerable gay bars, the Waldorf and Harold’s Café (at 527 and 555 South Main, respectively). Cooper’s was LGBTQ+ friendly, populated by queensContinue reading “We Need to Talk About Cooper Do-Nuts”

I was recently interviewed by the great John Soltes; read all about it here: Nathan Marsak Gets Up on the Ol’ Hollywood Soapbox to Talk Bunker Hill

You’re probably wondering, what is this spring’s fashionable reading among the Dinardais? We don’t know, but are thrilled Brittany’s black-clad existentialists muse and mull over Bunker Hill!

It’s not Bunker Hill, but it’s Bunker Hill adjacent. And I offer a 110% money-back guarantee* if you are not overwhelmingly thrilled and/or irritated at both the number of my slides and randomness of my asides. In short, the best time you will ever have. Click HERE for all pertinent info! *Guarantees will not beContinue reading “This Sunday—The Richfield”

There was a post recently on Facebook’s Historic Los Angeles page, which is a subset of the https://losangeleshistory.blogspot.com/ blog. (Strictly speaking, blogs, since the link leads you to the eight finest blogs on Los Angeles you’ll ever have the pleasure to read.) In any event, said post being: I can’t help but blush a littleContinue reading “High Praise!”