Join SAH/SCC as we
celebrate the reissue of Los Angeles Before the Freeways: Images of An Era
1850-1950 (Angel City Press, 2025) with its author Nathan Marsak. The book gives
a lush, visual tour of a Los Angeles that no longer exists—one of elegant
office buildings and stately mansions that were razed in the name of
“progress.” Featuring stunning black-and-white photography from Arnold Hylen
that captures a forgotten era, the book contains an original essay by the
photographer that provides historical background and context for the time
period. This new edition contains additional, never-before-seen photographs
from Hylen and newly unearthed information from historian Marsak on these lost
architectural treasures.
Originally published by Dawson’s Book
Shop in 1981, Los Angeles Before the Freeways has become a cult classic
among LA’s architectural historians. Now fully updated in a larger, more
elegant format with expanded captions that provide additional context for
Hylen’s essay, Los Angeles Before the Freeways will be a treasured read
for Angelenos of all stripes.
Marsak studied under the eminent
historian of Los Angeles, Reyner Banham, at University of California, Santa
Cruz, and completed his graduate work with noted Sullivan/Wright scholar
Narciso G. Menocal at University of Wisconsin (Madison). He worked on the
curatorial staff of Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art and served as
historian for the LAPD Museum archives. He is also the author of Bunker Hill
Los Angeles: Essence of Sunshine and Noir (Angel City Press, 2020) and Los
Angeles Neon (Schiffer, 2002).
LA Before the Freeways—Sunday, May 4, 2025; 1-2:30 PM
Pacific; $5. Go to www.sahscc.org and
pay via PayPal; or mail in order form on Page 6 with check; Zoom link sent upon
registration. NOTE: Included is a link to the recording to view at your
leisure.
