The Los Angeles Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and study of the historic architecture of Los Angeles County, was founded in 1978 in response to the threatened demolition of LA’s historic Main Library building in downtown. That beautiful building was saved, and the largest historic preservation organization in the country was born.

 

While they’ve had a number of successes, such as preserving the Norm’s on La Cienega, sadly, the efforts of the Conservancy weren’t enough to save the Ambassador Hotel, which was demolished in 2005.

Today, the LA Conservancy funds its efforts through donations (if you use Amazon Smile, you can earmark a portion of your purchases to support them), but also through two fun programs that are open to the public. The first is a regular series of walking tours of Los Angeles, mostly centered on downtown, looking at specific aspects of the built environment, from art deco designs to masterpieces of modernism. The Union Station tour is a great way to learn about the last of the great American train stations, and puts you in the perfect spot for further explorations of Chinatown, the Arts District, and Downtown.

 

The second is called Last Remaining Seats, and it’s a program that hosts showings of classic films in some of the great old movie theaters of Downtown. They’re about to release the schedule for this year’s shows, and I think it’s one of the best ways to have a fun night out in LA.

If you’d like to learn more about the Los Angeles Conservancy, or even donate, just follow this link:  https://www.laconservancy.org/

Have fun posting today, and have a happy Monday.