Urban Details Los Angeles : Streetlights [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Virginia Comer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1890449105 | ISBN-13: 978-1890449100 | Publication Date: December 1, 2000 | Edition: 1

Stairways, fountains, and streetlights are among the many overlooked small things that grace our cityscapes. Seeing and appreciating them is the idea behind the Urban Details series. Many have significant histories and are associated with important civic leaders, and many are merely the result of some functional requirement, but nearly all are the product of the loving hand labor of talented artisans.?Discover where Laurel and Hardy pushed a grand piano up a long stairway. Imagine corseted ladies negotiating hundreds of narrow steps heading to the streetcar in high heels carrying shopping bags. How about a fountain dedicated to Rudolph Valentino commissioned after his death by a group of loving fans? Learn about the "5-Globe Lewellyn" and other historic streetlights still decorating once-elegant boulevards.?These three compact books are designed as small photo albums with handwritten captions conveying the sense of personal discovery the author felt while pursuing her research. Urban Details will inspire readers to rediscover their cities.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Virginia Comer is widely published on the subject of Los Angeles history. Her books include Angels Flight: A History of Bunker Hill's Incline Railway, El Alisal, and Los Angeles: A View from Crown Hill, which won the Southern California Local History Award

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 1 edition (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890449105
• ISBN-13: 978-1890449100
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,151,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Reference in Streetscape Preservation, December 28, 2010

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This review is from: Urban Details Los Angeles : Streetlights (Hardcover)

Los Angeles has proven to be at the forefront of streetscape preservation in regard to streetlight preservation and conservation. It may seem trivial to some that this would matter but a trip to some areas of Los Angeles will prove that there is something there that can really take you back in time and still be useful. I have traveled to many cities and LA has the original incadescent streetlghts in many areas and a hardworking public works department that is very involved with their continued use and maintainance. You won't have any orange or blue glaring lights in your face when you travel in many areas of the city. It is something we have mostly lost at night and needs to be re-examined in out cities. The book covers many of the styles used in the first half of the last century and a number of those should evoke nostalgia for anyone who remembers similar ones on their own city or town. Well photographed. Even if you want a LA souvenier - a great gift idea!