Customer Reviews

Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was lucky enough to attend a signing for this book, and I was incredibly impressed and inspired by the two authors' enthusiasm for, knowledge of and devotion to Los Angeles, and to Wilshire Boulevard in particular. This is an absolutely gorgeous book - the photos alone could keep me engrossed all day. What a treat to see the City of Angels in all of its past glory, and to be able to celebrate with the authors the architectural gems that remain along Wilshire. I will definitely be buying this as a gift for fellow Angelenos with an interest in their city's history.

Kevin Roderick carries the torch for the City of the Angels in this magnificently written, illustrated, and produced paean to Los Angeles, and he comes to the finish line a complete winner. Whether you live in Los Angeles and long for a meaningful history of the city, or you live elsewhere and just wonder what all the glamour of the West is about, this book is one of the finest in publication.

Roderick, with the skilled help from researcher J. Eric Lynxwiler, puts forth the premise that the history of Wilshire Boulevard IS the history of the essence of LA. He approaches his history chronologically from the initial grand idea of a path of dignity and wealth simply hinted at by the trail through a barley field to a gradual expansion from downtown to the west all the way to the Pacific Ocean. With entertaining writing and a vast collection of photographs we are allowed to observe the transformation of a dream into the reality of the boulevard that became the Miracle Mile, boasted eclectic architectural icons such as the Ambassador Hotel with its infamous Coconut Grove, the Brown Derby and Perinos, the exclusive shops and buildings catering to the wealthy, the sumptuous neighborhoods of Hancock Park, MacArthur Park (yes, once it was elegant before it melted in the rain!), to Holmby Hills and the glories of living with a Pacific Ocean view.

Roderick sees the process of development of Wilshire Boulevard as the matrix for the growth of Los Angeles as an important cosmopolitan presence. With writing of this fine caliber and nostalgic photographs such as these he crosses the final line with a winner of a book. Highly recommended for a very broad audience. Grady Harp, December 05

The authors have produced a grand tale about one of the great streets of Los Angeles. Replete with numerous photographs that capture its storied history. The narrative is comprehensive. Famous personages liberally walk across the pages. Gaylord Wilshire himself, of course and firstly. Then we later see General Otis, Tallulah Bankhead, Earle C Anthony, Hancock, Ansel Adams, Ralph Parsons, Morgan Hunt, Upton Sinclair, and many more.

You get a feel for how Los Angeles grew to a world class city. With Wilshire Blvd at its core. Ah, reading the book might inspire you to see the street for yourself. One easy way when you are in LA is to take the bus 20 (or the express bus 720) from downtown. It travels along much of Wilshire. Avoiding only a few blocks in downtown. Riding the bus will give you time to savour much of the architecture described in the book. Without having to worry about the driving, which can be pretty hectic. The street is often rather congested.

As a lover of all things Los Angeles, I scooped this book up because I love the drive along Wilshire Blvd from Miracle Mile all the way down to the beach.

This is a great book full of great pictures of the past and all the history that goes along with the concepts and building constructions and the changes along the boulevard itself. The only reason I took off a star, is because there isn't one single solitary picture of any stretch of Wilshire Blvd as it stands today. Considering all the changes it's gone through, it would have been a great idea to include at least one photo of the magnificent blvd today. Other than that, for history buffs or fans of the city etc, this is an interesting book with a lot of history and background information about the heart of the beautiful city of Los Angeles.

Before I bought it, I did not expect this book to be worth the money. But this is SIMPLY one of the BEST LA history books I've EVER read! I read the 200 pages cover to cover in no time! The authors put tremendous effort in covering the history of all parts of the Boulevard. The book tells histories of the people behind the real estate deals and the landmark buildings built. This is a mountain of research well presented! And the excellent photos can't be beat!

While public and institutional collectors should already have placed this book on their shelves, local history enthusiasts may be excused for waiting until now to get their own copy. Here is a work expertly prepared and beautifully crafted that positively adds to the robustness developing around the study of Los Angeles in recent years. Wilshire Boulevard will interest a wide-ranging audience through its wonderful imagery and engaging text, yet it also ought to be on the required reading lists of those seriously studying topics such as the development of modern metropolises. With only about 200 pages--a length likely limited by trade and industry concerns-- to present this broad story, Roderick and Lynxwiler may have only scratched the surface of this attractive avenue to historical appreciation.

If you're interested in history, specifically of places you go everyday and you live in Los Angeles, this is a must read. Yes, it gets heavy with details, but that's the fun of it. To read about Wilshire Blvd. when it was nothing more than a kind of paved route to the ocean, it's amazing and nearly incomphrensible. The one thing that did it for me, and again, this with only make sense if you know the area: an aerial period picture of the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilshire. Nothing going on 'cept a RACETRACK. Seriously.

This is a well researched and perfectly realized tribute to one of the great American thoroughfairs. The progress and history of Wilshire is tracked from its inseption right up to present day. There is no doubt that the author has a real love for the history and a respect for the singular importance this boulevard had and has to the city of Angels. The text is articulate and thorough and the images are crisp and well presented. If you have any interest in the history of Los Angeles, or great boulevards, or just great books in general, then i cannot conceive of you not being pleased with this purchase. Highly recommended.

This is a beautiful book with exquisite photographs and entertaining writing. I give the photographs and the book design five stars as each page is fresh and insightful in what is displayed and how.

The book does a good job explaining the early history of the street and how it emerged over time as a grand boulevard mixing urban, residential and suburban elements. The authors shows us how Wilshire was uniquely LA, replete with arresting and evocative elements that assisted in creating the Los Angeles mystique. But what about the role Wilshire played in American mid-century life? What were its predecessors and successors? Some we know from our own cities, those endless roads of strip malls and mid-rises, criss-crossed by freeways and dotted by empty lots filled with dead grass. Is Wilshire completely innocent of those creations or did it give lesser places unrealistic hopes, Los Angeles-sized dreams that ended up as roadside detritus?