During World War II, the defense industry boomed in the San Fernando Valley. According to Greg Hise in his book Magnetic Los Angeles Planning the Twentieth Century Metropolis, the population of the San Fernando Valley grew 64% during the war. As a consequence, the housing industry also boomed. Private real estate developers transformed the landscape [...]
Archive for November, 2008
The Misconception of the Valley as a “bedroom suburb”
Posted in Housing, tagged Housing, Kaiser Community Homes, Panorama City on November 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
“Indian In The Closet”
Posted in Mission Period on November 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Carey McWilliams book, Southern California an Island on the Land, charts the life of the Native Americans from before the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in the 1683 to the period when Anglos began moving in large numbers to Southern California. The chapter entitled, “The Indian in the Closet”, begins by describing the typical lifestyle [...]
A World within a World: The Forgotten Housing of the Valley
Posted in Housing on November 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Although housing projects have been associated in recent decades for housing low income, minority populations they were originally built, following FHA guidelines, to house primarily low income, Anglo populations. The San Fernando Gardens, built during WWII to house workers at the nearby Lockheed Plant, was one of the few exceptions to that rule. It was [...]
The Skin Fernando Valley: a look into the adult entertainment industry
Posted in Industry, tagged Add new tag, adult entertainment industry on November 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Possibly considered one of the more controversial industries housed within the borders of the San Fernando Valley, the adult entertainment industry is also the producer of a $14 billion a year market. The industry began within the 1950’s and 60’s with privately made 8mm and 16mm home video cameras that were small, portable, and easy [...]
The Emergence of Architecture in the San Fernando Valley
Posted in Architecture, Housing, Industry, Mission Period on November 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The San Fernando Mission The Mission San Fernando Rey de España exists today as one of the oldest buildings in the San Fernando Valley. The Mission was established in 1797 by Father Fermín Lasuén. Like many built before it the mission was one of three primary architectural components used to establish permanent ground in order [...]
The Americana at Brand & The Taco Truck
Posted in Uncategorized on November 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The American experience of shopping has evolved through the years, changing as developers come up with new ways to attract shoppers. One shopping center that has gained countless hype and controversy before its opening is The Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA. Not only is it situated along Brand Blvd., which is historically one of [...]
Housing Organization in the Mission San Fernando Rey and in the Ranchos
Posted in Housing on November 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Housing organization during the Mission period reflects the desire of the Franciscans to convert the Native population to Christianity and to the “civilized” life style of the Spanish Crown. The mission San Fernando Rey was built in 1797. It was composed of a small chapel, a main church and the main living area: the [...]
Life Beyond the Walls
Posted in Housing, tagged gated community, HOA on November 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Isolation, fear, shared interests and privatization are all aspects of life that share a similar role when analyzing a gated community. Separation from the outside world, by means of a wall, is not a new concept. In ancient Rome, walls were erected to protect its citizens from all forms of warfare and violence. Similarly, today [...]
Sprawl: You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea
Posted in Uncategorized on November 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Sprawl is an issue that is frequently debated amongst everyone from regular citizens to architects and city planners. The word itself has inherited a negative connotation, often used subjectively to describe city development and growth. Also, most see sprawl as a quite recent “disease” created in America because of the desire to own property. However, [...]
Early Transportation in the San Fernando Valley
Posted in Transportation, tagged Transportation on November 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Transportation in the San Fernando Valley started with dirt trails used by the Native Americans in the Pre-Columbian era. These trails, such as the El Camino Real (currently the U.S. 101) were used from the 1600’s to mid 1800’s by the Spanish who set up missions, pueblos and presidios. The influx of the Anglos in [...]
