Union Station at Christmastime. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
Also see: National Historic Landmarks in Los Angeles County
Adobe Flores (c. 1840) Site to which Mexican forces withdrew after their defeat at the Battle of La Mesa, December 1846. 1804 Foothill St, South Pasadena (private).
Adobe de Palomares (c. 1850-54) The second home of Don Ygnacio Palomares and Dona Concepcion Lopez de Palomares (see La Casa Primera below). 419 E Arrow Hwy, Pomona.
Andres Pico Adobe (c. 1834) Second oldest residence in Los Angeles. Once home of Andreas Pico, brother of Mexican Governor Pío Pico and commander of Mexican forces engaged with the U.S. Army. 10940 Sepulveda Blvd, Mission Hills.
Arroyo Seco Parkway (1947) California’s first freeway between Los Angeles and Pasadena.
Avila Adobe (1818) Oldest house in Los Angeles. Acquired by the state in 1953 and restored. 10 Olvera St, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles.
Banning House (1864) Home of Civil War general Phineas Banning and developer of early Los Angeles harbor and stagecoach routes. 401 E "M" St, Wilmington.
Barnsdall Park (1916-22) Contains first two structures by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles.
Battery Osgood-Farley (Fort MacArthur) (1912) Early 20th century coastal & harbor defense facility. Deactivated after Second World War. San Pedro.
Battle of the San Gabriel River Historical Site (1847) Marked only by a plaque flanked by two cannons, this was the location where local Mexican militia, commanded by General Andres Pico, made their final serious attempt to stop U.S. troops from capturing Los Angeles and, in fact, all of California. Outgunned, the Mexicans were forced to withdraw and, shortly thereafter, surrender. Corner of Washington Blvd & Bluff Rd, Montebello.
Bradbury Building (1893) Contains one of the greatest interior designs in Los Angeles. 304 S Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles.
Centinela Adobe (1834) Agricultural center & headquarters for Centinela Valley. 7634 Midfield Ave, Los Angeles.
Chapel, Veterans Administration Center (1900) Last of the original buildings of the Veterans hospital. 11000 Wilshire Blvd, West Los Angeles.
De la Osa Adobe (Rancho El Encino) (1849) Home of Don Vicente de la Osa & later stagecoach stop. Los Encinos State Historic Park, 16756 Moorpark St, Encino.
Drum Barracks (1862) Early US military headquarters for Southern California. During the American Civil War, federal troops garrisoned there tempered Los Angeles’s popular Confederate sympathies. 1053 Carey St, Wilmington.
Dunbar Hotel (1928) First hotel in the nation built for African American guests. 4225 S Central Ave, Los Angeles.
El Molino Viejo (Old Mill) (c. 1816) Old grist mill originally built for Mission San Gabriel. 1120 Old Mill Rd, San Marino (city property).
El Pueblo de Los Angeles (LA Plaza Historic District) (c. 1800) Plaza & site of early Los Angeles. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles.
Ennis House (1924) Home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 2607 Glendower Ave, Los Angeles (private).
Freeman House (1924) Home of Samuel Freeman designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 1962 Glencoe Way, Los Angeles (private).
Gage Mansion (1810) Oldest standing home in Los Angeles County. Original construction began on the home in 1795. In 1810, Don Antonio Maria Lugo, a Spanish colonial soldier, obtained the 29,513-acre Rancho San Antonio land grant from the King of Spain. The grant included the home. It served as one of his residences. In 1880, the home was gifted to Henry T. Gage as a dowry upon his marriage to Francis (Fanny) Rains, a great-granddaughter of Lugo. Gage later became Governor of California in 1888. 7000 East Gage Ave, Bell Gardens (Special thanks to Shane P. Kimbler of Bell Gardens for this information).
Gamble House (1908) Renowned local arts & crafts movement home by architects Greene & Greene. 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena (museum).
Garfield House (1904) Built for widow of US President James Garfield by architects Greene & Greene. 1001 Buena Vista St, South Pasadena (private).
Garnier House (1872) Home of Eugene Garnier & center of his sheep ranch. Los Encinos State Historic Park, 16756 Moorpark St, Encino.
Hale House (c. 1885) Old L.A. home. Heritage Square, 3800 N Homer St, Highland Park, Los Angeles.
La Casa Alvarado (Alvarado Adobe) (1840) Home of Ygnacio Alvarado, built on a plot of land given to him by friend Don Ygnacio Palomares (see next entry). Palomares only required that a chapel be built in the home to be used by visiting padres from the Mission San Gabriel. The home was the site, in 1870, of the first public school classes held in the Pomona Valley. In 1978, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. 1459 Old Settlers Lane, Pomona (private).
La Casa Primera (1837) Oldest home in Pomona Valley and first home of Don Ygnacio Palomares and Dona Concepcion Lopez de Palomares, owners, along with the Vejar family, of Rancho San Jose. Rancho San Jose covered much of the Pomona Valley including Pomona, La Verne, San Dimas, Diamond Bar, Azusa, Covina, Walnut, Glendora and Claremont. 419 E Arrow Hwy, Pomona.. 1569 N Park Ave, Pomona
Leonis Adobe (1844) First of a series of historic and cultural Los Angeles landmarks recognized by the City of Los Angeles. 23537 Calabasas Rd, Calabasas
Longley House (1897) Home of Howard Longley and earliest existing structure designed by architects Greene & Greene. 1005 Buena Vista St, South Pasadena (private).
Los Angeles Central Library (1925) Originally designed by architect Grosvenor Goodhue. 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles.
Lopez Adobe (1882-83) Home of Valentino Lopez & oldest remaining building in San Fernando. 1100 Pico St, San Fernando (private).
Los Cerritos Ranch House (1844) Ranch headquarters for John Temple’s Rancho Los Cerritos. 4600 Virginia Rd, Long Beach.
Lummis House (1897) Built by Charles F. Lummis, writer, editor, and Southwest Museum founder. 200 E Ave 43, Highland Park, Los Angeles.
Lynwood Pacific Electric Railway Depot (1917) Only remaining Pacific Electric (Red Car) passenger station. 11453 Long Beach Blvd, Lynwood (private).
Merced Theater (1869) First playhouse in Los Angeles. 420 N Main St, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Momunent, Los Angeles.
Mission San Fernando, Rey de Espana (1797) Second Mission established in the Los Angeles area. Named for the then King of Spain. 15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd, Mission Hills.
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (1771) Fourth mission in California and one of California’s most prosperous. 537 W Mission Dr, San Gabriel.
Old Masonic Hall (1858) 416 1/2 N Main St, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles 90012
Old Plaza Fire House (1884) Los Angeles City’s earliest surviving firehouse. 535 N Main St., El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles.
Old Santa Susana Stage Road (1851-1861) Chatsworth area (Old stagecoach route).
Pelanconi House (1853) Oldest brick house in Los Angeles County. Now a sidewalk restaurant La Golondrina. 17 W Olvera St, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles.
Phillips Mansion (1875) Home of early Pomona pioneer Louis Phillips and first brick house in Pomona area. 2640 W Pomona Blvd, Pomona (museum).
Pico, Romulo, Adobe (museum) (early 1800’s) May have been part of Mission San Fernando. Sold to raise funds for Mexican war with U.S. 10940 Sepulveda Blvd, Mission Hills.
Pico House (1870) Built by Pío Pico, it was the first 3-story building in Los Angeles and once the finest hotel in Southern California. Pico lost it in a foreclosure in 1880. 430 N Main St, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles.
Pío Pico Adobe (1850) Home of Pío Pico, last Mexican governor of California, rancher & businessman. 6003 Pioneer Blvd, Whittier (State Park & Museum).
Plaza Church (La Iglesia) (1818) First permanent church structure in Los Angeles County. 535 N Main St, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, Los Angeles.
Point Fermin Lighthouse (1874) Last remaining period lighthouse on California coast south of San Francisco. 805 Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro (U.S. Coast Guard).
Puvunga Indian Village Sites (c. 1805) A former Gabrieleño Indian village site and religious center. E Bixby Hill Rd & E 7th St, Long Beach.
Rogers House (Will Rogers State Historic Park) (1917) Home of writer, humorist, actor Will Rogers. 14253 Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades.
Rowland House (after 1841) Home of John Rowland, leader of the first American wagon train to reach Southern California in 1841. 16021 E Gale Ave, City of Industry.
Sanchez Adobe (1845) Originally built by Dona Casilda Soto de Lobo and later taken over by namesake Juan Matias Sanchez. 946 Adobe Ave, Montebello.
Sinclair House (1923) Home of Upton Sinclair, early 20th century writer & social critic. 464 N Myrtle Ave, Monrovia (private).
Sowden House (1926) Home of John Sowden designed by architect Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright). 5121 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles (private).
Storer House (1923) Home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 8161 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles (private).
Streetcar Deport (Newsstand) (c. 1900) Originally a streetcar terminal, later a newsstand. Pershing & Dewey Aves, Los Angeles.
Temple Mansion (1919-23) Home of Walter P. Temple, grandson of Los Angeles pioneer William Workman. 15415 E Don Julian Rd, Industry (private).
Tesoro Adobe (1920s) Home of noted western film actor, Harry Carey. 29350 Avenida Rancho Tesoro, Valencia 91354.
Union Station (1939) Los Angeles’ great historical transportation center and the last great rail station built in the nation. 800 N Alameda, Los Angeles.
Vasquez Rocks (200 B.C.+) Old Indian campsites & later a hiding place during mid 1800s for notorious bandit Tiburcio Vasquez. Escondido Canyon Rd (off Highway 14), Agua Dulce.
Walt Disney Garage (1923) Birthplace of the Walt Disney Company. 4406 Kingswell Ave, Los Angeles
Watts Station (1904) Major focal point of Watts community until end of Pacific Red Cars. 1686 E 103rd St, Los Angeles (private).
Watts Towers (1921-1954) One of the great folk-art masterpieces of Los Angeles located in Watts. Working The structure was built singlehandedly by Italian immigrant Sabbatino "Simon" Rodia on his private property as a tribute to his adopted country. Rodia purposed to "make something big." He worked entirely without drawn designs. The tallest of the steel towers rises 99 feet in height and all are decorated with colored glass, shells, pottery, tile, and other salvaged items imbedded into mortar. Although city engineers condemned the towers during the 1960s and attempted demolition, preservationists prevailed and saw the towers designated as a city cultural monument. Simon Rodia himself retired from Los Angeles to Martinez in Northern California after completing the towers. He lived the remainder of his life in self-imposed reclusiveness until his death in 1965. Although the Watts Riots erupted a few blocks from the towers only weeks after Rodia's death, the towers were unharmed. 1765 E 107th Street, Los Angeles.
Well No. 4 (Pico Canyon Oil Field) (1876) First commercially successful oil well in California. Mentryville Park, 27201 Pico Canyon Rd, Stevenson Ranch, about seven miles west of Newhall.
Woodbury/Story House (1882) Oldest existing house in Altadena and residence of Captain Frederick Woodstory, one of the founders of Altadena (and, incidentally, planter of the famous "Christmas Tree" cedars of Santa Rosa Avenue or "Christmas Tree Lane." 2606 N Madison Avenue, Altadena (private residence).
Workman Adobe (1842) Home of William Workman, a pioneer settler, rancher, and banker in Los Angeles County. 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry.
Workman Family Cemetery (1800’s) One of California’s oldest private cemeteries established by American pioneer William Workman for his family and friends. The last Mexican governor of California, Pío Pico, is buried there. 15415 E Don Julian Rd, City of Industry.
