Los Angeles: The End of the Rainbow

Los Angeles: The End of the Rainbow by Ovnick, Merry. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780964311909.

Balcony Press, Los Angeles [Published Date: 1994]. Soft cover, 384 pp. 2nd printing. Black and white photographs and illustrations throughout. [From Publishers summary] The first comprehensive, accurately researched history of Los Angeles, through its architecture and building, since the 1950s. Through well-researched historic depictions, colorful anecdotes, and 180 quality photographs, Los Angeles: The End of the Rainbow explores a citys attraction to newcomers as evidenced in its domestic architecture. [From front jacket flap] HAVE YOU EVER SEEN images of the Spanish, Tudor and French Normandy concoctions that line Los Angeles streets and wondered how L.A. got so style crazy? Los Angeles: The End of the Rainbow profiles the citys cultural history using its houses as historical artifacts. It tells us about the dreams of men and women who poured into the L.A. Basin in boom periods and continued to trickle in in spite of hard times and natural disasters. From the thatched dwellings of Native Americans to present day condominiums, from the tent cities of the homeless to the mansions of oil magnates, colorful anecdotal accounts trace the development of the city in its political, economic and social settings. The reader will develop an appreciation for L.A.s long heritage of mixed races and cultures and the unique combination of factors influencing its streetscape. As the story unfolds it becomes clear that the cycle of real estate boom and bust, newcomers rejecting the next wave of immigrants, cults and off beat political parties are not just momentary phenomena but an ongoing way of life. With this historical perspective todays urban citizens and politicians can learn much about living in any increasingly diverse city of the future.