HISTORY

Local historians Paul de Falla and William Mason understood that while there were historical societies devoted to specific areas and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, as well as a long established historical society for the Southern California region, there was no organization devoted primarily to the preservation of the history of the original City of Los Angeles and the education of its people. They established, with the help of their long-time friend, Dr. Atilio Parisi, a non-profit organization which was incorporated in the State of California on October 25, 1976.

One of the first objectives of the Los Angeles City Historical Society, as suggested by Paul de Falla, was to mark the four corners of the pueblo in a permanent and conspicuous manner. Sadly, he died before the task was completed. However, Joseph Northrup, a charter member and the Society's second president, continued to lead the work. Through the Society's efforts, there are now plaques at Ernest S. Debs Park marking the northeast corner, at Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue, marking the northwest corner, at Olympic Boulevard and Indiana Street marking the southeast corner. The plaque marking the southwest corner at Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street, near the Armory, is currently in storage.

The first dues were established at $7.50 per year. A newsletter began publication in January, 1978. Member Bill Boehner designed the Society's logo which symbolizes the original plots of land designated for the founders and the seats of its government, the old City Hall located at Broadway and Second Street and our present City Hall at 200 North Spring Street, as well as the Plaza Church.

At the suggestion of genealogist Marie Northrop, LACHS sponsored the creation of a heritage organization of the descendants of the founders. Marie compiled the necessary information; then she and her husband, Joseph, who himself was a descendant of two founding families, approached as many descendants as could be located. Thus was created in 1981 Los Pobladores 200 on the 200th anniversary of the birth of this little Spanish pueblo which was to grow into the great city of Los Angeles.

In the late '90s, the City Council named the Society as the official "Friends of the City Archives." The purpose of this relationship is to assist the City Clerk, Records Management Division, in preserving and safeguarding the records which document the City's operations and history.

In 1996, the Society published Los Angeles and Its Environs in the Twentieth Century: A Bibliography of a Metropolis 1970-1990, with a Directory of Resources in Los Angeles County, which was compiled by Board member and past president Hynda Rudd, with a foreword by honorary lifetime member Doyce B. Nunis Jr.

In 2007, the Society, with the support of the John Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, completed the publication of a two-volume study, The Development of Los Angeles City Government: An Institutional Memory, 1850-2000.  LACHS, again with support from the John Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, is sponsoring an historical study by member Anna Sklar of the City's sewerage system, which will be published in 2008.

AWARDS

Each December, LACHS acknowledges significant contributions made by individuals and organizations toward the furthering of local historical knowledge and preservation.

David G. Cameron Award Preservation Memorial Award
David Cameron was a preservationist and attorney who helped to found the Los Angeles Conservancy and was instrumental in preserving the Los Angeles Central Library. The award in his name is annually bestowed upon an individual who has made a lasting contribution to the preservation of our city's physical heritage. The following individuals have been recipients of the award named in his honor since its inception:
1997 - John Wellborne, one of the founders of the Los Angeles Conservancy and restorer  of Angel's Flight.
1998 - Huell Howser, KCET
1999 - The Los Angeles Conservancy
2000 - Jean Bruce Poole, retired manager of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
2001 - Tom Gilmore, developer/preservationist
2002 - Project Restore, a non-profit government organization in charge of the restoration of L.A. City Hall.
2003 - Roberta Greenwood, archaeologist, who has done extensive work excavating what lies beneath the surface of the old pueblo.
2004 - Ken Bernstein, tireless advocate for architectural preservation (former with the Los Angeles Conservancy}.
2005 - Los Angeles Public Library

2006 - AC Martin Partners, leading Los Angeles architectural firm for 100 years.

2007 - Robert Marshall, Urban Archives Center and university archivist, graduate instructor, Cal State Northridge

The J. Thomas Owen History Award
Tom Owen was a long-time librarian at the Central Library and an inexhaustible font of local historical knowledge. The recipients of the award named in his honor since its inception are:
2000 - Bill Mason, historian (posthumously)
2001 - Hynda L. Rudd, former archivist for the City of Los Angeles
2002 - Gloria Ricci Lothrop, history professor at Cal State Northridge, and one of the leading historians on the history of Los Angeles
2003 - Glen Dawson of Dawson's Bookstore, a starting point for anyone seeking to gain knowledge of local history, as well as a former publishing house

2004 - Cecilia Rasmussen, Los Angeles Times columnist.

2005 - Tom Sitton, Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, Seaver Center for Western Research.

2006 - Michael E. Engh, S.J., Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Loyola Marymount University

2007 - Leonard and Dale Pitt, authors of Los Angeles A to Z: An Encyclopedia of the City and County

The Miriam Mathews Award
Miriam Mathews was the first African-American librarian in Los Angeles Public Library system and a noted writer on ethnic subjects. Our newest honor, recipients of this award have made major contributions to local ethnic history. The first honorees are:
2003 - Dr. Munson Kwok and Suellen Cheng for their work in launching the Chinese American Museum at El Pueblo

2004 - Carolyn Kozo Cole, Los Angeles Public Library's photographic collection curator

2005 - Lawrence B. de Graaf, professor emeritus in history, Cal State Fullerton
2006 - Japanese-American National Museum, Los Angeles

2007 - Mayme Agnew Clayton Library and Museum, Los Angeles

Honorary Life Memberships
Honorary Life Memberships have also been bestowed on individuals who have actively supported the pursuit of local history. The following dignitaries have been recipients of this honor since its inception:
1997 - Tom LaBonge, current city councilman
1998 - J. Michael Carey, L.A. City Clerk
1999 - Doyce Nunis, professor emeritus in history, USC

2004 - Thomas F. Andrews, former executive director of Historical Society of Southern California

2004 - Sue Laris, publisher of Downtown News

2005 - The John Randolph Haynes & Dora Haynes Foundation

2006 - Dr. Jane Pisano, President of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and of the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation

2007 - L.A. Cityview Channel 35, the City of Los Angeles's cable television station

Special Awards:

2000 - Sam Luna for his efforts on behalf of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument

2002 - Joseph Northrop for his many contributions to the Society since its foundation, including several terms as president

2005 - Doyce B. Nunis, Jr., professor emeritus University of Southern California, for outstanding

service to the Los Angeles history community

2006 - City Employees Club of Los Angeles, for contributing to the morale of city employees
2007 - Ariane Smith, principal of Capital A Publishing, which has published various works on the history of Los Angeles and southern California