LACMA flung open its doors on Saturday for the final weekend of Pacific Standard Time. It’s entry into the massive 60+ museum and gallery show was called “California Design 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way,” featuring mid-century furniture, artifacts, photos, even a mini-Eames house.
I thought the most fascinating pieces were two photos of Los Angeles, one from 1922 and one from 1930. They were taken from the same spot — the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire, looking West. In 1922 it was virtually empty, save for a couple of buildings. Just eight short years later the city as we know it sprung up. It is mind-boggling that they were able to build a city from scratch in such a short amount of time — tens of thousands of houses for hundreds of thousands of people. Sewer lines, water lines, power lines. Streets, sidewalks. It’s remarkable considering how long it now takes to build a relatively simple apartment complex.
Check out the incredible photos:
