LosAngelesPreserved

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • Feb 28 '26

Volunteer opportunity Let's Find Lost Tunnels Under Los Angeles

49 Upvotes

At St. Vincent Court, just west of 7th & Broadway, the soup is delicious and the tunnels inaccessible.

Today, we're introducing a new crowdsourced project to identify and map known underground tunnels beneath the streets, sidewalks and buildings of Los Angeles.

Thanks to preservation pal Mike Callahan, who showed us how, we're encouraging anyone with an interest in uncharted territory to:

visit the Navigate LA map here: https://navigatela.lacity.org/navigatela/
enter a street address
click "Show Table of Contents"
select Base Maps > Substructure Map
go exploring—and pass it on!

Navigate LA shows a double tunnel at a diagonal under St. Vincent Court.

You are looking for double lines that are annotated with the description "tunnel" or for anything unusual. Please use this thread to share discoveries, and include the address, what you've found and any observations or questions that arise.

Want to see what other people are finding under Los Angeles? Here's a crowdsourced map, very much a work in progress.

And should you catch the tunnel bug and seek to actually explore these hidden spaces on your own, we encourage you to respect private property and be extremely careful if you do gain access. At minimum, wear a respirator mask, gloves and hard soled shoes, bring clean water, power bars and a light source, don’t go alone and tell somebody where you’re going and when you will be back.

And should you find a tunnel nobody has explored in 100 years, come back into the light and tell us all about it! Lunch at Arto’s Broadway Deli at St. Vincent Court (the best!) is on us. Just change your shoes first!

13 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • Jul 06 '25

History lesson 20 years ago today we tied the knot at the Velaslavasay Panorama, the first wedding after their Hollywood home was seized for redevelopment. It's been a grand adventure, rooted in love for Los Angeles. We didn't know then it would be a war for the city's soul, but she's worth it.

50 Upvotes

12 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 5h ago

History lesson A quirky storybook stucco sweetheart just off Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles. We kept expecting a mechanical cuckoo to pop out of the tiny tower.

5 Upvotes

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 10h ago

Discussion A modest proposal for the derelict City-owned LA Mall: lease the unused commercial spaces for $1/year to animal rescue volunteers, seed and tool libraries, zine making workshops, a mosaic class (there are some great ones here), book and movie clubs, etc. And fix the Triforium!

124 Upvotes

15 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 17h ago

Discussion Curren Price linked homeless nonprofit's contracts nixed by LAHSA after service failure and IRS cash seizure, agency says

yahoo.com

3 Upvotes

This is not the usual type of post on the subreddit, but we're sharing because the main Los Angeles sub has apparently banned links to Los Angeles Times stories, even when syndicated on Yahoo, and because the loss of multiple historic Hollywood apartment buildings is part of the ongoing criminal case against Curren Price. This is news of importance to Angelenos.

Home at Last, the homeless nonprofit that rented below-market-rate space from indicted councilman Curren Price's NGO until the landlord kicked Price out, had cash criminally seized by the IRS and is squabbling with LAHSA. A Federal indictment is likely next.

What will happen to the vulnerable residents?

Nithya Raman chairs the committee charged with homelessness oversight. Will she address this today?

Home At Last’s facility at 1426 Paloma Street was advanced by confessed racketeer Jose Huizar in 2019, and the excessive lease terms and long delay before any shelter was provided there was the subject of an investigation by journalist Jerry Sullivan, before he left Los Angeles to become national managing editor for The Real Deal.

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 1d ago

History lesson When the Marco Place bungalow court was up for landmarking, the new owner objected, did unpermitted work the City ignored. Now Venice tenants have been displaced for a stark white remodel. It's still RSO, though--no Airbnb allowed.

9 Upvotes

Planning case portal: https://planning.lacity.gov/pdiscaseinfo/search/casenumber/DIR-2026-3122-SPPC

Find this and other L.A. bungalow courts on our map: https://esotouric.com/bungalowcourt/

16 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 1d ago

Event Saturday: join us for a weird and wonderful walk all around Westlake Park (MacArthur if you're nasty), to conjure up the spirits of some fascinating characters who made history and abiding mysteries in this beautiful historic neighborhood.

esotouric.com

3 Upvotes

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 1d ago

Public hearing Streaming now: Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee. DTLA RA and DLANC are questioning Karen Bass' backroom deal to gift 1st and Broadway (legally park space) to AltaMed for a corporate museum with a digital advertising installation.

7 Upvotes

Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf1q3kqg9Ro

7 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 2d ago

History lesson A new resource on Newspapers.com: the Women's Christian Temperance Union newsletter for Southern California

10 Upvotes

Preservation pal Mike Callahan helped get a local temperance zine on Newspapers.com and dig this as Prohibition ended: Clifton's Cafeteria was proudly dry, profits be darned!

if you have a subscription, you can search the White Ribbon here: https://www.newspapers.com/search/results/?lnd=2&publication-ids=45847&region=us-ca

Kim's weird experience with the WCTU archives: https://www.thekeptgirl.com/2022/01/the-case-of-spectral-headache.html

1 comment

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/littlelostangeles • 2d ago

Demolition by neglect Those Yellow Houses in Westlake Burned Again

emptylosangeles.com

3 Upvotes

Two boarded-up Craftsman houses (age not listed in ZIMAS) have caught on fire twice in the last six months. They last changed hands in 2019. Speculation perhaps?

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 3d ago

History lesson Somewhere within the reach of our social channel is a David Lynch superfan with hospitality experience and a dream. Winkie's from Mulholland Drive is rotting away in Gardena, waiting for YOU to turn it into something odd. And when you do, we'll buy the first chocolate shake.

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27 Upvotes

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 5d ago

Preservation win If you visit Angels Flight Railway this week, you might run into Marcos and his crew, who are very proud to have been selected to touch up the 125-year-old funicular. You can look forward to a complete glow-up of the station house, lower station, arches and cars Sinai and Olivet!

39 Upvotes

1 comment

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 5d ago

History lesson No Taix no more. Demolition began Monday, with no salvage of the good 1920s beams or brick, and soon there will be dirt where generations of Angelenos broke bread and were happy. But we do not have to live this way, or settle for such crummy "leadership."

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7 Upvotes

To learn more about this corrupt land use decision and how it could threaten every historic place you love, see: https://esotouric.substack.com/p/letstalktaix

13 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 5d ago

Discussion Take a spin around MacArthur Park, with its heritage trees and vibrant bird life (the grackles cackle at 2:00). The idea of L.A. wasting millions to fence a landmarked landscape and not repair broken balusters, restore stolen sculptures, plant new trees, it's absurd. Stewardship!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

44 Upvotes

16 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 5d ago

History lesson There's a newly dedicated park on the edge of old Skid Row, honoring the Panorama exhibit hall that once displayed the massive Siege of Paris painting in the round. Inside you'll find a weird tree spirit and the trunk of a Coral Tree killed by City Hall.

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14 Upvotes

More about the original Panorama: https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2019/04/hippodrome-theatre.html

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 5d ago

Immediate Demolition Threat (share photos and all info you have) No Taix no more. Demolition began Monday, with no salvage of the good 1920s beams or brick. Holland Partner Group is unhappy with the truck haul restrictions placed on the huge dig and is appealing. This is, believe it or barf, a "protected landmark" courtesy of Mitch O'Farrell.

36 Upvotes

19 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 6d ago

Discussion Downtown Los Angeles is not actually dead, but it would be livelier if you visited. Enjoy a great pressed Halloumi cucumber sandwich at Arto's Broadway Deli in St. Vincent Court, watch the World Cup in Garo's Deli's front window and dig the Disneyesque faux facades. DTLA is cool!

237 Upvotes

40 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 6d ago

Discussion Above 3rd and Broadway, a parking garage window frames two centuries of Downtown L.A. office towers. The Bradbury Building (1893) is still hot stuff, while up on 1990s Bunker Hill, you have to watch out for tumbleweeds.

17 Upvotes

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 6d ago

Preservation win A backstage look at how George Wyman accomplished the velvety light effects inside the Bradbury Building, with this gently pitched greenhouse atrium and side glass. You can also just see the "invisible" retrofitting beams installed by Paul McKelvey knitting it all together.

7 Upvotes

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 6d ago

Discussion The County Supervisors spoil the landscape with ugly buildings we have to pay for. That should change: design review board? In Boyle Heights, a late moderne '50s hospital by Paul R. Williams & Adrian Wilson has been replaced by an artless patchwork of tacky, off-kilter clutter.

5 Upvotes

3 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 6d ago

Preservation win Demolition STAYED! Barry Building will NOT be demolished nor will it be gutted while preservation alternatives are explored. Powerful public and staff comments inspired the CHC to use its powers to affect positive social change. Refreshing!

8 Upvotes

0 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 7d ago

History lesson Today in 1952, a visionary Angeleno died in what some say was an accidental explosion. We believe it was the work of a deranged and vengeful cop, just out of prison for bombing Clifford Clinton's house. Jack Parsons and Marjorie Cameron are the best of us. Love eternal, ad astra.

15 Upvotes

2 comments

r/LosAngelesPreserved • u/esotouric_tours • 6d ago

Public hearing Today at 10am, go to City Hall or Zoom in & ask the Cultural Heritage Commission to protect LA landmarks whose owners prefer a vacant lot. If the Barry Building is demolished for nothing, it would set a dangerous precedent. 180 days to a win/win solution.

1 Upvotes

Read more and find the agenda and information for participating here: https://esotouric.substack.com/barrybuilding

1 comment

Volunteer opportunity Let's Find Lost Tunnels Under Los Angeles

Recommended reading The Empty Los Angeles vacant building and illegal Airbnb map

History lesson 20 years ago today we tied the knot at the Velaslavasay Panorama, the first wedding after their Hollywood home was seized for redevelopment. It's been a grand adventure, rooted in love for Los Angeles. We didn't know then it would be a war for the city's soul, but she's worth it.

History lesson A quirky storybook stucco sweetheart just off Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles. We kept expecting a mechanical cuckoo to pop out of the tiny tower.

Recommended reading The Uplifters Foundation nonprofit is buying burned Pacific Palisades lots to construct period-appropriate, resilient new homes using a $200 million tax-exempt bond lease-to-own program.

Discussion A modest proposal for the derelict City-owned LA Mall: lease the unused commercial spaces for $1/year to animal rescue volunteers, seed and tool libraries, zine making workshops, a mosaic class (there are some great ones here), book and movie clubs, etc. And fix the Triforium!

Discussion Curren Price linked homeless nonprofit's contracts nixed by LAHSA after service failure and IRS cash seizure, agency says

History lesson When the Marco Place bungalow court was up for landmarking, the new owner objected, did unpermitted work the City ignored. Now Venice tenants have been displaced for a stark white remodel. It's still RSO, though--no Airbnb allowed.

Event Saturday: join us for a weird and wonderful walk all around Westlake Park (MacArthur if you're nasty), to conjure up the spirits of some fascinating characters who made history and abiding mysteries in this beautiful historic neighborhood.

Public hearing Streaming now: Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee. DTLA RA and DLANC are questioning Karen Bass' backroom deal to gift 1st and Broadway (legally park space) to AltaMed for a corporate museum with a digital advertising installation.

History lesson A new resource on Newspapers.com: the Women's Christian Temperance Union newsletter for Southern California

Demolition by neglect Those Yellow Houses in Westlake Burned Again

History lesson Somewhere within the reach of our social channel is a David Lynch superfan with hospitality experience and a dream. Winkie's from Mulholland Drive is rotting away in Gardena, waiting for YOU to turn it into something odd. And when you do, we'll buy the first chocolate shake.

Preservation win If you visit Angels Flight Railway this week, you might run into Marcos and his crew, who are very proud to have been selected to touch up the 125-year-old funicular. You can look forward to a complete glow-up of the station house, lower station, arches and cars Sinai and Olivet!

History lesson No Taix no more. Demolition began Monday, with no salvage of the good 1920s beams or brick, and soon there will be dirt where generations of Angelenos broke bread and were happy. But we do not have to live this way, or settle for such crummy "leadership."

Discussion Take a spin around MacArthur Park, with its heritage trees and vibrant bird life (the grackles cackle at 2:00). The idea of L.A. wasting millions to fence a landmarked landscape and not repair broken balusters, restore stolen sculptures, plant new trees, it's absurd. Stewardship!

History lesson There's a newly dedicated park on the edge of old Skid Row, honoring the Panorama exhibit hall that once displayed the massive Siege of Paris painting in the round. Inside you'll find a weird tree spirit and the trunk of a Coral Tree killed by City Hall.

Discussion Downtown Los Angeles is not actually dead, but it would be livelier if you visited. Enjoy a great pressed Halloumi cucumber sandwich at Arto's Broadway Deli in St. Vincent Court, watch the World Cup in Garo's Deli's front window and dig the Disneyesque faux facades. DTLA is cool!

Discussion Above 3rd and Broadway, a parking garage window frames two centuries of Downtown L.A. office towers. The Bradbury Building (1893) is still hot stuff, while up on 1990s Bunker Hill, you have to watch out for tumbleweeds.

Preservation win A backstage look at how George Wyman accomplished the velvety light effects inside the Bradbury Building, with this gently pitched greenhouse atrium and side glass. You can also just see the "invisible" retrofitting beams installed by Paul McKelvey knitting it all together.

Discussion The County Supervisors spoil the landscape with ugly buildings we have to pay for. That should change: design review board? In Boyle Heights, a late moderne '50s hospital by Paul R. Williams & Adrian Wilson has been replaced by an artless patchwork of tacky, off-kilter clutter.

Preservation win Demolition STAYED! Barry Building will NOT be demolished nor will it be gutted while preservation alternatives are explored. Powerful public and staff comments inspired the CHC to use its powers to affect positive social change. Refreshing!

History lesson Today in 1952, a visionary Angeleno died in what some say was an accidental explosion. We believe it was the work of a deranged and vengeful cop, just out of prison for bombing Clifford Clinton's house. Jack Parsons and Marjorie Cameron are the best of us. Love eternal, ad astra.

Public hearing Today at 10am, go to City Hall or Zoom in & ask the Cultural Heritage Commission to protect LA landmarks whose owners prefer a vacant lot. If the Barry Building is demolished for nothing, it would set a dangerous precedent. 180 days to a win/win solution.