A City of Fakes: A History of Themed Environments in Los Angeles

My Library Account

Exterior view of the Coca-Cola Building, located at 1334 S. Central Avenue in Los Angeles. Photograph dated June 6, 1982 (Los Angeles Herald Examiner Collection)

Date(s):

Saturday, February 02, 2013

Time:

2:00pm

Location:

Central Library

Mark Taper Auditorium

Audience:

Adults

Category:

Lecture

Description:

Most cities build monuments out of stone, Los Angeles builds them out of fantasies. From backlots to theme parks, L.A. has long been a city of imaginary worlds. There are Mayan temples that show movies, cruise liners that bottle Coca-Cola, and Babylonian palaces that manufacture tires. Join Zed Adams and Eric Lynxwiler on a tour of faux reality, as they chronicle the history of one of L.A.'s most distinctive contributions to 20th century architecture and design: the themed environment. Drawing upon the photo collection of the Los Angeles Public Library, they guide you through the history of Angelenos living, working, and playing in a city of fakes.

Presented by the LAPL Photo Collection and sponsored by Photo Friends. Free and open to the public. Reservations not required.

Find A Library

Support Your Library

Why support the Library?

The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest most diverse population of any library in the United States.

Through its Central Library and 72 branches, the Los Angeles Public Library provides free and easy access to information, ideas, books and technology that enrich, educate and empower every individual in our city's diverse communities.

With more people than ever before using the library—a record 17 million last year alone—your support helps the Library provide people with the resources they need to succeed and thrive.

How to support the Library

You can support the Los Angeles Public Library in several ways:

Join a “Friends” group. There is a “Friends of the Library” group for most branch libraries and departments of the Central Library. Friends groups raise money for improvements to their library through memberships, used book sales and other activities. For more information click here or talk to your local librarian.

Join the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. The Library Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds for Library enhancement programs such as adult and early literacy, children and teen reading clubs, technology, and cultural programs. Foundation members receive a variety of benefits with their membership. For more information, see http://www.lfla.org.

Make a donation by check to the Los Angeles Public Library and send it to:
Support the Library, 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles CA 90071 or call (213) 228-7555.