The Undertaker In The City Of Angels 1850 to 1899

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The Undertaker in the City of Angels, Volume One, is a visual and narrative tour of the history of undertaking in Los Angeles.

Meet the very first known undertaker in Los Angeles, William Hayes Perry. He built the very first building to be used as an undertaker and furniture store in Los Angeles in 1853, that still stands today. Go back in time to historic Los Angeles, and follow the undertaker's as they move throughout the city and partner with one another. With never before published advertisements and history, 

This project is a photographic essay of the undertaking business in Los Angeles from 1850 to 1899, with a collection of vintage color and black & white photographs.

Coming Soon!

Mortuary Row in the City of Angels, Volume Two, is a visual and narrative tour of the history of mortuaries in Los Angeles.

Follow the stories of the mortician's along Mortuary Row on West Washington Blvd. and adjoining streets in Los Angeles. The "Row" was once the primary location of mortuaries in Los Angeles until the early 1950s, when the end of the grand mortuaries came to an end. Read the stories of their relocations and name sake from undertaker to mortician, to funeral director, with never before published photographs of Mortuary Row. 

This project is a photographic essay of the mortuary business in Los Angeles from 1900 to 1950, with a collection of vintage color and black & white photographs.

Coming Soon!

Silent Cues, Carl Spitz and his Hollywood Dog Training School, is a visual and narrative tour of the history of the life of Carl Spitz.

Everyone knows the dog Toto from the Wizard of Oz, but very few know the man that trained Toto, aka Terry. That man was Carl Spitz, a German immigrant that arrived in America in 1927, and by the middle 1930s, his Hollywood Dog Training School located in Studio City, was the number one dog training school in the world. Carl raised his family at the school, retired from the school and the school forever made its mark on Hollywood. With an introduction by the late childhood actor, Jane Withers.

This project is a photographic essay of the life of Carl Spitz, with a collection of vintage color and black & white photographs.

Coming Soon!

Amalgamated Los Angeles, Volume One, is a visual and narrative tour of the history of 40 buildings in downtown Los Angeles.

"Without change a city never grows, it remains constant and predictable." LA Times, 1900. To view the details of a building in a photograph, then to view the same building juxtaposed on a city map, the viewer's imagination is limitless. 

This project is a photographic essay of 40 buildings in downtown Los Angeles, with a collection of vintage color and black & white photographs.

Coming Soon!

Historic Los Angeles, Chinatown, is a visual and narrative tour of the history of old Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles.

The original Chinatown has long vanished, replaced by the Union Railway Station, parking lots and a freeway. Go back in time and see the buildings that were once part of the history of Los Angeles, and the Chinese people that called Chinatown home. 

This project is a photographic essay of old Chinatown in Los Angeles, with a collection of vintage color and black & white photographs.

Coming Soon!

Historic Los Angeles, the Super-Blocks of Bunker Hill,  is a visual and narrative tour of the history of old Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles.

In the 1960s, the Community Redevelopment Agency, better known as the CRA, and the County of Los Angeles, systematically erased the historic Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles, building by building. What became known as the Super-Blocks, from First Street to Fifth Street, and Fremont Avenue to Hill Street, the 24 Super-Blocks were cleared of their historic mansions and hotels, and sold to the highest bidder to build a new modern-day Los Angeles. 

This project is a photographic essay of old Bunker Hill in Los Angeles, with a collection of vintage color and black & white photographs.

Coming Soon!

Chasing Book Stores of Los Angeles, is a visual and narrative tour of contemporary book stores in the city of Los Angeles.

Book stores have always been a place for inspiration, a place to sit and relax and enjoy reading at a book. The book store industry in Los Angeles and every city in America, has changed dramatically during the past 25 years. Most book stores have closed, some have re-branded themselves, while other's have carried on as usual. 

This project is a photographic essay of book stores in Los Angeles, with a collection of contemporary color photographs.

Coming Soon!

Building Los Angeles, the Changing Face of a City, is a visual and narrative tour of contemporary demolition and building in the city of Los Angeles.

Throughout Los Angeles every single day, there is change taking place, old buildings are being demolished to make way for new construction. A buildings historic value has no significance in the broad scope of progress, as old buildings are erased from the landscape and new ones take their place. 

This project is a photographic essay of buildings being demolished and being built in Los Angeles, with a collection of contemporary color photographs.

Coming Soon!