Local Notes

Off-Note: Lessons from a Third Annual Reading of "A Christmas Carol"

Nowhere local this time folks – but when's the last time you read some Dickens?

Jan 7 • Ryan

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July 2024

No. 12 – The Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library

Our complicated 37th President was the only one to hail from California. What legacy did he build for himself in the hills of Yorba Linda?

Jul 25, 2024 • Ryan

July 2023

No. 11 – The Two Churches of Südstern

Two grand churches, one Catholic, one Lutheran, define a sparkling jewel of a neighborhood in Kreuzberg-Neukölln called Südstern – how did it navigate…

Jul 28, 2023 • Ryan

No. 10 – Berliner Alltag, or Daily Life in the German Capital

Scenes from my July 5th in Berlin featuring right-populism, lovely pastries, and award-winning subway station design.

Jul 6, 2023 • Ryan

March 2022

No. 9 – Beaux-Arts and Architecture in Riverside, CA

The Inland Empire is a metro region distinct from the LA area we know and love. How did its own cultural model, built in the foothills and on the…

Mar 16, 2022 • Ryan

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December 2021

No. 8 – The Prehistory of Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena

Now home to the NHL's Kraken, the Climate Pledge Arena has a long history as a modernist icon. How can we tell the story of Seattle since mid-century…

Dec 29, 2021 • Ryan

November 2021

No. 7: 'Iolani Palace, the US' Only Royal Residence

Hawaii is justly famous for its modern architecture. But what can this symbol of an independent Kingdom of Hawai'i teach us about the history of…

Nov 26, 2021 • Ryan

September 2021

No. 6 – A Visitor's Guide to A Coruña, Spain, Pt. 2

What to get up to in Spain's Portland

Sep 20, 2021 • Ryan

No. 6 – A Visitor's Guide to A Coruña, Spain, Pt. 1

Maps, languages, regional history – basically the Triple Crown of Local Notes content.

Sep 15, 2021 • Ryan

August 2021

No. 5 – Fort Ross, the Frontier Outpost of Russian America

For thirty years, boatfuls of unlucky Russian serfs were ported thousands of miles away from their homes to grow crops on the California coast. How did…

Aug 30, 2021 • Ryan

May 2021

No. 4 – Civic Architecture on Sunset Blvd

Fighting for the people that keep Hollywood running was a tough gig in the 1930s – what can we learn about labor history from two buildings built for…

May 10, 2021 • Ryan

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April 2021

No. 3 – The Brock & Co Jewelers Building in Downtown Los Angeles

"Eastern architects go west" is a familiar story, but one which played out to beautiful effect in a building in DTLA that's very easy to miss.

Apr 12, 2021 • Ryan