Skate

Skateboarding at the Hermosa Beach Pier in the late 1970s. Photo is titled “Laurie, Abduction”, taken by Spot (Glenn Michael Lockett)

Figueroa, Los Angeles (1944)

Repaving 3rd Street near Figueroa, Los Angeles (1944) 3rd Street near Figueroa was undergoing repaving, a typical sight in Los Angeles during its post-war urban expansion. The repaving effort was part of a broader city initiative to modernize infrastructure to accommodate the growing population and increased automobile traffic. Los Angeles, in the 1940s, was becoming increasingly reliant on cars, and streets like 3rd Street were seeing more traffic than ever before. The photograph captures workers and machinery at work, transforming the city’s streets to keep up with the changing demands of its residents. This period was marked by rapid growth, with new development projects popping up all over the city as World War II ended and civilian life resumed.

Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat on East 5th Street, Lower East Side, New York City (1981)

Basquiat walked the streets of the Lower East Side in 1981 with a raw energy that matched the neighborhood’s grit. Clad in thrifted layers, his presence on East 5th Street near Avenue D blended easily with the local scene of punks, artists, and outsiders. The buildings were tagged with graffiti—some of it his own early SAMO messages. Basquiat’s rise was just beginning, but he was already known in downtown circles. The streets around him were filled with boarded-up storefronts, squats, and nightclubs pulsing with underground culture. His footsteps on the cracked sidewalks echoed a generation pushing art beyond galleries and into the raw city.

Bruce

The mechanical shark used for the movie JAWS (1975)

The crew called it "Bruce", after Spielberg's lawyer.

Roofs

THE DOORS (1991)

This was Jim Morrison's rooftop pad at Westminster Ave, Venice CA, depicted here by Val Kilmer in the Oliver Stone film.

Hoover Dam Connected

A parade on Broadway celebrating power from the Hoover Dam, Los Angeles (1936)

Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles lit up with excitement during a 1936 parade celebrating electricity from the Hoover Dam. Floats decorated with glowing bulbs rolled past cheering crowds. Banners stretched across the street declaring a new era of energy. Civic leaders praised the engineering marvel that now brought dependable power to the city.