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Pro sports teams gravitate toward training in the South Bay
The Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo is the training home of the Los Angeles Kings. (Nov. 2018 photo by Sam Gnerre) Southern California has long been an attractive place for major pro sports teams to...
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The Torrance Freeway would have changed the face of the South Bay
Map shows the four main Torrance Freeway route proposed by the California State Division of Highways in 1968. (Daily Breeze, Aug. 12, 1968, Page 1.) Ever wonder why getting around the South Bay...
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Canal Street transforms into Avalon Boulevard in Wilmington
Stereopticon card from 1877 shows canal, with bridge leading to house (left), horse and cart on dirt road (right), telegraph pole (center). Wilmington can be seen in background. (Credit: California...
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Dr. Paul Carlson gave his life for what he believed in – mercy
Dr. Paul Carlson with Congolese villagers. Undated photo circa 1963. (Credit: Paul Carlson Partnership) Paul Carlson, the son of Swedish immigrants to the U.S., was born in Culver City in 1928. His...
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A renovated, reimagined Lawndale High rises from the ashes
Students pass in front of the Lawndale High gym, which opened in 2003. 2011 photo. (Credit: Lawndale High School Alumni Facebook page) “School’s out forever at Lawndale.” So read the Daily Breeze...
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Hollywood-Palos Verdes Parkway: a grand idea that remained on the drawing board
Rendering shows landscaping ideas for the proposed Hollywood-Palos Verdes Parkway. Undated Los Angeles County Acquisition and Improvement District No. 15 drawing circa 1927. (Credit: PV Local History...
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The Paradise becomes Westchester’s second theater on Sepulveda
Exterior of the Paradise Theatre on Sepulveda Blvd. in Westchester on Aug. 17, 1950, shortly before its grand opening. Bowling center sign is visible at far right. (Credit: Los Angeles Public Library...
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Cruising to the Wich Stand was a way of life in the 1960s
The Wich Stand restaurant and drive-in was a popular teen hangout during the 1960s. Undated photo. (Credit: Wich Stand Facebook page) The Wich Stand, located just over half a mile north of the...
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Llewellyn Iron Works helped shaped Torrance as a new industrial city
Postcard shows Llewellyn Iron Works plant in Torrance, circa 1918. (Credit: CSUDH photo archive, James H. Osborne collection) When Jared Sydney Torrance set about establishing the new city south of Los...
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Manhattan Beach architect John Blanton brought stylish homes to South Bay...
Architect John Blanton at work at Richard Neutra’s Silver Lake architectural firm. Undated photo by Dione Neutra, circa 1950s. (Credit: Blanton family) John Blanton was the first architect to be listed...
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The Meistrell brothers turn Redondo Beach’s Dive N’ Surf into a water sports...
Dive N’ Surf at 504 N. Broadway in Redondo Beach. (Jan. 2019 photo by Sam Gnerre) The history of Redondo Beach’s longest-lived diving and surf shop hinges on the Meistrells, twin brothers Bill and Bob,...
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South Bay car clubs geared up for annual Youth Safety Run competitions
Members of Redondo Beach’s Drifters Car Club pose with one of their cars in an undated photo, circa 1950s. (Credit: Kustomrama.com website) California’s car culture has always been vibrant, but it...
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Paul Pettit: Narbonne High baseball phenom becomes the sport’s first $100,000...
Former Narbonne High pitcher Paul Pettit, with the Jigger Statz Louisville Slugger bat collection at a Pacific Coast League reunion, holds a photo of himself from his professional days. May 13, 2006....
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Chief Stroh leads Torrance Police Department into the modern era
Chief John Stroh. Undated photo circa late 1930s. (Credit: Torrance Police Department) When John Stroh joined the Torrance Police Department as a patrolman on Sept. 5, 1924, there were six other...
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Mattel’s early days: Eliot and Ruth Handler create a toy empire
Ruth and Elliot Handler pose in the office of Mattel’s headquarters near LAX on Aug. 2, 1951. The display case behind them contains toys they had developed up to that time. (Credit: Associated Press)...
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Original Redondo Beach Drifters members keep car club’s spirit alive
From left, Bill Topping, Al Castillon and Bill’s brother, Harold Topping, in Torrance in Feb. 2018. Bill and Harold have Drifters jackets. (Photo by Sam Gnerre) You can find brothers Harold and Bill...
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Big plans for Manchester Square area finally are coming to fruition
Greenery defines the Manchester Square area near LAX. Century Blvd. at bottom, 405 Freeway at right. (Credit: Google Maps) In 2010, I wrote about the Surfridge development between the western end of...
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Radomes atop San Pedro Hill still serve an important function
The two radomes sit atop San Pedro Hill in Rolling Hills, the highest point on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. (March 2019 photo by Sam Gnerre) They stand atop the highest point on the Palos Verdes...
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Flying saucers landed with a vengeance in the public’s imagination during the...
Ray Harryhausen’s special effects wizardry brought flying saucers alive in the 1956 film, “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,” which was released at the peak of the saucer craze. Kenneth Arnold was...
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Innovative design put Milliron’s department store on the map in Westchester
Shoppers listen to speakers at a ceremony, center, while awaiting the grand opening of Milliron’s department store in Westchester on March 17, 1949. (Credit: Los Angeles Public Library Photo...
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