The OHR completed a National Park Service Under Represented Communities grant to document five of L.A.'s Asian American communities.
Office of
Historic Resources
Los Angeles' citywide historic context statement (HCS) provides the framework for identifying and evaluating the city's historic resources. The Office of Historic Resources lead the development of the HCS as part of SurveyLA.
What is a Historic Context Statement?
Historic contexts differ from other types of narrative histories in that they are meant to identify important themes in history and then relate those themes to extant historic resources or associated property types. Themes may relate to development patterns and trends, such as Post WWII Suburbanization, as well as social, cultural, and historical topics such as the Civil Rights Movement. Historic contexts establish the significance of themes and topics and then provide specific guidance to field surveyors regarding the characteristics a particular property must have to be a good example of a type. In short, the Los Angeles context statement distills much of what we know about the city's evolution and development, and then helps establish why a particular place may be considered historically or architecturally significant within one or more of these themes. While the HCS was primarily developed as a resource for professional field surveyors, it is a tremendously useful source of information for researchers and the general public.
Organization of the Historic Context Statement
The HCS is organized into nine broad contexts (listed below) which cover the period from about 1780 to 1980 and are specific to Los Angeles. Each of the contexts is comprised of a number of themes, with more than 200 themes and sub-themes overall, reflecting the richness of Los Angeles' heritage. The HCS structure is designed to avoid repetition and be expandable over time. It focuses on extant resources, rather than attempting to document the city's lost historic places.
The HCS follows the Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) format and complies with the standards and guidelines set forth by the National Park Service (NPS) and the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP).
Ethnic and Cultural Contexts
Ethnic and cultural contexts have been developed as “stand alone” documents, but with themes included within the overall citywide framework.
Developing a comprehensive HCS for a city as large and complex as Los Angeles has been an enormous undertaking. The OHR has worked with consultants to develop the structure and format for the HCS and more than 40 historic preservation professionals, interns, and volunteers played a role in its completion. The Office of Historic Resources is indebted to all individuals, organizations, and programs that contributed to developing the HCS.
Guidelines for Professionals Using The Historic Context Statement
Guidelines for Evaluating Resources Associated with Significant Persons in Los Angeles
Guidelines for Using the "Other" Context
Spanish Colonial and Mexican Era Settlement of Los Angeles, 1781-1849
Pre-Consolidation Communities of Los Angeles, 1862-1932
Residential Development and Suburbanization, 1880-1980
Commercial Development, 1850-1980
Public and Private Institutional Development, 1850-1980
Architecture and Engineering, 1850-1980
Entertainment Industry, 1908-1980
Cultural Landscapes, 1875-1980
Industrial Development, 1850-1980
Public and Private Institutional Development, 1850-1980
Education, 1876-1980 (also see ethnic/cultural contexts)
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Historic Context, 1870-1969
Public and Private Health and Medicine, 1850-1980
Healthcare and Medicine and Ethnic/Cultural Associations (see ethnic/cultural contexts)
Important Persons in L.A.'s Medical History, 1850-1980
Medical Building Types, 1850-1980
Public Healthcare/Social Medicine, 1850-1980
Government Infrastructure and Services
Federal Infrastructure, Programs, and Services
U.S. Post Offices in California, 1900-1941 (National Register Thematic Nomination Form)
Government Administration Buildings and Centers
Post WWII Branch City Halls and Administrative Centers, 1957-1970
Municipal Infrastructure, Programs and Services
Municipal Water and Power, 1902-1980
Street Lights and the Bureau of Street Lighting, 1900-1980
Post WWII Fire Stations, 1947-1963
Los Angeles Branch Library System, 1913-1930 (National Register Thematic Nomination Form)
Municipal Parks, Recreation, Recreation, and Leisure, 1886-1978
Transportation Infrastructure
Historic Highway Bridges of California (National Multiple Property Documentation Form)
Telephone History and Development, 1881-1974
Military Institutions and Activities, 1850-1989* (also see ethnic/cultural contexts)
Los Angeles Harbor and Coastal Defense Fortifications, 1914-1945
World War II and the American Homefront, 1939-1945
Defense Industry, 1914-1989
Recruitment Stations and Military/Veteran Services, 1914-1989
Los Angeles and the Cold War, 1946-1989
Air Raid Sirens and Civil Defense, 1939-1960
Newspapers and Publishing, 1850-1980 (see ethnic/cultural contexts)
Cultural Development and Institutions, 1850-1980*
(see Guidelines for Evaluating Resources Associated with Significant Persons in Los Angeles and ethnic/cultural contexts)
Performing Arts, 1870-1980
Visual Arts, 1888-1980
Literature, 1850-1980
Literature, Music and Art, 1920-1970
Public Art, 1900-1980*
Folk Art, 1850-1980
Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments in California (National Register Thematic Nomination Form)