Exploring Los Angeles - Taking a Tour With the Los Angeles Coservancy

One of my favorite reasons for living in the LA area is the Los Angeles Conservancy. How I came across this preservation group I no longer recall. I only remember that I was in college and was beginning to gain an interest in historic preservation. Somehow I stumbled across the Conservancy, pooled my pennies together and became a member. I began taking their tours and was hooked. Now flash forward about a decade and I finally decided to take my membership to the next level - becoming a volunteer. Why I waited so long, I don't know because being a Conservancy volunteer is awesome! I've met so many new people that have the same passion for preservation as I do and I've attended many wonderful events. One recent Saturday I had the opportunity to attend yet another fabulous outing - a tour of Downtown LA's Historic Core.

Now, I have been on several of the Conservancy's tours over the years (Art Deco, Broadway Theater District, Biltmore Hotel, etc.) and have loved all of them. I've seen so many new places and have discovered amazing sites that I wouldn't have access to on my own. Interiors and exteriors, public and private, restored and decayed...all of LA's historic structures are lovingly presented by the Conservancy docents.

Conservancy docents are a rare breed - highly passionate and knowledgeable individuals with a true love of their city and a desire to share that with the public. Have you ever been on a tour where your guide is unenthusiastic, uninformed and (gasp!) boring? Isn't it the worst? No worries here. I guarantee you will come away from a Conservancy tour knowing more than when you came in and probably gaining a new passion for Los Angeles history.

I know I certainly did. Even on this last tour where we traversed terrain that was very familiar to me and I visited many buildings for the second, third, and possibly tenth time. I still learned new facts and my passion for the area was renewed.

I had never noticed this detail on the Subway Terminal Building.

And this detail on the Million Dollar Theater.

And even this sign.

This is precisely what I love about the Los Angeles Conservancy and why I have been a member for so long. I hope it inspires you to try out one of their tours and maybe even join!