That Vintage Girl

Built in 1925, the Nirvana is one of the oldest apartment-hotel buildings in Los Angeles that recently underwent a massive restoration project that unveiled an extraordinary part of its original structure that had been concealed for decades.  The Nirvana was designed by architect E.M. Erderly in the Exotic Revival architectural style which became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  This style blended western architectural elements with eastern architectural elements that drew inspiration from cultures like Asia, Egypt, and the Middle East.   When the Nirvana was built, it had a beautifully painted entry and large lobby with colorful Asian inspired murals and motifs.  However, at some point the entire entry and lobby was painted and the lobby was converted into two apartment units. As years past, additional layers of paint further buried the original artwork that had inspired the building's Exotic Revival theme. But sometime in the 2010s, a tena...

Mermaid and her Octopus by Tina O'Brien. The mysterious and alluring mermaid, a half-human and half-fish female that lives in the sea, has appeared in mythology, folklore, art, and music across many cultures for centuries dating as far back as ancient times.  Mermaids have been referred to as sea-maidens, sirens, nymphs, or merrows and portrayed as beautiful and seductive creatures with benevolent and malevolent powers that can bring good fortune and tragedy.  In ancient Greek mythology, they were referred to as sirens, half-women and half-bird creatures known for their enchanting songs that bewitched sailors and led them to their doom. In Irish and Scottish folklore, their beauty lured men to the sea. In Slavic folklore, mermaids were the souls of beautiful women who drowned. The mermaid in Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale, The Little Mermaid, trades her beautiful voice for legs to be with the prince she loves.  Between the 16th and 20th centuries, ship builders start...

If you walk along any famous boulevard in Los Angeles, you will find many hidden treasures and relics from old Los Angeles.  I get a feeling of elated joy and nostalgia when I see that these remnants from the past are still with us. The old Studio City Theater on 12136 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City is one of these historic treasures.  It was a popular neighborhood movie house from 1938 to 1991.  After the theater closed it became a bookstore, first operating as BookStar and now as Barnes and Noble.  But most special about this theater is that most of the original Art Deco inspired structures have survived like the original ticket booth, the theater marque, the entry with the window cards to display movie posters, and the beautiful terrazzo floor.  Inside, you can still see the projection port windows that projected thousands of film reels onto the silver screen. And the new Art Deco inspired signage inside the bookstore blends perfectly with the original styl...