During the 20th century, Los Angeles rapidly evolved into one of the most populous and influential industrial, economic, and creative capitals in the world. Innovations promoted by an array of vested interests, enlightened patrons, and visionary planners and architects transformed an expansive, latent landscape into a vibrant laboratory for cutting-edge design.

These videos from the exhibition highlight some of the forces and people that have shaped Los Angeles. All of these videos can also be viewed on YouTube.

Animated Maps
 

Landscape Infrastructure

Networks and Settlements

Population, Economy, and Conflict

Focus Videos
 

Ed Ruscha's Hollywood Boulevard, 1973 and 2002

LAX: Global Gateway of the Jet Age

The L.A. River: Nature Tamed

Capitol Records: Engineering an Icon

The Case Study House Program: Realized Designs. Part I

The Case Study House Program: Realized Designs. Part II

Lakewood: "The Future City as New as Tomorrow"

Baldwin Hills Village: 1942–1950

Lakewood Center: The Core of a Community

Oral Histories
 

Barton Myers on Downtown L.A

Barton Myers on Bunker Hill

David C. Martin on three generations of the A.C. Martin firm

Victor Newlove on Googie Architecture

Victor Newlove on L.A. Car Culture

Martin Brower on Welton Becket & Associates

Ron Frank on midcentury furniture design

Richard Bradshaw on the construction of LAX

John McIlwee on living in Lautner's Garcia House

Frank Gehry on his creative influences

Julius Shulman's L.A. Stories



Banner image: LAX Theme Building by Pereira & Luckman, Welton Becket & Associates, and Paul R. Williams (detail), construction completed 1961. Pencil, watercolor, and gouache on board, 1958, 36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 121.9 cm). Alan E. Leib Collection. Image courtesy of and © Luckman Salas O'Brien