Los Feliz Improvement Association Records
Scope and Contents
The Los Feliz Improvement Association Records include board minutes, general correspondence, by-laws, president’s reports, newsletters, newspaper clippings, and membership lists from 1922 to 2002. In addition, the collection contains a descriptive historical survey of all the homes located in the Los Feliz neighborhood. The collection details the role the organization played in the development of the Los Feliz neighborhood, and has been arranged in three series: Administrative Files (1922-2002), Correspondence (1932-1999), and Special Project Files (1929-2002).
Series I, Administrative Files, contains general records regarding board membership and committee memberships, as well as minutes of the board’s monthly meetings and have been divided into two subseries: General Administrative Files (1927-2002) and Minutes (1922-1999). These materials are filed alphabetically by committee.
Series II, Correspondence, contains correspondence to and from the association. This correspondence covers a multitude of subjects, from printing the association directory to concerns about zoning changes, membership issues, and restrictions on residential development. This series has been divided into two subseries: General Correspondence (1932-1999) and Ruth Ney (Corresponding Secretary) (1981-1989). Documents are filed chronologically.
Series III, Special Project Files, includes files and photographs for projects undertaken by the association. These include an historical home survey, an effort to save historic avocado trees, efforts to coordinate with the Hollywood community redevelopment project, a push to save the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis-Brown house, beautification efforts in the neighborhood and in Griffith Park. Materials have been divided into two subseries: Los Feliz Historical Survey (2001) and LFIA Special Projects (1929-2002), and are filed alphabetically by subject.
Dates
- Creation: 1922-2002
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Historical Note:
Founded in 1916, the Vermont Canyon Improvement Club was later reorganized and changed its name to the Los Feliz Improvement Association on July 7, 1922. The organization played a significant role in the development of the neighborhood, located just east of Hollywood, for nearly a century. A central area in the neighborhood continues to be Griffith Park, willed to the city of Los Angeles by Col. Griffith J. Griffith in 1919 with specific instructions to maintain the area as a public space. Griffith Park’s approximately 4,000 acres includes: the Greek Theater, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the Griffith Observatory, as well as the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain and the Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage. The Los Feliz Improvement Association played an important role in determining the locations of all the attractions in Griffith Park. In addition, any future maintenance of the Park and its surrounding neighborhood would be the organization’s responsibility.
In the 1930s, the Association oversaw the building and opening of John Marshall High School. The Los Feliz Improvement Association played a vital role in maintaining the neighborhood’s residential character and integrity as well, and fought rigorously over the years to prevent zoning changes on Los Feliz Boulevard that would have allowed commercial real estate development and to save 100-year-old trees.
Full Extent
12.13 Linear Feet (26 boxes, 7 oversized folders)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Los Feliz Improvement Association was formed in 1922 to represent the homeowners of the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles. The association worked to protect historic trees and homes, and to prevent developments they felt would harm the upscale residential feel of the neighborhood. Much of the collection deals with fights against zoning changes that would have allowed construction of unsightly walls or that would have allowed commercial development.
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: Administrative Files, 1922-2002
Subseries A: General Administrative Files, 1927-2002
Subseries B: Minutes, 1922-1999
Series II: Correspondence, 1932-1999
Subseries A: General Correspondence, 1932-1999
Subseries B: Ruth Ney (Corresponding Secretary), 1981-1989
Series III: Special Project Files, 1929-2002
Subseries A: Los Feliz Historical Survey, 2001
Subseries B: Los Feliz Improvement Association Special Projects, 1929-2002
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Los Feliz Improvement Association, 2003.
Processing Information:
Haig Avakian, Katherine Gould, 2011-2012
Genre / Form
- Title
- Guide to the Los Feliz Improvement Association Records
- Date
- 2012-10-18
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2012: Special Collections and Archives staff, 2012
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections & Archives Repository
University Library
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge CA 91330-8326 USA
818-677-4594
asksca@csun.edu