Silver Lake Neighborhood Council History Collective/Bob Herzog Memorial Archives 0393

Finding aid prepared by Michael Masterson, Jenifer Palmer-Lacy, and Jacqueline Morin
USC Libraries Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California, 90089-0189
213-740-5900
specol@usc.edu
2012


Title: Silver Lake Neighborhood Council History Collective/Bob Herzog Memorial Archives
Collection number: 0393
Contributing Institution: USC Libraries Special Collections
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 1.0 linear ft. 1 box
Date (inclusive): 2005-2011
Abstract: The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council History Collective was founded in 2005 by community activist Bea Gold. Its mission is to preserve the oral histories of long-term residents, business owners, artists and other interesting residents of Silver Lake and nearby communities to create an archive of the unique history of the neighborhood for future generations. By the beginning of 2012, the committee had done over fifty video interviews involving more than seventy people. The breadth of the interviews is extraordinary. They include memories from the great-grandchild of a slave, a Japanese-American doctor who was interned at the Santa Anita racetrack during World War II as well as many people who have lived all their lives in Silver Lake.
Language of Materials: English (with some interviews in Spanish)
creator: Gold, Bea
creator: Herzog, Robert, 1940-2011
creator: Masterson, Michael
creator: Silver Lake Neighborhood Council History Collective.

Preferred Citation

[Box/folder# or item name], Silver Lake Neighborhood Council History Collective/Bob Herzog Memorial Archives, Collection no. 0393, Regional History Collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

Acquisition

The collection was acquired from Robert Herzog and Michael Masterson on behalf of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Board in 2011.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from the collection must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Conditions Governing Access

Advance notice required for access.

Arrangement

The DVDs of taped interviews are arranged in chronological order, but listed alphabetically by interviewee in the finding aid.

Scope and Content

The archive documents the oral histories of long-term residents, business owners, artists and other interesting residents of Silver Lake and nearby communities. It includes over fifty video interviews involving more than seventy people including memories from the great-grandchild of a slave, a Japanese-American doctor who was interned at the Santa Anita racetrack during World War II as well as many people who have lived all their lives in Silver Lake. The History Collective continues its work as of this date in 2012, interviewing 6-8 subjects each year. Those videos will continue to be sent to USC to further expand the archive.

Historical Background

The Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California is located northeast of downtown, in an area once known variously as Edendale and Ivanhoe, a beautiful landscape of hills and glens southwest of the Los Angeles River. The region became known more popularly as Silver Lake, after a central reservoir was implemented by City Water Commissioner Herman Silver in 1907. The reservoir itself, designed by William Mulholland, enhanced the area and reflected the aspect of the surrounding hills north of the city's original 28-square-mile land grant, creating a desirable setting for residential construction despite the difficulty of the terrain. There are actually two reservoirs contiguous to each other in the system, the more northern one retaining the former developer's name of Ivanhoe. Many streets (Rowena, Angus, Elsinore, Kenilworth, etc.) have Scottish-inspired names from this period.
By 1904, the Pacific Electric Railway was in operation in the area and the right-of-way that is now the terminus of the Glendale Freeway permitted transportation to the hills, where many small cottages were built on step streets in the early years of the century. Glendale Boulevard, finished in 1915 and connecting Los Angeles and Glendale by a bridge across the river, further encouraged building in Silver Lake. Several film studios were sited to take advantage of the year-round sunshine and undeveloped vistas between Echo Park Lake and the Los Angeles River.
One of the first was Selig Studios in 1909, located just south of what is now the 2 freeway terminus; it was followed in 1912 by Mack Sennett's on Sunset and in 1916 by Tom Mix's Mixville, 12 acres of stables, western sets, and sylvan landscape at the corner of Glendale and Silver Lake Boulevard. Mabel Normand also had a sound stage (now named for Mack Sennett) on Hyperion across from Thomas Starr King Middle School. These were used in the production of many films that helped to launch the careers of Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Gloria Swanson, Antonio Moreno, the Keystone Kops, and other silent stars. The Walt Disney Studios on Hyperion grew from a tiny garage on Kingswell Street and expanded to occupy the site of the current Gelson's shopping center. The Mixville blocks would remain the major commercial area of the eastern side of Silver Lake, with markets, shops, small factories, and even a trailer court in the sites now occupied by banks, condominiums, shopping centers, and, most recently, the Silver Lake Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.
The majority of the neighborhood's streets were laid out in the 1920s, following the contours of the hills. The subsequent development of individual lots resulted in a great variety of architectural styles and modernist experimentation. Private homes and apartment complexes by Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, John Lautner, Gregory Ain, Harwell Hamilton Harris, Raphael Soriano, Allyn Morris, and other modern innovators are well represented. Many architects such as Lautner, Neutra, Morris, and Eugene Kinn Choy designed and built their own homes in the area. There are also numerous representatives of Tudoresque, Chateauesque, Mission Revival, Italianate, Streamline Moderne, and other eclectic styles.
Culturally, Silver Lake has always had a reputation for being home to artists, musicians, writers, and other creative people, unique in its acceptance of a racially and ideologically diverse as well as politically progressive population. Innovators and celebrities such as Anais Nin, Raymond Chandler, and Woody Guthrie, at one time resided here, as well as such current notables as Jorja Fox, Katy Perry, Giovanni Ribisi, Daniel Lanois and author Janet Fitch. Harry Hay's Mattachine Society and the Black Cat Bar, thought to be originating points of the gay rights movement in Los Angeles, were also located in the neighborhood.
In October 2011, the SLNC History Collective transferred all interviews to date to the USC Libraries Special Collections so that they would be made available to interested researchers and scholars in perpetuity. Longtime committee co-chair Bob Herzog, a USC graduate, worked tirelessly to make this a reality. After Bob’s untimely passing the next month, the History Collective asked that the archive be renamed in his honor. Bob Herzog was also given, posthumously, the SLNC History Collective Award that honors people and/or organizations that have made substantial contributions to our community either through history preservation or significant community involvement.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Gold, Bea -- Archives
Herzog, Robert, 1940-2011 -- Archives
Masterson, Michael -- Archives
Silver Lake Neighborhood Council History Collective. -- Archives
DVDs
Interviews
Oral histories (document genres)
Silver Lake (Los Angeles, Calif.)--History--Archival resources

 

Almeda, Claire 2006 January

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Bea Gold, Cheryl Revkin, etc. Running Time: 1 hr. 23 min.
 

Bagish, Julie 2011 June 10

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 49:31
 

Barnes, Myra & Nicola, Leerice and Larry 2010 September 29

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Tricia McGrath Running Time: 29 min.
 

"Black Cat" Celebration 2009 February 11

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 53 min.
 

"Bob Herzog's 70th B-Day" 2010 September 12

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Michael Masterson Running Time: 1 hr. approx.
 

"Bud Plochere" 2005 October 27

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Rivkin Running Time:
Part 1: 57 min.
Part 2: 18 min.
 

Byrd, David & Becerra, Joe 2007 January 6

Scope and Content

Interviewed by C. Revkin Running Time: 60 min.
 

Casitas Del Campo 2006 2006

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Bea Gold and Laura Duran Running Time: 1 hr. 17 min.
 

"Church Ladies" 2005 September 11

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Chris Firshmuth Running Time: 1 hr. 19 min.
 

Dawson, Agnes and Michael Part 1: 2010 February 24, Part 2: 2010 March 11

Scope and Content

Interviewed by M. Masterson Running Time:
Part 1: 49 min.
Part 2: 47 min.
 

Didier, Jenna 2011 October 4

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time:
Part 1: 1 hr.
Part 2: 15:32
 

DiMarco, Tony & Donna 2009 March 24

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Bob Herzog Running Time: 51:29
 

Don Jarvis and Arlene (Part 2) 2008 February 23

Scope and Content

Interviewed by M. Masterson Running Time: 9 min. approx.
 

Father's Day (Kites Over Silver Lake) 2007 June 11

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin (?) Running Time: 35 min.
 

Fong, Charles and Mason 2008 November 3

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Gail Crosby Running Time: 1 hr.
 

Freeman, Bill 2008 September 22

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Dorsay Dujon Running Time: 1 hr.
 

Garcia, Juliet (Daughter of Rose Radogna) 2007 March 3

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Dorsay Dujon Running Time: 37 min.
 

Gold, Bea 2006 October 3

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Michael Masterson Running Time: 35 min.
 

Hernandez, Alberto 2007 March 12

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Tricia McGrath Running Time:
Part 1: 42 min.
Part 2: 18 min.
 

Holzemer, Jim 2006 November 7

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Bob Herzog Running Time: 54 min.
 

Jacobs, Ellen 2011 May 12

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Jennifer Palmer Lacy Running Time: 55:46
 

Johnson, Wayne (Rockaway Records) 2010 January 21

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 54:50
 

Jones, Lucy (Lincoln, Yvon) 2007 August 12

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Michael Masterson Running Time: 48 min.
 

Kaplan, Nadia 2010 August 14

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Bob Herzog Running Time: 1 hr. 30 min. approx.
 

Katz, Al & Roger 2007 March 31

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Dorsay Dujon Running Time: 59 min.
 

Kuk, Mary Ann 2007 September 11

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 1 hr.+
 

LaBonge, Tom 2007 June 11

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 44:08:05 min.
 

Lacy, Jennifer Palmer (Parts 1 and 2) 2011 May 12

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Jennifer and Bob Herzog Running Time: 75:32 (total)
 

Liashkov, Peter 2009 February 25

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Michael Masterson Running Time: 38:00
 

Markoff, Betty and Morrie 2005 March

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Bea Gold Running Time: 1 hr. 19 min.
 

McKinley, Michael 2007 March 6

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 60 min.
 

Morrow, Jan 2008 October 4

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Gail Crosby Running Time: 60 min.
 

"Music Box Steps" 2006 November 11

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Bob Herzog Running Time: 38 min.
 

Neutra, Dion 2010 May 31

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 1 hr. 43 min.
 

Nicola, Larry 2007 January 30

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 46 min.
 

Padua, Tacy 2008 March 18

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 52 min. approx.
 

Pinto, Jesse "El Conquistador" 2007 March 5

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Michal Masterson Running Time: 28 min.
 

Romanoff, Alexei 2009 April 28

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Michael Masterson Running Time: 59:11
 

Shigekawa, Dr. Sakaye 2007 May 22

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Cheryl Revkin Running Time: 44 min.
 

SLNC Steps Project Day 1: 2007 April 19, Day 2: 2007 May 30

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Lynne Zuccaro Running Time:
Day 1: 21 min.
Day 2: 39 min.
 

Spencer, Marion 2008 February 16

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Dorsay Dujon Running Time: 1 hr. approx.
 

Taylor, Jim 2008 April 24

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Virginia Jimenez Running Time: 58:26
 

Timmons, Stuart 2007 January 20

Scope and Content

Interviewed by C. Revkin Running Time: 1 hr. approx.
 

Vendig, Stephanie 2010 April 22

Scope and Content

Interviewed by B. Herzog Running Time: 2 hr. 15 min.
 

Vitelli, Anita & Mario 2010 October 24

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Tricia McGrath Running Time: 1 hr.
 

Williams, Dr. Ken 2009 December 3

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Tricia McGrath Running Time: 60 min. approx.
 

Wright, Eric Lloyd, Devon (son), and Tree (wife)

Scope and Content

Interviewed by Jenifer Palmer-Lacy Running Time: 30.27 min.