City Of West Hollywood Presents A New Exhibition ‘Historic Weho’

From the City of West Hollywood:

February 25, 2020

The City of West Hollywood will debut a new exhibition, Historic WeHo, with photographs by Tony Coelho at the West Hollywood Library featuring images of historic properties in West Hollywood.

The City of West Hollywood has recognized the importance of preserving its cultural resources since its incorporation in 1984. The City adopted its Historic Preservation Ordinance in 1989 and has designated more than 80 historic and cultural resources, including six historic districts.

West Hollywood’s heritage is a rich inheritance of traditions, attributes, and cultural resources. Preserving this heritage is integral to the identity of West Hollywood. Through historic preservation efforts, the City and its community members embrace the stories of times that preceded Cityhood and of people, events, and ideas that capture the vibrancy of the City. Such ideas, stories, and other elements of who we are and how we identify ourselves are essential to the understanding of our place.

In 2015, the City of West Hollywood began a project with West Hollywood-based photographer Tony Coelho to document the City’s designated historic properties. The Historic WeHo exhibition includes a selection of photographs from this project. It represents a wide array of architectural styles and associations with well-known architects and builders, and its images celebrate West Hollywood and recognize the City’s past, present, and future.

Tony Coelho was born and raised in an L.A. suburb by Portuguese immigrants. Coelho left home in 2000 to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Film Studies and Communications. His photography interests extend to portraiture and street photography. Learn more by visiting www.tonycoelhophoto.com.

Historic WeHo will be on display through Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at the West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard, during regular library hours. An artist reception will take place on Friday, March 6, 2020 in conjunction with an event for the City’s WeHo Reads program featuring Antonio Gonzalez’s book, Architects Who Built Southern California. The reception will take place in the library’s Community Meeting Room beginning at 7 p.m.; the reception is free and open to the public and RSVP is requested at https://wehoreadshistoricweho.eventbrite.com.

Author Antonio Gonzalez will share the stories of the people behind some of Southern California’s most iconic buildings, including several who designed buildings in West Hollywood. In the early 1900s, the population of Southern California exploded, and its cities grew at such a rapid pace that builders could hardly keep up. Among those who settled in the area were 10 architects looking to make their marks on the world such as Claud Beelman, a man who never received a college degree who would go on to design the Elks Lodge in Los Angeles; Albert C. Martin, architect of Grauman’s Million Dollar Theater, who founded a company that is still going strong more than 100 years later; and Julia Morgan, who was the first woman architect licensed in California and was hired by William Randolph Hearst to design the Examiner Building.

Antonio Gonzalez holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Iowa and an MLIS from San Jose State University. He is a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity and works in an architecture and a fine arts library. Learn more by visiting www.misterdangerous.wordpress.com.

The City of West Hollywood delivers a broad array of arts programs including: Art on the Outside (temporary public art), Urban Art Program (permanent public art), Summer Sounds, Winter Sounds, the WeHo Reads literary series, Free Theatre in the Parks, Arts Grants for Nonprofit Arts Organizations, Library Exhibits and Programming, the City Poet Laureate Program, Human Rights Speakers Series and the One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival. For additional information, please visit www.weho.org/arts.

For more information about attending the ‘Historic WeHo’ exhibition and about the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Reads program, please contact Mike Che, the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Coordinator, at (323) 848-6377 or at mche@weho.org.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call (323) 848-6496. For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood on social media @WeHoCity and sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email.

This press release was produced by the City of West Hollywood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.