Architectural guidebooks may offer historical background, maps of the area, walking tour itineraries, photographs, and drawings. To locate guidebooks in the libraries at UCLA, search the UCLA Library Catalog using the following subject headings:
The subjects above can also be used with the subheading ‘History’ replacing the ‘Guidebooks’ subheading to locate relevant historical surveys. (e.g.: Architecture -- England -- London -- History or Architecture -- California -- Los Angeles -- History)
Most architecture books are not dedicated to a single building. The building you are researching may be discussed in books about the building's:
Search the UCLA Library Catalog in order to locate books. Searching Tips:
To locate articles on your building, you will need to search an index that specializes in architectural subjects. The Avery Index is the most comprehensive index of this kind. Click on the Article Indexes and Databases tab above to locate this and other indexes.
TIP: Also try searching Google Books for the name of your building, then search the UCLA Library Catalog for the titles of the books retrieved.
The following research handbooks may be useful when researching historic structures:
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries provide historical data, bibliographies and information authored by experts in the field. Many also include photographs, plans, views, sections, elevations, and details of buildings.
"While trying to find the history of a residence can be very difficult there are some things you can do at the Los Angeles Public library to start such a search." - Information Below from LAPL Library Page - Link found here: https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-guides/history-your-house
Ancestry Library Edition has a United States Obituary Collection you can access from any of our locations. We have many newspapers on microfilm in Central Library’s History & Genealogy Department (e.g. the Los Angeles Herald Examiner), but knowing the date of death in order to browse through them is best because most are not indexed. To find the date of death, search the California Death Index or Social Security Death Index at Ancestry Library Edition or FamilySearch.org.