Spaces With Stories: Travel Back in Time With These Historical Venues
For those interested in a little time travel, these spaces will transport you back to the people who created, celebrated, worked and lived within those walls decades before. Bankers, writers, farmers, actors, artists; people from all walks of life left hints about their experiences in these spaces. And the architects and builders who erected these buildings have shared with us masterpieces that have stood the test of time.
From rustic farmhouses to opulent theaters, take a journey back in time with us as we share some of our favorite spaces with storied pasts.
1. An Athlete’s Dream, The LA Coliseum — Los Angeles, CA
The Coliseum has served as home field for the USC Football team since 1923 and is the only stadium that has played host to two Olympiads (X and XXIII), two Super Bowls (I and VII) and a World Series (1959)! It was declared a National Historic Landmark on July 27, 1984, the day before the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
2. Historic Theater Rotunda Lobby — Los Angeles, CA
This theater has been both a significant cultural and architectural landmark for Beverly Hills since its opening as the Fox Wilshire in 1930. It was originally designed by prolific theatre architect S. Charles Lee to be 20th Century Fox’s film presentation house, which even included a stage for Vaudeville acts before films. Over its storied 85 year history, the theater has been the site of numerous studio premieres and exclusive first-run film engagements.
3. Historic Bathhouse in Wicker Park — Chicago, IL
Chicago built 19 public baths between 1894 and 1918. Of the 19 bathhouses built, this is one of just four that are still standing. All the baths were built between 1894 and 1918. This bathhouse was the second to last to be constructed. As opposed to its predecessors, this bathhouse is a bit more ornate. The building still includes the name of the bath on a familiar Park District sign, a remnant of its original purpose.
4. Historic Train Station — Oakland, CA
Designed by Jarvis Hunt, this station was a replacement for the old 1870 wooden station and opened August 1, 1912. It was featured in Western Architect that year and for the next seven decades served as a major transportation hub. The station was the place of disembarkation for African Americans who left the South, particularly Texas and Louisiana, in search of jobs. This emigration from the South to the North was called the Second Great Migration, with this station playing an important role in bringing people to the opportunities the West had to offer. The last train pulled into the station in August 1994. Today, it is used for events and production shoots, including the filming of music videos by Mumford & Sons, G-Eazy, and Bassnectar.
5. Italian Villa for Events in Dtla – Los Angeles, CA
This historic house is a 1928 Italian Villa right outside downtown LA. With warm wood floors, expansive rooms, exposed brick walls, two exterior courtyards, high exposed beam ceilings and a beautiful fireplace, this is a very unique venue.
6. Historic Ranch in Rolling Hills — Livermore, CA
The ranch has been in the same family since 1884. It’s home to about 60 horses as it is also a horse boarding facility. There are a variety of buildings on the property, with the ranch house built in 1893 and the ironic barn erected in the 1860s. There is also an old granary that was converted into a covered deck space and several old barns on the property, including an old milk barn and a hay barn.
7. Historic Venue on the Top of Queen Anne — Seattle, WA
In this historic venue, Seattle’s past is reflected in the brick and mahogany walls, and a rustic bar from the Gold Rush era, all within one of the original buildings built in 1905 on Queen Anne Hill. This Seattle venue, which has served as a lodge since 1925, is chock full of charm.
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