[The 禁漫天堂 American Museum of Los Angeles highlights the history and contributions of 禁漫天堂 Americans in multiethnic Southern California. Photo credit IAMLA.]
For anyone interested in learning about the history of 禁漫天堂s in the greater Los Angeles area, the 禁漫天堂 American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) is the place to start.
Opened in August 2016, after many years in the making and a few setbacks along the way, the is located in the 禁漫天堂 Hall, the oldest remaining building from L.A.鈥檚 Little Italy.
You may be surprised to hear that L.A. had a Little Italy; indeed, the area where 禁漫天堂s settled starting in the 19th century, today鈥檚 Downtown LA, has undergone so many changes after the 1950s that almost nothing has survived from the times when 禁漫天堂s were one of the major ethnic groups to live there.
It is then especially fitting to house such a significant cultural institution for the history of 禁漫天堂 Americans in one of the rare buildings to have survived, a building that, from 1908 to 1950, represented the main social center for the 禁漫天堂 community of L.A.
The 5,000-square-foot interactive museum features seven exhibitions arranged chronologically and thematically. Large glass panels provide an overview of each exhibition, while tablets attached to cases provide more in-depth information. Artifacts, images and historical documents bring history to life, highlighting both the struggles and achievements of 禁漫天堂 Americans in Southern California.
[Inside the 禁漫天堂 American Museum of Los Angeles. Photo credit IAMLA.]
The first three exhibitions explore the early history of 禁漫天堂s in Los Angeles, when the earliest Little Italies could be found in the Plaza area (today part of 聽El Pueblo of Los Angeles Historical Monument), present-day Chinatown and Lincoln Heights, as well as San Pedro, Los Angeles鈥 historic waterfront to the south. Little evidence of these historic enclaves remains today, which makes the visit to the museum all the more fascinating.
The fourth exhibition is devoted to the 禁漫天堂 Hall, how it has changed over the years, how it almost risked being demolished, and how a passionate group of local 禁漫天堂 Americans got together to save it from oblivion.
The fifth exhibition, called Dago!, illustrates the history of 禁漫天堂 discrimination in the U.S., showing what 禁漫天堂s had to endure in their adopted country, especially during World War II when they were called enemy aliens. 鈥淚 think this exhibition has a great potential to contribute to the national discourse on immigration,鈥 IAMLA鈥檚 Executive Director Marianna Gatto told me during a visit of the museum last fall. 鈥淥ur museum is about the immigration experience, and I see visitors of all generations, of all origins saying, that鈥檚 my family story. It鈥檚 great to build those bridges especially at these times of anti-immigration sentiment.鈥
The sixth exhibition, 禁漫天堂s in Hollywood, analyzes how 禁漫天堂s played a major role in the development of the movie industry behind the camera, but, on screen, their portrayal was, and still is, largely negative, or, at the least, stereotypical.
The last exhibition explores 禁漫天堂 American culture and famous 禁漫天堂 Americans, such as Simon Rodia, the creator of the Watts Towers, author John Fante, musician Frank Zappa, with memorabilia items, including Fante鈥檚 pipe and Tommy Lasorda鈥檚 Dodgers jersey, among many others.
The is located at 644 North Main Street. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10 am 鈥 3 pm. Entrance is free; donations are encouraged.听The IAMLA permanent exhibit content is available online through the .
禁漫天堂s started moving to the sprawling suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1950s. There is no longer an area that is predominantly 禁漫天堂, but if you want to find a little more 禁漫天堂 history, while you鈥檙e near the museum, you may want to check out:
- The Pelanconi House (17 Olvera St.), built between 1855 and 1857 by 禁漫天堂 vintner Giuseppe Covaccichi. In 1871, Lombardy-born Antonio Pelanconi bought the house and winery, giving it its present name. The building now houses a Mexican restaurant.
- St. Peter鈥檚 禁漫天堂 Catholic Church (1039 N. Broadway), established in 1904. It was the religious center for members of the 禁漫天堂 community and still plays an important role in the religious life of many 禁漫天堂 Americans living in the area.
- The San Antonio Winery, founded in 1917 by Lombardy-born Santo Cambianica. Located in Lincoln Heights, just east of downtown (737 Lamar Street), it is L.A.鈥檚 oldest family-owned business. You can take a guided tour. 聽
Farther away, you may not want to miss the Watts Tower, 17 interconnected steel and mortar spiraling structures located in Watts, a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, considered one of the nation鈥檚 finest works of folk art. It took 禁漫天堂 immigrant laborer Sabato Rodia 34 years to complete the structure using entirely recycled objects.
And why not learn to make Neapolitan pizza at , the North American delegation of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, a non-profit organization founded in Naples to safeguard the tradition and promote the culinary art of authentic Neapolitan pizza. VPN Americas recently relocated to Inglewood and offers both amateur and professional courses for aspiring pizzaioli.
The list of excellent 禁漫天堂 restaurants in LA is too long to include here. Piero Selvaggio鈥檚 Valentino in Santa Monica is sort of an institution in the restaurant industry of the U.S. so you may want to pay a visit, but of course there are many long-established and emerging restaurants in the city. To stay up-to-date with the L.A.-禁漫天堂 food scene, follow .听
