CURRENT PROJECTS
Cold War: Culver City
In collaboration with The Wende Museum, as well as the centennial celebration of Culver City, the Cold War L.A. team has created the first sub-city digital research project called Cold War: Culver City. The first of many city-specific projects to come, we are highlighting the hidden physical landmarks (some of which are literally hidden underground) and the untold stories of individuals in an attempt to uncover the vital role the film and aerospace industries played in the growth and downfall of the city during the 1940s-1990s. Contact us to add your city!
Cold War: L.A. Maps Public Shelters
With materials provided by the Los Angeles Public Library, COLD WAR: L.A. is currently building a map of all of the public shelters that were once built to protect the citizens of Los Angeles in the event of a nuclear attack. If you worked downtown, where were you designated to go? How many people would each shelter have held? Were there enough supplies for every person for the two-week designated time frame, or were there even enough supplies for everyone for a single day? Find out more about shelters in your area! In the meantime, read about shelters here.
History Tours in Los Angeles
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We are pleased to announce that we are now offering Art & Architecture tours and History Hikes to Nike Sites in and around Los Angeles several times per year. These tours and hikes include a knowledgeable guide to describe the hidden history of prominent historical buildings and sites. Self-guided tours are available for downtown Los Angeles and Culver City. Please contact us for more information or to sign up for upcoming tours.
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In an attempt to capture a more complete interpretation of the Cold War period, we are currently conducting interviews and recording stories of Cold War Veterans in collaboration with the Fort MacArthur Museum. Alongside the social and cultural public history surrounding the Cold War, these stories from the military personnel who stood alongside weapons in preparation for Mutually Assured Destruction will provide the opportunity for the many perspectives of the Cold War to be preserved. The controversies surrounding the recognition of Cold War Veterans as soldiers will also be confronted through the collection of these stories and put into conversation with the current national proposals.
If you or anyone you know worked at a Nike Missile site, please contact us at coldwarexhibits@gmail.com to have your stories recorded and remembered for years to come. Stories can be any length -- short or long. We do not want to limit your memories! Submit via email or through the Contact Form in .doc, .rtf, or .pdf forms, or typed directly into the form/email.
If you have any photos (scanned or originals) that you would like to share related to the missile sites, please include as much information as possible (source, date, location, and names of any individuals in the photo, if applicable). To donate any photographs or items related to the Cold War to be included on the website and in the Fort MacArthur Museum collection, please send all information and items to:
COLD WAR LA
P.O. Box 1882
Claremont, CA 91711-9882
**UPDATE**: Oral history collection will be wrapping up in August 2017. Submit your stories now to be included on the website and/or in the archives of the Fort MacArthur Museum in San Pedro.**
If you or anyone you know worked at a Nike Missile site, please contact us at coldwarexhibits@gmail.com to have your stories recorded and remembered for years to come. Stories can be any length -- short or long. We do not want to limit your memories! Submit via email or through the Contact Form in .doc, .rtf, or .pdf forms, or typed directly into the form/email.
If you have any photos (scanned or originals) that you would like to share related to the missile sites, please include as much information as possible (source, date, location, and names of any individuals in the photo, if applicable). To donate any photographs or items related to the Cold War to be included on the website and in the Fort MacArthur Museum collection, please send all information and items to:
COLD WAR LA
P.O. Box 1882
Claremont, CA 91711-9882
**UPDATE**: Oral history collection will be wrapping up in August 2017. Submit your stories now to be included on the website and/or in the archives of the Fort MacArthur Museum in San Pedro.**
PAST PROJECTS
11th Annual Archives Bazaar | L.A. as Subject
Come and celebrate the diversity of stories that make Southern California such a place of discovery. At the Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, presented by L.A. as Subject and the USC Libraries, anyone with an interest in the region’s history will find something of value. A broad array of institutions and archives will have experts on hand to show off their collections and answer questions—from the Autry National Center of the American West and the Los Angeles Public Library to private collectors whose materials fill the gaps left in the region’s history.
Saturday, October 15, 2016
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Doheny Memorial Library
USC University Park Campus
Saturday, October 15, 2016
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Doheny Memorial Library
USC University Park Campus
History Keepers: Traversing Los Angeles August 5–27, 2016
The California Historical Society and LA as Subject are launching a new exhibition showcasing objects that help us to tell and understand the history of Los Angeles. This exhibition celebrates Los Angeles’s remarkable history and the institutions and collectors who preserve the region’s stories.
Organized around the theme Traversing Los Angeles, the exhibition features items from around 30 archives in the Los Angeles area. The exhibit is at El Tranquilo Gallery & Visitor Center, part of El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, where Los Angeles was founded. See our submitted item among the other fascinating collections on display!
History Keepers: Traversing Los Angeles is on view at El Tranquilo Gallery & Visitor Center located at Olvera Street, El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, August 5–27, 2016, Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00am–4:00pm.
Organized around the theme Traversing Los Angeles, the exhibition features items from around 30 archives in the Los Angeles area. The exhibit is at El Tranquilo Gallery & Visitor Center, part of El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, where Los Angeles was founded. See our submitted item among the other fascinating collections on display!
History Keepers: Traversing Los Angeles is on view at El Tranquilo Gallery & Visitor Center located at Olvera Street, El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, August 5–27, 2016, Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00am–4:00pm.
Service and Other Stories: A Living History Project February 8, 2015 - January 8, 2016
Artwork by Farrah Karapetian
We attended the opening reception of the Exhibition "Service and Other Stories: A Living History Project at the Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro, CA, on February 8, 2015 from 2-5pm. We conducted short interviews of veterans who attend the event. These interviews will become part of the exhibition and also recognized throughout the gallery spaces during the year.
The exhibition is will on display from February 8 to March 27, 2015. This exhibition was developed by artist Farrah Karapetian, with assistance from veterans Joe Deeble, Mike Felch, John Warhank, and Justin Wilson.
The exhibition is will on display from February 8 to March 27, 2015. This exhibition was developed by artist Farrah Karapetian, with assistance from veterans Joe Deeble, Mike Felch, John Warhank, and Justin Wilson.
Old Fort MacArthur Days July 12-13, 2014
Cold War: L.A.'s representatives, Kelsey and Joseph, presented a booth at Old Fort MacArthur Days for Fort MacArthur's 100th year anniversary. With the aim of spreading the interest of the Cold War history of Los Angeles, promoting upcoming projects, and recruiting Cold War veterans for the current Oral & Written Histories project, they managed to engage a new audience during both days! Also exhibiting some of their Los Angeles Civil Defense collection, the booth served as an educational opportunity for all visitors. With over 1,500 participants and the large support of the public attendees, the event was a great success!
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Cold War Siren Saved! June 10, 2014
Siren at Sixth St. and Mills Ave, Claremont, CA
Up until the end of 2013, at Sixth St. and Mills Ave in Claremont, California, a Cold War siren stood to alert local citizens of nuclear attack. Although no longer in use, the siren remained “hidden in plain sight” on the Claremont Colleges campus. During a recent landscaping renovation of Claremont McKenna College, however, the siren was removed and transported to a storage yard, where it was left, without any clear plans on what to do next. Attached to the pole, measuring in at 32 feet long and weighing over a ton, the only plan for the siren was to have it remain laying on its side, and out of public view.
Co-founders of Cold War: L.A., Joseph Harper and Kelsey Picken, noticed that the siren was missing from its location and quickly tracked it down. Brian Worley, Facilities Director at CMC, provided the information needed to come up with a proposal to move the siren from the storage yard to its new home at The Wende Museum in Culver City. With the assistance of Professor Joshua Goode, Chair of the History and Museum Studies programs at Claremont Graduate University, Joseph and Kelsey’s proposal was quickly approved by the college and the city. Coordinating the efforts between CMC, CGU, the City of Claremont, and The Wende Museum, Mr. Worley played an integral part in ensuring the success of the project and overseeing transportation of the siren over 30 miles across the city to its new home. The Wende Museum plans to mount the siren back in an upright position at their new armory building, which opens in 2015. In the meantime, it currently sits in the back loading area of the building at 10808 Culver City Blvd., where it can be viewed from the street.
Co-founders of Cold War: L.A., Joseph Harper and Kelsey Picken, noticed that the siren was missing from its location and quickly tracked it down. Brian Worley, Facilities Director at CMC, provided the information needed to come up with a proposal to move the siren from the storage yard to its new home at The Wende Museum in Culver City. With the assistance of Professor Joshua Goode, Chair of the History and Museum Studies programs at Claremont Graduate University, Joseph and Kelsey’s proposal was quickly approved by the college and the city. Coordinating the efforts between CMC, CGU, the City of Claremont, and The Wende Museum, Mr. Worley played an integral part in ensuring the success of the project and overseeing transportation of the siren over 30 miles across the city to its new home. The Wende Museum plans to mount the siren back in an upright position at their new armory building, which opens in 2015. In the meantime, it currently sits in the back loading area of the building at 10808 Culver City Blvd., where it can be viewed from the street.
Progress Bulletin, Pomona, January 22, 1970
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The importance of this project for Cold War: L.A., The Wende Museum, the Claremont Colleges, and the siren itself, is tremendous. Collaborations such as these generate opportunities to save, restore, and protect history. Cold War: L.A. looks forward to continued work with the many individuals and organizations in the Los Angeles area that believe in the similar projects and are eager to make them happen. It is our hope that projects such as these will bring more awareness to the everlasting history and artifacts within and around the City of Los Angeles, as well as the state of California.
If you know of similar projects or opportunities, please contact us at coldwarexhibits@gmail.com. 
Siren after being delivered to The Wende Museum
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