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Founded in the
mid-1970s, the Regional Cultural History Collection was originally conceived
as a repository for the papers of outstanding Southern Californians, with
a particular emphasis on political figures. To that end, the papers of
several elected officials were acquired, among them Congresswoman Yvonne
Brathwaite Burke, Congressmen Alphonso Bell, Chet Holifield, Craig Hosmer,
Gordon McDonough, and Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz.
In 1982 USC History
Professor Doyce Nunis proposed to California Governor Jerry Brown Jr.
that he place his gubernatorial papers with the RHC. Then California
Secretrary of State March Fong Eu protested that the papers belonged
in the State Archives but despite her vigorous actions, Brown's papers
were transferred to the new home of the Regional History Collection
at 3440 South Hope Street, a building known at that time as the
Armory.
In addition
to elected officials' papers, the collections
have grown to include a range of materials such as the papers of the Century
Freeway project, the Webster and Christopher Commissions, the Los Angeles
Area Chamber of Commerce, early Los Angeles city directories, and the Los
Angeles Examiner clippings morgue. Visual materials
have rounded out the scope of the Center's collections and now include
three notable photographic collections: the Los Angeles Examiner, the California
Historical Society, and the "Dick" Whittington. The Regional History Collections
now contains close to two million images documenting one hundred years
of Southern California history. Many of these images have appeared in books,
documentaries, class presentations, and wall decorations; currently many
of them are being incorporated into the Digital
Archives.
Other
prominent Los Angeles regional history collections may be found at:
The
Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
Seaver
Center for Western History Research
The
Huntington Library
The
Los Angeles Public Library Regional History Resources
UCLA
Department of Special Collections California Collections
The
Braun Research Library of the Southwest Museum
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