HISTORICAL RESEARCH GUIDE

Welcome to our guide to researching historic properties in the City of Los Angeles (of course, some of the resources listed here will also provide information about other cities as well). This guide is broken down into four sections based on typical research needs:

Researching the site (i.e. the land)
Researching the building
Researching the people and events associated with the building
Additional resources

You might need to use all of these sections (i.e. if you're preparing a landmark nomination) or just one (i.e. if you're looking for specific information, such as a construction date). Some research must be conducted in person, while a growing amount of information is online. Each section addresses both types of resources if available.

If you find any information that is out of date or incorrect (or if you know of resources that we’ve missed), please contact the Conservancy at (213) 623-2489 or info@laconservancy.org. Good luck!

Researching the Site

A legal description typically includes tract, block, and lot/parcel numbers. It will be useful later on in the research process as a way of identifying your property when searching for relevant documents. The legal description is available from the County Assessor’s Office, but can be easily accessed from the assessor’s website as well.

In addition to the legal description, the assessor’s office and website can provide the following information:

• Property information
• Recent sale information
• Most recent roll values
• Legal description
• Building description, including year constructed for many properties.

From the main page of the website:

• Click on “Property Sales & Maps”
• Agree to the disclaimer (if you agree with it)
• Type the address of the property you wish to research, and click submit (Note: The system is very particular about the way the address is typed. Omit “W., S., Street, Blvd., etc. Instead simply type the street number and street name. Example – 3540 Figueroa, instead of 3540 S. Figueroa St.)
• Your search may return multiple results. Click on the Assessor’s Identification Number (AIN) corresponding to your address (also take note of the AIN).
• To the right will appear a panel containing the information listed above. To the left is a basic parcel map. You may click on “View Assessor’s Map” to view a more detailed map of the property’s area.
• After pulling up the assessor’s map, note the Map Book Number, usually denoted by initials MB followed by a string of digits. It is usually found directly underneath the tract name or number. If there is more than one, take down both, as your property may exist on more than one tract. This information will be necessary when searching for tract maps at the Bureau of Engineering. (Note: the first number in the MB No. denotes the map book, and the second number denotes the page number or numbers on which the tract map is located within the map book)

Additional information can be found by visiting the Assessor’s main office, in downtown Los Angeles.

Tract Maps
Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering
Central Records
Public Works Building
1149 S. Broadway, #B-10
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 847-0700
http://eng.lacity.org

Tract maps offer detailed information about the location of the property, and the area surrounding it. They may also give you information about the original owner of the land on which your property is located, and previous subdivisions of the land. Original tract maps are available from the Bureau of Engineering’s Records Department. Many tract maps are also available on the Bureau of Engineering’s website, and can be accessed using the Assessor’s Identification Number (AIN), or the Map Book Number (MB No.).

Tract maps at the records department of the engineering bureau are available on a microfilm aperture card format. To access these records:

• Visit the public counter at the records department of the engineering bureau.
• Provide the staff with the MB number that you recorded from the assessor’s map.
• A staff member will pull up the corresponding aperture cards containing original and more recent tract maps for the property.
• The aperture cards can be viewed on the viewers in the public area of the office.
• Printouts of the tract maps are available for a printing and processing fee.

Original tract maps often are accompanied by tract descriptions that may include the names of the original owners of the tract on which your property is located, and the subdivisions of this land. This description usually begins “Being a subdivision of…” and is usually found under the tract name or number on the map, or on an accompanying page, if it is a detailed description.

The Bureau of Engineering has made an extensive effort to make as many of their documents available to the public through their online electronic vault. Many tract maps, as well as additional information, can be found at the Bureau of Engineering’s website, http://eng.lacity.org.

From the main page of the website:

• Click on “Search Vault Records.”
• Click on Number 1, “View Plan,” because you should know the MB number.
• In the “Search for Plan” drop down menu, select MB.
• In the “Enter Plan Number” box, type in the first number of the MB number (This corresponds to the specific map book in which your tract map is found). Do not type in the page number after the dash (Example: If your number is MB 23 – 55, type only the 23). Click “Go.”
• A list of results will be returned. The first column will correspond to the map book number. The third column will correspond to the page number. Scroll through the listings to find the page number that corresponds with the number after the first dash in your MB number.
• Once you’ve found the correct page number, click on “View” to view the tract map.
• If your MB number contains a range of page numbers (ex. MB 23 – 55 – 57), the contained page numbers and tract maps will be listed following the first page in the column titled sub page numbers. Each page will have its own entry in the listing.

Tract maps that are scanned into the electronic vault are often less legible than those found on aperture cards at the Bureau of Engineering. Printouts at the department are usually full sized and easier to work with.

In addition to tract maps, many more documents that may be useful are available for viewing on aperture cards at the Bureau of Engineering Records Department.

For a recent (6 – 12 months old) satellite view of your property's site, you can visit Google's map page.

To view image:

• Visit Google Maps
• In the search box, type in, as specifically as possible, the address of your property.
• If a variety of options appear to the right of the map window, select your address. Otherwise, a map of your property's area will appear.
• In the top right corner of the map window, click on “Satellite.” A satellite image of the site will appear.
• Using the gauge on the left of the map, you can zoom in and out of the image.