Murals in Los Angeles

May 07, 2024

The City of Los Angeles holds thousands of murals amongst other types of street art. There is a long history of mural painting in California with the Mission San Miguel built in 1821 holding a wall fresco mural. Special Collections & Archives holds many resources that highlight mural paintings in the Los Angeles Area.

In the Frank del Olmo Collection, photographs of the Estrada Courts Chicano murals can be found in box 150. The garden-style Estrada Courts public housing project was originally completed in 1942 and then expanded in the 1950s. Located at 3232 Estrada Street, Estrada Courts is operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. In the 1970s during the Chicano Movement, large murals were painted throughout Estrada Courts. Estrada Courts Chicano Murals: Aztec God, 1973, photograph by Fitzgerald Whitney, Frank del Olmo Collection

In the Kistler Printing and Lithography Collection, a 16-page pamphlet can be found describing the murals that were commissioned for the lobby of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance building designed by the famed architect Paul R. Williams. Located at 1999 West Adams Boulevard, the building has one mural by Hale Woodruff (1900-1980) and another by Charles Alston (1907-1977). The Woodruff mural is called the Negro in California- Settlement and Development. The Alston mural is called the Negro in California--Exploration and Colonization. At one time, Golden State Mutual was one of the largest Black-owned companies in the United States. Although Golden State Mutual closed in 2009, the building was purchased and restored, and the murals remain in the lobby.

Box 214 of the Rodolfo F. Acuña Collection includes a photograph of a mural at Lincoln High School. In 1968, Lincoln High School was a site of Chicano student walkouts. In 1990, Roberto Delgado completed the mural on the Lincoln High School Theatre in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the national Chicano student organization, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan (MEChA). Lincoln High School can be found at 3501 North Broadway. Box 138 of the Acuña Collection includes a picture of the Tree of Knowledge or the "Read" mural located at the Anthony Quinn Library. Commissioned by the Chicana Action Service Center, the mural was created in 1978 by muralist Josefina Quezada (1925-2012). The Anthony Quinn Library is part of the Los Angeles County Library System and is located at 3965 Cesar Chavez Avenue.

Then, in box 485 of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Collection, a picture of the Learning Tree mural can be found. Located at the Plaza de la Raza, Alfredo Diaz Flores created the 500 square foot Learning Tree mural in 1975. Flores designed the mural to highlight the achievements of the Mexican community in California. Edward R. Roybal and Ruben Salazar are featured on the mural as are the CSUN spaghetti letters and the CSUN library. The Plaza de la Raza is located at 3540 North Mission Road.

Artist Richard Wyatt, Jr with his mural Hollywood Jazz: 1945-1972 at the Capitol Records building, 1990, Roland Charles Collection With the Capitol Records building in the background, a picture of artist Richard Wyatt, Jr (1955-) and his ceramic tile mural can be found in box 3 of the Roland Charles Collection. The Hollywood Jazz mural measures 26 by 88 feet and was painted in 1990; and then subsequently restored using ceramic tiles by Wyatt in 2012. A number of different musicians are shown in the Hollywood Jazz mural including Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald. Finally, also in the Roland Charles Collection, we have the “See the World Through Childrens' Eyes” mural panel pictures. Taken on April 11, 1988, the mural panels were displayed at the Baldwin Hills Elementary School. Although no longer displayed, the pictures speak of the diversity at the school.

CSUN's University Library will soon have its own mural on the first floor honoring the land upon which our campus stands. The CSUN Tataviam Mural Project is a collaborative artistic endeavor between the artist Lindsay Carron, Tataviam tribal leadership, and California State University, Northridge.