Watch, Read, Listen

Historian Steven Usselman traces how one breakthrough technology—the deep well centrifugal pump—triggered an unfolding cascade of change that reshaped the Golden State, both literally and figuratively. Conceived for use on citrus ranches such as those owned by Henry Huntington, these intricate mechanical marvels spilled over into many domains, including water management, food processing, oil drilling, and aviation.

Architectural historian Barbara Lamprecht explores a little known but key aspect of Richard Neutra’s unique contribution to architecture: designing environments that fused constructions and site to create “soul anchorages” or “habitats.” Renowned for his sleek interpretations of Modernism, Neutra’s first job after World War I was as a gardening assistant to one of Switzerland’s most famous early purveyors of Modern landscape design. Neutra later integrated his knowledge of plants with ideas about evolutionary biology’s role in human well-being. The program is presented as part of the California Garden & Landscape History Society Lecture Series.

Li Wei Yang, curator of the Pacific Rim Collection at The Huntington, retraces the history of Chinatown in Los Angeles using old Chinese Restaurant menus from the You Chung Hong Family Collection.