Researching is discovering documents. But the documentation of buildings is uneven, with a handful documented in-depth and the majority not documented at all. The extant literature of architecture is also not merit-based, so many important historic landmarks are not well-represented in print.
When there is nothing directly related to the building, look for documents related indirectly—especially about the place where or time when it was built.
If the building has a distinctive function be sure to include that in your searches. This works best when function is something other than a house, apartment or office building (e.g. "the first fire station in Los Angeles").
BEWARE OF BUILDING NAMES
Searching the name yields nothing? People and pets have names, buildings don't. You may encounter a building referred to by
Note that the last three items all refer to the same building. When researching your building, stick to more clearcut search terms, like the building’s location and the designer's name (e.g. " 633 West 5th Street, Los Angeles" and "Pei Cobb Freed").
UN-DOCUMENTED STRUCTURES
It is sad but true that most of the structures in this world are built, used, grow old and vanish without a single document remaining to note they ever were. Even famous landmarks can have surprisingly thin literatures. But if the architectural press is negligent, the forces of government and commerce are not.
For under-documented structures explore city government departments connected with building permits, planning, engineering and safety. Often they have copies of construction documents on file and other records that reveal a structure’s history.
The Sanborn corporation has documented buildings for insurance purposes since the 1800s; they are the standard source of building footprint maps. Digital Sanborn Maps are available via the Los Angeles Public Library. Their holdings for Los Angeles cover 1888-1955.
For under-documented structures explore city government departments connected with building permits, planning, engineering and safety. Often they have copies of construction documents on file and other records that reveal a structure’s history. You’ll need to know the street name and number, and perhaps the assessor’s parcel number. Los Angeles Dept. of Building & Safety often has copies of construction documents on file that reveal a structure’s history. Get the street name and number, and perhaps the property parcel number (e.g. in Los Angeles County, the Assessor Identification Number (AIN) available via the Property Assessment Information System).
