From Gerald Cloud, Clark Librarian.

The Clark has always been interested in its own history and the library maintains a substantial collection of letters, receipts, invoices, and other materials that document both the construction of the building and the formation of the collections (recall the earlier entry: “I’ll-bet-you-didn’t-know-it-was-at-the-Clark, part 1: an introduction to Mr. Tenniel” ).  The Clarkive, as it is referred to locally, is a rich resource for the book trade as well as the building trades, albeit, at the higher end of the scale.  IN keeping with our efforts to document the Clark, its building, and the contemporary period in which Mr. Clark lived in Los Angeles, we recently acquired the following book from local bookseller John Howell:

The title of the guide will be familiar to automobile-dependent Angelenos, but this Blue Book aims to provide a comprehensive survey of Los Angeles land values, circa 1932.  The area it covers is shown in this key map:

Of greatest interest to the Clark is page 149, which shows how our West Adams neighborhood looked before the 10 freeway was built.

The guide is illustrated with various building types and a wealth of information on real estate and property values.  Mr. Clark passed away shortly after the publication of this guide, so the Los Angeles shown here is the one he knew at the end of his life.