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Those with an affinity for local history and cartography will be pleased by the LA Public Library’s LA Unfolded exhibit, opening this Wednesday, October 15 at the Richard Riordan Central Library.

The show brings out a number of rarely seen and largely forgotten maps from the library system’s own collection, including early surveys of the pueblo that would one day become the second largest city in the nation, a ’70s-era guide to East Los Angeles murals, and the original names of many familiar streets and neighborhoods.

Most notably, Angelino Heights was once spelled with the more correct “-eno” suffix; Calle de las Flores became Flower Street; and Calle de los Negros became Los Angeles Street. Many more thoroughfares were lost to redevelopment and auto-oriented planning.

Explore how once-expansive Spanish/Mexican ranchos gave way to small towns and subdivisions over time — such monikers as Rancho las Ciénegas and Rancho los Felis may strike a familiar chord. Others, such as Rancho San Rafael, were lost to history; only a residential street named after the original land designation in Northeast Los Angeles remains.

You may not have to be a map nerd to appreciate the history of El Pueblo de Los Angeles, but maps are one of the best ways to see just how much the city changed after a century of explosive growth.

LA Unfolded at the Central Library
630 W 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
October 15, 2008 - January 22, 2009
Second-Floor Getty Gallery
 lapl.org