The California Preservation Foundation announces the 4th Annual Doors Open California, offering exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of historic places statewide. Spanning September weekends, the event features over 70 unique sites, including hidden museum vaults and inaccessible historic buildings. For a $20 flat fee, attendees gain rare access to preserved architecture and enlightening stories across various cities. Some museums will offer free entry.
Time Warp: Union Theatre & Panorama
When: Sept. 13 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Where: 1122 W 24th St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
What: LA’s oldest purpose-built movie house (1910), now home to a 90-foot panorama of 1920s Shenyang—the only example of this Victorian art form on the West Coast. Explore the rotunda and the theatre’s neon “orange ball” sign that once guided silent-film audiences.
Note: Advance registration required → Tickets
Coastal Time Machine: Architecture at Rancho Los Alamitos
When: Sept. 13 | 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Where: 6400 E. Bixby Hill Rd, Long Beach, CA 90815
What: Guided tour of a historic ranch site with a layered history—from Tongva village to Spanish land grant, to working ranch. Features a preserved adobe, 20th-century gardens, barnyard, and archives.
Note: Sold out. RSVP required.
Time Capsule: Neutra’s Family Sanctuary
When: Sept. 13 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (hourly tours, 15 people each)
Where: 2379 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
What: Step inside Richard Neutra’s 1951 Reunion House, preserved with family artifacts, furniture, and drafting tools. Signature modernist design features include mitered glass corners and integrated fountain.
Parking: On Silverlake Blvd or Earl St. (not on Neutra Pl.)
Richard Neutra’s Midcentury Lab
When: Sept. 13 | 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (hourly tours, 25 people each)
Where: 2379 Glendale Blvd, Silver Lake (Los Angeles), CA 90039
What: Tour Neutra’s former office, originally the Planning Professionals Building (1950). Features classic Mid-Century Modern details and rare live/work elements.
Filmed at The Ebell
When: Sept. 14 | 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM (90-minute tours)
Where: 4401 W. 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90005
What: Go behind the scenes of the women-led Ebell of Los Angeles and Wilshire Ebell Theatre—featured in films from Forrest Gump to Oppenheimer. Explore the 94,000 sq ft campus with gardens, courtyards, and theatre.
Note: RSVP required, limited to 25 per tour.
Deco Dreams: Downtown LA’s Architectural Jazz
When: Sept. 14 | 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Where: Starts at Maguire Gardens, 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
What: A walking tour of DTLA’s Art Deco icons, including the turquoise Eastern Columbia Building and the opulent CalEdison.
Note: Sold out. RSVP required.
1931 Frozen in Time: The CalEdison Lobby
When: Sept. 14 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Where: 601 W. 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
What: Explore Downtown LA’s best-preserved Art Deco lobby, with black marble floors, gilded elevators, and a ceiling mural. Rare 4th-floor balcony access offers 1930s-era views of Pershing Square.
Elmer Grey’s Hidden Cathedral: 440 Elm
When: Sept. 14 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where: 440 Elm Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802
What: The 1913 First Church of Christ Scientist, designed by Beverly Hills Hotel architect Elmer Grey. Highlights include 30-foot coffered ceilings, Moroccan tile, stained glass, and a 2,500-pipe organ.
Where Echoes Gather: The Grand Rotunda of Fairfax High
When: Sept. 20 | 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: 1521 N. Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
What: Visit Fairfax High School’s historic rotunda, dedicated in 1938 and preserved through retrofitting. Features Spanish Colonial Revival design, intricate tile work, and a statue of Abraham Lincoln.
Artisans of Light: Historic Fixture Tour
When: Sept. 13 | 8:00 AM, 10:00 AM, or 12:00 PM
Where: 975 N. Enterprise St, Orange, CA 92867
What: Step inside a workshop where artisans create period-accurate light fixtures for landmarks like the Gamble House and Union Station.
Note: RSVP required, 20 people per tour slot.
