Real Estate: How House Museums in Los Angeles Strive-And Sometimes Struggle-To Achieve Authenticity

<p>In the early 1990s, authenticity become a buzzword in the heritage tourism industry as the characteristic that sets historic sites apart from other tourist attractions such as amusement parks. Scholars have examined–with much skepticism–sites such as Colonial Williamsburg and other east coast institutions that tout the presence or recreation of authenticity. However, in Los Angeles, research into authenticity, while focusing on various forms of tourism, excludes heritage sites such as historic house museums. In this dissertation, I will argue that this absence in the literature is due to the city’s reputation for being future focused. Additionally, the sites that have avoided the wrecking ball are primarily recognized for their artistic or architectural merits––emphasizing an advantage that artists’ homes have when it comes to preservation in the area. To fill this gap, I will examine the concept of authenticity in the historic house museums of three artists in the Los Angele area: the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for the Arts and Crafts, the Eames House, and Will Rogers State Historic Park.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

History, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Arts and Humanities

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Lawlor, Bridget Denery

Contributors dc:contributor

• Janet Farrell Brodie
• Dan Lewis

• Artist homes
• Authenticity
• House museums
• Los Angeles
• History

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/660

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1682