To be considered a historical landmark, buildings must be at least 50 years old and contain at least one Founding Father's skeleton. Feel history in your bones with this Groupon.
Choose from Three Options
- $20 for an individual membership (a $40 value)
- $30 for a dual membership for two people in the same household (a $60 value)
- $50 for a supporting membership (a $100 value)
Members receive a 50% discount on regular walking tours, during which docents unveil the secrets of structures such as the 89-year-old Biltmore Hotel, where politicians, movie stars, and royalty have demanded extra mints on their pillows. Members also get advance notice and discounts on the Last Remaining Seats series—classic-film showings and live entertainment in majestic venues such as the Orpheum Theatre—and on special Conservancy tours. A subscription to the Los Angeles Conservancy News keeps members apprised of architectural info.
In addition to the above benefits, supporting members get a 10% discount on Conservancy merchandise and an architecture-tours guidebook, and see their name printed in the newsletter. If Groupon buyers redeem their membership by January 15, they will receive a special invitation to a New Member tour that will be scheduled early next year. When the deal is purchased as a gift (and redeemed by the aforementioned date), both the gift giver and recipient will be invited to the tour.
Los Angeles Conservancy
If you've ever stood on the second floor of the Los Angeles Central Public Library and marveled at the explosion of color within the rotunda or the 12 adjacent murals depicting California history, then you have the Los Angeles Conservancy to thank. When the library was scheduled for demolition in the mid-1970s, concerned citizens formed the Conservancy to save the rotunda, the exterior limestone sculptures, and the library's many other architectural treasures. The group finally convinced the City Council to preserve the library in 1983, after years of public discussion, debate, and book-sniffing sit-ins. Ever since, it has advocated for greater Los Angeles's historic sites and educated people about the city's architectural heritage. The Conservancy is responsible for saving and revitalizing landmarks such as the former Cathedral of St. Vibiana, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, and the world’s oldest remaining McDonald’s restaurant.
To accomplish its mission, the membership-based nonprofit offers a number of ways people can experience these beautiful and storied places. The Last Remaining Seats series earned a Reader Recommendation for Best Film Series and Best Downtown Event in the Los Angeles Downtown News' 2012 poll, in which the conservancy’s walking tours also earned the title of Best Downtown Tour. But the organization does more than save grandiose public buildings: increasingly, it also focuses on smaller community projects such as garden apartments and sites that reflect the area's rich Latino culture.
Executive director and 20-year Conservancy veteran Linda Dishman explained to Patt Morrison of the Los Angeles Times, "People are becoming more vocal. …That's one of the great secrets about Los Angeles: People really identify with their neighborhoods." The Conservancy also presents annual preservation awards to honor the efforts of individuals who fight to save places such as Pann’s Coffee Shop and Griffith Observatory.