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An image inside the Bureau of Street Lighting Museum with different types of lights.

Los Angeles Museum of Street Lights

Museum

The Bureau operates and maintains the Street Light Museum, a unique L.A. experience. The exhibit presents the history of street lighting in Los Angeles featuring early decade street lamps in their original glow and design up close. The Bureau is currently working on a series of renovations to enhance the visitor experience, including adding streetlights, designing a museum guide for visitors, and creating a web e-guide.

Tour

The Street Lighting Museum is accessible via scheduled monthly tours or by appointment. For more information, please fill the Contact Us form. Select the 'Streetlight Museum (Tours Every 3rd Wednesday of the Month @ 10am)' option from the request menu.

Historical Photos of Street Lights

    Late 1800’s
    Historical black and white photograph of a 150-foot moonlight tower in Los Angeles during the late 1800s
    1900’s – 1920’s
    Historical photo of a five-globe Llewellyn street lamp on a busy Los Angeles street, circa 1910.
    Early 20th-century ornamental concrete post with four spherical glass globes, positioned near a staircase.
    Single-globe decorative fluted street lighting post from the 1920s, showing an elegant narrow profile.
    1920’s – 1930’s
    B&W photo of a single rectangular glass lantern on a tall fluted metal post.
    Color photo of a single lantern post situated along a park walkway.
    Single spherical globe on a simple decorative concrete post near a sidewalk.
    Close-up detail of a 1920s ornamental lantern with a pointed metal finial.
    Single rectangular lantern post overlooking a city skyline at dusk.
    Tall single-lantern post positioned next to a row of palm trees.
    Full view of a decorative street lamp in front of a historic Victorian-style house.
    Single lantern post with a curved 'bishop's crook' style arm.
    Close-up of an ornamental 1930s cast iron bracket with a dragon-head motif.
    Modernized double-arm street light on a busy commercial boulevard.
    Distinctive dual-globe ornamental post situated in a public plaza.
    B&W photo of an ornate twin-globe lamp post in front of the arched stone entrance of a historic building.
    Deep green fluted base of a decorative street lamp with gold accents.
    Studio-style shot of a single rectangular lantern on a slender fluted post.
    B&W night shot of a single lantern post casting light on a historic storefront.
    B&W photo of a tall, heavy-duty industrial street lamp from the 1930s.
    Twin-globe ornamental post with a highly decorative 'wedding cake' base.
    High-angle B&W shot of an ornate post featuring a built-in street sign.
    Color shot of a modern city building with a 1920s-style post in the foreground.
    Art Details/Close-Ups
    Close-up shot of an ornate green metal lamp post base featuring intricate floral relief carvings and a square access panel.
    Front-facing close-up of a decorative lamp post base showing a detailed crest and the year 1910 embossed on the metal access door.
    Modern Lights
    Sleek, curved grey streetlight pole on a city sidewalk overlooking a multi-story building.
    Tall street lamp with three arched horizontal arms positioned over a wide road.
    Industrial street lamp with a rectangular horizontal light fixture near a busy intersection.
    Modern light pole standing in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre and green manicured trees.
    Ornate, dark-colored traditional lamp post on a brick pedestrian walkway near an arched building.
    Very tall, thin high-mast lighting pole at a road junction under a hazy sky.
    Classic fluted lamp post with an acorn-shaped glass globe on a residential grass parkway.
    Standard cobra head street lamp curved over a quiet residential street with mature trees.
    Simple concrete or metal light pole with a long, sweeping arched arm over a sidewalk.
    Minimalist tapered street lamp positioned in front of suburban houses.
    Slim grey streetlight standing on a sidewalk next to a multi-story apartment building.
    Bridges and Tunnels
    Historic bridge lamp post with a tall central spire and two flanking lanterns on a stone balustrade.
    A concrete bridge pylon supporting a tall central pole flanked by two lower lantern fixtures.
    Street Lighting Field Office
    Several decorative green metal lamp post bases sitting on wooden pallets in an outdoor yard.
    Long, curved metal street lighting poles stacked horizontally in a maintenance yard.
    Bundles of straight metal light poles stacked in a paved storage area under a clear sky.
    Five vintage glass and metal lanterns mounted on blue brackets against a white wall.
    Variety of historic street lamp globes and shades displayed on a warehouse wall.
    A person standing next to an oversized green ornate lantern to show scale in a museum.
    A tall, dark green decorative lantern with frosted glass panels and a pointed finial.
    An industrial pendant light featuring a bulbous globe hanging within a dark oval metal frame.
    A six-sided gothic style lantern with textured glass, hanging from a wall-mounted bracket.
    Two classic metal lanterns with glowing warm lights displayed side-by-side on a shelf.
    A series of diverse historic street lanterns illuminated on a blue wall display shelf.
    Interior view of a museum hallway lined with numerous lit vintage street lanterns and people.
    An array of various industrial and residential street light fixtures mounted to a low ceiling.
    Night-Time Photos
    Black and white historic aerial photo of the Los Angeles Basin at night in 1908 showing sparse city lights.
    Wide panoramic view of the Los Angeles city grid illuminated with glowing amber and golden streetlights.
    Nighttime view from a mountain peak overlooking the sprawling, brightly lit carpet of Los Angeles city lights.
    Black and white photo of a busy Los Angeles street at night with neon signs, cars, and bright street lamps.
    Repair Equipment
    Historic black and white photo of workers using a tripod crane on a truck to install a decorative lamp post.
    Maintenance crew in hard hats and safety vests using a yellow crane to guide a tall concrete light pole into place.
    A row of antique open-cab utility trucks parked in a maintenance yard, shown in a sepia-toned vintage photo.
    An aerial view of a row of modern yellow flatbed and utility trucks parked in a paved city lot.
    Black and white photo of a flatbed trailer loaded with large concrete light poles in a construction yard.
    A yellow utility bucket truck with an extended boom arm being used by a worker to service a streetlight.
    General Interest
    A variety of modern streetlights of different heights and designs installed in a single display row.
    Silhouette of a cobra head streetlight and palm trees against a golden sunset and the Los Angeles skyline.
    Black and white technical line drawing of a decorative twin-lantern streetlight post with ornate flourishes.
    An acorn-style street lamp standing next to a street name sign on a lush, tree-lined residential corner.
    An ornate twin-lantern street lamp in the foreground with the iconic white tower of Los Angeles City Hall behind it.
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