Dateline>City of Angels

Turn your back for a moment around here and the bulldozers literally move in.

Little more than a week ago I posted a short piece on the Mack Sennett marker that stands along Glendale Blvd., a stone’s throw from where the famous Keystone Studio was once located. Since then, all of the buildings that once surrounded it have been mowed down. Word has it that the tract is being cleared for a multi-unit residential project. (Why anyone would want to reside along the Glendale Freeway’s noisy and congested off-ramp is beyond me — but then, that’s life in Angel City.)

Although excavations lead right up to its footing, the obelisk appears safe for the time being. However, asking around, I’ve yet to discover what fate ultimately awaits it. As L.A. City Nerd points out, it’s not a true civic historical marker, so presumably it can vanish at the property owner’s whim. Obviously, I hope he incorporates it into his new development, given how it’s such an important link to the area’s past.