Camera Obscura

Built in 1898 by Mayor Robert F. Jones, nephew of city founder Senator John P. Jones, the Camera Obscura started life on the beach as a tourist attraction charging 10 cents a viewing. It became one of the attractions on the Balloon Route streetcar tour of Los Angeles. In 1910, the city bought the device and moved it to Linda Vista Park (now Palisades Park) to attract tourists. The camera has been in its current building, designed by Weldon J. Fulton, since November 1955. It once reflected a burglary in real time. A ship’s wheel lets visitors rotate the turret to capture images 360 degrees around the building, projecting live upside-down views of the beach and Palisades Park onto a white disc.