LOS ANGELES, CA.- SurveyLA, the City’s first-ever comprehensive program to identify significant historic resources throughout Los Angeles, will have a special citywide kickoff celebration on April 4, 2009, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles. The day’s activities will include the opportunity for the general public to share neighborhood stories, join a panel discussion moderated by KPCC Air Talk Host Larry Mantle, and view the award-winning video SurveyLA: Preserving Los Angeles.

SurveyLA marks a coming-of-age for Los Angeles' historic preservation movement, and will serve as a centerpiece for the City’s first truly comprehensive preservation program. While Los Angeles has a rich and diverse cultural heritage and a remarkable architectural legacy, 85% of the city has never been surveyed to identify these significant historic places. The groundwork for the citywide survey was laid by the Getty Conservation Institute, with the project coordinated by the City of Los Angeles’ Office of Historic Resources.

SurveyLA's citywide launch will appropriately be held at the Los Angeles Central Library – a historic icon and Los Angeles' true civic crossroads.

During the day-long event, called “MYhistoricLA: Preserving Los Angeles,” the public is invited to meet staff and volunteers from the Office of Historic Resources and share their special stories about local buildings or their neighborhoods. Participants also are invited to join KPCC-FM Air Talk host Larry Mantle from 1pm – 2:30 pm for a lively panel discussion with city officials, preservationists, community organizers and developers discussing the key issues surrounding Los Angeles’ citywide survey. Seating is limited, and reservations are recommended – visit www.aloudla.org. Screenings of the award-winning video SurveyLA: Preserving Los Angeles also will be offered.

Historic preservation professionals will be conducting the survey over the next three years in communities throughout the city. With pilot surveys already underway and the citywide rollout of SurveyLA is scheduled to begin this summer, City officials are asking for the public’s help to identify historic places that might otherwise be overlooked. All participants in “MYhistoricLA” will be asked to tell the survey team about at least one Los Angeles “hidden gem” – a lesser-known building, place, or neighborhood that they consider historically or architecturally significant.

For more information, visit www.surveyla.org, or www.getty.edu.