Web site puts L.A.’s cultural bounty at your fingertips

The Getty Conservation Institute and city officials have collaborated on a new web site that aims to be a one-stop-surfing destination for the culturally curious in Los Angeles.

HistoricPlacesLA.org has borrowed from sources like the National Register of Historic Places and city historic preservation zones to create a database of L.A.’s cultural heritage sites, everything from office towers and museums to delis and individual homes.

Users can search among nearly 30,000 entries entries by name, street or neighborhood as well as by design style, and specific industries, such as show biz.

Using a grant from the Getty Institute, L.A. officials have been

conducting surveys over the past five years to identify all of the city’s potentially historic sites. That survey is about 75 percent complete.

In addition to the edification of Angelenos, the site’s creators say it will be useful tool for tourists, talent scouts and developers, who can identify potential conflicts that arise from building on or near culturally significant sites.