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At 1520 Polk Street sits one of Hollywood’s historic treasures: the Hammerstein House and Research Center, home of the Hollywood Historical Society.

Originally the residence of Clarence P. “Hamm” and Vera Hammerstein, the house was left to the city of Hollywood for the use of the HHS, which maintains it and keeps it much as it was when Hamm and Vera lived there. Hammerstein House welcomes visitors for tours, events and exhibitions throughout the year, but it’s the extensive Archive in the Research Center which is the heart of the organization, and the go-to resource for all information on Hollywood’s past.

There, Dr. Joan Mickelson, PhD, historian and professional archivist, Lesley Lee Yuen, Mary Beth Busutil, Marion Fording and Jean Morford all give tirelessly of their time and expertise to put everything into the Research Center systems and retrieve the information when needed. When asked for info on a Hollywood person, place, building or event, they get to work, digging through the society’s