3 Factoids about Los Angeles Architecture! Amaze and delight your friends!

John Aaroe Group's new architectural division is sponsoring educational classes for its Realtors (I know we all think Realtors are expert on everything, but surprisingly, that's not the case...). I took the first class yesterday, taught by expert Eleanor Schrader Schapa, and learned many, many things.  Among the factoids and tidbits about L.A. building styles:
 - We all know adobe is basically sticks and mud.  In the 18th century, the binder used to hold it together was donkey pee.  I did not learn how the donkey pee was collected.
- "Craftsman" homes were so named because any craftsman/builder/dad-that-could-swing-a-hammer could put them together.  Sears Roebuck even sold craftsman homes in kits that contained all necessary building materials.
- Many people, including me and Walt Disney, have been enamored by the French Normandy style homes with their turrets and "witches' caps." In Europe around WWI and before, those turrets were actually bird coops.
I can't wait for the next class.