This craftsman cottage was once home to artist Touko Laaksonen (aka Tom of Finland), internationally renowned for his illustrations of well-endowed, leather-clad beefcakes in all sorts of erotic scenarios. Today the property is home to the Tom of Finland Foundation, dedicated to cataloging Laaksonen's work and supporting erotic artists. Tours of the collection are available on request and the venue also runs life-drawing sessions, usually on the second Sunday of the month (check the website).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Echo Park Lake

0.42 MILES

Surrounded by shingled craftsmen homes that rise with the steep streets and looming hills to the north, and blessed with keyhole Downtown views to the…

2. IAm8Bit

0.6 MILES

When production company IAm8Bit isn't producing crazy, creative launches and events, it's curating equally out-of-the-box, multimedia exhibits. Past shows…

3. Dodger Stadium

0.89 MILES

LA loves its Dodgers, and the team's ballpark (circa 1962) is one of Major League Baseball’s most classic and most beautiful. It's best experienced at a…

4. Neutra VDL House

1.42 MILES

Built in 1932, burnt to a crisp in 1963 then subsequently rebuilt, the light-washed former home and laboratory of modernist architect Richard Neutra is a…

5. John Ferraro Building

1.43 MILES

Home to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, this 16-story Ferraro-designed classic dates back to 1964. While it isn't LA's biggest, tallest or…

6. Chinatown

1.49 MILES

Walk north from El Pueblo and you'll breach the dragon gates. After being forced to make room for Union Station, the Chinese resettled a few blocks north…

7. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

1.5 MILES

LA is unlike any other city, and this cathedral is unlike any other cathedral. Seat of the US's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese (some five million…

8. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

1.53 MILES

Downtown's '60s-era concert hall was home to the LA Philharmonic (until it moved to the acoustically superior Walt Disney Concert Hall) and frequent venue…