Back when downtown Los Angeles was considered the central heart of L.A., Pershing Square was considered the heart of downtown. For most of that time, Pershing Square was a lush park, filled with trees and shrubs and paths and fountains. It was a quiet, shady oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Somewhere along the line, it lost all that and became just a lawn. I’m not sure when this photo was taken, but in 1952 all the trees were taken out of Pershing Square because a multi level parking structure was built, so I’m guessing this image comes from the mid-to-late ‘50s. (The red brick Beaux-Arts in the background is the Biltmore Hotel which is still around today and looks largely now like it does in this photo.)