This “slice of life on the streets of downtown Los Angeles in 1937” photo actually has a lot worth noting. In the background, we can see Loew’s State Theatre—when it opened in 1921, it was the West Coast flagship for Metro Pictures, which later evolved into MGM. I also love the elaborate street lamp on the left hand side, and the light fixtures suspended from the corners of the overhang. But most of all, I like how the woman in the foreground is carrying a brown paper package tied up with string.
This photo is looking from the opposite direction in 1943:
The overhang with the lights is still there intact:
Loew’s State Theatre is also still there – like many of the theaters that dotted Broadway, it is now a church. This one is called Catedral de la Fe:
This “slice of life on the streets of downtown Los Angeles in 1937” photo actually has a lot worth noting. In the background, we can see Loew’s State Theatre—when it opened in 1921, it was the West Coast flagship for Metro Pictures, which later evolved into MGM. I also love the elaborate street lamp on the left hand side, and the light fixtures suspended from the corners of the overhang. But most of all, I like how the woman in the foreground is carrying a brown paper package tied up with string.
When we first moved to L.A. in 1937, my Dad worked downtown at 7th & Hill. Best wishes and love, L&M.