This is a fine example of how a photo of what would have been an ordinary street scene can tell us so much. This is a Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car running up Larchmont Blvd to Melrose Ave not far from Paramount in 1931. The fact that people just waited in the street like that with no barrier protection kind of amazes me. I love how both guys are wearing suits and hats. And look at those cars parked along the curb—it looks like finding a park along Larchmont was as tricky back then as it is now!
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I wonder what the building is in the background? There was nothing like it on Larchmont and could it be the central library downtown? I have no idea what route that car would take, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it eventually went west on 3rd St. and then turned north on Larchmont to Melrose.
I recall that those cars had cement floors!
My curiosity got the better of me and I searched out the #3 line. There is a website showing the routes of the old L.A. railway and it appears that #3 line did, in fact, go west on 5th St. to Beaudry, and then meandered around for a bit, eventually heading west on 3rd St. and turning north on Larchmont.
I spent a lot of time in the central library and I knew there was something very familiar about that building in the photo, even though one can only see the street portion of it.
I’m not familiar enough with Larchmont Blvd to know its significant buildings, but I did wonder what one was and if it was still around. So thanks for that research, Jim!
I used to work on Larchmont just above Beverly Blvd. Larchmont is only about 6 blocks long. I used to take the bus on Melrose and get off on Larchmont and walk south two blocks to work. I don’t remember seeing a building like this but Rossmore has some older apartment buildings that are similar. I wish there had still been a trolley line when I worked there to go to some of the restaurants on Third Street.
From 1924 to 1930, “3”-line service was Lincoln Park to Alsalce out on West Adams. (This was a co-terminus with the “A”-line sevice.) Cars traversed Broadway, Hill (pasing Pershing Square), and other roads to cross downtown mileage. In 1931, the number was reassigned for Central Station outward with Larchmont as a leg near the terminus. This lasted to 1947 and included the PCC cars. Afterwards, bus related services. Film footage from the second era can be found in a Barbara Stanwyck movie from 1932..see the PERYHS section on LARy numbered lines to find it mentioned with the exact time stamp.