In 1949, Life magazine did a photo spread around Los Angeles with Marlon Brando. It’s hard to imagine the Brandon of latter years agreeing to something like that, but in 1949, he was still an up-and-comer, having slayed Broadway audiences for two years in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” In this photo he is walking along a virtually empty Olvera Street at the edge of downtown. These days it’s super-crowded with stalls and shops and restaurants so it’s amazing to see it so empty and deserted.

Pico House opened in 1870. It was a big deal at the time because it was the first luxury hotel of its type to open in Los Angeles. This shot is from 2015: