Most early photos of Hollywood Boulevard focus on the Hollywood Hotel at the corner of Highland Ave. But this one, dated 1906 (i.e. three years after the hotel opened) shows us what stood west of the hotel in its early days. These days, of course, the area is relentlessly commercial but back then it was a residential street of large homes. In fact, it looks like a lovely neighborhood to take an after-dinner summertime stroll around.
And from Davelandweb, comes this photo of the hotel, also from 1906. It was smaller back then and underwent several extensions.
The camera angle in the first image would suggest that it was taken from the upper floors of the Bonnie Brier Hotel on the SW corner of Highland and Hollywood (Prospect) at a point between initial construction and opening years. So that should give an actual dating. The sidewalk ran along the hotel frontage and looks very new in the image. Additional information might be based upon the paving dates of the roadway surrounding the rail lines.
Most early photos of Hollywood Boulevard focus on the Hollywood Hotel at the corner of Highland Ave. But this one, dated 1906 (i.e. three years after the hotel opened) shows us what stood west of the hotel in its early days. These days, of course, the area is relentlessly commercial but back then it was a residential street of large homes. In fact, it looks like a lovely neighborhood to take an after-dinner summertime stroll around.
The camera angle in the first image would suggest that it was taken from the upper floors of the Bonnie Brier Hotel on the SW corner of Highland and Hollywood (Prospect) at a point between initial construction and opening years. So that should give an actual dating. The sidewalk ran along the hotel frontage and looks very new in the image. Additional information might be based upon the paving dates of the roadway surrounding the rail lines.