In a big, bustling city like Los Angeles, precious few places remain much the same as when they were built. That’s especially true of downtown L.A. where buildings are constantly razed and replaced. So it’s nice to come across a photo – from the 19th century, no less – and see a building that has barely changed at all. This photo of the Bradbury Building at Broadway and Third St was taken in 1894, a year after it opened. The buildings around it have changed, we no longer see horses and carriages, the streets themselves are now paved over, but the Bradbury remains intact. And thank God too, because it’s interior is like nothing else in all Los Angeles.
Roughly the same view in June 2015
The interior of the Bradbury Building features an enormous skylight that fills the terracotta atrium with a golden glow.
The Bradbury Building is best in person. I haven’t seen any photographs that give you the same sense as being in the space. And it was the first building the architect ever designed, if I remember correctly.
Yes you do remember correctly. And yes, the Bradbury is a spectacular building which virtually impossible to capture in a single photograph!