No matter how many photos I see of 19^th century downtown Los Angeles, it’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that it’s the same city I know so well. Case in point: this photo facing south along Grand Ave across 2nd Street in 1886. The photographer was standing in front of the Richelieu Hotel at 142 S. Grand Ave at a time when Los Angeles had sidewalks but the streets weren’t paved over. It must have made it tough going for those horses and carriages during the rainy season.

This what the Richelieu looked like in 1958:

The Richelieu was razed during the flattening of Bunker Hill, but if it was still around today, this would be the view across the street: the Disney Concert Hall. This image is from December 2020.