Bordered by Hill, 5th, Olive, and 6th Streets, Pershing Square has long been considered the center of Los Angeles, but it’s only been called that since November 1918, when it was renamed after General John Pershing, who rose to prominence during WWI. This photo was taken before that, when it was still called Central Park, which had been its name since the early 1890s. Look how peaceful and welcoming it is. Lots of grass and shade and that lovely fountain in the middle. It’s not like that now, but there are plans to give Pershing Square a makeover, so fingers crossed it they return it to a lush oasis in the middle of a bustling city.
This satellite image shows Pershing Square in 2021:
This auto-colorized version does a pretty good job of showing us what the park looked like in real life:
What a civilized, beautiful park to relax in momentarily, away from the churning hubub of the city. And now…? Nobody in their right mind would venture within a quarter mile of the place. Gee, I wonder what happened?
I’m pretty sure that’s Hill St on the right (with the streetcars) which means that’s 5th St along the top.
Would that be 5th St on the right? One building looks like the Biltmore, but it’s in the wrong place and the Biltmore didn’t open until 1923. Can’t get me bearings here, but it’s a remarkable photo!
Yes it’s Hill on the right, 5th at the top, and Olive on the left. The Biltmore hadn’t been built yet when the photo was taken.
I wonder what those two buildings are on the right side of the far side of the park?
As I recall, some of the deforestation of the park occurred when underground parking was built beneath the park.
I don’t know what those buildings were but you’re right about how all the trees had to come out when the city decided to build a parking lot underneath it.