In this photo we’re looking north up Broadway from 9th St. On the right, we can see the construction site for the Orpheum Theatre. It opened February 15, 1926 as a vaudeville theater, so we can date this photo to 1925. Since undergoing a $3 million refurbishment, in the early 2000s, the Orpheum is now one of the best operating theaters in downtown Los Angeles. These days, the striking turquoise-tiled Eastern Columbia Building (now lofts) stands opposite the Orpheum. But that building was still 5 years away when this photo was taken.

Susan M said: “I remember to the early 30s when it still pretty much looked like this up that street. I used to think the E. Columbia Building was quite the big deal. By the time of my early memories of downtown, the Richfield Building had been completed as well. We used to go in both often while downtown. But probably the downtown building I like the best as a kid was the public library on 5th. It was filled with magic far as I was concerned. On our trips down there, we used to have lunch typically. I like The LA Athletic Club, Bullocks Tea Room, The Biltmore main dining room and good old Ptomaine Tommy’s over near the old zoo in Lincoln Heights. During the depression, Tommy’s fed a lot of folks who could not afford a meal. Mom used to always pay extra for our lunches there to help out. The Athletic Club used to make huge pots of soup to donate to several of the downtown soup kitchens. I remember one soup kitchen that was down by the rail yards near where the flower mart used to be.”

Roughly the same view in September 2021. That Eastern Columbia Building is on the left.