The opening of the plush Biltmore Hotel overlooking Pershing Square in October 1923 changed the face of Los Angeles. The city now had a five-star hotel that could compete with the best hotels anywhere in the country and would go on to become the epicenter of L.A.’s social life, hosting balls, galas, weddings, Academy Awards ceremonies, and presidential campaigns. This photo was taken when the hotel was still under construction. Enough of it had gone up for Angelenos to get an idea of what it might look like, so I’m guessing this was probably taken (back when Pershing Square was a leafy green space) late in 1922. The photographer would have been standing on the grounds of the State Normal School (which was a teachers college.) It would later be replaced by the Central Library, which still stands on that site.
Dear Martin,
I believe this photo was actually taken from the West side of the hotel. The give away are the buildings in front of the hotel. They were located on Grand Avenue because the hotel didn’t extent to Grand until later when an addition was done. The photographer was standing on the grounds of the State Normal School on what was known then as Normal Hill. The Normal School was a teachers college. The school moved to Vermont Avenue and later became UCLA. The Normal School buildings were torn down in the mid-20’s and the site became the Central Library.
In 1924, the California Section of the American Ceramics Society met at the Biltmore. Every big name in California Ceramics and Pottery was therein represented including Poxon, Tropico/Gladding McBean, Empire of Burbank, Pacific Clay, etc. Here is where the movement in California Pottery & Chinaware takes root and begin a fashion lasting to the 1980’s. Article and photo of gathering in link here: https://books.google.com/books?id=GsNlZtU1U4IC&pg=PA454&lpg=PA454&dq=charles+j.+poxon+the+poxon+pottery&source=bl&ots=anCHuo5HGO&sig=ACfU3U1Mxzq_fPSWV_zbrp123Uzi23669Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivgYXo2Y_6AhXpLzQIHWoSB9QQ6AF6BAgIEAE#v=onepage&q=charles%20j.%20poxon%20the%20poxon%20pottery&f=false
An additional find from this was the information on the 1926 expansion of the Poxon Pottery plant (Vernon) with actual locational information. It was found as listed under the name of Charles J. Poxon rather than George J. Poxon who was the genius founder. (The plant was later changed to Vernon Kilns.) Some researchers believed that George may have been involved with the Catalina Island pottery around this time. He later comes back to Los Angeles to help set up Wallace China (Huntington Park) which was organized by some of the old investors in Poxon. Of course everyone knows Bauer, Pacific, Franciscan, Vernon, Metlox, etc…but this period is where it takes off. I’m giving the Biltmore ten extra points for historical significance just for hosting that 1924 conference. The link to that 1926 news snippet: https://books.google.com/books?id=jaXmAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA282-IA28&lpg=RA2-PA282-IA28&dq=the+clay+worker+charles+j.+poxon&source=bl&ots=Y5e9Bwn-B4&sig=ACfU3U3mJnkZ_nsIJElCl5guFboq3V4orA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiijq3U4I_6AhWOAzQIHY5SC5IQ6AF6BAgIEAE#v=onepage&q=the%20clay%20worker%20charles%20j.%20poxon&f=false