This circa mid-1950s photo of the Angels Flight funicular pulling into the Hill St station in downtown Los Angeles has been colorized by ‘Imbued With Hues.’ I think they’ve done a pretty good job of giving us an idea of what it would have been like to actually stand at that corner that day. I don’t know if the colors of those cars are realistic (feel free to weigh in) but the Angels Flight arch and carriage are spot on. (The carriages are named Olivet and Sinai.)
For those of you who prefer their vintage photos non-colorized:
Angels Flight is still there, although its surroundings have completely changed. This image is from December 2021:
The reason the surroundings have changed is mainly because it’s now in a different location- a couple of blocks south.
Ah yes, good point. Thanks, Michael.
Originally located at the southwest corner of 3rd Street and Hill St next to the 3rd St tunnel, Angels Flight was moved half a block south to its present location opposite Grand Central Market.
Thanks Gordon.
In the first episode of the first season of HBO’s version of Perry Mason, there are some amazing shots of Angels Flight in action. Even knowing it’s all CGI and green screen, it feels like we’re there in the 1920s.
Having lived on Bunker Hill before redevelopment forever altered it, I can attest to the authenticity of its recreation in Perry Mason. Yes, much of it was CGI and green screen of necessity, but it was the real Angels Flight. They even recreated the drug store next to it that stood there in the era. I went down to watch the filming.
Oh really? So that was the real Angels Flight in the new “Perry Mason”?!?! I wouldn’t have guessed that!
my brothers and I would take the Red Car along Santa Monica to the train station then we would go up Angels to Bunker Hill. During the Christmas holidays we would walk up the downtown to see the department stores window displays.
What’s wrong with the final photo? It looks like two halves have been spliced together on that bottom archway. Does it really look that way? And, in the original location, it was amazing at night…just like new Chinatown was then.
Yep, Al, that’s the way it looks. The imagery that Google Maps Streetview uses tends to distort things.