This rather atmospheric building was known as the Amestoy, and it stood at 260 N. Main St, downtown Los Angeles. Constructed in 1887, by the mid 1950s, when this photo was taken, seventy years of air pollution had blacked its walls—except on the first floor around Fagan’s Fountain, although it looks like Fagan’s is no longer open. On the other side of the street we can see the sign for a bar called The Stake Out. It was a favorite hangout for police officers as it was across from headquarters, which was then located in City Hall. Not surprisingly, this building came down within a couple of years of this photo being taken.
Color photo of the Amestoy Building, downtown Los Angeles:
Street names have changed since the vintage photo was taken, so I’m not sure where the Amestoy once stood, but this is the view you get when you plug in 260 N. Main St. If anybody knows a more precise location, I’d love to hear from you. This image is from December 2020.
Since the address is an even number the building would have to be on the east side of the street (even numbers for the east side or south side) across City Hall. The cross street appears to be Market Street, which no longer exists.
Original name of Market Street was Requena. Reportedly… First office building, and First building to have elevator. Notice left signage is Fagan’s Cafeteria.
The US Hotel occupied the other corner until the 1930’s. It was about four years older than the Amestoy Building, and is a spotting feature in the back of other photos. Apparently a “Dairy Lunch” (un-named) earlier occupied the ground floor where Fagan’s went in.
Domingo Amestoy was a very interesting fellow.
“The construction of Amestoy Block took some time during the 1880s to complete. A note in the Los Angeles Herald reported in March of 1883: “The necessary brick and lumber having arrived, after a long delay, work is again going ahead on the massive Amestoy Building, on Los Angeles street. The timbers for the second story are in place, and bricklayers are at work on the walls. When completed, it will be one of the finest wholesale business buildings in the city. And this suggests that one of the most unsightly corners in the business part of the city, adjoins the Amestoy building on the south, being the northwest corner of Los Angeles and Requena streets. The other three corners are already occupied by elegant and substantial edifices, which, by contract, make this corner an eye sore. Who, among our enterprising citizens, will put a building on this corner, to match the fine buildings on the other three corners?” https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/20159/
The adjacent structure is in a photo looking up Requena from south to north. Identified as the lower heigth Newmark building in summary.
My best guess is that the Amestoy stood approximately where City Hall East stands today.
I would have liked to have seen the inside of the Stake Out. Its successor was a bar called Code Seven (named for the code used by LAPD to indicate the end of their shift), which was on 1st Street, across from City Hall South. It had a remarkably long stairway from the dining area down to the restrooms in the basement. This would represent a challenge when a patron would attempt to navigate them after imbibing several of the bar’s potent Long Island Iced Teas. Or so I’ve been told.
I can’t believe they demolished this building. It’s should be criminal honestly
You’ll get no argument from me!
FYI, for anyone interested.
There’s a somewhat crude recreation of the Amestoy building in the video game LA noire.
it’s still a nice tribute i guess.
I’ve never played it, but apparently that game has all sorts of wonderful recreations of LA’s yesteryear.