There’s a lot going on in this photo looking east along Wilshire Blvd in 1934. There is a center divider but no individual lanes so it’s a keystone-kops-esque free for all. On the left, past the open-air double-decker bus is a sign that reads “ENTRANCE AMBASSADOR HOTEL AND SHOPS.” I’ve never seen it before so I’m wondering how long it lasted. In the medium background we can see the spire from the Immanuel Presbyterian Church, and past that, the tower of the building which houses the Bullocks Wilshire department store, both of which are still around.
John J. says: “The Ambassador sign was the main entrance to the Hotel located on the west property line. You can see most of the church in the photo. The buildings in front of the church are part of the movie theater, parking garages and servants quarters west of Catalina.”
This is roughly the same view in December 2020 – barely recognizable!
I remember hearing that the Ambassador Hotel had a remodeling in 1936. It is likely that the entrance shown in the photo was changed at that time. When the hotel was razed for the high school, one of the conditions was to retain the features of the entrance. You can see the Streamline Moderne features today opposite Alexandria Avenue.
I noticed the other day that the Ambassador’s statue at the beginning of the driveway is still there, which made me very happy.