I look at a photo like this – we’re facing north up Spring St from 3rd Street in downtown Los Angeles – and all I can think of is how noisy it must have been. In this 1902 photo we have automobiles sharing the road with horse-drawn wagons, electric streetcars, bicycles, and (brave) pedestrians. Between the bells, klaxons, horns, neighing, clip-clopping, and good old-fashioned shouting, this scene must have been quite the racket in real life.
This is roughly the same view in June 2022. It’s the opposite of the 1902 view. Not a soul in sight!
How come in the 1902 picture there are so many people on the sidewalks and streets? Was it because of the numerous stores that lined the street? The 2022 picture, except for the cars, looks like a ghost town!
What would be your best guess as to why the current street scene is so barren?
What Bill said!
I suspect the second photo was taken on a weekend. I worked at 4th and Spring for a few years in the mid-1990s while City Hall was being earthquake retrofitted and generally rehabbed and there were always people on the sidewalks and a lot more cars than we see in this photo. Having said that, there still were noticeably fewer people than in the 1902 photo. I’d hazard a guess that one big reason is that downtown Los Angeles in 1902 was where a lot of people actually made their homes, so in the photo we’re seeing downtown residents running errands, along with employees going to and from offices and shops.
And also, if you’re the one driving the routes for the GSV car, you’re probably going to choose to navigate busier streets at times when there’s the least amount of traffic and such.