In this photo, we’re looking up Hill St from 4th St in downtown Los Angeles. In the distance, we can see the arches of (I think) 2nd St before it angled up the Bunker Hill slope. This photo was taken in 1939, when the streets of Los Angeles featured at least three things we don’t see anymore: five-globe streetlights (far right), semaphore traffic signal (far left), and up the center, a streetcar. From the sign, it looks like it’s going to the corner of Adams (Blvd) and Alsace (Ave), which I had to look up. It’s the stretch of Adams Blvd as it starts to head into Culver City, which is quite a distance from where this photo was taken.
This is roughly the same view in February 2022, where nothing in the 1939 photo remains.
The arches are actually the double bore Hill Street tunnels where Hill Street went through the Hill at First Street. The tunnel on the left was originally for street cars while the tunnel on the right was for automobiles.
Thanks Gordon!
The “A” line car has probably made its’ way in from Temple Street in that era along a roundabout course to get to the dual gauge trackage on Hill for the rest of the run. The Hill Street tunnels were strictly Red Car with tunnel #2’s south portal across Temple angled northeastward to achieve Sunset. Old Pacific Electric (pre-1911 merger) took over Temple from the Cable Railway that had opened the route out to the new “suburbs”. But it was handed over to L.A. Railway to become part of their city network.
Tunnel #1 was dual-gauged to handle Yellow Cars coming in from Temple Street. Tunnel #2 was Red Car only with a single portal at each end.
Dates for LA Ry. use of Tunnel #1 are 1939 to 1947, when the “A” Line service was discontinued under the LATL control. (The “2” and “L” lines opened the joint trackage. LA Ry routes went through some major changes later.) The PE abandonment was in 1950 with Tunnel “1” then converted to all auto for a few more years. Busses used this tunnel also.
The present picture looks like a ghost town. Not much there to have a lot of foot traffic, I guess. It is kind of sad. Seems like in the 1930’s photo, there were a lot more people out shopping and strolling. Must be because there were a lot of stores around. Now, it seems like there just is not much to motivate people to get out.
I always like to point out that the Google Street View vehicles, which provide these images, usually like to drive around busier city streets really early in the day to avoid traffic, people and anything else that might impede their progress. If they have to go up and down multiple city streets they certainly don’t want to do it when there’s a lot of impediments that would take them a lot longer.
Very good point, Martin.