It takes some imagination to picture a building like this existing in downtown Los Angeles, but thankfully we have this Kodachrome photo taken on June 10, 1957 to remind us what the heart of LA looked like once upon a time. We’re looking south down 7th St from Flower St. That lovely building on the left was called Martz Flats and was located at the southeast corner. It was filled with a number of different businesses, the most prominent being “Paris Embroidery.” I doubt you could find that sort of store anywhere in downtown these days. Well, that is to say outside the fashion district, perhaps.

** UPDATE ** – Built in 1890, the Martz Flats building came down in 1965 to make way for – yep, you guessed it – a parking lot.

This is how that same view looked in June 2024. Not a single embroidery thread in sight..