In the late 1800s, the most prominent mansion in Los Angeles belonged to Margaret Crocker. It sat at the corner of 3rd and Olive streets. This photo was taken from the veranda looking down 3rd. The building on the left with the tower is the old City Hall on Broadway between 2nd and 3rd. The building on the right is the Bradbury at 3rd and Broadway which, somewhat miraculously, survives to this day. It’s probably the only thing in this photo that does.
Looking east along 3rd Street from the Crocker mansion, downtown Los Angeles, 1894
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Tagged 1800s, Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Hall
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National Kanteen and Magnus Root Beer restaurant and Texaco gas station, 766 Vine St, Hollywood, circa late 1920s
Although 766 Vine Street is in the heart of Hollywood (just south of Waring Ave), I love how small-town-local this photo feels. It’s probably from the very late 1920s, and shows us a two-pump Texaco gas station teamed with a Magnus Root Beer restaurant. Personally, I do love me some root beer, but I’m not sure how you build a restaurant around it. It all looks very new so maybe this was taken on opening day.
That site is now occupied by a restaurant called The Oinkster. (This image is from May 2019.)
Aerial photo of the Hollywood and Vine intersection, Hollywood, 1931
Most photos of the famed intersection of Hollywood and Vine are taken at the street level. This aerial shot from 1931 shows us a bird’s eye view. We can see the Equitable, Taft and Broadway buildings in the lower right part of the photo, all of which are still with us. It’s interesting to see how many private homes dotted and open land dotted the cityscape, especially the apartment building that stood where the iconic Capitol Records building now stands in the center of this image.
Looking east along Hollywood Blvd from the roof of the Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, California, April 1932
In this photo we’re treated to a bird’s eye view looking north up Hollywood Blvd from the roof of the Roosevelt Hotel. It was taken in April 1932, so Grauman’s Chinese would have been gearing up for the lavish premiere of MGM’s all-star “Grand Hotel” on April 29th ahead of an 11-week run. We can also see the parking lot next to the theater, and across Orchid Avenue (now gone) the Hollywood Hotel (also gone) sits nestled among a thicket of trees. On the north side of the Highland Ave corner is the Hollywood First National Bank building, which is still around but stands empty, which is surprising considering its prime location.
Here’s an auto-colorized version which I think brings it to life rather well:
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Tagged Grauman's Chinese Theater, Hollywood, Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood Hotel, Theaters
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Hollywood Blvd as Santa Claus Lane at night, Christmas 1933
Beginning in 1928, a one-mile stretch of Hollywood Blvd between Vine St and La Brea Ave transformed into in “Santa Claus Lane.” This atmospheric shot was taken during the holiday season of 1933 on a rainy night when the wet road gave the image an almost film-noir texture. The two towers of the Warner Brothers radio station, KFWB, on top of their theater really stand out. Those triangles were electrified metallic Christmas trees, and that large circular thing on the left had the portrait of a movie star in the middle. It sure must have been a delight to walk down Hollywood Blvd that time of year.
Universal Studios staff play in the snow Universal City, Los Angeles, 1916
Snow falls across Los Angeles so rarely that when it does, it’s newsworthy. It’s also worth stopping what you’re doing and go outside and play in the snow because it probably won’t last long. That’s what these seven people are doing out front of Universal Studios (plus an eighth to take the photo.) I’d love to know who these people were. This is only three years after the studio lot was renamed from “Oak Crest Ranch” to “Universal City” so maybe they were the entire front office.
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Tagged Movie Studios, San Fernando Valley, Snow, Universal Studios
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Frank Capra filming “Meet John Doe” in fake rain at Wrigley Field Stadium, Los Angeles, 1941
Filming a scene with hundreds of extras is enough of a headache, but Frank Capra had the additional challenge of filming this scene from Warner Bros. “Meet John Doe,” at night AND in the rain. Being Hollywood, it was of course fake rain, which we can see pouring from huge spouts. This scene was shot in 1941 at Wrigley Field, which was a baseball stadium that stood near University of Southern California from 1925 to 1969. I bet everybody in this photo was glad when Capra decided he’d shot what he needed and sent everybody home.
Color photograph Wilshire Blvd cutting through MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, circa 1950s
In this photo we’re treated to a color view of Wilshire Blvd heading east toward downtown Los Angeles, cutting through MacArthur Park. Until 1942, the park was known as Westlake Park, but was renamed MacArthur Park in honor of General Douglas MacArthur.
Corner of 1st and Spring Streets, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1890s
This shot of 1st and Spring Streets in downtown Los Angeles was probably taken in the 1890s. We can see one of the early electric streetcars rolling up Spring Street at it curves to the right (Spring Street no longer does that) toward Hamburger’s department store (started in 1881.) The only other vehicles we can see are horse-drawn—it won’t be long until that situation changes on the streets of L.A.
Tony V says: “The first of Asher Hamburger’s stores, The People’s Store opened in 1881, but one block east on Main and a few blocks north on Requena Street. The store on Spring was his second one.”
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Tagged 1800s, Downtown Los Angeles, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars
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Looking north up Hill Street toward the Warner Theater at 7th Street, downtown Los Angeles, 1942
This slice-of-life photo gives us a glimpse of downtown Los Angeles early in WWII. We’re looking north up Hill Street to the 7th Street intersection where 2000-seat Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre stood. (It’s still there but is a jewelry store now.) The double bill at the time was “Lady For a Night” (released January 1942) and “The Male Animal” (released April 1942) so the people we can see here were still adjusting to life a few months after Pearl Harbor. I wonder if that’s the photographer’s bicycle we can see leaning on the curb.
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Tagged Downtown Los Angeles, Streetcars, Theaters, Warner Bros., WWII
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