Tag Archives: 1800s
Residence of General Harrison Grey Otis, 2401 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, circa early 1900s
In 1881, General Harrison Grey Otis (a Union Army officer during the Civil War) started the Los Angeles Times, and in 1898, built this home on the north side of Wilshire Blvd at Park View St. It overlooked Westlake Park … Continue reading
The Ralphs brothers stand outside their first Ralphs store on the southwest corner of Sixth and Spring Sts, downtown Los Angeles, 1886
The name “Ralphs” probably won’t mean much to anyone outside Southern California, but to Angelenos it’s a well-known supermarket grocery chain. What we’re looking at here is their first store, which stood on the corner of Sixth and Spring Sts … Continue reading
Looking north toward the junction of Main and Spring Streets, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1900
** UPDATE **- I didn’t get the facts right on this one. See below from the comments by Al Donnelly for more accurate information. Looking at this photo makes me think of that L.P. Hartley quote from “The Go-Between” – … Continue reading
Glen-Holly Hotel on the southeast corner of Ivar and Yucca Sts, Hollywood, circa 1890
The bucolic building we’re seeing here is Hollywood’s second hotel. The first one, the Sackett Hotel, was on the southwest corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga Blvds. This one was called the Glen-Holly Hotel, and it opened 7 years after the … Continue reading
A new electric streetcar passes an old cable streetcar at the corner of Spring and 1st Streets, downtown Los Angeles, 1896
One name for this 1896 photo could be “Out with the Old, In with the New.” A new electric streetcar is passing an old cable streetcar at the corner of Spring and 1st Streets in downtown LA, looking south. And … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 1800s, Downtown Los Angeles, Horses, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars
2 Comments
View of Pershing Square, then called Sixth Street Park, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1890
Having lived in Los Angeles since the mid-1990s, I’m used to a Pershing Square that’s filled with large concrete balls, expanses of tile, and a weirdly abstract, angular tower. In 1952, the park was excavated to build an underground parking … Continue reading
Unitarian Universalist Church at Chestnut and Raymond Sts, Pasadena, California, 1890
What a remarkable building this is! I wouldn’t have even picked this as a church, but apparently it was the Unitarian Universalist Church located on the southeast corner of Chestnut and Raymond Streets in Pasadena. The photo was taken in … Continue reading
Parade float built for La Fiesta de Los Angeles showing a miniature of the Mt Lowe hotels and incline railway, Los Angeles St, downtown Los Angeles, 1895
One of the most popular tourist attractions in turn-of-the-century Los Angeles was to ride a cable funicular railway called The Great Incline to the top of Echo Mountain to a 70-room hotel. What we’re seeing in this circa 1890s photo … Continue reading
Brunson Mansion, 347 S. Grand Ave at 4th St, downtown Los Angeles (undated)
Photos like this reminds us how much Los Angeles lost by neglecting its grand Victorian mansions found mostly in the Bunker Hill area of downtown, and whose ultimate fate was to be scraped when the city carved the top off … Continue reading
Looking down on Broadway from 3rd St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1895
A couple of days ago, I posted a circa 1906 photo looking north up a bustling Broadway. This one is much the same view, but from Third St and taken from what looks like the rooftop of one of the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 1800s, Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Hall, Streetcars
1 Comment