Tag Archives: 1800s
The Shatto house, 1213 Valencia at Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, late 1890s
I know the upkeep must have been onerous and the dusting never-ending, but what a shame we no longer have many houses like this one. This was known as the Shatto house after George Shatto, who made a fortune in … Continue reading
The 200 block of South Olive St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1895
I guess it was inevitable that the genteel homes that filled the streets of what is now downtown L.A. would eventually give way to huge buildings, but a shame that we couldn’t have held onto some pockets of it. This … Continue reading
First Electric Car Line in Los Angeles, circa 1887
Every grand urban public transportation network starts somewhere, and LA’s—once the most extensive in the world (hard to believe now, huh?)—started with this. This photo’s caption was “First Electric Car Line in LA” which puts it circa 1887. Notice how … Continue reading
Downtown train service to Santa Monica, 1892
This marvelous photo shows the arrival of a train from downtown L.A. into Santa Monica in 1892 (on what would have been the Los Angeles-Santa Monica Railroad, which later merged along with other lines to become the Los Angeles Pacific … Continue reading
Hollenbeck Hotel, corner of Spring St and 2nd St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1895
It’s remarkable to think that downtown L.A. was once filled with glorious structures like the Hollenbeck Hotel (corner of Spring St and 2nd St) seen here in the foreground of this circa 1895 photograph. Look at the detailing on the … Continue reading
Los Angeles County Courthouse from the corner of Temple Street and Broadway, circa 1900
Imagine if downtown L.A. still had all its glorious Victorian buildings—what a different place it would be. This shot is circa 1900 and shows us the magnificent Los Angeles County Courthouse, which stood on the corner of Temple Street and … Continue reading
Vegetarian Restaurant / Cafeteria, 315-319 West Third St, downtown Los Angeles, circa turn-of-the-century
Dr Brian Smith says: “That was part of the Saint Helena Sanitarium operated under the auspices of the Seventh-Day Adventists who also ran the College of Medical Evangelists in Loma Linda – now called Loma Linda Medical University and the … Continue reading
Third Street, Santa Monica, 1891
Given how it looks today, it’s hard to imagine that Third Street in Santa Monica was ever the quiet, unpaved road that it was in this photo from 1891.
Los Angeles City Hall, Broadway, downtown L.A., circa 1890
Los Angeles City Hall is one of the most iconic buildings in L.A., perhaps even in the country, party because for decades, it was the tallest building in L.A., partly because it played the role of “the Daily Planet building” … Continue reading
Birdseye view of Sunset Boulevard and the Robinson residence looking north from Fort Moore, Los Angeles, ca.1886
Who’d have thought that Sunset Boulevard ever looked like this? This is a birdseye view of Sunset looking north from Fort Moore in 1886. Fort Moore was in what we now call downtown L.A. around about where Broadway crosses the … Continue reading