Tag Archives: 1800s
A streetcar approaches to the intersection of Boyle Ave and 1st Street, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, 1895
Along with Angelino Heights to the north of downtown L.A., Boyle Heights to the city’s east is one of the places where Los Angeles’s 10-million-people sprawl first began. In this photo from 1895, we see a streetcar approach the intersection … Continue reading
Queen Anne style mansion known as “The Castle,” 325 S. Bunker Hill Ave, Los Angeles, circa 1890s
This late Victorian mansion was built around 1888 and stood at 325 S. Bunker Hill Ave in downtown Los Angeles. Known locally as “The Castle” (it had 20 rooms and a three-story staircase) it took a battalion of staff to … Continue reading
Looking down Bunker Hill along Second Street, downtown Los Angeles, January 1887
In this photo from January 1887, we can see how steep Bunker Hill was before the city flattened it in the 1950s. We’re looking down Second Street where the streetcars ferry passengers who were, I’d imagine, glad they didn’t have … Continue reading
A horse-drawn omnibus brings public transportation to Los Angeles, 1873
By the 1920s, Los Angeles had one of the most comprehensive network of public transportation in the world. Like most things, though, it had a humble beginning, and this photo shows us how it all started. On September 22, 1873, … Continue reading
The first Los Angeles Times Building at Broadway and First Street, downtown Los Angeles, 1886
This is one of the earliest photos I’ve ever posted. It shows us the Los Angeles Times building at Broadway and First Street, downtown Los Angeles before it gained its iconic tower, and before the whole thing got destroyed by … Continue reading
Pasadena’s first telephone exchange, 1898, with Claude Braden, night operator
Spare a thought for poor Claude Braden, who got stuck with the job of night operator of Pasadena’s first telephone exchange in 1898. I don’t know how many telephones Pasadena had at the end of the 19th century, but judging … Continue reading
A new cable line on Broadway, downtown Los Angeles, June 1889
The Angelenos on this streetcar might have been among the first ride that line heading for Downey Ave, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. This photo was taken in June of 1889, when it was still quite new. How different downtown … Continue reading
The largest searchlight in the world on Echo Mountain on Mt Lowe, north of Pasadena, California, 1910
In the land where citizens would bring a searchlight to the opening of a supermarket (see: https://wp.me/p5XK3w-WL) it seems fitting that it would also be home to the world’s largest spotlight. This 60-inch wonder of the electric age was first … Continue reading
The North Beach Bath House salt water plunge, Santa Monica beach, California, July 1901
Back around the turn of the century, going to the beach meant more than throwing your towel down onto the sand and cracking open a paperback. You also had the option of going to a public bath house. This photo … Continue reading
Hotel Arcadia, the first upscale hotel on Santa Monica beach, circa late 1800s
California’s plentiful sun and fresh sea air has long been a draw for ailing and half-frozen Easterners. So finally landing on California soil must have been a relief—especially if this is where they dug in their toes. This is the … Continue reading