Tag Archives: 1800s
Temperance Temple of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, 301 N. Broadway at Temple Street, downtown Los Angeles, 1890
In this photograph, we have the Los Angeles headquarters of an organization the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. It was founded in 1874, the stated purpose of creating a “sober and pure world” by abstinence, purity, and evangelical Christianity. Its constitution … Continue reading
Earliest-known photo of Los Angeles, looking east over the Los Angeles Plaza from Fort Moore Hill, circa 1862
Apparently this is the earliest-known photo of Los Angeles. Taken in around 1862, the anonymous photographer was standing on Fort Moore Hill, which is a block or two north of where the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels now … Continue reading
Cyclists ridge eastbound on and unpaved Pico Blvd from Western Ave, Los Angeles, 1890
I wouldn’t want to try riding a bike down the middle of Pico Boulevard (from Western Ave) these days but this group of half-dozen cyclists don’t have to worry about dodging trucks and SUVs the way they would today. On … Continue reading
Southern Pacific train depot parking lot filled with horse-drawn carriages, Santa Ana, California, 1887
“I’ll meet you in the parking lot” had a whole different raft of challenges back when the people used horses and carts to get around. This was a typical scene in 1887 when Angelenos came to meet the Southern Pacific … Continue reading
Farmhouse at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Western Ave., Hollywood, 1895
It’s hard to imagine that Hollywood was ever this rural, even in 1895, when this photo was taken. This farmhouse stood at the corner of Western Ave and Hollywood Blvd (which back then was called Prospect Ave (it wouldn’t be … Continue reading
Looking north along Spring St from First St toward Hamburger’s Department Store, downtown Los Angeles, 1887
The Los Angeles we see in this photo is unrecognizable from the LA we know today. The year was 1887 so that electric streetcar we see amid the horse-drawn carriages would have been a brand-new sight for the Angelenos captured … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 1800s, Downtown Los Angeles, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars
Leave a comment
Corner of Spring and 2nd Streets, downtown Los Angeles, 1895
Before there were movie stars and studio lots, Hollywood Hills mansions with million-dollar views, before automobiles and freeways, rows of iconic palm trees silhouetted along the horizon, urban sprawl, City Hall and the Watts Towers, there was this LA. It … Continue reading
Passengers line up to board the Overland Train at La Grande Railway Station, Los Angeles, 1893
These passengers are preparing to board the Overland Train (which ran between Chicago and Los Angeles) at the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe Railway’s La Grande Depot which used to stand between today’s 2nd and 3rd Streets in downtown … Continue reading
The Second Street Cable Railway, Los Angeles, circa mid to late 1880s
If you look closely near the bottom center of this photo, you’ll see the Second Street Cable Railway streetcar rattling along the line that ran from 2nd & Spring to 1st & Belmont in what is now downtown Los Angeles. … Continue reading
Santa Monica Beach, California, 1887
This photo is one of the earliest shots of Los Angeles I’ve come across. This is Santa Monica beach in 1887. I’m pretty sure these dozen or so people had their entire beach to themselves, which for this modern-day Angeleno … Continue reading