Tag Archives: Downtown Los Angeles
Crowds of Angelenos pack both sides of Broadway to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt, downtown Los Angeles, 1938
We’re looking north up Broadway in downtown Los Angeles from 7th Street. According to the caption for this photo, those crowds of Angelenos packing both sides of the street came to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was 1938, which … Continue reading
Angels Flight funicular descends toward Hill St through a blanket of smog, downtown Los Angeles, 1958
When I first saw this photo of the Angels Flight funicular in its original location next to the Third Street Tunnel, I thought “How wonderfully atmospheric to ride Angels Flight amid swirling fog.” But then I read the caption which … 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
Cordova Hotel at 808 S. Figueroa St, on the southeast corner of 8th St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1910s
I don’t know a lot about the Cordova Hotel which stood at 808 S. Figueroa St, on the southeast corner of 8th St in downtown Los Angeles other than the four-story building opened in 1913. But hey, what a stunning … Continue reading
Looking across Bunker Hill near where Olive St meets 2nd St, downtown Los Angeles, 1955
This shot gives us a soon-to-be-demolished glimpse of what Bunker Hill at the northernmost end of downtown Los Angeles looked like in 1955. The two streets we can see here are Olive St and 2nd Street, where downtown was still … Continue reading
Color photo of an electric LA Transit Lines trolley coach approaches the intersection of 5th and Hill Streets, downtown Los Angeles, circa mid-1950s
In this colorful photo, we’re watching an electric LA Transit Lines trolley coach (a successor to the LARY streetcars) approach the intersection of 5th and Hill Sts in downtown Los Angeles. However, I’m more interested in the background – specifically … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Downtown Los Angeles, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars
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Pacific Electric Red Cars bound for Glendale and Hollywood sit on tracks below the Subway Terminal building at 4th and Hill Streets, downtown Los Angeles, undated
Though dimly lit and hard to make out, this photo glows with atmosphere. The (rather brave, I think) photographer was standing on the tracks that those four Pacific Electric Red Cars were about to take to Glendale and Hollywood. This … Continue reading
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Tagged Downtown Los Angeles, Streetcars, Trains and Railways
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Looking north up Broadway from 7th St during a Shriner convention, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1925
Back in the first half of the 20th century, the busiest intersection in Los Angeles was where Broadway meets 7th St. And so it make sense that a good number of photos from that era LA were taken at, around, … Continue reading
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Tagged Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles, Shriners, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars
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Los Angeles policemen ride their bicycles along Broadway at around 6th St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1904
Here we see a concept that wouldn’t fly today: the Los Angeles police force on bicycles. But back in circa 1904, when this photo was taken, I suppose bikes were the quickest and most nimble way to get around town … Continue reading
Color photo of LA Railway Yellow Car streetcar heads along Broadway from 7th St, downtown Los Angeles, 1956
The Pacific Electric Red Cars get most of the attention in vintage photos of the streets of LA in the first half of the 20th century. But the LA Railway’s Yellow Cars also did their bit moving Angelenos around the … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Downtown Los Angeles, Kodachrome, Stores and Shopping, Streetcars, Theaters
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