Tag Archives: Downtown Los Angeles
Looking east down 4th Street from Hill St toward the Grant Hotel, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1890
In this one, we’re looking east down 4th Street from Hill St toward the U.S. Grant Hotel on the corner of Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. The photo was taken circa 1890, and as we can see the three modes … Continue reading
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Tagged Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles, Horses, Hotels, Streetcars
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Horse-drawn carriages lined up along Spring St, between 1st and 2nd Streets, downtown Los Angeles, 1878
Long before Los Angeles became a city of automobiles, it was—like all cities—filled with horse-drawn wagons, carriages, and buggies. It’s the size of those wheels that surprise me. Some of them are nearly as tall as the men are. This … Continue reading
Night shot looking up Broadway past the Rialto Theatre at 812 S Broadway, downtown Los Angeles, 1930
Night shots like this one are taken with a slow shutter speed, so it makes the lights seem brighter than they actually were. Even so, it does make for a gloriously atmospheric shot, doesn’t it? We’re looking up Broadway past … Continue reading
My first visit to downtown Los Angeles since 2019 on November 4, 2023
I usually post vintage photos of Los Angeles on my social media, so this one is a little different. Recently, I was invited to participate in a panel of indie-publishing authors at the LA Central Library in downtown Los Angeles. … Continue reading
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Tagged Biltmore Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles, Stores and Shopping, Theaters
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Angelenos crowd the Olive Street sidewalk outside the Biltmore Hotel to see presidential hopeful, Alf Landon, downtown Los Angeles, 1936
So many Angelenos turned out to see presidential hopeful Alf Landon that I wonder how many of these people actually saw the man who lost the most lopsided election in over 100 years. These people crowded the Olive Street sidewalk … Continue reading
Thrifty Drug Store opens at Fourth and Spring Sts, downtown Los Angeles, circa mid-1939
Sometime in mid-1939, this Thrifty Drug Store opened at 4th and Spring Streets in downtown LA with lots of bunting and streamers. There are several signs saying “LUNCH” so I’m guessing there was a lunch counter inside they were keen … Continue reading
The Supreme Restaurant, Broadway, downtown Los Angeles (undated)
I could find no information on this photo, not on this restaurant other than it was called “The Supreme” and it was somewhere on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. But look at that gorgeous typeface and how they chose to … Continue reading
Angelenos brave an unusual snowfall to see Cab Calloway perform live at the Orpheum Theater, 842 S. Broadway, downtown Los Angeles, February 20, 1944
The Angelenos we can see lining up out front of the Orpheum Theater at 842 S. Broadway in downtown LA must have really wanted to see Cab Calloway perform because they had to brave an unusual snowfall to do it. … Continue reading
Color photo of Clifton’s Pacific Seas “Pay What You Want” cafeteria, 618 S. Olive St, downtown Los Angeles, circa early to mid 1950s
In 1939, Clifton’s redecorated its location at 618 S. Olive St in downtown Los Angeles and relaunched it as “Clifton’s Pacific Seas” with an impossible-to-miss 20-foot cliff-face and waterfall that we can see in this color photo. We can also … Continue reading
Warner Club dinner dance in the Biltmore Bowl at the Biltmore Hotel, downtown Los Angeles, February 17, 1940
Click on image for a larger view Happy 100th anniversary to the Biltmore Hotel! It opened 100 years ago on October 1, 1923 opposite Pershing Square in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, where it still stands today. Nicknamed ‘the … Continue reading
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Tagged Biltmore Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles, Hotels, Warner Bros.
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