Category Archives: Architecture

Spring Street revisited

Posted on July 28, 2008 by lmharnisch

  C. C. Pierce Photographer, 1572 W. Pico, Los Angeles This photograph of Spring Street, looking south from Temple, is slightly later than the one in the previous entry and was taken about 1896.    Notice that our single-track, horse-drawn … Continue reading →

Posted in 1872, 1887, 1889, Architecture, City Hall, Downtown, Freeways, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Spring Street revisited

Posted on July 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Los Angeles Times file photo When this photo was taken, about 1883, Spring Street took an oblique angle at 1st. We're looking north, possibly from the Nadeau Hotel at what is now the site of The Times Building. The … Continue reading →

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July 26, 1908

Posted on July 26, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Above, developer Samuel A. Selover buys a home at Bonnie Brae and Miramar streets. Selover, whose projects included Belmont Shore in Long Beach, died in 1939. Below, Bonnie Brae and Miramar via Google maps’ street view. Email me

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Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on July 22, 2008 by lmharnisch

ow this was truly a happy discovery: Someone turned two streetcars into a house. Alas, it’s not there anymore. I would love to know the story behind the home, I’m sure it’s an interesting one. At left, an update on … Continue reading →

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And commuting was born

Posted on July 22, 2008 by lmharnisch

    Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Except this was published in The Times on July 1, 1901. Today, we shake our heads when we read about someone who works in Santa Monica or downtown Los Angeles and lives in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Freeways, Real Estate, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

July 19, 1908: Perkins Estate Overlooks Los Robles Canyon

Posted on July 19, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, details of the Gilbert B. Perkins home on Hillcrest in Pasadena. his was a fun little mystery, complicated by The Times using the wrong middle initial for Gilbert Perkins in the caption. Perkins sold the home in 1914 to … Continue reading →

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July 13 1938

Posted on July 13, 2008 by lmharnisch

North Main Street, below, via Google maps’ street view. Where would you rather go for a walk, Main Street 1938 or Main Street 2008? he upcoming election on whether to recall Mayor Frank Shaw is one of the key moments … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Architecture, art and artists, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Architectural rambling

Posted on July 12, 2008 by lmharnisch

t’s difficult to be certain, but I believe the house shown in Google maps’ street view is the one designed by Clara Content Alden. Fortunately, Riverside County has posted its historic maps online, so I was able to find the … Continue reading →

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Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on July 6, 2008 by lmharnisch

Below, the 900 block of Yale Street via Google maps’ street view feature. Do you think they know there were oil wells there 70 years ago?

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Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on July 1, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Even allowing for artistic license, it’s difficult to see how Charles Owens could have City Hall looming in the background from our blacksmith shop on Garey Street. Below, a view from 1st Street and Garey via Google maps’ street … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, City Hall, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on June 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

Union Station under construction in 1938 and as it appears in Google maps’ street view feature. We can only wonder what became of the palm trees planted by Don Mateo.

Posted in Architecture, art and artists, Nuestro Pueblo, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Anti-gravity house

Posted on June 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

An anti-gravity house? You may laugh, the author says, but remember "atomic control" seemed impossible a mere 20 years ago. And no more hassles with dusting!        

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June 28, 1908

Posted on June 28, 2008 by lmharnisch

  The Christian Scientist Church at 948 W. Adams Blvd. is the second under construction in 1908. Recall that another one is being built in Pasadena.

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June 27, 1938

Posted on June 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Below, here’s the home at 6323 Arroyo Glen, via Google maps’ street view feature.  Florence Synder’s beloved sycamore is gone, but her house remains.

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June 26, 1938

Posted on June 26, 2008 by lmharnisch

  The home of the week, above, and below, via Google maps’ street view.

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June 24, 1938

Posted on June 24, 2008 by lmharnisch

uestro Pueblo is a new discovery for me, and a very happy one. The Times began the feature by writer Joe Seewerker and artist Charles Owens in June 1938, publishing installments Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The series ended in October … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Architecture, art and artists, books, City Hall, Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

June 21, 1908

Posted on June 21, 2008 by lmharnisch

  nteresting things from The Times Real Estate Section: The changing face of downtown Los Angeles (shout-out to my pals at onbunkerhill.org) and a proposed luxury hotel for Hollywood that I don't believe was built. This postcard at left gives … Continue reading →

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June 15, 1938

Posted on June 15, 2008 by lmharnisch

A detail of the arch, as shown on San Pedro High School’s website. For the full image, go here.   A cloverleaf interchange, as envisioned in 1938. Note the extensive landscaping on both sides of the freeway. A map of … Continue reading →

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June 14, 1908

Posted on June 14, 2008 by lmharnisch

Wilshire and Westmoreland via Google street view Lake and Hoover via Google street view ow if only research led in a straight line — but thankfully, it doesn't. Research corkscrews and jets off at unexpected angles. Today's project was supposed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, Architecture, Front Pages, Homicide, Real Estate | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

June 11, 1908

Posted on June 11, 2008 by lmharnisch

ook, if you dare, into the mysterious disappearance of a fisherman on Santa Catalina Island named Tony the Greek, obscured not only by the details, but further muddied by the convoluted account in The Times. Toss in a private detective … Continue reading →

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