Category Archives: Books and Authors

Feb. 17, 1907: Before Staples Center — City Straightens 12th Street

Posted on February 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Above, a vanished landmark: The Schermerhorn Inn, at Potter Park, a street that has disappeared. Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 17, 1907 Los Angeles West 12th Street between Main and Hoover is maddeningly crooked, but how … Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: Stylish Men in Harlem Wearing Berets

Posted on February 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

At top, the home at 2443 S. St. Andrews Place is for sale at $16,500 cash or $18,000 “terms.” Above, the 2400 block of South St. Andrews Place via Google Street View. Feb. 13, 1947: Columnist Bill Smallwood says “Richard … Continue reading →

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Feb. 14-15, 1907: Gas Explosion in Downtown L.A. Levels Building, Kills 7

Posted on February 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 14-15, 1907 Los Angeles An 11:30 a.m. blast caused by an accumulation of gas shattered the Rawson building at 114 W. 2nd St. in an explosion blamed on a gas company … Continue reading →

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Feb. 13, 1907: Hotel Alexandria Celebrates 1st Anniversary

Posted on February 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb.13, 1907 Los Angeles An enormous masked ball for the city’s elite was staged on Mardi Gras at Kramer’s Studio and Dancing Academy, 1500 S. Figueroa.

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Feb. 12, 1907: Alhambra Acres and Vermont Avenue Square

Posted on February 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 12, 1907 Los Angeles Imagine the surprise of Mrs. Robert Jackson, who was about to move into her new home on Vernon Avenue and discovered that the contractor had built it … Continue reading →

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Feb. 11, 1907: Woman Fractures Skull Leaping From Streetcar That Passed Her Stop

Posted on February 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 11, 1907 Los Angeles   The Eastside gets a new Baptist Church and 2nd Street and St. Louis. Like Tom and Huck A large pond 7 feet deep at Normandie and … Continue reading →

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Feb. 10, 1907: Architectural Ramblings

Posted on February 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 10, 1907 Los Angeles The Times features a hillside home “near the ostrich farm” in Pasadena. Presumably that was the Cawston farm in South Pasadena. (What, South Pasadena, again?) Unfortunately, many … Continue reading →

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Feb. 9, 1907: George M. Cohan’s ’45 Minutes From Broadway’ at the Mason Opera HouseCohan

Posted on February 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 9, 1907 Los Angeles

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Feb. 8, 1907: Peace Returns to Buena Vista Street

Posted on February 8, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore from 2007. Feb. 8, 1907 Los Angeles About 1903, Charles E. Donnatin, former Pacific Electric Railway superintendent, apparently said something about the young woman across the street at the Stewart home, Savoy Street and Buena … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | 1 Comment

Feb 7, 1907: Cop Killer’s Widow Arrested in Liquor Raid

Posted on February 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 7, 1907 Los Angeles   A Child’s Testimony Charles Babbitt is sentenced to 30 days in jail on charges of domestic violence after the testimony of his 6-year-old son. “Papa hit … Continue reading →

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Incendiary Ramblings

Posted on February 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 6, 2007 Los Angeles Here’s an architectural drawing of the O.T. Johnson Building, which burned in yesterday’s fire.  

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Centennial Ramblings

Posted on February 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Feb. 5, 2007 Sierra Madre Because it’s celebrating its centennial this month, I paid a visit to Sierra Madre and while savoring a cinnamon dolce latte at the local Starbucks, watched the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Donald Wolfe, LAPD, Photography, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged | 2 Comments

Feb. 4, 1907: Architectural Ramblings — South Pasadena

Posted on February 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007. Feb. 4, 2007 South Pasadena The Times publishes three architectural drawings of “artistic bungalows” prepared by the firm of Wilson and Barnes. One is being built by W.E. Fox on Columbia … Continue reading →

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Feb. 3, 1907: LAPD Officer Kills Homeless Man Who Shot Partner

Posted on February 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007. Feb. 3, 1907 Los Angeles About 1 a.m. on a dark corner at East Adams and South San Pedro, the hard, shabby life of William Ross ended when he said, “What … Continue reading →

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Feb. 2, 1907: Zoo Operator Charged With Abusing Animals

Posted on February 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007. Feb. 2, 1907 Los Angeles Conditions at Chutes Park are so bad that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is making a second inspection to see whether operator … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Blogging Donald Wolfe’s ‘Black Dahlia Files,’ an Encore From 2006

Posted on February 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Starting Saturday, I’ll begin reposting all 88 entries that I wrote in 2006 when I blogged in real time as I read Donald H. Wolfe’s awful “The Black Dahlia Files,” a book that refutes Piu Eatwell’s claim in “Black Dahlia, … Continue reading →

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Feb. 1, 1907: A Look at Lynchings

Posted on February 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007. Feb. 1, 1907 Los Angeles I was all set to write about Leroyxez, “The Human Pincushion,” being nailed to a cross promptly at 4 p.m. at Chutes Park, and then a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, African Americans, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | 1 Comment

Jan. 31, 1907: L.A. Health Officials Fight Legislature’s Bid to Repeal Mandatory Smallpox Shots

Posted on January 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a post I wrote in 2007. Jan. 31, 1907 Los Angeles Showing once again that Los Angeles is out of touch with Sacramento, local health officials are fighting an education bill that would lift mandatory smallpox vaccinations … Continue reading →

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Jan. 30, 1907: Driver Abandons Wagon Stuck in Pothole at 1st and Spring

Posted on January 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 30, 1907 Los Angeles Recent rains have left the city’s streets in terrible shape, as The Times shows in a photo taken at 1st Street and Spring. This wagon, pulled by … Continue reading →

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Jan. 28, 1907: William Jennings Bryan, No Longer a Fiery Orator, Visits L.A.

Posted on January 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 28, 1907 Los Angeles William Jennings Bryan stepped from the Owl train to be greeted by a long-waiting crowd. “In appearance, Mr. Bryan has changed but little since he was last … Continue reading →

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