Category Archives: City Hall

December 18, 1907: County Coroner Dead Drunk at Bordello

Posted on December 18, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 18, 1907: Los Angeles County Coroner Roy S. Lanterman was arrested on charges of being drunk and disorderly at the Navajo, a bordello run by Ida Hastings, 309 Ord St. Hastings called police, who arrested Lanterman. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1909, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Photography | Tagged 1907, abortions, Los Angeles County coroner's office, Roy S. Lanterman, sex work | Leave a comment

November 15, 1907: Charles Mulford Robinson Drafts a Los Angeles of the Future

Posted on November 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 15, 1907: Charles Mulford Robinson proposes a grand boulevard for downtown Los Angeles, from a proposed Union Station ending at a new public library and art gallery. And a new City Hall. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Books and Authors, City Hall, Downtown, LAPD, Pasadena, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, Charles Mulford Robinson, City Beautiful | Comments Off

November 8, 1938: Polish Jew shoots Nazi envoy

Posted on November 8, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 8, 1938: In Paris, Herschel Grynszpan, identified as a 17-year-old Polish Jew, shoots the third secretary of the German Embassy, Ernst von Rath. And Nora Ford is at the Follies Burlesque. Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Current Affairs, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Sports | Comments Off

October 30, 1907: ‘Brat Frat’ Defies Ban by L.A. High School

Posted on October 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 30: 1907: The young men of Los Angeles High School have issued a direct challenge to the Board of Education, defying its authority by enlisting fraternity members despite a ban issued last year. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, City Hall, Education | Tagged 1907, education, fraternities, Greek organizations, LA Unified, Los Angeles High School, sororities | Comments Off

October 28, 1938: Mayor investigates honorary LAPD badges

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 1938: Mayor Fletcher Bowron calls for an investigation into so-called juice badges given to celebrities and others by the LAPD. This eventually resulted in an overhaul of the badge to its current design. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD, Politics | Comments Off

October 28, 1907: Former LAPD Chief Calls It ‘Most Detestable Job Ever Created’

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 1907: A former LAPD chief says the job is the worst in the city. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged 1907, City Hall, crime and courts, lapd, Police Commission | Comments Off

October 12, 1907: Contractor Leaves Dead Dogs in Street to Break Contract; A Foul Wind From Fertilizer Plant Blows Over Boyle Heights

Posted on October 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 12, 1907: After repeated complaints to police because half a dozen dead dogs had laid in the streets for two weeks, the health department tried to charge C.T. Hanson, who held the contract for removing carcasses. But according to the city attorney, Hanson was only guilty of not abiding by his contract and nothing more. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, City Hall, Environment | Tagged 1907, Boyle Heights, City Hall, Environment | Comments Off

Col. John Bryson, 1819 – 1907 | Ex-Mayor Was Millionaire L.A. Developer

Posted on October 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 11, 1907: John Bryson, self-made millionaire and developer of the Bryson Block, dies. He had separated from his wife and was almost constantly in the company of his longtime nurse, Gladys Lamberton. He was hurriedly buried in a secret ceremony at Rosedale Cemetery. Continue reading →

Posted in 1819, 1907, City Hall, Obituaries | Tagged 1819, 1907, Architecture, Bryson Block, obituaries | Comments Off

September 28, 1907: L.A. Motorcycle Club Backs Ban on Loud Pipes

Posted on September 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 28, 1907: Members of the Los Angeles Motorcycle Club have written to officials in support of a measure banning loud exhaust pipes on motorcycles. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, City Hall, LAPD, Transportation | Tagged 1907, loud pipes, motorcycles | Comments Off

Los Angeles City Hall, September 11, 2011

Posted on September 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 11, 2011: On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 a huge flag hangs on the side of Los Angeles City Hall. Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Downtown, Photography | Tagged #9/11, #downtown, City Hall | Comments Off

September 5, 1947: L.A. Turns 166, Becomes Third-Largest City in America

Posted on September 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 5, 1947: As Los Angeles celebrates its birthday, Mayor Fletcher Bowron says it’s now the third-largest city in the U.S., passing Detroit. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, City Hall, Environment, Transportation | Tagged #Traffic, 1947, City Hall, population, smog | Comments Off

September 4, 1781: Los Angeles Is Founded

Posted on September 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 4, 1781: Los Angeles is founded. A look at various chronicles of its birth. Continue reading →

Posted in 1781, 1926, 1981, City Hall, Downtown | Tagged #LA Birthday, 1781 | Comments Off

September 3, 1943: Los Angeles Tattoo Shops

Posted on September 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

September 2, 1943: One of my favorite finds from the city archives — a visit to Los Angeles’ tattoo shops. Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Libraries, Photography, World War II | Comments Off

August 9, 1979: Walter O’Malley Dies

Posted on August 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

August 9, 1979: Walter O’Malley dies at the age of 75. Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Dodgers, Downtown, Obituaries | Comments Off

July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1907: Los Angeles seeks to rid itself of outdated laws like hunting rabbits on Spring Street or conductors abandoning their streetcars to go quail hunting at the end of the line. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, City Hall, crime and courts, hunting, lapd | Comments Off

Movieland Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

Posted on July 6, 2020 by lmharnisch

This week’s mystery movie was the 1931 Warner Bros. picture “Other Men’s Women,” with Grant Withers, Mary Astor, Regis Toomey, James Cagney, Fred Kohler, J. Farrell MacDonald, Joan Blondell, Lillian Worth and Walter Long. By Maude Fulton, dialogue by William … Continue reading →

Posted in 1931, City Hall, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Transportation | Tagged #James Cagney, #Joan Blondell, #Mary Astor, 1931, City Hall, film, Grant Withers, hollywood, mystery photo, railroads, Regis Toomey, Warner Bros. | 46 Comments

‘The Lid Off Los Angeles’ – Liberty Magazine Examines Corruption in the LAPD and at City Hall

Posted on June 18, 2020 by lmharnisch

On Nov. 11, 1939, Liberty magazine began a six-part series by Dwight F. McKinney and Fred Allhoff on the Harry Raymond bombing and the reform movement of Clifford E. Clinton. Liberty also published a response by Dist. Atty. Buron Fitts. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, City Hall, LAPD | Tagged #Fletcher Bowron, 1939, City Hall, Clifford E. Clinton, Earle Kynette, Frank Shaw, Harry Raymond bombing, Joe Shaw, lapd, Liberty magazine | Comments Off

Downtown Los Angeles, 1950: ‘The Underworld Story’ Part 3

Posted on June 24, 2019 by lmharnisch

Here’s another sequence from “The Underworld Story” filmed in downtown Los Angeles. The camera is across Spring Street, opposite City Hall. Downtown L.A. in ‘Underworld Story’ Part 1 | Part 2

Posted in Architecture, City Hall, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Location Sleuth | Tagged Architecture, City Hall, downtown L.A., film, hollywood, Location Sleuth, The Underworld Story | 2 Comments

Jan. 5, 1959: LAPD Suspends Officer for – Uh-Oh

Posted on February 16, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 5, 1959: Chief William Parker suspends Officer Charles Wolf serial No. 4115 for 15 days for … oh dear. Banging “a known prostitute and dissolute person” and letting her get possession of his firearm. This material is from the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Libraries | Tagged 1959, crime and courts, lapd, Police Commission, prostitution, William H. Parker | 1 Comment

Jan. 12-13, 1959: Soviet Leader Mikoyan Visits L.A.

Posted on January 12, 2019 by lmharnisch

Jan. 12-13, 1959: Protests force the plane carrying Deputy Soviet Premier Anastas Mikoyan to divert to Burbank! Mikoyan did a grip and grin with L.A. Mayor Norris Poulson, but Norrie would not be so friendly during Nikita Khrushchev’s time in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Aviation, City Hall | Tagged 1959, Anastas Mikoyan, Burbank, Nikita Khrushchev, Norris Poulson | Comments Off