Category Archives: Downtown

Our Sainted Streetcars – Glendale Edition

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

A postcard showing what the vendor says is a depot for the Los Angeles and Glendale Electric Interurban Railway system has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $249.99. Times clips show that by 1904, the Los Angeles and Glendale … Continue reading →

Posted in 1904, Downtown, Found on EBay, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Downtown L.A. — Street Artist (Updated)

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

I came across this street artist last evening while walking in downtown Los Angeles. He’s painting a street scene of the corner of Broadway and 7th Street. Update: Ed Fuentes identifies our artist: “Alex Schaefer. And he has a show … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Architecture, Art & Artists, Broadway, Downtown | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Man Kills Wife and Daughter, Commits Suicide Over Pink Bedroom

Posted on September 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 4, 1933: A streetcar broadsides an auto at the crossing on Olympic Boulevard between Broadway and Figueroa, killing two people and leaving two others near death, The Times said. A man fatally stabs his estranged wife and daughter, then … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Homicide, LAPD, Main Street, Nightclubs, San Fernando Valley, Streetcars, Suicide, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Tempest Storm at the Follies Burlesque

Posted on September 3, 2013 by lmharnisch

An undated photo of the famous Tempest Storm at the Follies Burlesque in Los Angeles – which reveals more than I am showing here – has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $17.95.

Posted in Dance, Downtown, Found on EBay, Main Street, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mason Opera House – a Lost Landmark

Posted on September 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Downtown hipsters know the spot at 1st Street and Broadway as a big hole in the ground, where construction seems to be getting underway. More mature Angelenos may recall the 1950s Cold War monstrosity that was demolished after being damaged … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Found on EBay, Preservation, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spring Street — 1907

Posted on September 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

  If this image looking south on Spring Street on this 1907 postcard looks unfamiliar, there’s a reason. Most of the buildings are gone and Spring Street was straightened out to make way for City Hall. The postcard is listed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay, Spring Street, Streetcars | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Mystery Photo – Historic L.A. Edition

Posted on August 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

L.A. Observed has reposted this image, which was posted by Michael Beschloss, who identifies it as Broadway as it looked about 1902.

Posted in 1906, Broadway, Downtown, Mystery Photo, Photography | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Random Shot — Drawing Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on August 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

This young woman attracted several observers as she stood on 6th Street just west of Spring — near the Starbucks — on  Wednesday evening to sketch the streetscape. I didn’t want to interrupt her to ask her name. All I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Photography, Spring Street | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Rose Parade Encounter Leads to Killing of Arcadia Woman

Posted on August 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 9, 1963: “In Saigon, 400 miles to the south, police geared for trouble as a young, unidentified monk announced plans to burn himself to death in the continuing Buddhist struggle for what they consider their civil rights and religious … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Religion, Vietnam | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

‘Mysterious Objects’ in Skies Over L.A.

Posted on August 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

Comics characters of the 1950s got to drive MGs! Edward Irving Foote was born June 29, 1861, in Michigan. Someone by that name attended the University of Michigan at Lansing, class of 1877-78, and was described as a “farmer, miner, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Comics, Downtown, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries, Suicide | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on ‘Mysterious Objects’ in Skies Over L.A.

Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Posted on July 24, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1943: Labor problems threaten to paralyze mass transportation in Los Angeles. The Times says that 3,000 Los Angeles Railway workers have ended a 24-hour walkout while 2,500 Pacific Electric workers are scheduled to strike. Marion “More Curves Than … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Aviation, Comics, Labor, Main Street, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Streetcar Strike Could Paralyze Los Angeles!

Black Doctor in Divorce Case Says Wife Tried to ‘Masquerade’ as White

Posted on July 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1923: The centennial of the Monroe Doctrine is celebrated at Exposition Park in the American Historical Revue and Motion Picture Exposition.. The U.S. Mint in San Francisco issued commemorative half dollars for the occasion. The Times says: “One … Continue reading →

Posted in 1823, 1923, African Americans, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Hill Street, Hollywood, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Arabella Huntington Marries Nephew in Paris

Posted on July 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Times takes a dim view of Mexican revolutionaries.   July 17, 1913: Arabella D. Huntington, widow of the late Collis P. Huntington, marries his nephew, Henry E. Huntington, in Paris at the American Church in the Rue de Berri.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Architecture, Art & Artists, Broadway, Downtown, History, Suicide | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Arabella Huntington Marries Nephew in Paris

Loew’s State Theater Under Construction

Posted on July 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

This 1921 architectural photo of Loew’s State Theater under construction at 7th Street and Broadway has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $24. Notice the signage for Bullock’s in the background.

Posted in 1921, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Found on EBay, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Loew’s State Theater Under Construction

Chicago Schools to Teach Sex Education; Work Crew Digs Up Skeleton

Posted on July 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

New straw hats at Mullen & Bluett, Broadway and 6th Street. Straw hats are “jaunty, clever, correct.” But we knew that, right? July 10, 1913: Sex “hygiene” will be taught in the Chicago high schools after a vote by the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Downtown, Fashion, Film, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Chicago Schools to Teach Sex Education; Work Crew Digs Up Skeleton

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Hamburger’s Department Store, Arrow Movie Theater

Posted on July 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

A postcard of Hamburger’s Department Store is listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $2.99. The classy, oversize May Co. Department Store located at 801 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles is up for sale. Today, the mostly empty … Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Los Angeles Stands in for London

Posted on June 26, 2013 by lmharnisch

Spring Street and 4th in downtown Los Angeles is one of the most popular film locations in the city. It recently stood in for New York, complete with an NYC bus and a subway entrance. Last night, we had the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Hollywood, Spring Street | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Los Angeles Stands in for London

Stonewall Jackson Dies! Los Angeles Star, June 20, 1863

Posted on June 25, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Los Angeles Star, from the Huntington Library and scanned by USC, is available on USC’s website. June 20, 1863: The Star, a strong advocate for the Confederacy, puts the Richmond Whig’s account of Stonewall Jackson’s death on the front … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Civil War, Downtown, Parks | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Einar Petersen Mural From the Rosslyn Hotel — Found on EBay

Posted on June 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

An Einar Petersen mural from the Rosslyn Hotel. A vendor on EBay has listed what is apparently one of Einar Petersen’s long-lost murals from the Rosslyn Hotel — in rather sorry condition. The price is Buy It Now for $5,000. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Hollywood Heights, Main Street, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Movieland Mystery Photo – Clara Bow Edition

Posted on June 15, 2013 by lmharnisch

What really got me wondering about “It” is the mystery department store. We have seen that the “The Public Enemy” and “Employees’ Entrance” used the May Co. Let’s take a look.

Posted in 1927, Downtown, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments