Category Archives: Downtown

Pray for Me, I’m Going to See ‘Gangster Squad’

Posted on January 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

I am heading  off to see “Gangster Squad” this morning, not because I expect it to be good, but because I expect it to be very, very bad, as already reflected by the first reviews and the trailers. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Black Dahlia, City Hall, Downtown, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Punk Rock Riot on Sunset Boulevard!

Posted on January 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

  How about this retro artwork on the ad for “Nicholas Nickleby?” Sort of Peter Max via “Yellow Submarine.” Jan. 10, 1983: A riot breaks out among an estimated 2,000 punk rockers during a concert at Studio Instrument Rentals at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Hollywood, Music, Spring Street, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

LAPD the ‘Storm Troopers’ of L.A., Lawmaker Says of Police Brutality

Posted on January 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 1, 1943: This is the beginning of the Stanley H. Beebe case, in which LAPD officers were accused of beating a suspect who died of his injuries.  Beebe, an accountant, was arrested on a streetcar at 1st and Hill … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, 1943, Crime and Courts, Downtown, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on LAPD the ‘Storm Troopers’ of L.A., Lawmaker Says of Police Brutality

The Black Dahlia: Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Black Dahlia: 5 Songs for a Famous Murder Victim by “Jef With One F.” The anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s 1947 disappearance from the Biltmore has provoked the usual outpouring of mistakes and nonsense, much of it swiped from Wikipedia (see: … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | 6 Comments

Los Angeles Editor Was Ahead of His Time

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

My latest column is about Paul Bryan Gray and his new book “A Clamor for Equality,” the biography of Francisco P. Ramirez, the youthful editor of El Clamor Público, the first entirely Spanish-language newspaper published in Los Angeles. The entire … Continue reading →

Posted in 1855, Books and Authors, Downtown, History, Latinos | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Day’s News – Pestilence and Starvation, Jan. 9, 1913

Posted on January 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 9, 1913: We like to think that the past was a kinder, simpler time — when life moved at a slower pace. But no. The Times publishes a Page 1 news map “as an aid to the busy reader … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Broadway, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Latinos | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Confederate Ship Alabama Captures Ariel, Jan. 10, 1863

Posted on January 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

Read the complete Jan. 10, 1863, edition of the Los Angeles Star. Jan. 10, 1863:  Reflecting its strong sympathies for the Confederacy, the Star publishes a poem by Stonewall Jackson and an account of the capture of the Vanderbilt  steamship … Continue reading →

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C.C. Pierce – Found on EBay

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

A photo of Angels Flight listed on EBay with bids starting at $2.50. This image Angels Flight is one of several C.C. Pierce photos up for auction on EBay. To me, one of the most interesting things about the Pierce … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Found on EBay, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Posted on January 4, 2013 by lmharnisch

Jan. 4, 1942: A rather drunk William Kollomick, who gave his address as “Pearl Harbor,” is in jail after getting into a brawl with four unidentified Mexican youths outside a cafe at 1st and Broadway. The youths walked out of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1942, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Man Held in Brawl With Mexican Youths

Downtown Los Angeles – Broadway and 2nd

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Broadway and 2nd Street via Google’s Street View. This picture showing the YMCA and the California Bank at the southwest corner of Broadway and 2nd Street has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $69.95.

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Downtown Los Angeles – 427 S. Broadway

Posted on December 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the Pin-Ton candy store, 427 S. Broadway, has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $29.97. March 4, 1909: How about an ice cream and a stop at the occult bookshop? The Pin-Ton appears to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1909, Architecture, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Schaber’s Cafeteria and Einar Petersen

Posted on December 28, 2012 by lmharnisch

This remarkable postcard postmarked 1941 of Schaber’s Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway, showing an Einar Petersen mural,  has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $6.99. The Schaber Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway was built in 1928 by … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Christmas in Los Angeles, 1912

Posted on December 26, 2012 by lmharnisch

Dec. 26, 1912: The Times makes the rounds of Christmas celebrations among the less fortunate and discovers that the emergency wards are full – but readers are assured that no women or girls are among the victims.

Posted in 1912, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A 100-Year-Old Lesson on L.A. Traffic

Posted on December 14, 2012 by lmharnisch

A Times graphic shows the problem of passengers caught between the streetcars and lanes of traffic. Broadway and 7th Street in 1934, showing a man crossing through a lane of traffic to get to a streetcar. Notice that the driver … Continue reading →

Posted in 1912, Downtown, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – A 1947 Visit to the Biltmore

Posted on November 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

A lot of items from the Biltmore Hotel, including a bill for two days in August 1947, seven months after the Black Dahlia killing, has been listed on EBay. This map appears with a booklet titled “Guide to Biltmore Services.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Downtown | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – A 1947 Visit to the Biltmore

Found on EBay – C.C. Pierce

Posted on November 10, 2012 by lmharnisch

Here’s 323 5th St. via Google’s Street View. Seven photos by C.C. Pierce showing Fire Department equipment have been listed on EBay. Pierce was a prolific photographer who chronicled the early days of Los Angeles. Many of his photographs are … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Downtown, Photography | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – C.C. Pierce

Found on EBay – World’s Largest Soda Fountain

Posted on August 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the soda fountain at Fosgate’s store, at 449 S. Broadway, has been listed on EBay. A May 14, 1904, story in The Times called it the largest soda fountain in the world. Bidding on the postcard starts … Continue reading →

Posted in 1904, Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – World’s Largest Soda Fountain

Marc Chevalier – Curator of All Things Oviatt

Posted on August 9, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: The bedroom of the Oviatt Building’s penthouse. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com My latest column, on Marc Chevalier and his amazing knowledge of all things Oviatt, appears in The Times today. I should add that the 2008 documentary mentioned in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, Architecture, Downtown, Fashion | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Thursdays @ The Globe

Posted on May 25, 2012 by lmharnisch

We had a nice turnout yesterday for the Thursdays at the Globe discussion of the downtown renaissance and vintage crime. Several guests were longtime Angelenos and shared their recollections of the city’s history, including the architecture, the streetcars and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Nightclubs, Preservation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Downtown L.A., 1946

Posted on March 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

View Down to Earth in a larger map After yesterday’s post on the Black Dahlia and downtown Los Angeles at night, I pulled together a map while watching the process shots filmed for “Down to Earth.” Google, unfortunately, wiped out … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, Downtown, Film, Hollywood | 3 Comments