Category Archives: Downtown

The Black Dahlia: Biltmore Hotel

Posted on January 11, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo 1: Biltmore Hotel, Jan. 9, 2012, 6:30 p.m. Credit: Larry Harnisch Photo 2: Biltmore Hotel, 1940s The top photo shows the old lobby of the Biltmore on Monday as it was on the anniversary of the night Elizabeth Short … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Interior Design, LAPD | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Found on EBay – Hotel Alexandria

Posted on January 8, 2012 by lmharnisch

A pitcher from the Hotel Alexandria at Spring and 5th streets has been listed on EBay. In the early 20th century, the Alexandria was one of Los Angeles’ most distinguished hotels. It has withstood several cycles of poverty and restoration, … Continue reading →

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Happy New Year From the Daily Mirror

Posted on January 1, 2012 by lmharnisch

Photo: Looking south on Broadway at 3rd Street, via Google’s Street View. Jan. 1, 1942: Downtown Los Angeles is oddly quiet on New Year’s Eve after police and military authorities banned the regular street celebrations. Hotels and nightclubs were sold … Continue reading →

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L.A. Christmas Card, 1911

Posted on December 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Olive and 5th via Google’s Street View. Notice the vacant lot where Philharmonic Auditorium used to be. Demolition is forever. This truly awesome 1911 Christmas card, showing Philharmonic Auditorium and part of what is now Pershing Square, has been listed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1911, Architecture, Downtown, Preservation, Theaters | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Location Sleuth – ‘Between Midnight and Dawn’

Posted on December 11, 2011 by lmharnisch

Hey, it’s the Florentine Gardens! Here it is via Google’s Street View. I was watching the 1950 Columbia film “Between Midnight and Dawn” and several locations caught my eye. The first one is an aerial view during the credits that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Architecture, City Hall, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Location Sleuth | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Found on EBay – Harrison Gray Otis

Posted on December 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

An interesting bit of Los Angeles Times memorabilia has turned up on EBay. This is a Sept. 4, 1911, letter from Harrison Gray Otis (notice that he didn’t use his military title) to Drayton Pitts, acknowledging the receipt of a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, 1911, 1912, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Found on EBay – Chocolate Shop

Posted on November 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

217 W. 6th St. via Google Street View. A wooden box from the Chocolate Shop has been listed on EBay. The shops were located at 211 W. 5th St., 217 W. 6th St., 731 S. Broadway and 20 E. Colorado … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Batchelder Tile, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Crowds Line Broadway for Armistice Day Parade, Nov. 12, 1941

Posted on November 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

We just don’t get deep thoughts in comics anymore. Nov. 12, 1941: Crowds line Broadway in downtown Los Angeles for the annual Armistice Day parade, which marked the end of what used to be called the Great War or the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, A Kinder, Simpler Time, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Streetcars, Theaters, Tom Treanor, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Roosevelt Declares Early Thanksgiving

Posted on November 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Nov. 9, 1941: Amid the gathering clouds of World War II, President Roosevelt declares what will be the last peacetime Thanksgiving. Noting American aid to nations fighting the Axis, Roosevelt says: “Let us ask the divine blessing of our decision … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Columnists, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo, Religion, World War II | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Clifton’s Pacific Seas

Posted on November 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: 618 S. Olive via Google’s Street View. This postcard of Clifton’s Pacific Seas (d. 1960), postmarked 1947, has been listed on EBay. The Pacific Seas was at 618 S. Olive and was torn down to make – a parking … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1960, Downtown, Found on EBay, Interior Design, Nightclubs, Preservation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – Oviatt’s

Posted on October 31, 2011 by lmharnisch

This remarkably dazzling tie from Oviatt’s has been listed on EBay. Oviatt’s was one of the leading menswear stores in Los Angeles and is the subject of the 2008 documentary  “The Oviatt Building” by Marc Chevalier and Seth Shulman. Bidding starts … Continue reading →

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Coming Attractions: ‘Of Scrap and Steel’

Posted on October 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1949: “Of Scrap and Steel” is shown at the Union Rescue Mission. Aug. 2, 1952: “Of Scrap and Steel” is shown at San Gabriel Union Church. March 26, 1960: “Of Scrap and Steel” is shown at the Church … Continue reading →

Posted in 1949, Coming Attractions, Downtown, Film | Tagged , | Comments Off on Coming Attractions: ‘Of Scrap and Steel’

Times to Reopen Globe Lobby!

Posted on October 19, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Hugo Ballin mural in Los Angeles Times Globe Lobby. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com The Times has announced that it will reopen the Globe Lobby on Oct. 24, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Very cool news.

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Found on EBay – The Follies Burlesque

Posted on October 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

This photo of dancers at the Follies Burlesque on Main Street has been listed on EBay. The vendor hasn’t identified the source of the picture or the dancers’ names, but says it dates to the 1950s.  Bidding on the photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Downtown, Found on EBay, Photography, Stage | Tagged , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – The Follies Burlesque

Calle de los Negros – A Vanished Landmark

Posted on October 13, 2011 by lmharnisch

Image: 1946 Thomas Bros. Guide showing “Negro Al” The recent controversy over the name of a hunting camp used by Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his family sent me to the Daily Mirror archives for a 1946 Thomas Bros. Guide, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1871, African Americans, Chinese Massacre, Downtown | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Restoration at Wilshire Boulevard Temple

Posted on October 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Wilshire Boulevard Temple, interior. Credit: Jim Winstead On the 140th anniversary of the Chicago fire, it’s a time to celebrate the city’s libraries. Rick Kogan explains in the Tribune’s Sidewalks blog. Jay Jones, writing for the Los Angeles Times, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Chicago, Crime and Courts, Downtown, History, Interior Design, Libraries, Mary Mallory, Museums, Preservation, Religion | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Restoration at Wilshire Boulevard Temple

Found on EBay – China City

Posted on October 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

Photo: Main and Cesar Chavez via Google’s Street View. The photo postcard  of China City, stamped 1941, has been listed on EBay. Notice the sign says that China City is at Main and Macy, which became Cesar Chavez  Avenue in … Continue reading →

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October 1, 1910: ‘A Terrible Roar’

Posted on October 1, 2011 by lmharnisch

Courtesy of University of Southern California, on behalf of the USC Special Collections. October 1, 1910: The Times Building in flames, as seen from Broadway just south of First Street. Notice The Times Eagle outlined by the fire. El Alisal, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Labor, LAPD | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Main Street Revisited

Posted on September 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

I picked up “A Southern California Album: Selected Photographs, 1880-1900” at the Last Bookstore the other day and was pleased to discover a number of pictures by C.C. Pierce, including this shot of Main Street looking south from 3rd Street … Continue reading →

Posted in 1880, 1900, Books and Authors, Downtown, Photography, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Found on EBay – Pin Ton Company

Posted on September 26, 2011 by lmharnisch

A postcard showing the Pin Ton Company Confectionary, 427 S. Broadway, has been listed on EBay. I don’t recall ever hearing of this business or seeing this interior. The store flourished around 1915. Bidding on the postcard starts at $9.99.

Posted in 1915, Architecture, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Interior Design | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments