Category Archives: Downtown

Times to Reopen Globe Lobby!

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

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

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Calle de los Negros – A Vanished Landmark

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

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

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’

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

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

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

Found on EBay – Hotel Lankershim

This rather wonderful postcard showing an artist’s conception of what the future might look like has been listed on EBay. Built in 1902, the Hotel Lankershim was often described the city’s largest unreinforced building. After the 1971 Sylmar quake, the … Continue reading

Posted in 1902, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Found on EBay, Futurism, Preservation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Clifton’s Closing for $3-Million Renovation [Updated]

Photo: Clifton’s Brookdale Cafeteria. My Los Angeles Times colleague Roger Vincent reports that Clifton’s Brookdale cafeteria is closing Sept. 26 for an extended renovation. [If you haven’t read Mary Mallory’s post on Einar Petersen’s murals at Clifton’s and elsewhere downtown, … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Food and Drink | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Found on EBay – New Rosslyn Hotels

Photo: The Rosslyn Hotels at 5th and Main via Google street view. A luggage sticker for the Rosslyn Hotels on Main has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $4.99.

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

Cruising Bunker Hill, 1940s

Writing for On Bunker Hill, my crime buddy Nathan Marsak has done a breakdown of shots in a 6-minute film that turned up at archive.org. The footage was apparently filmed as background for an unidentified movie. Let’s see if we … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Film, Transportation | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Found on EBay – B.H. Dyas

This lightly (if at all) used Wilson tennis racket from B.H. Dyas in Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. Dyas was a sporting goods store in Los Angeles, and items don’t show up terribly often. Bidding on this racket … Continue reading

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Last Bookstore Is Selling Vinyl

The last time I was buying lots of vinyl, I was concentrating on classical music and soundtracks, so there isn’t much jazz at the Daily Mirror HQ. On Sunday at the Last Bookstore, I stocked up on Erroll Garner and … Continue reading

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Jesus Unsaved? [Updated]

Photo credit: Eric Richardson/Blogdowntown. Eric Richardson of Blogdowntown reports the removal on Saturday night of the famous JESUS SAVES neon signs from the former United Artists theater. No word as to their destination. I have queried Nathan Marsak, our favorite … Continue reading

Posted in Downtown, Religion | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Los Angeles City Hall, Sept. 11, 2011

Photo: City Hall, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. Credit: Larry Harnisch/LADailyMirror.com

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Mystery Film of Los Angeles [Updated]

Photo: Nathan Marsak tests the latest Ford. Curbed LA’s link to this 1917 Ford travelogue on Los Angeles has been passed around until I finally saw it. How many of these locations do you recognize? Here’s footage of streetcars and … Continue reading

Posted in 1917, Downtown, Film, Mystery Photo, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged | 6 Comments

Found on EBay – Mullen & Bluett

This vintage swimsuit from Mullen & Bluett has been listed on EBay. Another one was listed in 2009,  also from Mullen & Bluett. Bidding on this item starts at 99 cents.

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

Sept. 4, 1781: Los Angeles Is Founded

  Sept. 4, 1926:The Times publishes a map showing the streets of the day, noting the changes made since Ord’s survey. Sept. 4, 1981: Mayor Tom Bradley and actress Bernadette Peters cut the cake for Los Angeles’ 200th birthday Jan. … Continue reading

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Marion Eisenmann: Artist’s Notebook – Grand Central Market

“Grand Central Market” by Marion Eisenmann Note: I’m reposting artwork that Marion Eisenmann did with the Daily Mirror when it was at latimes.com. This one is from 2010. Marion will be giving monthly classes in plein air painting on Thursdays … Continue reading

Posted in Art & Artists, Artist's Notebook, Coming Attractions, Downtown, Food and Drink, Libraries, Marion Eisenmann | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Marion Eisenmann: Artist’s Notebook – Grand Central Market