Category Archives: Downtown

Corners of Los Angeles – 5th and Hill

Posted on November 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

            I stumbled across one of these features recently and thought I’d post another. This one is from April 8, 1929. Ben S. Lemmon was a telegraph editor at The Times and wrote occasionally for … Continue reading →

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Lakers Playing to Empty Seats

Posted on November 5, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 5, 1960: Don Page was worried about the Lakers. No one was watching. "Bigger crowds have watched knitting tournaments than have viewed the Lakers thus far," wrote Page, The Times' radio columnist. He blamed the lack of … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Belasco Theater

Posted on November 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Here’s an interesting postcard of Main and 4th streets that was mailed in 1908. Notice that it shows the Belasco Theater, which eventually became the Follies Burlesque. The postcard is listed on EBay for $5. On the jump, … Continue reading →

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Stengel Top Choice to Coach New L.A. Team

Posted on November 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

      Nov. 1, 1960: The new American League team heading to Los Angeles seemed to be stockpiling star power. Hank Greenberg, a Hall of Fame slugger turned businessman, was putting together his bid for the franchise, which would … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Sports | 2 Comments

The Biltmore Doorman

Posted on November 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Nov. 1, 1960: I always have my eye out for stories about doormen at the Biltmore after researching the often-repeated myth about the “noble doorman” at the hotel, tipping his cap and opening the door for the Black … Continue reading →

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Victor the Flower Vendor

Posted on October 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

        Oct. 22, 1910: The LAPD cracks down on sidewalk peddlers and beggars outside the Merchants’ National Bank at 3rd and Spring streets. But what to do with Victor, the poor flower vendor?

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The Story of ‘Stiff-Neck Ben’

Posted on October 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

  I ran across a reference to “Stiff-Neck Ben” Boynton in the transcripts of the Clarence Darrow trial. In 1906, he was running the biggest poker game in town, according to The Times,  at 144 S. Main St. “In the … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – American National Bank Building

Posted on September 30, 2010 by lmharnisch

The American National Bank Building, left, at Second Street and Broadway is among the buildings featured in a souvenir booklet listed on EBay. Other downtown buildings shown in the booklet include the Farmers & Merchants National Bank Building, the Grosse … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Photography | 1 Comment

The Dodgers’ Crystal Ball

Posted on September 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

Hey, Keith, look: Vin “Vince” Scully! … Mayor Poulson? I'm afraid not. Sept. 6, 1960: The Times' Al Wolf tried to predict the future and write about the opener of the Dodgers' new park in 1962. The headline "Chavez Ravine—Year … Continue reading →

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Movieland Mystery Photo

Posted on August 30, 2010 by lmharnisch

   Los Angeles Times file photo Photograph by George Lacks / Los Angeles Mirror  OK, here’s another picture of our mystery woman. And yes, the photo is from the Mirror files. Update: On the jump, the identity of our mystery … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Mystery Photo, Photography, Stage, Suicide | 6 Comments

Brave Officer Halts Runaway Horse

Posted on August 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Aug. 2, 1910: Patrolman R.M. Green was directing traffic at 3rd and Main streets when a runaway horse pulling a light wagon plunged toward the intersection. Green jumped into the back of the wagon and made his way to … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Mason Opera House

Posted on July 31, 2010 by lmharnisch

A nice postcard of the Mason Opera House (now the site of a huge, vacant pit on Broadway between 1st and 2nd streets) has been listed on EBay. The Mason Opera House/Operahouse was one of the leading theaters in Los … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Photography | 1 Comment

Pages of History

Posted on July 30, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Notice how steep Bunker Hill used to be! I stumbled across a copy of “Los Angeles: A Guide Book,” produced for the 1907 National Education Assn. convention, listed on EBay for $9.99 and remembered that I had seen a … Continue reading →

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Pages of History

Posted on July 22, 2010 by lmharnisch

  "I was seeing Pershing Square, Los Angeles, now for the first time…the nervous fugitives from Times Square, Market Street SF, the French Quarter — masculine hustlers looking for lonely fruits to score from, anything from the legendary $20 to … Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, art and artists, books, Downtown, Parks and Recreation | 2 Comments

Car Hits Newsboy, 9

Posted on July 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

July 19, 1910: A news story straight in the Herald and in dialect in The Times. Evidently neither paper reported on whether he recovered.

Posted in Downtown, health, Transportation | 1 Comment

L.A. to Celebrate the Fourth of July in Many Languages

Posted on July 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Maybe beer is something other than “liquid bread.” July 3, 1910: Los Angeles prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July with a parade in the downtown business district followed by a ceremony at the Plaza with a reading of … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Food and Drink, Parks and Recreation | 2 Comments

Random Shot – Pershing Square

Posted on July 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Rosanna Xia / Los Angeles Times Rosanna Xia, a summer intern with The Times, visited an art show in Pershing Square on Sunday and took this photo of Dan Brown’s “Tribute to the King of Pop,” a portrait … Continue reading →

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Times Bombing Revisited

Posted on June 29, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Unless you have lived in Los Angeles quite a while, you probably only remember the northeast corner of 1st and Broadway as a deserted moonscape where a state building was once located. I’ve spent some time combining an 1890 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 L.A. Times bombing, Architecture, Downtown | 2 Comments

Pages of History

Posted on June 25, 2010 by lmharnisch

  ’m doing a fair amount of research these days on the Oct. 1, 1910, bombing of The Times and have been referring to W.W. Robinson’s slim 1969 book “Bombs and Bribery,” which is a good introduction to the incident … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1910 L.A. Times bombing, books, Downtown | 1 Comment

Los Angeles in 7 Days

Posted on June 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

I’ve been looking for a copy of “Los Angeles in 7 Days” since my friend Carolyn Strickler, former head of The Times’ History Center, showed me a copy of the 1932 book. Bookfinder has a few copies, but for more … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Downtown | 3 Comments