Category Archives: Downtown

He’s Netted a Few Baseballs in His Day

Posted on June 14, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 14, 1960: Herman Kent caught Dodger fever. The former Brooklyn resident and Ebbets Field customer moved to Los Angeles in 1946 and when the Dodgers came west, he installed himself as one of the first characters in the … Continue reading →

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Landslide Closes Hill Street Tunnel

Posted on June 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

A landslide closes the Hill Street tunnel, which was demolished when the “nose” of Bunker Hill was removed in June 1955. June 13, 1910: Police find that the athletic burglar who was caught the other day has refined tastes … Continue reading →

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Get Your Lakers Tickets!

Posted on June 10, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 10, 1960: The Lakers started selling season tickets for their new home in Los Angeles and what a different world it was. Season ticket holders would be assured of at least 25 home games in the new Los … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Lakers, Sports | 1 Comment

LAPD Sets Up Speed Trap on Grand Avenue

Posted on June 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 7, 1910: The 20% grade of Grand Avenue is a popular place for car salesmen to show customers the speed of their vehicles. In fact, Grand is such a perfect test track that the Police Department has set … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, LAPD, Transportation | 2 Comments

Prelude to the Bombing of The Times

Posted on May 26, 2010 by lmharnisch

The Los Angeles County Hall of Records, which survived a 1910 bombing attempt, as it appeared during the realignment of Spring Street in 1929. In the months leading up to the bombing of the Los Angeles Times by union … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Downtown, LAPD, Los Angeles Times Bombing | 1 Comment

The Road to Dodger Stadium

Posted on May 24, 2010 by lmharnisch

May 24, 1960: The next time you're in a traffic jam heading to Dodger Stadium, consider the public servants who debated the tract map submitted by the Dodgers for their Chavez Ravine stadium. "People attending such events have to … Continue reading →

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Los Angeles With a Laugh Track – ‘The Natives Are Restless’

Posted on May 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

“Side-splitting?” Not hardly. Cynthia Lindsay's "The Natives Are Restless" (1960) is not a great book about Los Angeles or even a particularly good one. A frothy mix of humor and sunshine, "Natives" floats to the bright end of the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Downtown | 2 Comments

Crowds Demand Money From Spring Street Bank

Posted on May 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo The All Night and Day Bank, Spring and 6th Streets, c. 1911. May 3, 1910: You may recall the All Night and Day Bank from a 2009 post. For reasons that aren’t explained in this … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Front Pages, Photography | Comments Off

Street Evangelist Starts Riot

Posted on April 25, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 25, 1910: Timothy Callahan, who runs a small mission near San Pedro and 3rd streets, is mobbed when he sets up a pulpit on Los Angeles Street and offers money to the needy. “The man who a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Religion | Comments Off

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

Oct. 17, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens visit the Pelanconi House on Olvera Street in another installment of Nuestro Pueblo. At right, a photo of the house from olvera-street.com. In case you just tuned in, I posted most of … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | Comments Off

Faces of the City, April 19, 1960

Posted on April 19, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 19, 1960: 1st and Broadway, just up the block from The Times, has changed drastically in the last 50 years. Ed Dudley’s newsstand vanished long ago and two corners are vacant eyesores. But he wasn’t wrong when he said: … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Downtown | 1 Comment

Contract Awarded for Dodger Stadium

Posted on April 14, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 14, 1960: The contract to build the Dodgers' ballpark in Chavez Ravine was announced and Walter O'Malley once again talked about delays. "A final completion date cannot be fixed at this time due to the uncertainty of the various … Continue reading →

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Dodgers Open With 11th Inning Win Over Cubs, 3-2

Posted on April 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 13, 1960: The Dodgers opened the season with another record crowd at the Coliseum, with 67,550 fans watching a 3-2 victory over the Cubs. Chuck Essegian's home run made the difference and Don Drysdale stuck out 14 as the … Continue reading →

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Broadway Traffic, 1930

Posted on April 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

December 1930: Broadway and 3rd Street. The Los Angeles County Transportation Authority Library and Archive is a wonderful source of old photos. Here's one of Broadway at 3rd Street taken in December 1930. The Times Building in the center-right portion … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Photography, Transportation | Comments Off

City Hall Is a Firetrap

Posted on April 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

The 1889 City Hall on Broadway just north of what is now the Victor Clothing Building. Notice that there are no fire escapes. April 9, 1910: A fire that broke out in the janitor’s basement office could have quickly … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Downtown, Environment | Comments Off

The Times’ Changing Nameplate

Posted on April 8, 2010 by lmharnisch

The Times’ nameplate before the 1910 bombing, with The Times Building at right. The revised nameplate of 1913 shows the building on fire. The 1913 nameplate also shows the new building on the site of the old one at … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, Downtown, Food and Drink | 2 Comments

Artist’s Notebook: Outside the Edison

Posted on April 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

“Outside the Edison,” by Marion Eisenmann. I thought it would be fun to write about the crowds that have revived downtown nightlife in the last few years, so late one Friday, Marion Eisenmann and I strolled up 2nd Street from … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, Downtown, Marion Eisenmann, Nightclubs, Nuestro Pueblo | 1 Comment

Chauffeur Is Speed Crazy

Posted on April 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1910: "The motorcycle men are after me and they will never get me," he cried. "I'm going to give them a race for their money this time. If they get me they will send me to jail."

Posted in Downtown, LAPD, Transportation | 1 Comment

L.A. Moment

Posted on March 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

Dec. 25, 1944: Glenn Miller’s plane disappears. I was coming back from lunch at Koo-Koo-Roo on Grand Avenue this afternoon and while waiting for the light, I heard Glenn Miller’s “American Patrol” floating out a window of one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Music | 1 Comment

Dodgers Giving Up on Stadium for ’61 Season

Posted on March 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 20, 1960: The Dodgers were giving up hope they would open the 1961 season in their new Chavez Ravine stadium. Walter O'Malley complained to The Times' sports editor, Paul Zimmerman, about the "little delays" that kept construction from … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Dodgers, Downtown | 1 Comment