Category Archives: Downtown

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 →

Posted in art and artists, Downtown, Parks and Recreation, Photography | Comments Off

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

City to Renovate Downtown Park

Posted on June 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

Central Park, which was renamed Pershing Square in November 1918. June 26, 1907, a headline that will live in infamy. June 21, 1910: William Hicks is fined $10 [$227.39 USD 2009] for using “shocking language” in the presence of women. … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Parks and Recreation | Comments Off

Dodgers Seek Permit for Stadium

Posted on June 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1960: One of the final paperwork hurdles was filed before construction could start on the Dodgers' new ballpark in Chavez Ravine. An application for a conditional use permit was necessary, The Times reported, because the land was zoned … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown | 1 Comment

Lakers Arrive in L.A.!

Posted on June 15, 2010 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1960: The Lakers are here! And this is the welcoming committee? Unlike the reception given the Dodgers when they moved west to Los Angeles, the Lakers quietly moved into town in 1960. I loved the silliness of … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Lakers | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in books, Downtown, LAPD, Transportation | Comments Off

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 →

Posted in Dodgers, Downtown, Transportation | Comments Off

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 →