Category Archives: Downtown

Found on EBay – Examiner Building

Posted on February 3, 2010 by lmharnisch

This rather nice postcard of the Examiner Building on South Broadway has been posted on EBay. The name of Julia Morgan is usually attached to the building, but this card also credits J. Martyn Haenke, a name I don't recognize. … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, Jan. 28, 1960

Posted on January 28, 2010 by lmharnisch

Leap Year Pitch     For a while it appeared we might tiptoe into 1960 without arousing the usual corny, anachronistic nonsense about leap year and the girls chasing the boys, object matrimony.  No such luck.  The subject was merely dormant.  … Continue reading →

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Nixon Leads Kennedy in Poll

Posted on January 24, 2010 by lmharnisch

There’s no credit on this photo, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were a Delmar Watson shot. The Alexandria Hotel’s Palm Room has been converted to a gym as boxers Jose Becerra and Battling Torres train for bouts at … Continue reading →

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Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on January 20, 2010 by lmharnisch

    Sept. 19, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens visit 211 W. 2nd St., close to home! Note: The original run of Nuestro Pueblo concluded in 1939. I’m picking up entries that I missed the first time around.

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Theater Planned for 7th and Broadway

Posted on January 6, 2010 by lmharnisch

An artist’s early concept of the building planned for 7th and Broadway. Nov. 21, 1921: The interior of Loew’s State Theater.  Jan. 6, 1920: A theater and office building are planned for 7th Street and Broadway, “the most valuable corner … Continue reading →

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Portrait of the City

Posted on January 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

Jan. 1, 1920: “Long ribbons of automobiles of all sorts and conditions enter the business sections and disappear in the neighborhood parking stations and garages. The banks open their doors, the stores become filled with employees and customers. Activity everywhere. … Continue reading →

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Los Angeles County Plans Nation’s Finest Highway System

Posted on January 1, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Jan. 1, 1910: The Autoist’s Paradise. On Jan. 1, The Times published its annual Midwinter Edition. One of the articles featured plans for an extensive new system of highways that would benefit ranchers shipping goods to market,    motor vehicles … Continue reading →

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Man’s Skull Fractured in Assault

Posted on December 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

    Dec. 31, 1909: Former stockbroker Henry SO. Clark  is hospitalized after hitting his head on the pavement at Spring and 9th streets when a man struck him for talking to his wife. 

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No Gunfire for New Year’s Eve

Posted on December 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

Joseph’s has a sale on Stickley furniture! Dec. 30, 1909: Rules for New Year’s Eve – No slapping of people on the back, no rude jostling, no disrespectful address of persons one does not know. Most important, “no discharging of … Continue reading →

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Minister Vanishes After Predicting Christ’s Return on Christmas Day

Posted on December 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

Dec. 27, 1909: A mob in Hurley, Va., lynches Henry Pennington after he killed Samuel Baker, who was on his way to a Christmas program with his family. Pennington had run away, but Baker’s wife tricked him into coming back … Continue reading →

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Fire Roars Through Lumber Yard, Threatens Homes

Posted on December 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

     Dec. 20, 1909: A fire apparently started by a homeless person roars through a lumber yard and a factory that made doors and window sashes, spreading to an adjoining rooming house and a home. About 50 horses were … Continue reading →

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On the Frontiers of Medicine

Posted on December 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Receiving Hospital cot where more than 600 died. Dec. 19, 1909: “Within a few days the old rubber-covered cot at the Receiving Hospital in the Central Police Station will be removed, and a new and more sanitary operating stand … Continue reading →

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Publicist Dies in Fall From Alexandria Hotel

Posted on December 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

“Somebody Is Always Taking the Joy Out of Life” by Clare Briggs. Dec. 12, 1919: Publicist Albee Smith had a big story, but nobody ever found out what it was.

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Rain Floods Downtown Streets

Posted on December 10, 2009 by lmharnisch

  A young woman gets carried across a flooded street at Jefferson and Grand.   Dec. 10, 1909: “There are few sights funnier than a large crowd on the streets during a heavy downpour. Such was the case yesterday. During … Continue reading →

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President’s Pilot Worries About Trip to Afghanistan

Posted on December 9, 2009 by lmharnisch

“Remember, leave your blood at the Red Cross, not on the highway,” says Capt. Dan Mathews of "Highway Patrol." Air pollution is linked to lung ailments. “Take a Giant Step” opens. And I’ve added to my Netflix queue. Dec. 9, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Dodgers, Downtown, Politics, Transportation | 3 Comments

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on December 9, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Broadway between 1st and Temple, looking toward Hill Street. Oct. 20, 1943: A fire destroys Court Flight.  Sept. 14, 1938: Joe Seewerker and Charles Owens visit Court Flight, another long-vanished downtown landmark. Today, the Hall of Records is also … Continue reading →

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Drunk Man Kills Food Wagon Vendor

Posted on December 8, 2009 by lmharnisch

What women want for Christmas: a desk. Dec. 8, 1909: The operator of a food wagon at 9th and Main streets is shot to death after refusing to give some food to a drunk man. The killer escapes through a … Continue reading →

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Driving Lesson Ends in Crash With Trolley

Posted on November 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

  [googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/sv?cbp=12,286.48,,0,-1.06&cbll=34.067659,-118.225897&v=1&panoid=ybIR0sriyeKOE7LJSSmtcw&gl=&hl=en” width=”600″>View Larger Map Wilhardt Street and Main, the general area of the first accident between a streetcar and an auto. View Larger MapMain and Alameda, the general area of the second accident – and only a block … Continue reading →

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An Unlucky Address

Posted on November 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

   Nov. 28, 1919: A nervy bandit. May 12, 1924: More trouble at 824 Francisco St.   March 4, 1932: Even more trouble near 824 Francisco St.   Nov. 28, 1919: A nervy bandit orders a woman out of her … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay – Thomas Bros. Map

Posted on November 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

  This 1940s vintage Thomas Bros. map of Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. These maps and street guides – which show the city before freeways – are entertaining and can be useful references for anyone researching the history … Continue reading →

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