Category Archives: Downtown

Man Kills Wife, Attempts Suicide

Posted on June 15, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1899: Earl Hanchett kills his wife and attempts suicide. The nurse who was hired to tend their baby says: "Why didn't you do as good a job on yourself as you did on her?" Hanchett lived to stand … Continue reading →

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All-Night Bakery

Posted on June 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 13, 1889: The Vienna Bakery, 1st and Spring streets, open all night.

Posted in Downtown, Food and Drink | 1 Comment

Nuestro Pueblo: Weller Street

Posted on June 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

Today, we know Weller Street as Little Tokyo's Onizuka Street, named for the astronaut who was killed in the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986.

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | 1 Comment

Found on EBay — Oriental Cafe

Posted on June 9, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard showing the interior of the Oriental Cafe, 445-447 S. Main St., has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $9.99, a little steep for my blood.  Look what else you could get at 447 S. Main in 1903! … Continue reading →

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The Pershing Square Mystery, Part II

Posted on June 9, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times Dec., 11, 1975: "The Last Argument of Kings" cannon is at Travel Town. Note that the plaque is missing from the base. I went to Travel Town on Sunday in search of … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo, Parks and Recreation | 2 Comments

Nuestro Pueblo: The Pershing Square Mystery

Posted on June 8, 2009 by lmharnisch

"The Last Argument of Kings" Sept. 20, 1953: The cannon was moved to Travel Town in Griffith Park. This simple post about a cannon at Pershing Square has become ridiculously complicated. All I want to know is what became of … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Parks and Recreation, San Fernando Valley | 1 Comment

Minstrels and the Salvation Army — Charles Ives Would Love It

Posted on June 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 7, 1889 Pairing a minstrel show and a Salvation Army band sounds like something Charles Ives might have liked. June 7, 1899: A jail inmate says a trusty beat him with a heavy set of keys.

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Downtown, LAPD, Music, Religion, Stage | Comments Off on Minstrels and the Salvation Army — Charles Ives Would Love It

Homeless Sleep in All-Night Theaters!

Posted on June 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

  "Norda Noll Slain" The Lugo Adobe on Gage Avenue. The Police Commission wanted to close all-night theaters but the council rejected the action amid debate over whether the city, county or state should care for the homeless who would … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Comics, Downtown, Film, Front Pages, health, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo, Obituaries, Religion, Robberies, Sports | Comments Off on Homeless Sleep in All-Night Theaters!

Libelous Mail … Mortality Report … Property Dispute

Posted on June 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1889

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Found on EBay — Security Savings Bank

Posted on June 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the boardroom at Security Savings Bank has been listed on EBay. This is a bit of Victorian opulence — take a look at the marble fireplace. Bidding starts at $3.25.

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Boxing Promoter Beaten; Dodgers Sign Chavez Ravine Deal

Posted on June 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

"R-R-R-ING!" Life on Mars! Boxing promoter Jackie Leonard had testified before the State Athletic Commission about mob influence in prizefighting. View this page  American jazz?  Nyet! Charles Hillinger interviews Nicaragua's Luis Somoza. Carole Baker … Jeffrey Hunter … Richard Nixon … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, City Hall, Comics, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Science, Sports | Comments Off on Boxing Promoter Beaten; Dodgers Sign Chavez Ravine Deal

Total Depravity … Severed Finger … Attempted Rape

Posted on June 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 4, 1889

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Found on EBay — Philharmonic Auditorium

Posted on June 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard of Philharmonic Auditorium, at Olive and 5th streets in downtown Los Angeles, has been listed on EBay. The auditorium was eventually given a modernized facade and finally torn down by a developer, leaving a vacant lot. Bidding starts … Continue reading →

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Executive Predicts Downtown Renaissance

Posted on June 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 2, 1959: "The trek back from the suburbs has begun. Families will be returning to the cities in increasing numbers during the coming years, 'lured by the city's glamour, downtown business developments, new housing.' The turn for the downtown … Continue reading →

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Woman Flees Life of Forced Prostitution

Posted on June 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 1, 1899

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Specialists in Men’s Problems

Posted on May 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 29, 1899: What to do about men's "loss of vital force." 

Posted in Downtown, health, LAPD | Comments Off on Specialists in Men’s Problems

Monorail Planned for Downtown Los Angeles!

Posted on May 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

"She Was Gone … Real Gone!" Voters reject higher taxes. View this page Beatnik robbers tell victim to "play it cool." Woof, Daddy-o. Above, another mass-transit plan that never got off the drawing board. All right, you kids, no more … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Comics, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, health, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Politics, Religion, Robberies, Rock 'n' Roll, Sports, Transportation | 1 Comment

Nuestro Pueblo: L.A.’s Fountains

Posted on May 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Declared a slum in 1939, the old Central Station on 1st Street between Broadway and Hill wasn't demolished until August 1955, below. The Central Station figured in the Carl Warr bombing case of 1912 and William  Hickman's kidnapping and murder … Continue reading →

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Found on EBay — Chinatown, 1908

Posted on May 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard of a Chinese family, postmarked Los Angeles 1908, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $4.99.

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Highway Patrol Rounds Up Missing Legislators, May 21, 1939

Posted on May 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

"Teach me to dance, Dragon Lady." View this page At left, my kind of story. The Assembly sends the Highway Patrol to track down legislators who skipped their session on the last day they got paid. Among the missing is … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, art and artists, books, Columnists, Comics, Downtown, Fashion, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Hollywood, Nuestro Pueblo, Transportation | 1 Comment