Category Archives: Downtown

Court Upholds Deal on Chavez Ravine; Moratorium on Death Penalty Fails, April 22, 1959

Posted on April 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by John Malmin / Los Angeles Times People cluster between homes on Malvina Avenue in Chavez Ravine for word on being evicted. The battle over Chavez Ravine reads like the same story after a while — a long court fight … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Comics, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Hollywood | 1 Comment

Found on EBay — Scottish Rite Cathedral

Posted on April 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the 1906 Scottish Rite Cathedral on Hope Street between 9th and 10th streets in downtown Los Angeles has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $7.99.

Posted in Architecture, Downtown | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Scottish Rite Cathedral

Gold Hunters Dig for Lost Underground Empire of the Lizard People!

Posted on April 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

I thought it would be fun to explore the story of the “Lizard People,” which is to say the excavations on Fort Moore Hill in an unsuccessful search for gold. G. Warren Shufelt usually gets the credit for the enterprise, … Continue reading →

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Did Ancient Lizard Cult Hide Gold Tablets in Tunnels Under L.A.? Jan. 29, 1934

Posted on April 15, 2009 by lmharnisch

Jan. 29, 1934: Gold hidden in network of tunnels under downtown Los Angeles!

Posted in Architecture, Downtown | 2 Comments

Found on EBay — Early Views of Los Angeles

Posted on April 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard, c. 1908, showing views of Los Angeles, including the courthouse, oil wells, the Plaza, and Echo Park, has been listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $6.

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City Hall Protest Over Chavez Ravine Evictions, April 14, 1959

Posted on April 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Chavez Ravine residents threatened with eviction survived another day in their homes. The Times published a short story with a terrible lead on the planned evictions to allow construction of Dodger Stadium: "It was the last of the ninth inning … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Current Affairs, Dodgers, Downtown, LAPD, Politics, Sports | Comments Off on City Hall Protest Over Chavez Ravine Evictions, April 14, 1959

Nuestro Pueblo, April 14, 1939

Posted on April 14, 2009 by lmharnisch
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January 10, 1909: Addicted to Gambling

Posted on April 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

January 10, 1909: If you strip away the moralistic tone used by the anonymous Times reporter, the problems of the young men caught up in gambling (in this case horse racing) a century ago are quite modern. Wrecked on the … Continue reading →

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Nuestro Pueblo — April 10, 1939

Posted on April 10, 2009 by lmharnisch
Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | 1 Comment

Coming Attractions — Last Remaining Seats

Posted on April 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Tickets for the Los Angeles Conservancy's annual Last Remaining Seats have gone on sale. Tickets are available to members only ($80/$16) through April 14 and go on sale to the public ($100/$20) April 15. But surely most Daily Mirror … Continue reading →

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Christine Jorgensen Tries to Marry, March 31, 1959

Posted on March 31, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Christine Jorgensen and Howard J. Knox attempted to get married, but could not obtain a license.  The Times headline writers had fun with this: Ex-GI becomes GI-RL. Har har har. And the same day, an ad for the upcoming … Continue reading →

Posted in #gays and lesbians, Architecture, Downtown, Front Pages, Sports | 1 Comment

Trouble Was His Business — Raymond Chandler

Posted on March 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

Tour Casts New Light on Raymond Chandler’s Old L.A. * A Minnesota couple trace the steps of the novelist’s best-known character. April 4, 2004 By Erika Hayasaki, Times Staff Writer Bonnie Olson stood in the lobby of the Oviatt Building … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Raymond Chandler | 1 Comment

New Museum Planned; ‘Mein Kampf’ an Ignorant Book, March 26, 1939

Posted on March 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

No, it didn’t get built, and The Times didn’t elaborate on the project. We can simply add the "Island House" to the long list of plans that were never pursued. Los Angeles police officials estimate there are 10,000 people on … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, art and artists, books, Comics, Downtown, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Sports | Comments Off on New Museum Planned; ‘Mein Kampf’ an Ignorant Book, March 26, 1939

Mayor’s Aide Guilty of Selling Jobs, March 24, 1939

Posted on March 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

A line of Nazi tanks crosses into Czechoslovakia.  Head of Federal Reserve calls for a balanced budget. Joseph Shaw, brother former Mayor Frank Shaw, is convicted on 63 counts of selling jobs and promotions in the Los Angeles police and … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Architecture, art and artists, City Hall, Comics, Current Affairs, Downtown, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo, Sports | 2 Comments

Found on EBay — Paris Inn Cafe

Posted on March 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

A mixed lot of menus from the 1930s and ’40s has been listed on EBay, including this item from the Paris Inn Cafe, 210 E. Market St., which was torn down about 1950. The lot of 50, not all from … Continue reading →

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Body of Boxing Manager Found on Ventura Freeway, March 1977

Posted on March 16, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times Howard Steindler, about 1970. Howard Steindler’s killing follows the classic arc of a story about an unsolved murder. First, an interesting victim dies violently. There are a few tantalizing clues, almost enough to break … Continue reading →

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Trouble Was His Business — Raymond Chandler

Posted on March 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

Filming at the Bradbury Building, which is filled with garment workers! "…The dialogue, as clever as it was then, had become totally dated. I couldn’t use 90% of it." — Stirling Silliphant, screenwriter Kevin Thomas writes a feature about filming … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, books, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Raymond Chandler | 2 Comments

Found on EBay — Chinese Festival

Posted on March 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard of a dragon in Chinatown has been listed on EBay, mailed to Staten Island, N.Y., in 1908. Bidding starts at $1.99.

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Mystics Predict the ‘Big One’ Will Destroy California; Dodger Recalls Negro Leagues, March 12, 1969

Posted on March 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

L.A. is doomed! … Again! "The most knowledgeable scientists say not only inconceivable but ridiculous." Above, Mama Cass sings "California Earthquake," one of the tunes inspired by the notion that a huge quake was about to destroy the state. Another … Continue reading →

Posted in art and artists, City Hall, Dodgers, Downtown, Front Pages, Religion, Sports | Comments Off on Mystics Predict the ‘Big One’ Will Destroy California; Dodger Recalls Negro Leagues, March 12, 1969

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on March 11, 2009 by lmharnisch
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