Category Archives: Downtown

Churchill Visits Ike, Dodgers Beat Braves, May 5, 1959

Posted on May 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

   Above, efforts fail to heal a rift between President Eisenhower and former President Truman, who declined an invitation to the White House to dine with former British  Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Assemblyman William B. Rumford (D- Berkeley) calls upon … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, art and artists, Dodgers, Downtown, Environment, Freeways, Front Pages, Politics | Comments Off on Churchill Visits Ike, Dodgers Beat Braves, May 5, 1959

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on May 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

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Found on EBay — Spring Street

Posted on May 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

This postcard showing Spring Street before it was straightened out has been listed on EBay. Bidding for the lot (which also includes a postcard of Westlake Park) starts at $4.50.

Posted in Downtown, Transportation | Comments Off on Found on EBay — Spring Street

Union Station Opens, May 4, 1939

Posted on May 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo June 13, 1915: Before Union Station, there was the Southern Pacific depot on Central between 4th and 5th Streets, which replaced an even earlier depot called the Arcade Station.   Los Angeles Times file photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Transportation | 1 Comment

Parade Opens Union Station, May 4, 1939

Posted on May 4, 2009 by lmharnisch

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Union Station Turns 70

Posted on May 2, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times From left, Chester Gan, Chinese district leader; Arthur Kennedy of the city Planning Commission; Vic MacKenzie, American Legion national convention director; George R. Reilly, San Francisco County supervisor; Bruce Iliff, federal liaison officer; Drew … Continue reading →

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Union Station Turns 70

Posted on May 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 1, 1939: The Times publishes a cutaway drawing of the new terminal.

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Israel Raids Egypt, Celtics Beat Lakers, April 30, 1969

Posted on April 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

The 1960s were surely the hair decade. Ask your mom if she ever had a hairdo like this model in a Broadway ad.  President Nixon urges "backbone" against student unrest. Israel strikes Egypt. Nixon plays "Happy Birthday" for Duke Ellington. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Downtown, Environment, Fashion, Front Pages, Lakers, Richard Nixon, Sports | Comments Off on Israel Raids Egypt, Celtics Beat Lakers, April 30, 1969

Union Station Turns 70

Posted on April 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times Dec. 23, 1935: City Hall casts a long shadow over downtown Los Angeles in this photograph showing where Union Station will be built. Notice the large storage tanks of the gasworks in the upper … Continue reading →

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April 30, 1939: Los Angeles Prepares for Opening of Union Station

Posted on April 30, 2009 by lmharnisch

The city made a special effort to examine and celebrate its past during the opening of Union Station. Officials mounted a much more elaborate “parade of progress” than I suspect we would see today.

Posted in 1939, Comics, Countdown to Watts, Downtown, Music, Transportation | Comments Off on April 30, 1939: Los Angeles Prepares for Opening of Union Station

Found on EBay — Angels Flight

Posted on April 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

This 1908 postcard of Angels Flight has been listed on EBay. Notice that it was originally next to the 3rd Street tunnel. Also notice the lookout tower at the top of Bunker Hill. Bidding starts at $3.99.

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Union Station Turns 70

Posted on April 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo Los Angeles' Union Station formally opened May 3-5, 1939, with a three-day festival that included parades and displays of historic locomotives and streetcars. The Daily Mirror will be posting photos of the station's construction and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Transportation | 2 Comments

Nuestro Pueblo

Posted on April 27, 2009 by lmharnisch
Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Nuestro Pueblo | 1 Comment

A Jewish Pioneer Who Helped Build L.A.

Posted on April 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

Frances Dinkelspiel Frances Dinkelspiel, whose biography of her great-great-grandfather Isaias Hellman has received good notices, is one of the many writers who will be at The Times Festival of Books. For those not venturing to UCLA on Sunday, she will … Continue reading →

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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.

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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 →

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