Category Archives: Downtown

John Fante update

Posted on June 6, 2007 by lmharnisch

Richard Schave, one of my friends from the 1947project, writes that Councilman Herb Wesson has become involved in the situation regarding the John Fante building at 826 S. Berendo, and is seeking a historical marker for the structure. Stay tuned…. … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock

Posted on May 17, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 17, 1957 Anyone who does any downtown strolling can’t help noticing the parade of shabby gentlemen lost in misfortune and alcoholism. Most of them are obviously drifting aimlessly and hopelessly. But many of them, beneath their ragged clothes, are … Continue reading →

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Out of the past

Posted on May 10, 2007 by lmharnisch

  Alpine Street between Figueroa and Bunker Hill, about 1952. Back row, from left: Dickie V., Richie Trevino Front row, from left: Gilbert Ortiz, Eddie Ortiz, Rachel Razo. Photo courtesy of Gilbert Ortiz.

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Old convict

Posted on May 2, 2007 by lmharnisch

May 2, 1957 Los Angeles Police officers had a kindly affection for old "Toothpick Charlie." At 93, the dapper, neatly dressed man known as James J. Fitzpatrick, James Hennesy and James Flannery had been  working his cons since before they … Continue reading →

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He was no Cupid

Posted on April 26, 2007 by lmharnisch

April 26, 1957 Los Angeles  Albert Duarte, 20, was tired of hearing the noise made by the wrecking crews day after day as they demolished a building at 1st and Hope streets. So he got a 5-foot bow and shot … Continue reading →

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Dear Mr. O’Malley

Posted on April 19, 2007 by lmharnisch

April 19, 1957 Los Angeles Dear Walter, We all know that the lease on Ebbets Field expires in 1959. How would you like a nice 78-acre parcel in Flushing Meadows, 12 miles from Midtown Manhattan, for the Dodgers? Forget this … Continue reading →

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The case of the new courthouse

Posted on April 15, 2007 by lmharnisch

April 15, 1957 Los Angeles The Times features the new courthouse rising at 1st Street and Hill in the Civic Center.  After cataloging  the materials (Italian  marble,  red granite from Texas  and ceramic veneer from Springfield, Calif.)  The  Times’ Ray … Continue reading →

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The Education of Mrs. Snethen

Posted on April 10, 2007 by lmharnisch

April 10, 1957 Los Angeles By Larry Harnisch Mrs. Andrew Snethen, 39,  of Lakewood (remember this is the era when married women had no first names), a recent arrival from Omaha, Neb., had never been to downtown Los Angeles, had … Continue reading →

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Random Shots From Our 12-Bore

Posted on March 9, 2007 by lmharnisch

March 9, 1907Los Angeles The Insanity Begins Led by I. Newerf and J.B. Dudley, the automobile owners of Los Angeles are fighting a new city ordinance that bans parking within 40 of downtown intersections. Newerf, the West Coast representative of … Continue reading →

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City Fathers Confront an Intractable Problem

Posted on March 1, 2007 by lmharnisch

March 1, 1907Los Angeles Downtown businessmen are at a complete loss over what to do with the garbage from their operations and want the city to either take it or designate a dump they can use. “They declare that the … Continue reading →

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Why Doesn’t L.A. Do Something About Traffic?

Posted on January 27, 2007 by lmharnisch

Jan. 27, 1907Los Angeles One thing you can say about Angelenos: We love to talk about traffic. The only thing we love more is to commission studies and draft plans to deal with the problem, and then ignore them. “With … Continue reading →

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The Floods

Posted on January 10, 2007 by lmharnisch

Jan. 9-10, 1907 The worst storm in 23 years blew across Southern California with the force of a gale, dumping more than an inch of rain in Pasadena, killing an Orange County rancher, washing out railroad tracks and collapsing tunnels, … Continue reading →

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The Old Men in Blue

Posted on December 30, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 30, 1907Los AngelesJames Sullivan, 64, was a prisoner of the Confederates held at Belle Isle, Libby and Andersonville, where he and war correspondent Albert D. Richardson escaped by tunneling for three months with a spoon.Henry Russell, formerly of the … Continue reading →

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On the Frontiers of Mental Health

Posted on December 23, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 23, 1907St. Louis, via Direct Wire to The TimesDr. Henry S. Atkins, superintendent of St. Louis’ insane asylum, has found that Christmas is a perfect time to test his theory that shopping cures insanity.Atkins and two attendants took 60 … Continue reading →

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Uh-Oh

Posted on December 10, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 10,1907Los AngelesMayor Arthur C. Harper happens to be in all sorts of trouble. He’s telling the newspapers that he has had enough of politics and won’t seek another term. The district attorney is trying to shut down the local … Continue reading →

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Ambush in Arcadia

Posted on December 4, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 4, 1907ArcadiaCharley Chew, the water superintendent on the Lucky Baldwin ranch, had fired two Mexican workers several months ago and one dark night near the Unruh residence, they ambushed him, shooting him in the back. Chew drew his pistol … Continue reading →

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Matzo Brawl!

Posted on November 29, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 29, 1907Los AngelesOh Those Shriners: Recall, if you will, the grisly train wreck that killed a large number of Shriners returning from their convention in Los Angeles. It seems that one of them, George F. Hageman, inadvertently touched off … Continue reading →

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Roving to Monrovia

Posted on November 25, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 24, 1907Monrovia The Times real estate section takes a look at what was then the distant suburb of Monrovia, 22 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The writer notes the increasing use of concrete and stone, explaining that the cost … Continue reading →

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Imagining the Future

Posted on November 15, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 15, 1907Los Angeles Architect Charles Mulford Robinson has drafted a proposal for downtown Los Angeles that is stunning in its ambition. One portion calls for broad boulevard leading from a proposed Union Station at Central and 5th Street toward … Continue reading →

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Runaway Flats

Posted on April 26, 2006 by lmharnisch

Water is not the only thing that flows downhill, as switchmen at the downtown Southern Pacific freight yard discovered when two runaway flatcars made a 13-mile trip from the San Fernando Valley in 10 minutes.Although the runaway cars sent people … Continue reading →

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