Category Archives: Freeways

August 25, 1958: Jealous husband rams movie star’s car, Reds win over Dodgers

Posted on August 25, 2008 by lmharnisch

Some folks may find this hard to believe, but drivers were complaining about bad traffic in Los Angeles 50 years ago. I can’t say it often enough: History shows that congested streets have been a problem in Los Angeles for … Continue reading →

Posted in Dodgers, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Hollywood, Transportation | 3 Comments

Former mayor may enter recall race, Cubs win over Pirates, August 22, 1938

Posted on August 22, 2008 by lmharnisch

Above, more proof, as if any were needed, that bad traffic is nothing new in Los Angeles. Note the traffic island in the center of the drawing, which is where people waited to board a streetcar. Voila! A 70-year-old attempt … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, City Hall, Downtown, Freeways, Front Pages, Politics, Sports | Comments Off on Former mayor may enter recall race, Cubs win over Pirates, August 22, 1938

Judge challenges mayor in election, Pirates win, August 10, 1938

Posted on August 10, 2008 by lmharnisch

  This Oldsmobile got 30 mpg and hit 30 mph in a 4,600-mile cross-country jaunt.  But in 1938, this was a 34-year-old car, the same age as a 1974 Oldsmobile today.   uperior Court Judge Fletcher Bowron accepts the nomination … Continue reading →

Posted in @news, City Hall, Current Affairs, Freeways, Front Pages, Politics, Sports, Transportation | 1 Comment

July 31, 1958

Posted on July 31, 2008 by lmharnisch

A car made in … Japan? Built by some outfit called Toy-o-ta? You can’t be serious. Hm. "33 m.p.g." I wonder what that means. Email me

Posted in Freeways, Front Pages, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

July 30, 1938

Posted on July 30, 2008 by lmharnisch

  he search is on for a candidate to face Mayor Frank Shaw in the recall election. The Times story mentions Councilman Stephen W. Cunningham, but more important, it says that Judge Fletcher Bowron and Supervisor John Anson Ford "have … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Freeways, Front Pages, LAPD, Politics, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spring Street revisited

Posted on July 29, 2008 by lmharnisch

  C.C. Pierce & Co. Photographers, Los Angeles, Cal. U.S.A. This picture was taken from Spring and 2nd streets about 1895, and shows the reverse angle of Spring and 1st, which we looked at yesterday.   One of the most … Continue reading →

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Spring Street revisited

Posted on July 28, 2008 by lmharnisch

  C. C. Pierce Photographer, 1572 W. Pico, Los Angeles This photograph of Spring Street, looking south from Temple, is slightly later than the one in the previous entry and was taken about 1896.    Notice that our single-track, horse-drawn … Continue reading →

Posted in 1872, 1887, 1889, Architecture, City Hall, Downtown, Freeways, Transportation | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Spring Street revisited

Posted on July 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

  Los Angeles Times file photo When this photo was taken, about 1883, Spring Street took an oblique angle at 1st. We're looking north, possibly from the Nadeau Hotel at what is now the site of The Times Building. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1883, Architecture, Downtown, Freeways, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

And commuting was born

Posted on July 22, 2008 by lmharnisch

    Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Except this was published in The Times on July 1, 1901. Today, we shake our heads when we read about someone who works in Santa Monica or downtown Los Angeles and lives in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Freeways, Real Estate, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Pasadena Freeway

Posted on July 18, 2008 by lmharnisch

  A map from 1912 shows the plans for the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Note the Silver Lake Parkway, which was not built. The Arroyo Seco Parkway was actually proposed even earlier, as part of Charles Mulford Robinson’s "City Beautiful" project … Continue reading →

Posted in Freeways, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

July 15, 1908

Posted on July 15, 2008 by lmharnisch

ere’s an update on the story of Joseph H.N. Longy, who was arrested on charges of sending threatening letters to local businessmen. The Times gives an elaborate description of his "oil gun" and a primitive hand grenade that was found … Continue reading →

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July 10, 1908

Posted on July 10, 2008 by lmharnisch

A meeting of ranchers from the Los Nietos and La Habra valleys. Although the image is murky, it’s possible to make out one wagon and one automobile. arning: Some readers aren’t going to like this post because it contradicts today’s … Continue reading →

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June 27, 1908

Posted on June 27, 2008 by lmharnisch

ong ago, I lost track of how many highway maps The Times has run over the years. Here is yet another one, giving us a trifecta with the map from Ed Ainsworth’s traffic series of 1938 and the one that … Continue reading →

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Los Angeles traffic

Posted on June 23, 2008 by lmharnisch

Page 26 Page 27 f only Ray Hebert had asked the right question. But how was he to know? Twenty years after Ed Ainsworth focused on a "motorway" system in his series on Los Angeles traffic, Ray Hebert examines the … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Freeways, Front Pages, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

June 18, 1958

Posted on June 18, 2008 by lmharnisch

wenty years after Ed Ainsworth’s series on Los Angeles’ congested streets, The Times takes another look at traffic. I (almost) never grow tired of saying that the incredible number of transportation studies performed in Los Angeles would fill a library. … Continue reading →

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June 18, 1938

Posted on June 18, 2008 by lmharnisch

irst, we have tragic news from Berlin: Panicked Jews wander the streets in hopes of avoiding mass arrests in which entire families are hauled away in the middle of the night. "…officials explained that the anti-Jewish activities were necessary because … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, City Hall, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on June 18, 1938

June 17, 1938

Posted on June 17, 2008 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times Police Capt. Earle Kynette, after initially refusing to be interviewed after his conviction in the Harry Raymond bombing, meets with the press. (Howard Decker writes of the flashbulbs the photographers are using: "Methinks them … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, City Hall, Downtown, Freeways, Front Pages, LAPD, Politics, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

June 16, 1938

Posted on June 16, 2008 by lmharnisch

ou might well wonder whether the designers actually expected to run "motorways" right through buildings in downtown Los Angeles — the answer is yes, they did. There’s quite a bit of data in this installment of Ed Ainsworth’s series on … Continue reading →

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June 15, 1938

Posted on June 15, 2008 by lmharnisch

A detail of the arch, as shown on San Pedro High School’s website. For the full image, go here.   A cloverleaf interchange, as envisioned in 1938. Note the extensive landscaping on both sides of the freeway. A map of … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, @news, Architecture, City Hall, Current Affairs, Downtown, Freeways, Front Pages, LAPD, Politics, Real Estate | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on June 15, 1938

June 14, 1938

Posted on June 14, 2008 by lmharnisch

Photograph by the Los Angeles Times Police Capt. Earle Kynette before altering his appearance for his trial in the Harry Raymond bombing. erhaps it came as a shock — at least to Police Capt. Earle Kynette, if no one else … Continue reading →

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