Category Archives: Real Estate

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: How Hollywood’s Streets Got Their Names

Posted on June 22, 2021 by lmharnisch

H.H. Wilcox’s 1887 map of Hollywood courtesy of USC digital collections. Street names provide a telling story of an area’s development, growth, and history. Real estate promoters and developers give tract streets aspirational titles, monikers that salute subjects or places, … Continue reading →

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Dec. 29, 1907: The City Grows

Posted on December 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 29, 1907 Los Angeles The Times real estate pages feature homes under construction around Washington Boulevard west of Hobart Boulevard. “This section is just being built up with a splendid class … Continue reading →

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Dec. 2, 1907: Glendale Homes Built on Site of Glassell’s Vineyards

Posted on December 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 2, 1907 Los Angeles The Times real estate section features an apartment building at 2nd Street and Figueroa—no point in even going to look for it. But there’s also a large … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Actor Jack Donovan Designs Bungalow Courts for Hollywood Artistes

Posted on November 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jack Donovan on the porch of his home, “Picture-Play Magazine,” April 1923.. From its beginnings, the Hollywood film industry has constructed elaborate sets and facades before demolishing them to build something else, such as David O. Selznick burning down old … Continue reading →

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Nov. 24, 1907: Roving to Monrovia

Posted on November 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 24, 1907 Monrovia 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1911, Architecture, Downtown, Education, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Real Estate | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Nov. 10, 1907: Story of L.A. Real Estate Is Dislocation, Dislocation, Dislocation

Posted on November 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 10, 1907 South Pasadena What sort of monument do we leave for real estate developers? For John B. Althouse, who built hundreds of homes in the Wilshire district, as well as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1914, Architecture, Real Estate | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

July 22, 1907: L.A. Housing Is Expensive

Posted on July 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

This is an encore post from 2006. Note: $90 a month is $1,847.12 USD 2005.

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May 21, 1907: J.G. Fleenor ‘Barefoot Burglar’ Talks!

Posted on May 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. In a jailhouse interview before he was taken to San Quentin, James G. Fleenor, the barefoot burglar, set the record straight on his escapes, his relationship with a white woman and how … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Real Estate, Streetcars | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

May 8, 1947: Mixed Marriage Was Illegal, Louisiana Court Rules, Ordering Woman to Vacate Home for New Owner

Posted on May 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Daisy Lee Wade, 14, shows off a bike she won in a contest to name a bicycle. Her winning entry: A Master Chaser. May 8, 1947: Tony Rice and Azelia Barthelmy (sometimes Berthlemy) were married by the Catholic Church of … Continue reading →

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Black L.A., 1947: Stylish Men in Harlem Wearing Berets

Posted on February 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

At top, the home at 2443 S. St. Andrews Place is for sale at $16,500 cash or $18,000 “terms.” Above, the 2400 block of South St. Andrews Place via Google Street View. Feb. 13, 1947: Columnist Bill Smallwood says “Richard … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Books and Authors, Fashion, Real Estate | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: Judge Backs Racial Ban, Orders Native Americans Out of West Hollywood Home

Posted on February 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Feb. 13, 1947: Dorothy Bradley becomes the first African American cashier hired at the Safeway grocery store in Watts. She was hired as the result of a campaign by the Watts Citizens Welfare committee protesting Safeway’s refusal to hired black … Continue reading →

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Jan. 17, 1907: The Changing Face of the City

Posted on January 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2007. Jan. 17, 1907 Los Angeles On a trip from Utah to visit his daughter, H.E. Gibson keeps getting lost as he wanders around Los Angeles. No, it’s not because Gibson is 80, … Continue reading →

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1944 on the Radio — Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge

Posted on October 20, 2014 by lmharnisch

Oct. 20, 1944: Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge. Courtesy of otronmp3.com.

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Architectural Ramblings

Posted on February 18, 2014 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost of a regular feature I did for the 1947project in 2007 in which I tried to find homes listed in The Times’ Sunday real estate section in 1907. Architectural Ramblings was one of my favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Real Estate | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Architectural Rambling – The Van Griffith Estate

Posted on June 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

The Times Sunday Business section featured the former home of Van M. Griffith (d. 1974), the son of Griffith Park donor Colonel Griffith J. Griffith.  (For some reason, the early stories in The Times refer to him as “Dan Griffith” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1925, Architecture, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Obituaries, Politics, Real Estate, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coming Attractions – ‘Hollywoodland’

Posted on June 9, 2011 by lmharnisch

Mary Mallory, a key member of the Daily Mirror’s “brain trust,”  will be signing copies of her new book “Hollywoodland” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at Chevalier’s Books, 126 N. Larchmont Blvd. More information is … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Coming Attractions, Film, Hollywood, Real Estate | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Batchelder Tile

Posted on May 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

  This Batchelder tile has been listed on EBay. According to the vendor, these tiles are 6 inches square and are stamped Batchelder on the back. Bidding starts at $42 or Buy It Now for $300. As with anything on … Continue reading →

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Bullet of Mystery – Part 4

Posted on May 22, 2011 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig … Continue reading →

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Bullet of Mystery — Part 3

Posted on May 21, 2011 by lmharnisch

In case you just tuned in, I’m posting a small case study of research I did with Caroline Comport on her grandfather Lionel Comport for her master’s thesis. Researching Los Angeles is a treasure hunt, and every time I dig … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1901, Architecture, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Real Estate | Leave a comment

Found on EBay – Hollywood Estate

Posted on May 20, 2011 by lmharnisch

       A postcard showing the Hollywood estate of A.G. Bartlett at 6219 Hollywood Blvd. has been listed on EBay. The home was built about 1901 by Bartlett, the head of a downtown music company. The seven-acre estate, north … Continue reading →

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