Water and Power Associates Informing the Public about Critical Water and Energy Issues facing Los Angeles and California

Historical Photos of Early Los Angeles

Historical Notes

Los Angeles, an extremely violent city in the 1850s, reported one death a day from fights or assassinations. Law enforcement was practically non-existent as they were often the victims of the violence.

Historical Notes

John Temple was one of Los Angeles’ first developers, constructing such landmarks as the original Temple Block and the Market House, which later served as city and county administrative headquarters, contained the county courthouse, and featured the first true theater in southern California. He also served as the first alcalde (or mayor) of Los Angeles after capture of the pueblo by the United States during the Mexican-American War and served on the first American-period common (city) council.

In 1849, after Los Angeles was ordered by California's military governor to conduct a survey, but couldn't pay for the work, Temple paid for the Ord Survey out of his own funds, and then was repaid by the sale of lots created in the survey.*^

In 1859, Temple Street was named after John Temple, who opened the first store in Los Angeles. He built a block of shops, lawyers' offices and a saloon at the junction of Main, Temple, and Spring Streets, where Los Angeles City Hall stands today.*

Historical Notes

The first organizational meetings of the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) were held in the law offices of Judson, Gillette, and Gibson on the second floor of the old McDonald Block on Main Street in 1880. James B. Lankershim was the first president of the LAAC. He later became a leading developer of the downtown business district.*#^#

Historical Notes

Felix Signoret was born in France on June 9, 1825, living in Marseilles before he came to the United States. By trade he was a barber, later an apartment owner. He bought a parcel of land at 125 Aliso Street in 1871 and built a "substantial brick house" about thirty feet wide with an area of nearly 1,800 square feet; the roof was "hipped on all four sides in mimicry of the fashionable Mansard shape. . . . By 1888 the Signorets . . . were long gone, and their genteel house was used as a brothel."

Signoret was elected to the Los Angeles Common Council, the governing body of the city, serving from May 9, 1863, to May 5, 1864. He was also a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1866.

He is also known for having led a lynch mob that hanged five people in Los Angeles in 1869–70 in the aftermath of a murder resulting from 'offensive remarks (made) about the newly organized French Benevolent Society.'

In 1874, Signoret built a new hotel at Main and Turner streets, north of Arcadia Street and "opposite the Pico House," also with a Mansard pitch, which the Los Angeles Star said would be the first such roof in the city.*^

Historical Notes

In 1876, the year this picture was taken, a land boom developed in Santa Monica. Stagecoaches to the beach were abandoned in favor of the Los Angeles & Independence Railroad , which carried passengers for $1 a round trip, arranging their schedules to allow time for riders to swim, picnic or buy lots in the growing community.^

The Butterfield Overland Stage headquarters site has been designated as California Historical Landmark No. 744. Click HERE to see more of the California Historical Landmarks in LA.

Historical Notes

Below are two different captions related to this photo:

"The first Fire Company was organized on September 30, 1871. The boys are out celebrating the First Anniversary of the occasion with a parade.  This is the first known picture taken of the Fire Company.  The camera was pointing North from Main and Spring Streets.  The Pico House can be seen in the background.  The buildings back of the fire engine are on the present site of the Federal Building."  - The Firemen’s Grapevine (1961)

"The Los Angeles Volunteer Fire Department celebrated its first anniversary, September 30, 1872, with a parade through downtown streets.  They paused at Main and Temple Streets, where Photographer V. Wolfenstein captured the scene for posterity in a picture which was to become one of the  fire department's most famous through frequent reproductions of it." - A Century of Service (1886-1986) by Paul Ditzel

Historical Notes

The telegraph, invented in 1832 by Pavel Schilling and Samuel Morse, didn't get to Los Angeles until 1860.*^

Phineas Banning helped to bring telegraph lines to Los Angeles. In 1860, telegraph lines were slowly making their way toward Los Angeles from San Francisco. When progress lagged, Banning ordered wire and began building from his end. Starting in Wilmington, of course, the link was completed on October 8, 1860, and Los Angeles was no longer an isolated outpost.*#

Click HERE to see more on Phineas Banning and Wilmington in Early Views of San Pedro and Wilmington.

Historical Notes

Ezra F. Kysor designed the Italianate Merced Theatre, built in 1870 by William Abbott and named for his wife. It opened on January 30, 1871 and is the oldest surviving theater in Los Angeles.

Baker Block was completed in 1878 by Colonel Robert S. Baker.^

Historical Notes

The ornate three-story Baker Block was constructed by Colonel Robert S. Baker on the corner of Arcadia and Main streets in 1878.  It was built on the former site of the residence of Abel Stearns.

Arcadia Street was dedicated in 1872. Arcadia Bandini, born in 1823, was the daughter of prominent ranchero Juan Bandini. She came to be regarded as one of the most beautiful belles of Los Angeles and was just 14 when she married 44-year-old Abel Stearns, who had come west from Massachusetts and acquired Southern California's largest land-cattle empire. Stearns built a home for his bride one block south of the Plaza--the community's central gathering area--and the house, called El Palacio, became the social hot spot. In 1858, Stearns constructed a two-story business block on Los Angeles Street nearby and called it Arcadia Block. The street was officially dedicated one year after Stearns' death in 1871.^*^

In 1874 Arcadia married Colonel Robert S. Baker (1826–1894), owner of Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica, and they settled in Santa Monica. The famous Arcadia Hotel in old Santa Monica was also named after her.*^

Click HERE to see the Arcadia Hotel in Early Views of Santa Monica.

Historical Notes

Constructed in 1835, the Bella Union Hotel (seen above after it became the St. Charles Hotel) has a long, rich history. It served as the County Courthouse until October 1851, and in 1860 was the location of a champagne fete celebrating the connection of San Francisco and Los Angeles by telegraph.^

Historical Notes

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in the late 1870's and it didn't take long for Los Angeles to adopt the new technology. In 1879, the Los Angeles Telephone Company was formed and it began offering telephone service in the area of what is now Downtown Los Angeles. This was just one year after the very first North America telephone exchange was installed in New Haven, Connecticut (January, 1878). The Los Angeles Telephone Company originally started with only seven subscribers.^*^*^

Historical Notes

Felix Signoret was born in France on June 9, 1825, living in Marseilles before he came to the United States. By trade he was a barber, later an apartment owner. He bought a parcel of land at 125 Aliso Street in 1871 and built a "substantial brick house" about thirty feet wide with an area of nearly 1,800 square feet; the roof was "hipped on all four sides in mimicry of the fashionable Mansard shape. . . . By 1888 the Signorets . . . were long gone, and their genteel house was used as a brothel."

Signoret was elected to the Los Angeles Common Council, the governing body of the city, serving from May 9, 1863, to May 5, 1864. He was also a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1866.

He is also known for having led a lynch mob that hanged five people in Los Angeles in 1869–70 in the aftermath of a murder resulting from 'offensive remarks (made) about the newly organized French Benevolent Society.'

In 1874, Signoret built a new hotel at Main and Turner streets, north of Arcadia Street and "opposite the Pico House," also with a Mansard pitch, which the Los Angeles Star said would be the first such roof in the city.*^

Historical Notes

In 1883, The Los Angeles Telephone Company merged with another local telephone company based in Northern California, Sunset Telephone Company. In 1906, the Sunset Telephone Company was acquired by Pacific Telephone and Telegraph, later known as Pacific Bell.^*^*^

Historical Notes

In the 1940s and 1950s, the historic buildings on the 300 block of North Main were demolished to extend Aliso Street from Los Angeles Street to Broadway. Several years later the Hollywood Freeway (Route 101) would be constructed over this new Aliso Street extension.

Click HERE to see more in Early Views of the Historic 300 Block of N. Main Street.

Historical Notes

The ornate three-story Baker Block was completed around 1877 by Colonel Robert S. Baker. For a number of years, the building housed offices, shops, and apartments. Goodwill Industries of Southern California purchased it in 1919. Despite plans to relocate the structure for another purpose, the city purchased the Baker Block from Goodwill in 1941 and demolished the building a year later. U.S. Route 101 now runs beneath where these buildings once stood.^

Historical Notes

As of 1880 the city of Los Angeles had one large carriage and wagon factory, owned by L. Lichtenberger, that had been in operation since 1864, producing up to 300 vehicles a year.  There were also seven other smaller carriage/wagon producers.

Historical Notes

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson (1830 – 1885) was a poet and writer who became an activist on behalf of improved treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government. She detailed the adverse effects of government actions in her history A Century of Dishonor (1881). Her novel Ramona dramatized the federal government's mistreatment of Native Americans in Southern California and attracted considerable attention to her cause, although its popularity was based on its romantic and picturesque qualities rather than its political content. It was estimated to have been reprinted 300 times, and contributed to the growth of tourism in Southern California.*^

Historical Notes

The First Congregational Church building was dedicated on June 26, 1868 by the Rev. Alexander Parker and was used until 1883, when a new building was constructed at Third & Hill streets.^

Click HERE to see more early Views of the First Congregational Church (Oldest Continuous Protestant Church in Los Angeles).

Historical Notes

Hill Street was originally laid out in 1849 by Edward Ord. At that time, the street's northern end was near 4th Street, the roadway being obstructed by its namesake, Bunker Hill. The northern section of the street was originally named Castelar Street, and several institutions along this end of the street still bear that name.*^

Historical Notes

In the middle of the photo is the First Congregational Church at 3rd and Hill. It was built in 1883. Reverend A.J. Wells, the pastor at that time, sold it to Central Baptist Church for $40,000 in 1889. Unable to pay the full amount, $30,000 was eventually settled on. It was later sold to the Unitarian Church. To the left of the Congregational Church is the German Methodist Church on 4th St.^

Historical Notes

Los Angeles High School was one of the architectural jewels of the city, and was strategically placed at the summit of a hill (Poundcake Hill), the easier to be pointed to with pride. One of the school's long standing mottos is "Always a hill, always a tower, always a timepiece." *^

Historical Notes

A sweeping view of the city is shown above, with more hilly, rural land visible in the foreground. At the center foreground, a windmill is pictured, just to the left of a circle of trees. Farther right, the silhouettes of two purveyors can be seen atop the swell of one of the hills. Major streets such as Temple Street, Alameda Street and Main Street are labeled. An earlier record reads "Panoramic view of Los Angeles from hill back of Sisters Hospital on Sunset Boulevard”.

Historical Notes

In the 1850s, the Pershing Square location was used as a camp by settlers outside of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, which was to the northeast around the La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles church, the plaza, and present day Olvera Street. 1850s surveyors drew the site as 10 individual plots of land, but in practicality it was a single 5-acre parcel. Canals distributing water from the Zanja Madre (Click HERE to read more about the Zanja Madre) were adjacent.

In 1866 the park site's block of plots was dedicated as a public square by Californio and new Mayor Cristobal Aguilar, and was first called La Plaza Abaja, or "The Lower Plaza."

Click HERE to see more in Early Views of the LA Plaza.

Historical Notes

In 1867, St. Vincent's College, present day Loyola Marymount University, was located across the street, and the park informally became called St. Vincent's Park. In 1870, it was officially renamed Los Angeles Park. In 1886 it was renamed 6th Street Park, and redesigned with an "official park plan" by Frederick Eaton, later the mayor. In the early 1890s it was renamed Central Park, which it was called for decades until after World War I when it was finally named Pershing Square.

Historical Notes

St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral was built in 1883 on Olive Street. It was sold in 1922 to make way for the Biltmore Hotel.

Historical Notes

The following is a chronology of name changes the park has seen before becoming Pershing Square:

◆ 1866 – La Plaza Abaja or "The Lower Plaza"

◆ 1867 – St. Vincent Park

◆ 1870 – Los Angeles Park

◆ 1886 – 6th Street Park

◆ 1890s- Central Park

◆ 1918 – Pershing Square

Historical Notes

The 4,000 capacity Hazard's Pavilion opened in 1887 and did everything from citrus shows and political rallies to grand opera. It was demolished in 1905 for construction of the Philharmonic Auditorium Building.

Historical Notes

Each of the 150-foot-high masts carried three carbon-arc lamps of three thousand candle-power. All seven lamps and a small power plant to provide the electricity were installed by C. L. Howland in 1882.

In 1883, Howland and others formed the Los Angeles Electric Company.**

Click HERE to see more in Early Los Angeles Street Lights.

Historical Notes

Charles Louis Ducommun, a watchmaker by training, emigrated to the US from Switzerland in the early 1840s. He started a general store, providing supplies (and credit) to gold prospectors and other pioneers who had settled in the burgeoning pueblo of Los Angeles. Ducommun Street was named for Charles Louis.^*

Historical Notes

The Cahuenga Pass connects the Los Angeles Basin to the San Fernando Valley and is the lowest pass through the mountains. It was the site of two major battles, the Battle of Cahuenga Pass in 1831 (a fight between local settlers and the Mexican-appointed governor and his men, two deaths), and the Battle of Providencia or Second Battle of Cahuenga Pass in 1845 (between locals over whether to secede from Mexico. One horse and one mule killed) both on the San Fernando Valley side near present-day Studio City, and cannonballs are still occasionally found during excavations in the area.

Along the route of the historic El Camino Real, the historic significance of the pass is also marked by a marker along Cahuenga Blvd. which names the area as Paseo de Cahuenga.^

Click HERE to see more in Early Views of the San Fernando Valley.

Historical Notes

Cahuenga is the Spanish name for the Tongva village of Kawengna, meaning place of the mountain.*^

Historical Notes

In the 1870s, a primitive hotel -- named the Eight Mile House because Los Angeles was eight miles down the road -- rose among a stand of eucalyptus trees inside the canyon.*#*

Historical Notes

As late as 1914, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille rented a wooden cabin in the pass as his home. He rode daily into his studio on horseback -- with a revolver on his hip.*#*

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Cahuenga Pass.

Historical Notes

Broadway was known as Fort Street until 1890.

Historical Notes

Three main cable car companies operated in Los Angeles between 1885 and 1902:

a) Second Street Cable Railroad (1885-1889): It ran along Second Street, up Bunker Hill, to Second and Texas (now Belmont) Street.

b) Temple Street Cable Railway (1886-1902): This line extended 8,725 feet between Spring Street and Belmont Avenue.

c) Los Angeles Cable Railway (1889-1902): The most ambitious system, it operated about 25 miles of routes, connecting downtown Los Angeles to areas now known as Lincoln Heights, Echo Park/Filipinotown, and the Pico-Union district.

The cable car seen in the above image belonged to the Los Angeles cable Railway.

The Downey Avenue line, now known as North Broadway, was a key route that connected various parts of Los Angeles. It extended from Ninth and Grand View, through Ninth, Figueroa, Sixth, Hill, Fourth, Broadway, First, Spring, Marchessault, Main, San Fernando, Olympia, Downey (N. Broadway), Chestnut (now Avenue 20), Pasadena, Daily, to Avenue 33.

Historical Notes

Cable cars soon became obsolete after engineers perfected an newer streetcar technology: the electric railway. Whereas cable railways constantly ran their engines at full power—regardless of how many cars were active on the line—to pull the heavy steel cables, the newer railways delivered electricity directly to motors located on the streetcars themselves. Cables lasted only a few years before needing replacement and were costly to bury; overhead catenary wires were inexpensive by comparison.

By 1896, much of the city's cable car trackage had been converted to electricity and incorporated into a growing electric railway network. In 1902, a mere 16 years after the city hailed its first cable railway as a technological wonder, the last of L.A.'s cable cars rolled down Temple Street and into obscurity.*

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more Early Views of the intersection of Broadway and 2nd Street in the 1880s.

Historical Notes

The Round House was once a popular beer garden and later became LA's first kindergarten

Historical Notes

The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, often called St. Vibiana's, opened in 1876 as the cathedral for what was then known as the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, and remained the official cathedral of the Los Angeles for over 100 years.*^

Historical Notes

Electric-powered streetcars did not begin operating until 1887.*##^

Historical Notes

In 1963, St. Vibiana's Cathedral was dedicated as Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument No. 17 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Click HERE to see more Early Views of St. Vibiana's Cathedral.

Historical Notes

Winston Street is located between 4th and 5th Streets. Click HERE to see more Early Views of Main and Winston Streets.

Historical Notes

Hans Jevne was in the grocery business in downtown Los Angeles from 1882-1920. At some point quite early in his operations (perhaps right from the start), he determined that if customers in the vicinity couldn’t come to him—or did come but didn’t want to tote the groceries—he’d have the merchandise delivered to them.

While free home delivery by a grocery store was certainly not originated by Jevne, he eventually provided that service on an exceptionally grand scale.

He employed deliverymen at least as early as 1893. On As of 1889, when “The Illustrated History of Los Angeles County, California” was published, H. Jevne Co. had 13 horses (and employed 27 men). His store, at 38 and 40 North Spring Street, had by then expanded from a single room in the building to both floors, according to the book.
In 1890, Jevne moved to a three-story building at 136 and 138 N. Spring St. (in the “Wilcox Block”), and in 1896 relocated to 208/210 S. Spring Street (in the newly opened “Wilcox Building”). Jevne continued to offer home delivery, shifting from reliance on horse-pulled wagons to motorized vehicles.

Historical Notes

Picture File Card reads "Mr. Bell was bookkeeper, L.E. Myers was head clerk."

Historical Notes

A. Hamburger and Sons was one of the first department stores to operate in Los Angeles.  Originally known as A. Hamburger & Son's People's Store, the name later changed to Hamburger's Store.   In 1908 the company relocated their store from Spring Street to a newer building located at Broadway and Eighth Street.  May Department Stores acquired Hamburger's in 1923 and renamed it the May Company.

Historical Notes

People's Store (later Hamburger's Department Store) was located in the Phillips Block until 1903. It then relocated to a new, larger building located on the SW corner of Broadway and 8th Street.. At the time it was the largest department store building west of Chicago.

The store was acquired from A. Hamburger & Sons Co. by David May in 1923 and renamed the May Company.

Historical Notes

John Schumacher was a German immigrant who became a wealthy landowner in Los Angeles and was a member of the city's governing council. He settled in Los Angeles in 1847, but in 1849 Schumacher went to Sutter's Creek, where he found a nugget of gold worth eight hundred dollars.  He then bought nearly the whole block bounded by Spring and First streets and Franklin Alley for the value of his famous gold nugget.

Historical Notes

The NE corner of Spring and 1st streets seen above is near to where City Hall is located today. Click HERE for contemporary view.

Historical Notes

The 1887-built, 4-story Phillips Building replaced another large building at the same location (seen in previous photos) that housed Hamburger & Son's People's Store, at the time, LA's largest Department Store. The People's Store would remain in the new ornate Phillips Block building until 1908, when the store moved into its newly constructed building on the SW corner Broadway and 8th Street. May Department Stores would acquire Hamburger's in 1923 and rename it the May Company.

Historical Notes

Completed in 1887, the Los Angeles National Bank Building was designed by Kysor & Morgan in the "Modern Gothic" style, included a basement and cost $65,000 to build. The building materials were granite, iron and pressed brick. The bank was organized in 1883 and later merged, along with Southwestern National Bank, with First National in 1905. The Equitable Savings Bank then occupied the premises and replaced the building with a seven-story structure (Equitable Building).

The Masonic Temple was located upstairs and the Shriners had their first meeting hall here in 1888.

Historical Notes

The photograph's dominant structure is the Hotel Nadeau, while the Natick House can be seen further east on First and Main Streets. The photograph features the following buildings: De Turk's Livery, Feed & Sale Stable (built before 1880), it's a larger building at lower left, on the north-west corner of First Street and Broadway; Hotel Nadeau (1882-1931), a large building in right center, located at the southwest corner of First & Spring Streets; Larronde Block (built in 1883), located across First Street from Nadeau Hotel, on the north-west corner with Spring Street. Schumacher Block (1880 - ca.1931), to the left of the Larronde Block, on Spring Street. Natick House (built in 1883), to the left of Nadeau, on the southwest corner of First and Main Streets; Pithian Castle Block (built in 1877) can be seen directly above Schumacher Block, with tall, narrow windows, located on Spring Street just north of First Street.^^

Historical Notes

Remi Nadeau was a French Canadian pioneer who arrived in Los Angeles in 1861 driving a team of oxen. During the silver-mining excitement in the Cerro Gordo region of Inyo County his teamster operation brought tons of silver to Southern California and hauled back food and supplies to the miners. By 1873 he operated 80 such teams.

In 1882, Remi Nadeau built the Nadeau Hotel, Los Angeles's first four-story structure and the first building with an elevator. The hotel was designed by Morgan & Walls.

Historical Notes

B. F. Coulter was one of the earliest merchants in Los Angeles. The Coulter's Dry Goods business dates from 1878 and later was called Coulter's. Coulter was an ordained minister and founded the Broadway Christian Church. The business was continued by B.F. Coulter's son-in-law, R. P. McReynolds, and his son, James McReynolds.

Historical Notes

The tall pole seen between the two men sitting on the wagon is not a flagpole. It is a 150-foot electric street light mast that was one of the first to be installed in the City of Los Angeles.

Click HERE to read more about it in Early Los Angeles Street Lights.

Historical Notes

Each of the 150-foot-high masts carried three electric lights of three thousand candle-power. All seven lamps and a small power plant to provide the electricity were installed by C. L. Howland who later formed the Los Angeles Electric Company. By 1883, Los Angeles became the first city in the USA to entirely abandon gas for street lighting and replace it with electricity.

The Los Angeles Electric Company later became the Los Angeles Gas and Electric Corporation and survived until it was bought out by the DWP in 1936.

Historical Notes

Main Street was dedicated in 1849. The community's first Calle Principal connected the San Gabriel Mission with the San Fernando Valley and many established ranchos. One section near the Plaza was known as Bath Street after, legend has it, the facilities featuring "scarlet women."

Spring Street was dedicated in 1849. As legend has it, it was named Calle Primavera by Lt. Ord to honor his sweetheart in Santa Barbara, Trinidad Ortega, whom he called "Primavera," Spanish for "Springtime." He never married Ortega, the granddaughter of Jose Francisco Ortega, the Spanish explorer who "discovered" San Francisco Bay.

Temple Street was named after John Temple in 1859, who opened the first store in Los Angeles. He built a block of shops, lawyers' offices and a saloon at Main and Temple streets, where Los Angeles City Hall stands today.

Historical Notes

Spring Street was realigned when construction of the new City Hall began in early 1927. Spring now runs parallel to Main, and intersects with Temple where the current 28-story City Hall building is now located.

Historical Notes

The Italianate Temple block was built in 1871 by Francis Pliny Fisk Temple on the site of the old Temple Block, inherited from his older brother John in 1866. It was commonly known as the Lawyer's Block as so many attorneys had offices there. The old Clocktower Couthouse, at that time, was situated immediately to the south. As there was very little waiting room at the courthouse, attorneys went back to their offices until their cases came up. They were summoned by a court clerk hollering their names out the second-story windows of the court.

Historical Notes

Main Street was one of the primary thoroughfares in early Los Angeles, running through the heart of the city and connecting various important locations, including the Plaza.

It was a central axis for commerce and transportation, playing a crucial role in the city's expansion.

Historical Notes

Spring Street was originally an ancient Native American trail that skirted the base of the hills. It was later incorporated into the city's street grid during the American period.

By the late 19th century, Spring Street had become known for its financial institutions, earning the nickname "Wall Street of the West".

Historical Notes

Temple Block would become the site today's Los Angeles City Hall, built in 1928.

Historical Notes

The Jacoby family came from Loebau, Poland, a territory at the time controlled by Prussia. They arrived in the United States at different times during the 1870s.

The five Jacoby brothers started business in Los Angeles in the 1870's by joining with Leopold Harris and buying out Herman W. Hellman’s store. Hellman left after 5 years and the firm became The Jacoby Brothers and flourished well into the first third of the 20th Century.

Jacoby Bros. kept growing until it was one of the largest retail and wholesale companies in Los Angeles. In the mid-1920's it sold out to David May of the May Company of St. Louis. This occurred about the same time as when the Hamburgers Department Store was also sold to the May Co.

Historical Notes

Francis Temple formed a bank with his English-born father-in-law, William Workman, The Temple & Workman Bank. The bank was in the space occupied by the Los Angeles County Bank in the photo above. The bank closed during the panic of 1875, brought on by the failure of the Bank of California in San Francisco. Temple managed to secure a loan to reopen the bank from the ruthless "Lucky" Baldwin, a San Francisco financier who had become interested in investing in Southern California. The terms of the loan were extremely harsh, Temple and Workman pledged everything they had, including their homes, ranches, downtown commercial property and Temple Block itself. However, the bank failed for a second time in 1876. Baldwin, refusing to renegotiate the loan, quickly closed in. Temple and Workman were ruined. Workman, then 76 and a former Mayor of Los Angeles, killed himself. Temple, under extreme stress following his losses, had a stroke, finally dying in 1880. He left his wife and seven children.

The Temple & Workman family fortunes were restored in 1914 when Temple's nine-year-old grandson (Workman's great-grandson), Thomas Workman Temple II, discovered a natural gas deposit while playing on land his father owned. The families developed Montebello Oil Field there in 1917. With their renewed funds the families were able to recover their ranch, La Puente (City of Industry) including their private family cemetery, El Campo Santo. Temple and Workman are buried there along with their families and their friend, Pio Pico and his wife.

Historical Notes

The old County Courthouse was originally built by John Temple in 1858 as a marketplace and theater. Its first floor was used for that purpose for a number of years, and the second floor was the first theater in Los Angeles.

Between 1860s-1884, Los Angeles City Hall shared space with the County Courthouse in the Temple Block.

Historical Notes

In 1882, the fountain in front of Temple Block was donated by Harris Newmark of Newmark & Co. and the water was provided free by the LA Water Company.  The Newmark Fountain was a minor landmark in downtown Los Angeles between  1882 and 1892. The female figure atop it was nude, which made it an object of some interest at the time. Unfortunately, the fountain met a premature end when a team of runaway horses hit it in 1892.

Harris Newmark was a successful businessman in early Los Angeles.  He made many contributions to the economy and culture of Los Angeles, and gave his time and his money to causes he felt were worthy. He was one of the founders of the Los Angeles Public Library, was a charter member of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and was one of the organizers of the Board of Trade, which helped bring railroad service to California. He was the president of Congregation Congregation B'nai B'rith in 1887 and a founder of the Jewish Orphans Home. Newmark was also instrumental in the establishment of the Southwest Museum, which is now part of the Autry National Center. He and other Newmarks were leaders of the local Odd Fellows and were Masons.

Historical Notes

Construction on the Downey Block began in 1869. It was named for John Gately Downey, a pharmacist who served as the governor of California for two years (1860-1862) before becoming a real estate developer. Downey was also one of the founders and first president of Farmers and Merchants National Bank. The city of Downey was named in his honor after he subdivided his land holdings there and converted them into farms.

Historical Notes

The Phillips Block, located at 25-37 N. Spring Street, was constructed in 1887 in the French Renaissance style popular at that time for secular buildings. It was the second four-story building erected in Los Angeles and was one of the most ornately decorated.

A. Hamburger and Sons was one of the first department stores to operate in Los Angeles.  Originally known as A. Hamburger & Son's People's Store, the name later changed to Hamburger's Store.   In 1908 the company relocated their store from Spring Street to a newer building located at Broadway and Eighth Street.  May Department Stores acquired Hamburger's in 1923 and renamed it the May Company. Much later in the century, the May Company and Robinsons chains of department stores would affiliate under the name Robinsons-May; and this entity would be bought out by Macy's in 2005.

Historical Notes

Realignment and Demolition (1920s)

1925-1927: The Temple Block and surrounding areas were demolished to make way for the new Los Angeles City Hall. This marked a significant transformation in the urban landscape, shifting from a vibrant commercial hub to a more government-centered area.

Spring Street Realignment (1927)

1927: During the construction of the new City Hall, Spring Street was realigned to run parallel to Main Street, altering the historic junction’s layout and further integrating it into the city's evolving infrastructure.

Click HERE to see more of Construction of Today's City Hall

Historical Notes

Originally housing Fort Moore, one of two historic U.S. Military forts in Los Angeles during the Mexican-American War, the site was constructed in 1847, abandoned in 1849, and decommissioned in 1853. In 1882, Jacob Philippi purchased land on Fort Moore Hill, establishing a beer garden which became a popular local attraction. He later sold the property to Mary Banning, who converted it into the impressive 21-room Banning Mansion, a focal point of high society. The mansion, offering sweeping views of Los Angeles, eventually fell out of prominence as the city expanded. It was later converted into a rooming house before being demolished. Reflecting the city's rapid growth and changing social landscape, the site also became home to Los Angeles High School in 1891 and later the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters.

Historical Notes

Los Angeles High School moved to Fort Moore Hill in 1891, occupying a site on North Hill Street between San Street and Bellevue Avenue. The high school remained there until 1917, after which the location became the headquarters for the Los Angeles Unified School District until 2001. In the early 20th century, much of Fort Moore Hill was removed for urban development, including the construction of the 101 Freeway.

Historical Notes

The first Hill Street Tunnel, built by the Los Angeles-Pacific Railway and completed in 1909, served interurban rail cars and reduced travel times by 15 minutes. The second tunnel, built by the city for pedestrians and vehicles, opened in 1913. These 550-foot-long tunnels provided direct access to Sunset Boulevard, bypassing the steep grades of Bunker Hill and Fort Moore Hill. The northern portal of the Hill Street Tunnels was near Temple Street, while the southern portal was at First Street.

Historical Notes

Work on removing Fort Moore Hill began in 1949 to make way for the Hollywood Freeway, a major excavation project that reshaped the downtown landscape. As part of a larger freeway construction effort from 1947 to 1954, this project effectively obliterated most of the historic hill between Sunset Boulevard and Temple Street. The freeway was built in a trench through downtown Los Angeles, allowing it to pass under existing streets like Hill Street, thus preserving the street grid above.

Historical Notes

Justicia Street, an early north-south dirt road and thoroughfare in Los Angeles, underwent significant changes as the city developed. Originally running parallel to New High Street and ending near Temple Street, it served a modest residential area in the late 19th century.

Historical Notes

Built in 1864, St. Athanasius was the first Episcopal church in the City of Los Angeles. It was situated on the northeast corner of Poundcake Hill at Temple and New High Streets (later Spring Street).

Pouncake Hill will later be home to the Los Angeles Country Courthouse, completed in 1891.

Historical Notes

The suburban-looking residence in the foreground is at the northwest corner of Temple and Justicia Streets. It served as the longtime family home of the Bilderrain family, whose presence in Los Angeles was established by Jose Ygnacio Bilderrain. He likely settled in L.A. between 1847—when he married in San Juan Capistrano—and 1850, as he appears in the 1850 L.A. census. His grandson, also named Jose Ygnacio Bilderrain, was wounded during the conflict that immediately preceded and sparked the Chinese Massacre of 1871. Several of the unfortunate Chinese victims were lynched on the gatepost of the lumber yard across Justicia Street from the Bilderrain home (the site is out of frame to the right and later hosted the Los Angeles County Jail).

Historical Notes

As late as 1928, Justicia Street was still a dirt road north of the section adjacent to the County Jail.

Historical Notes

Note how full the Los Angeles River is—it’s rare to see it like this unless right after a storm.

Historical Notes

Justicia Street played a significant role in early Los Angeles history, hosting prominent families like the Bilderrains who settled there around 1850. The street was also the site of tragic events, including part of the Chinese Massacre of 1871. Despite its importance, parts of Justicia Street remained unpaved as late as 1928, particularly north of the County Jail. The street's eventual fate was likely sealed by the extensive redevelopment of downtown Los Angeles in the early to mid-20th century. During this period of urban transformation, many older streets and buildings were demolished or altered to accommodate newer developments, especially government buildings in the emerging Civic Center area. This redevelopment led to the disappearance of Justicia Street.

New High Street was significantly altered during the 1920s redevelopment of downtown Los Angeles. The construction of City Hall in 1928 and the realignment of Spring Street led to the removal of New High Street's southern portion, particularly around Temple Street. This resulted in a much shorter New High Street, with its southern end effectively pruned back. These changes were part of the broader transformation of downtown Los Angeles, which included the development of the Civic Center district and alterations to the existing street grid.

Historical Notes

The area bordered by Main St., Broadway, Temple St., and First St. has a complex street layout due to the original, somewhat disorganized design and the renaming and removal of some streets in the late 1920s. As a result, even longtime residents may not recognize older names like “Jail St.” or “Pound Cake Hill” when looking at maps from 1900 to 1920.

Historical Notes

Justicia Street was eliminated during the extensive redevelopment of downtown Los Angeles in the early to mid-20th century, which coincided with the construction of the current City Hall completed in 1928. This period also saw the realignment and extension of Spring Street, along with the demolition and alteration of many older streets and buildings to accommodate new government structures in the Civic Center district.

Historical Notes

In 1884, Eternity Street was renamed Buena Vista Street.

In 1909, Buena Vista Street became North Broadway.

Bellevue Avenue became Sunset Boulevard in the ealy 1900s (before 1924).

Sunset Boulevard was officially renamed Cesar Chavez Avenue in 1994.

Historical Notes

Buena Vista Street, south of Bellevue Avenue (later Sunset Boulevard), was renamed Justicia Street. After the Broadway Tunnel was built in 1901, Broadway extended under Fort Hill and merged with Justicia Street near Sunset Boulevard, continuing north as North Broadway. Justicia Street ran from Temple Street—located one block east of Broadway—over Fort Hill and merged with Broadway as it exited the tunnel at Sunset.

Historical Notes

Buena Vista, south of Bellevue Avenue (later Sunset Boulevard), was renamed Justicia Street. When the Broadway Tunnel was built in 1901, the road split: one branch continued east over Fort Hill as Justicia Street, while the tunnel route was renamed North Broadway.

Historical Notes

The road running up the hill on the left is Justicia Street, which extended south to Temple Street, ending in front of the Los Angeles County Courthouse between Broadway and Spring Streets. It was one of the last dirt roads in downtown Los Angeles.

Click HERE to see more of the intersection of Justica Street and Sunset Boulevard.

Historical Notes

Jonathan Temple, a merchant from Massachusetts, played a crucial role in shaping Los Angeles by establishing the Temple Block in 1828. He started with a general store at Main and Spring Streets, turning the area, known as Temple Square, into the city's commercial hub. In 1848, Temple built a two-story adobe building on the block, and over the following decade, he expanded it with additional structures, including a two-story brick building in 1857, marking a shift from adobe to brick construction. As a pioneer in urban development, Temple introduced paved sidewalks and street trees to improve the area's attractiveness. In 1871, he replaced the adobe building with a three-story Italianate structure called the New Temple Block, which accommodated retailers and offices. Although the Temple Block faced economic difficulties due to the end of the Gold Rush and a national depression in the late 1850s, it remained a significant business center until the early 20th century. By the mid-1920s, the area was redeveloped for a new Civic Center, leading to the demolition of the Temple Block and the completion of the Los Angeles City Hall on the site in 1928.

Historical Notes

Los Angeles County Courthouse was originally located at the Plaza in the old pueblo, but later it moved to the Temple Building, part of the Temple Block complex constructed by Jonathan Temple. This building, one of the earliest significant structures in the growing city, served as the courthouse around 1880. This period was crucial for Los Angeles as it transitioned from a small pueblo to a burgeoning American city. The Temple Building thus played an important role in the city's legal and civic development during this transformative era.

Historical Notes

On the north side of Market was the south portion of the Temple Block; on the south side was the original market building erected in 1859 by John Temple, which later became a County Courthouse (LA's 5th).

The Bullard Block (Building) would replace the old Clocktower County Courthouse (NE corner of Spring and Court streets) in the late 1890s. Today, City Hall stands at this location.

Historical Notes

John Schumacher was a German immigrant who became a wealthy landowner in Los Angeles and was a member of the city's governing council. He settled in Los Angeles in 1847, but in 1849 Schumacher went to Sutter's Creek, where he found a nugget of gold worth eight hundred dollars.  He then bought nearly the whole block bounded by Spring and First streets and Franklin Alley for the value of his famous gold nugget.*^

Historical Notes

Fort Street in Los Angeles, laid out by surveyor Edward O. C. Ord in 1849, was named after Fort Moore, a strategic military site from the Mexican-American War that overlooked the city. By the late 1880s, the city's increasing population of German immigrants found it difficult to distinguish between "Fort Street" and "Fourth Street," causing confusion, particularly with the primitive telephone systems of the time. As Fort Street transitioned from a residential area to a retail district, this confusion became a significant issue. To address this, a group of residents and merchants, led by printer Fred Lind Alles, petitioned for a name change. They chose "Broadway" to project a sense of future growth and emulate the prestige of New York City's famous thoroughfare. The Los Angeles City Council approved the name change on February 17, 1890, and it was signed into ordinance by Mayor Henry Hazard two days later​.

Historical Notes

Following the renaming, Broadway swiftly emerged as the epicenter of Los Angeles' commercial and entertainment scenes. The segment between 3rd and 9th Streets became particularly renowned for its dense array of theaters and commercial establishments. This area, recognized as the Broadway Theater and Commercial District, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and boasts the largest collection of historic movie palaces in the United States.

Historical Notes

The tracks running down second streets belong to the Second Street Cable Railway, first cable car system to open in Los Angeles (1885).

Historical Notes

A block of commercial buildings, designed in the Second Empire style of architecture, is depicted in detail, with the row of buildings crossing the center of the image. Each building is four stories tall and its front contains many windows; the building at the right edge of the picture is more ornate, with gabled windows and a turret at its outer edge. The bulidings are fronted by a paved sidewalk, which is occupied by pedestrian traffic. The edge of another block can be seen at the rightmost edge of the image, while horse-drawn carriages line Broadway.

Legible signs, from left to right, include: "Los Angeles Furniture Co", "Dr. Fuller Eye, Ear, Throat & Lungs", "Ville de Paris", "Jno.S Chapman. Atty. At Law", "T. Frank McGrath Wallpaper", "C.E. Decamp Builders Indemnity Co", "Lynn Helm Atty. At Law", "Pacific Coast Home Supply Association", "City of London Lace Curtains, Draperies", "Green & Willis Embroideries Laces Etc. Infant Goods. Modes", "Young Mens Christian Assn", "W.M.Gar & Co. Real Estate", "George S. Hupp Atty At Law", "Otto C. Sens Merchant Tailor", "Cal-Bank Building", "Gordon & Conrey Atty At Law", "Union Central Life Ins. Co", "Mutual Reserve Fund Life Assn of New York", and "Bank".^^*

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more Early Views of the intersection of Broadway and 2nd Street.

Historical Notes

In 1867, a wealthy developer, Prudent Beaudry, purchased a majority of the hill's land. Because of the hill's excellent views of the Los Angeles Basin and the Los Angeles River, he knew that it would make for an opulent subdivision. He developed the peak of Bunker Hill with lavish two-story Victorian houses that became famous as homes for the upper-class residents of Los Angeles. Angels Flight (built in 1901), now dubbed "The World's Shortest Railway", took residents homeward from the bottom of the 33% grade and down again.

Prudent Beaudry served as the 13th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1874 to 1876. Beaudry Avenue was named after him.

Historical Notes

The steep slope with the stairs next to it is the future site of Court Flight (1905), Angels Flight's sister funicular railway. Court St. dead ends at the top of the slope.

Historical Notes

After Lewis Bradbury's widow moved out of the Bradbury Mansion, it was used as a club for judges, then as the Rollin Film Studio and finally, as a rooming house before being demolished in 1928.

Historical Notes

In 1888, the intersection of Hill and 3rd Street in downtown Los Angeles was part of the prestigious Bunker Hill neighborhood. This area, developed in the 1870s by Prudent Beaudry, had become an upscale residential district featuring grand Victorian mansions and luxury hotels. The south side of 3rd Street and the west side of Hill Street were lined with impressive Queen Anne-style houses, offering panoramic views of the rapidly expanding city below. At this time, 3rd Street steeply ascended Bunker Hill, as the 3rd Street Tunnel had not yet been constructed.

Historical Notes

The Third Street Tunnel and Angels Flight were two pivotal transportation features that would transform downtown Los Angeles.  The Third Street Tunnel, constructed between 1899 and 1901, stretched 1,240 feet through Bunker Hill, connecting downtown to the developing western areas of the city. Despite facing numerous challenges during construction, including cave-ins and water seepage, the tunnel opened to the public in March 1901. That same year, Angels Flight, a funicular railway, began operation nearby, linking the downtown commercial district with the upscale residential area atop Bunker Hill.

Historical Notes

At the turn of the 20th Century, no building dominated Bunker Hill like the Crocker Mansion. Perched high at the corner of Third and Olive, the imposing 3-story Victorian structure overlooked the emerging metropolis for more than 22 years.

Historical Notes

By 1901, city and private engineers would come up with two different ways to traverse the steep hill...they built an 1080-foot long tunnel and a 33-percent grade funicular at the intersection seen above.

Historical Notes

The Crocker Mansion, located at 300 South Olive Street, was one of the most notable residences in Bunker Hill. Built in 1886 by Margaret E. Crocker, the widow of California Supreme Court Justice Edwin Bryant Crocker, the mansion was an imposing three-story Victorian structure designed by architect John Hall. Margaret Crocker was a prominent social and civic leader, known for her philanthropy, including the donation of the family's art collection to the city of Sacramento.

The mansion's history is marked by both grandeur and scandal. In 1887, it became the center of a high-profile kidnapping case when Margaret Crocker's granddaughter, Alma Ashe, was taken by her father, Robert Porter Ashe, amidst a contentious divorce. Despite such dramatic events, the mansion remained a symbol of elite society in Los Angeles.

In 1891, the Crocker Mansion was converted into a boarding house, which was still considered more luxurious than the typical rooming houses on Bunker Hill at the time. However, the construction of the Third Street Tunnel in 1900 compromised the mansion's structural integrity, leading to its eventual demolition in 1908 to make way for new development.

Historical Notes

Built in 1901 with financing from Colonel J.W. Eddy, as the Los Angeles Incline Railway, Angels Flight began at the west corner of Hill Street at Third and ran for two blocks uphill (northwestward) to its Olive Street terminus.^*

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Angels Flight.

On July 3, 1893, residents and taxpayers presented a petition to the Los Angeles City Council asking that a tunnel be created to connect those who lived in the Crown Hill neighborhood with the business district located on this side of Bunker Hill. Their plans called for a tunnel 1080 feet long, with a twenty-six foot roadway and eight foot sidewalks. Nothing happened for five years. But work finally started and by March of 1901 the tunnel was opened to the public. It was unpaved and unlit. Gutters weren’t installed until 1902.

Click HERE to see more Early Views of the Third Street Tunnel.

Historical Notes

Canadian brothers Prudent and Victor Beaudry first increased their fortunes (having been born wealthy) in Northern California with a variety of business pursuits before moving to Los Angeles where Prudent entered politics (from 1874 to 1876 he served as Los Angeles’s thirteenth mayor). Victor mined, developed water works, and worked in real estate before moving to Los Angeles in 1855. He and his mining partner (and fellow Quebecois) Damien Marchessault built an ice house in Los Angeles in 1859 — the year Marchessault became mayor — and sold ice to saloon keepers and others.

In the 1860s, the Beaudrys bought land in and around the French Town section — an historic neighborhood centered around Alameda and Aliso streets whose existence today is mainly seen in street names like Bauchet, Ducommun, and Vignes. Beaudry went on to increase his fortunes in silver mines and simultaneously earned the nickname the “water king” as he developed water transportation systems for both mines and in town. After the mines began to prove less profitable, Victor moved to Montreal in 1876 where he married Angelica Le Blanc. The couple and their family moved back to Los Angeles in 1881 where he remained until 1886.

In Los Angeles, the Beaudry brothers built a water reservoir in the Elysian Hills and used it to hydrate their properties there including Bunker Hill (subdivided in 1876), and what would become Angeleno Heights and Victor Heights. To make their properties more appealing to potential homebuyers, the Beaudrys created two parks, Bellevue Terrace and Beaudry Park. Beaudry Park was a 7.4 acre oval property designed by landscape architect/gardener Francis Tamiet and included many Mexican limes, gums, cypresses, oranges, and Monterey pines.*

Ultimately, the Beaudrys placed their two gardens on the market soon after they liquidated the surrounding real estate tracts. In 1881 the state purchased Bellevue Terrace for the site of the California Branch State Normal School, a teaching college that eventually became UCLA. When the Los Angeles Central Library replaced the college in 1926, construction crews graded the hill out of existence. Beaudry's Park, meanwhile, was purchased in 1883 by the Sisters of Charity. On that site (now occupied by The Elysian apartment building and Holy Hill Community Church) the sisters placed their new infirmary, repurposing Beaudry's fruit trees and cypresses into a soothing backdrop for their patients.^

Historical Notes

In 1883 the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul purchased six and a half acres of land at Beaudry Park at a cost of $10,000, and a new hospital building was erected a year later near Beaudry and Sunset, on a hillside overlooking Sonora Town. By 1898, Los Angeles Infirmary had come to be known as Sisters Hospital, but both names were used interchangeably in reference to the same hospital.^

Historical Notes

The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul established the first hospital in Los Angeles - the Los Angeles Infirmary, in 1856. It was located in the Sonora Town adobe owned by then-Mayor of Los Angeles, Don Cristo´bal Aguilar. Four years later, in 1860, the hospital relocated to 1416 Naud Street, between Ann (named for Sister Ann) and Sotillo Street (though other data indicates the location was 1414 Naud Street, between N. Main and San Fernando Road). In 1869, Daughters incorporated the Los Angeles Infirmary under their own ownership, the first women in the region to do so.

In 1883 they purchased six and a half acres of land at Beaudry Park at a cost of $10,000, and a new hospital building was erected a year later at Beaudry and Sunset, on a hillside overlooking Sonora Town.

By 1898, Los Angeles Infirmary had come to be known as Sisters Hospital, but both names were used interchangeably in reference to the same hospital; in 1918, the name was officially changed to St. Vincent's Hospital. In 1924 a new building was erected on 3rd and Alvarado, which was built by John C. Austin and Frederick M. Ashley. For 47 years, the hospital had such a steady growth that they were forced to expand yet again, and groundbreaking for a newer, larger building took place in 1971 - this time, located at 2131 W. 3rd Street. With a "new" hospital came a new name, and in 1974, it changed again, this time becoming St. Vincent Medical Center.

Historical Notes

Beaudry Park was located near the intersection of Beaudry Ave. and Sunset Blvd. When acquired for a hospital by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the park was an oval-shaped parcel of open land.

Sisters Hospital (originally St. Vincent's Infirmary) was built in 1884 on six and half acres of what was then known as Beuadry Park (developed by brothers Prudent and Victor Beaudry in 1876).

Historical Notes

In Victor Heights the most visible reminder of the neighborhood’s once strongly-Italian character is Eastside Market and Deli. It was opened in the 1920s by Puglia-born Domenic Pontrelli across the river in the Eastside (Lincoln Heights) before moving to its current location (1013 Alpine Street) in 1929. Back then Alpine Street was home to three other Italian Markets.  It was from within Eastside Deli that Pontrelli’s son-in-law launched Pontrelli & Laricchia Sausage Company which moved out of the neighborhood in 1973. Shortly after, a former clean-up boy for the sausage company, Johnny Angiuli, took over the market with his brother, a former delivery driver, and they reorganized the establishment around a new deli counter, which is its focus today

Also located within the Victor Heights is the Art Deco-style Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center Building, designed to be the largest enclosed structure without walls in the world by architects Robert Clements and Associates. It was constructed by the WPA between 1938 and 1941 as one of the country’s largest naval armories, its secluded location chosen to shield it in the event of an air attack. During World War II, more than 20,000 sailors passed through the training center. In 1980, an electrical fire heavily damaged the interior, which reopened in 1986 after a renovation. It was designated California State Historic Landmark #972 in 1989. The military left in 1995 and it’s now home to the LAFD’s Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center, named after the firefighter who died fighting the 1980 conflagration.*

Historical Notes

The 1888 Sanborn Map shows: The tracks in front of the property on San Pedro Street as Southern Pacific R.R. (Wilmington Branch); the large bulding in the rear as the 'Dancing Pavilion'; and the garden on the right as the 'Beer Garden'.

Historical Notes

The garden covered about six acres and was notable for being the first stop the Santa Monica Railroad made out of the city.

Historical Notes

Although the building seen here sells garments, this intersection is part of the Los Angeles Flower District, an area known for its concentration of flower markets and floral businesses. It is a hub for both wholesale and retail flower purchases.

Key points about the Los Angeles Flower District:

Location: The main area is centered around Wall Street, between 7th and 8th streets in downtown Los Angeles.

Size and significance: It is considered the largest wholesale flower market in the United States.

Composition: The district spans approximately six blocks and includes several notable flower markets:

The Original Los Angeles Flower Market (754 & 755 Wall St)

Southern California Flower Market (742 Maple Ave)

California Flower Mall (825 S. San Pedro St)

Longstreet Mansion (and the Longstreet Palms)

(1870s)* - View looking north showing the Longstreet Mansion at the end of a palm-tree lined drive (later known as Palm Drive) . Amazingly the Longstreet Palms seen above are still alive today.  Along with the Arcade Depot Palm, they are considered to be the oldest trees in Los Angeles.

(ca. 1880s)* - View of Palm Drive north from Adams Boulevard, showing the residence of Charles A. Longstreet (not to be confused with Confederate General James Longstreet, a distant relative of Charles).

(ca. 1886)* - Path through Charles Longstreet's homestead on Palm Drive north of Adams Boulevard.

(ca. 1895)* - View showing women sitting on the porch of the north side of the Longstreet Mansion.  The home, whose column at left is overgrown with vines, was built circa 1874. The area later became Singleton Court and then Orthopedic Hospital.

Historical Notes

In 1900, the former Longstreet property was purchased by 53-year-old John Singleton, a mining tycoon who then rechristened the plot as Singleton Court. 

Singleton Court was located on 3 1/2 acres at 2400 South Flower Street in what was the Colonial Revival style home and residence of John Singleton. Sometime before 1918, the house was destroyed by fire, leaving only the brick stable building.

A later owner, John Brockman, deeded the property to the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Foundation, and the stables were converted into a clinic. The clock tower was removed to Brockman's estate in Glendale.

Historical Notes

The text accompanying this photo gives the account that, at the time, these were the "tallest palms in the city." If these were the tallest, then they were also likely the oldest. The more famous palm-lined avenues of Beverly Hills were just being planted in the late 'teens/early '20s. The trees of Palm Drive were already about 60 years old by then.

Historical Notes

Many of the palm trees seen above still exist and our now situated within the grounds of the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital (Flower St. and Adams Blvd). These, along with the Arcade Depot Palm, are considered to be the oldest trees in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital (LAOH) was founded in 1911 by Charles LeRoy Lowman, as a clinic for children with crippling disorders. The first LAOH building was constructed in 1922 at the above site. It was replaced in 1959 by a second hospital, and today a third hospital nears completion on the Westside of Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

Today, only 23 palms remain standing from Longstreet’s original trees, and a children’s park now stands alongside them on the Orthopaedic Hospital’s campus. Now, the playground’s curved commemorative sign is an unexpected reminder of the property’s long-gone curved iron gates that once beckoned the city’s nineteenth century elite.^

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