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

Historical Notes

When the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived at Los Angeles, a controversy erupted over where to locate the city's main seaport. The SPRR preferred Santa Monica, while others advocated for San Pedro Bay. The Long Wharf was built in 1893 at the north end of Santa Monica to accommodate large ships and was dubbed Port Los Angeles. At the time it was constructed, it was the longest pier in the world at 4700 feet, and accommodated a train.*^

However, just a short four years after the Long Wharf's construction, San Pedro Bay was chosen over Santa Monica to be the main seaport of Los Angeles. The Long Wharf was demolished in 1920.

Historical Notes

The Pacific Palisades lighthouse was built as a bathhouse with a working light in 1927. In the early 1930s the structure along with the beach was sold to Will Rogers and later the beach was given to the state of California and renamed the Will Rogers State Beach.^

Historical Notes

In 1922, the Rev. Charles H. Scott and the Southern California Methodist Episcopal Church bought the land where Incville Studios was located. That same year Scott founded Pacific Palisades, envisioning an elaborate religious-intellectual commune. Believers snapped up choice lots and lived in tents during construction. By 1925, the Palisades had 100 homes. In one subdivision, streets were named for Methodist missionaries. The tents eventually were replaced by cabins, then by bungalows, and ultimately by multimillion-dollar homes.*^

Historical Notes

In the 1920s, William Randolph Hearst commissioned William Edward Flannery to construct a grand beach house for his longtime companion, actress Marion Davies. In 1926, architect Julia Morgan was hired to complete the design and oversee construction of the estate, which featured an ornate swimming pool, several houses, gardens and an opulent 110-room mansion. The beach house served as Davies’ primary residence from 1929 to 1942.

In 1947, Davies sold the estate and it was converted into the Oceanhouse Hotel and Sand & Sea Beach Club. The main mansion was demolished in 1956, and the property was sold to the State of California in 1959. The Sand & Sea Club remained popular with regulars all the way through until the 1990s.*^*#

Historical Notes

The Venice, Ocean Park and Santa Monica amusement piers were within a mile and one half of each other and they competed directly with each other for the tourist's entertainment dollars. Fourteen coasters were built there from 1904 to 1925.^*^*^

Click HERE to see more in Early Views of Southern California Amusement Parks

Historical Notes

The Spanish and French Renaissance style La Monica Ballroom was designed by T.H. Eslick; it opened in 1924 and was demolished in 1963.^

More than 50,000 people attended the July 23, 1924 grand opening of the La Monica Ballroom, enough to cause the first traffic jam recorded in Santa Monica history. Its 15,000 square-foot hard maple floor and exquisite “submarine garden” interior made the La Monica the hottest ticket in town.*^*^*

Historical Notes

The La Monica Ballroom was located at the end of the 1,600-foot long Santa Monica Pier. It was especially popular during the Big Band Era of the 1920s & 30s, up to 2,500 couples could kick up their heels in this grand ballroom located at the end of the Pier.*^*#

It’s success was short-lived as the Great Depression effectively ended the dance hall days. By the mid-1930’s it became a convention center, lifeguard headquarters and, for a short interim period, the City Jail.*^*^*

Historical Notes

The Playa del Rey area, located about two miles south of Kinney's Venice of America resort, was once, centuries ago, the mouth of the Los Angeles River. But after the river shifted course to begin emptying in Los Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, it left behind a sleepy lagoon more than two miles wide and one fifth of a mile wide with a trickle of fresh water flowing to sea along La Ballona Creek.

Historical Notes

Playa del Rey, “The King’s Beach,” had rustic beginnings.

In 1871, a man named Will Tell built a lodge at the unnamed area near a lagoon that existed where Ballona Creek emptied into the Pacific Ocean. It became a popular spot for hunters and fishermen until an 1884 storm wiped out the small resort.*

Historical Notes

With the late 19th and early 20th Ballona hosted a slew of new businesses that, thanks to calamitous weather, endured a short though fruitful run. A German named Will Tell built a business at the mouth of Ballona where sportsmen could hunt from his small boats.  His business soon washed away, but interest in the area continued to mount.  In the 1880’s Moy Wix envisioned “Port Ballona” a plan that would link the ocean to a new two-mile Harbor.  The Santa Fe Railway planned to follow; and while a passenger train was successful in transporting Angelinos to Port Ballona in 1887.  Strong tides and winter rains inevitably washed away the wharf, putting an end to the grand project.

Historical Notes

Henry Barbour of the Beach Land Company bought 1,000 acres of land in the area in 1902, and renamed it Playa del Rey.

He announced plans to build a full-fledged resort there, based around the impending arrival of the Pacific Electric Railway “red car” system that eventually would link all the beach cities from Venice to Manhattan Beach.

Construction on the various structures was well under way when the new Playa del Rey had its coming out party on July 16, 1902. Hundreds of potential buyers arrived on Santa Fe trains (the Pacific Electric had yet to be completed) to inspect Barbour’s work and potentially invest in housing lots in the area.

About 100 lots were sold on the first day, for an approximate total of $150,000.*

Historical Notes

The Hotel Playa was on Speedway Boulevard, (today called Culver Boulevard), at more or less the location of the modern Tanner’s Coffee Co.

Historical Notes

With the completion of the Sherman and Clark owned Los Angeles Pacific electric trolley line, the 'Short Line,' to Los Angeles on October 19, 1902, hundreds began visiting the new resort. A pavilion and small hotel were eventually built in Oriental craftsman rather than Venetian style, around the lagoon in 1904.

Historical Notes

The pavilion building opened with much fanfare on Thanksgiving Day in 1904, the same year that the resort got its own post office.

Wooden boardwalks were constructed surrounded the lagoon, and a concrete bridge built across the lagoon was described as the longest one of its type at the time. Boat racing became extremely popular; a boathouse built near the ocean did a brisk business.*

Historical Notes

The company built an impressive three-story, $100,000 pavilion with restaurant and dining rooms, bowling alleys and dance floor. Sherman and Clark's Los Angeles Pacific Railway Company built the $200,000 Hotel Del Rey with fifty guests rooms. A boat-racing course was laid out and a grandstand and boathouse erected on shore. A bridge spanned the lagoon's ocean entrance and a 1200-foot long fishing pier was built nearby."^^

Historical Notes

While Playa del Rey was considered a modest success in attracting day tourists, it proved to be Abbot Kinney's inspiration and served as an example of a resort that wasn't large enough in scope to attract investors or excite the public.

Playa Del Rey flourished as a resort from 1902-1913.

In 1905, a furnicular railway was built from the Playa del Rey beach to the top of the steep bluffs that surrounded it. Its two cars were nicknamed “Alphonse” and “Gaston.”

In 1910, the Playa del Rey Motordrome, a wooden banked raceway track built for automobile and motorcycle racing, opened for business at the present-day intersection of Culver and Jefferson boulevards.. Many of the great auto racers of the day, including Barney Oldfield, raced at the Motordrome until its wooden structure caught fire and burned to the ground in 1913.

In 1913, a fire destroyed the Playa del Rey Pavilion and the Del Rey Hotel, and the resort’s promise faded. However, the area’s appeal as a housing location continued. In 1921, the Palisades Del Rey development on the bluffs above the beach became a desirable location for homeowners. The Minneapolis real estate firm of Dickinson & Gillespie built houses there, and also developed the Surfridge tract just south of of Playa del Rey.

Celebrities such as film director Cecil B. DeMille and actor Charles Bickford were among the area’s homeowners.*

Historical Notes

In 1921 the Minneapolis-based firm of Dickinson & Gillespie billed this stretch of coastline as "The Last of the Beaches". Situated between Venice and Hermosa beaches, it is now part of Playa del Rey.^

A southern portion of Playa del Rey became known as "Surfridge". Today, this area is bounded on the East by Los Angeles International Airport, on the north by Waterview and Napoleon streets, on the South by Imperial Highway, and on the West by Vista del Mar. The beach to the west of the area is Dockweiler State Beach.*^

Historical Notes

Surfridge was developed in the 1920s and 1930s as "an isolated playground for the wealthy." In 1925 the developer held a contest to name the neighborhood and awarded the $1,000 prize to an Angeleno who submitted the winning name. The Los Angeles Times wrote that Surfridge was chosen "due to its brevity, euphony, ease of pronunciation ... but above all because it tells the story of this new wonder city."*^

Historical Notes

Salesmen pitched tents on the sand dunes and sold lots for $50 down and 36 monthly payments of $20. House exteriors could only be stucco, brick or stone; frame structures were prohibited. Development was slowed by the onset of the Great Depression, but in the early 1930s the wealthy began to buy lots to build large homes.*^

Palisades del Rey later becaome known as Playa del Rey.

Historical Notes

The Dickinson & Gillespie Co. real estate building was originally the Hotel Playa, built in 1902.  It was on Speedway Boulevard, (today called Culver Boulevard), at more or less the location of the modern Tanner’s Coffee Co. ##*^

Historical Notes

A small airfield opened to the east of Surfridge in 1928. It became a popular location for residents to see air shows.

The growing number of commercial flights into Los Angeles following World War II meant a higher number of planes flying low over Surfridge. Many residents learned to co-exist with the noise from propeller planes, but jet engines were impossible to ignore.*^

Historical Notes

Ever since the beginning of the jet-age the area started to vanish due to the expansion of LAX by eminent domain. People who lived there were complaining about the jet noise and the jet engine soot that was landing on their properties.*^

Historical Notes

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Sufridge area was condemned and acquired by the City of Los Angeles in a series of eminent domain purchases to facilitate airport expansion and to address concerns about noise from jet airplanes. Homeowners were forced to sell their property to the City. Several homeowners sued the City and remained in their houses for several years after the majority of houses were vacated. Eventually all the houses were either moved or demolished.*^

Historical Notes

Today one can see only barbed-wire fences protecting vacant land and old streets where houses once sat. Recent LAX rejuvenation plans call for the city to finally remove the old streets that still line the empty neighborhood. The condemned areas of the community are now a protected habitat of the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly.*^

Historical Notes

Dockweiler State Beach has 3.75 miles of shoreline. The 91-acre property was established in 1948. Originally part of Venice-Hyperion Beach State Park, it was renamed in honor of prominent early Angeleno Isidore B. Dockweiler in 1955.  Although a unit of the California state park system, it is managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. Part of the park is located directly under the flight path of the adjacent Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Historical Notes

The Dockweiler State Beach bicycle path is maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. It runs from Ballona Creek to the El Segundo city limit. This bicycle path connects to the Ballona Creek bicycle path at its northernmost point and is part of the 22-mile coastal Marvin Braude Bike Trail system.*

Historical Notes

Jetliners leave Los Angeles International Airport, passing a few hundred feet above the beach.

Historical Notes

Chrysler was the first of the major American car companies to use black models in their advertising, starting with a 1957 ad campaign for the Plymouth convertible that appeared in Ebony Magazine. GM and Ford had also been advertising in Ebony at that time, but with the same ads they'd been using in every other magazine, usually featuring photos of white families. The simple shift in representation led to such a big increase in Chrysler-Plymouth sales that Studebaker started producing inclusive ads in 1959, with Ford and General Motors making similar changes in the early 1960s.  Source: California State University, Northridge

Historical Notes

In the late 19th century, the Ballona wetlands formed a vast estuarine ecosystem of salt marshes and freshwater ponds near the mouth of Ballona Creek. Popular with duck hunters, the area remained largely undeveloped, with seasonal flooding making permanent structures impractical. This image, captured by early photographer H. F. Rile, offers a rare glimpse into the pre-development ecology of what would later become Marina del Rey—then a remote and biologically rich marshland frequented only by outdoorsmen and a few settlers.

Historical Notes

This colorized version of an original photo shows what the Ballona wetlands looked like before the area was changed forever. At the time, it was a quiet place visited by hunters and surrounded by nature. Birds migrated here by the thousands. It’s hard to imagine that this peaceful marsh would later become a busy harbor with homes, shops, and thousands of boats.

Historical Notes

By the 1920s, the area around Ballona Creek was full of oil drilling. After oil was discovered near downtown L.A. in 1892, people rushed to drill all over Southern California—even near the beaches. This photo shows how much of the land near Marina del Rey was used for oil wells. Because of this, plans to build a marina were delayed for many years.

Historical Notes

Originally, Ballona Creek was a natural stream that often overflowed during heavy rain. In the 1930s, Los Angeles started building flood control channels to stop the flooding. This photo shows the creek before those changes. After a major flood in 1938, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decided to line the creek with concrete, which allowed for future development—like Marina del Rey.

Historical Notes

This photo shows Ballona Creek just after it was lined with concrete following the disastrous 1938 flood. Concrete walls helped control the flooding but also changed the natural environment. At the same time, oil drilling was still going strong near the beach. The image shows how industry, flood control, and coastal land use were starting to shape what would eventually become Marina del Rey.

Historical Notes

In 1938, the freshly channelized creek cut through a flat expanse dominated by oil wells, marshes, and scattered structures. By 2022, the landscape had transformed dramatically—what was once oil field and open wetlands is now Marina del Rey, one of the largest man-made small-craft harbors in the world, with Playa del Rey homes and restored wetlands visible at the bottom of the frame.

Historical Notes

Before Marina del Rey was built, this land was part of the Venice Oil Field. There were oil derricks throughout the area, even close to the beach. Although the idea of building a harbor here had been around for decades, oil drilling took priority. This photo shows what the area looked like before boats, apartments, and parks replaced the oil equipment.

Historical Notes

After years of planning and construction, Marina del Rey was finally completed in the early 1960s. It was funded by Los Angeles County and the federal government. This photo shows the first boats arriving at the docks. The area that was once marshland and oil fields had now become the world’s largest man-made small boat harbor.

Historical Notes

By 1965, Marina del Rey was almost fully built. The small beach shown here, now known as Mother’s Beach, was created for families and children. But in 1962–63, strong winter storms caused major damage to the new marina. To protect it, a large breakwater was built at the entrance. This helped make the harbor safer for boats and more stable overall.

Historical Notes

The breakwater shown here was finished in the mid-1960s to protect the marina from ocean waves and storms. This 1968 photo shows the fully developed harbor, just a few years after it was officially opened in 1965. It had cost over $36 million to complete and quickly became a popular destination for boaters and tourists.

Historical Notes

These two images—30 years apart—show just how much the area changed. In 1938, the land was mostly wetlands and oil fields. By 1968, it had been turned into a modern marina with docks, roads, and buildings. The comparison highlights how quickly Los Angeles County transformed natural spaces into urban centers in just a few decades.

Historical Notes

By 2007, Marina del Rey had become a major hub for recreation and tourism. With thousands of boat slips, high-rise condos, and restaurants, it had completely replaced the original wetlands. However, the nearby Ballona Creek and remaining marshes were starting to get more attention from environmental groups who wanted to protect what was left of the area’s natural habitat.

Historical Notes

Today, Marina del Rey is a mix of public space, private homes, marinas, and parks. While most of the original wetlands are gone, parts of the Ballona Wetlands have been preserved and are being restored. This shows a shift in thinking—from changing nature to protecting it—while still enjoying all that the marina has to offer.

Historical Notes

Until 1925, raw sewage from the city of Los Angeles was discharged untreated directly into Santa Monica Bay in the region of today's Hyperion Treatment Plant.

With the population increase, the amount of sewage became a major problem to the beaches, so in 1925 the city of Los Angeles built a simple screening plant (seen above) in the 200 acres the city had acquired in 1892.

Historical Notes

The North Outfall conveyed sewage to the early (primary) Hyperion Treatment Plant and ocean outfall.

Historical Notes

Despite a $7 million grant from the federal government, only an experimental plant to handle a small amount of sewage was started and apparently was never actually placed in operation.

Historical Notes

Even with the screening plant, the quality of the water in the Santa Monica Bay was unacceptable, and in 1950 the city of Los Angeles opened the Hyperion Treatment Plant with full secondary treatment processes. In addition, the new plant included capture of biogas from anaerobic digesters to produce heat dried fertilizer.

In order to keep up with the increase of influent wastewater produced by the ever growing city of Los Angeles, by 1957 the plant engineers had cut back treatment levels and increased the discharge of a blend of primary and secondary effluent through a five-mile pipe into the ocean. They also opted to halt the production of fertilizers and started discharging digested sludge into the Santa Monica Bay through a seven-mile pipe.

Marine life in Santa Monica Bay suffered from the continuous discharge of 25 million pounds of wastewater solids (sludge) per month. Samples of the ocean floor where sludge had been discharged for 30 years demonstrated that the only living creatures were worms and a hardy species of clam. Additionally, coastal monitoring revealed that bay waters often did not meet quality standards as the result of Hyperion's effluent. These issues resulted in the City entering into a consent decree with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the State of California to build major facility upgrades at Hyperion. In 1980, Los Angeles launched a massive sludge-out to full secondary program to capture all biosolids and keep them from entering the Bay. The sludge-out portion of the program was completed in 1987.

Historical Notes

Hermosa Beach was originally part of the 1884 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant that later became the ten-mile Ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo. In 1900 a tract of 1,500 acres was purchased for $35 per acre from A. E. Pomroy, then owner of the greater part of Rancho Sausal Redondo. Messrs. Burbank and Baker, agents, bought this land for Sherman and Clark who organized and retained the controlling interest in the Hermosa Beach Land and Water Company.

The first city election for city officers was held December 24, 1906. On January 14, 1907, Hermosa Beach became the nineteenth incorporated city of Los Angeles County.*^

The name Hermosa comes from Spanish and means "beautiful."

Historical Notes

The first Hermosa Beach Pier was built in 1904, two years before the city officially incorporated. Constructed out of wood, the 500-foot-long pier broke up and much of it floated out to sea during a violent storm in 1913. The strength of such winter storms along the west-facing South Bay beaches was the undoing of many such structures over the years, including various incarnations of the Redondo Beach pier, and had much to do with San Pedro’s victory in winning the battle to become Los Angeles’ official port in 1907.

Historical Notes

Hermosa Beach’s second pier was built in 1914.  Constructed of concrete, the pier was 1,000 feet long and paved with asphalt its entire length.  Small tiled pavilions were erected at intervals along the sides to afford shade for fishing and picnic parties. A bait stand was built eventually out on the end.*^

Historical Notes

Soon after the concrete pier was built in 1914, an auditorium building was constructed; it has housed various enterprises and at present the public rest rooms, the Los Angeles Life Guard Service, and the local branch of the Los Angeles County Public Library occupy rooms in the building. This pier is municipally owned.

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Pacific Railway, a "trolley" system, was the first railway in Hermosa Beach, running the entire length of Hermosa Avenue on its way from L.A. to Redondo Beach. A few years later it was merged with most all other "trolley" companies in the region to form the new Pacific Electric Railway Company, informally called the Red Cars.*^

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Pacific Railway, a "trolley" system, was the first railway in Hermosa Beach, running the entire length of Hermosa Avenue on its way from L.A. to Redondo Beach. A few years later it was merged with most all other "trolley" companies in the region to form the new Pacific Electric Railway Company, informally called the Red Cars. The Santa Fe Railway was next through Hermosa Beach. It was seven blocks from the beach. The street that led to the tracks was called Santa Fe Avenue, but was later renamed Pier Avenue. There was no Santa Fe railway station for Hermosa, but Burbank and Baker built a railway platform on the west side of the tracks near Santa Fe Avenue, and later the Railroad Company donated an old boxcar to be used as a storage place for freight. In 1926, the Santa Fe Company built a modern stucco depot and installed Western Union telegraph service in it.*^

Historical Notes

One of the most ambitious projects attempted in the city came in the mid-1920's with the opening of the above building, which later became the Hermosa Biltmore Hotel. The Hotel was located between 14th and 15th Streets on the Strand. In those days it was the headquarters for the Surf and Sand Club, and was run on a private club basis. A number of wealthy persons backed the project and for several years the building, a notable achievement in those days, was the showplace and social center of Hermosa. The private club idea proved to be a losing proposition, however, and a few years later the founders and owners sold out to the Los Angeles Athletic Club. This group, with better financing, attempted to run the property on more or less the same basis but finally sold out to hotel interests about 1930.

During World War II, for a short time the building was taken over by the federal government and used as a youth training center. This property was torn down in the late 1960's for development, and is now the site of a public park.*#^

Historical Notes

This Pacific Light and Power Company power plant was built in 1902 to provide electricity for the Pacific Electric Red Car system in Los Angeles and the surrounding Redondo Beach area. In 1917, Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) purchased Pacific Light and Power Company.

In 1946, SCE constructed another power plant at the same site. Today a modified version of this new plant is owned and operated by AES.^

Click HERE to see more in Early Power Generation.

Historical Notes

The transformation of Redondo Beach into a resort and port city began in the late 19th century. In 1889, the Redondo Beach Improvement Company purchased 433 acres of land from the Dominguez family. This land purchase laid the groundwork for the development of the city.

In 1890, the Hotel Redondo opened, marking the beginning of Redondo Beach as a tourist destination. The hotel featured luxurious accommodations, an 18-hole golf course, and tennis courts. The city's location and the presence of a deep offshore canyon made it an ideal site for a port, which further boosted its economy.

Historical Notes

The Hotel Redondo, a grand Victorian-style resort, opened in Redondo Beach on May 1, 1890. Situated on a 22-acre tract, it was designed to be a major tourist attraction, featuring 225 luxurious rooms and modern amenities for its time, including a bath on each floor.

Historical Notes

The hotel played a crucial role in establishing Redondo Beach as a premier tourist destination. It was part of a broader effort by developers to promote the area, which included building rail connections and developing the port facilities. The hotel attracted thousands of visitors, contributing significantly to the local economy.

Despite its initial success, the hotel's fortunes declined as San Pedro Harbor developed and became the primary port for Los Angeles. The hotel closed in 1925, partly due to the economic impacts of Prohibition, and was sold for scrap lumber.

Historical Notes

In the early development phase from 1889 to the 1920s, three successive piers played crucial roles in facilitating industry and tourism. Wharf No. 1, constructed in 1889, served as a key point for transferring timber from ships to trains but was eventually destroyed by a storm. In 1895, Wharf No. 2 was built south of the original pier, featuring a Y-shaped design with railroad tracks on one prong. This pier supported fishing and tourism but was severely damaged by a storm in 1919 and later demolished for safety. Wharf No. 3, constructed in 1903 further south, continued to support the lumber industry until 1923. Following the expiration of Pacific Electric’s lease and the decline of the lumber industry, Wharf No. 3 was also demolished.

Historical Notes

In the 1910s, Redondo Beach was a bustling hub of activity, known for its vibrant recreational and commercial scene, making it a prominent destination in Southern California. The area’s economy was heavily supported by its multiple wharves, particularly Wharf No. 3, which was constructed in 1903. This pier played a crucial role in the lumber industry and remained operational until 1926, underscoring the importance of the waterfront to the region's economic development.

Historical Notes

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Redondo Beach had significant potential to become a major port, with efforts including the construction of multiple wharves to compete with the San Pedro harbor for freight activity. The presence of the Santa Fe railroad, which provided rail service to the piers, bolstered this ambition. However, several factors hindered Redondo Beach's development into a major port. Natural challenges, such as severe storms, frequently damaged the piers, undermining their reliability for commercial use. Additionally, economic shifts, including the decline of the lumber industry and changes in freight delivery patterns, diminished the commercial viability of the piers. Over time, the focus shifted from commercial to recreational uses, with the development of pleasure piers drawing tourists rather than freight.

Historical Notes

The Pacific Light and Power Corporation (PLPC), established by Henry Huntington in 1906, built a concrete-and-metal steam plant in Redondo Beach, strategically located for its access to clean water and local oil for fuel. This plant was crucial in powering Huntington's electric railway cars and by 1911, had doubled in size, becoming the fourth largest in the United States. However, by 1913, its output was replaced by other plants, and it was relegated to backup status. After Southern California Edison (SCE) acquired PLPC in 1917, the plant fell into disuse and was abandoned during the Great Depression. In response to post-World War II growth, SCE constructed a new generating facility on the site in 1948, which operated until 1987. In 1997, AES Southland Energy acquired the plant, modernizing it to meet contemporary energy needs. However, the facility has faced opposition from residents concerned about pollution, leading to plans to downsize and repurpose the land for non-industrial uses. Throughout its history, the Redondo Beach Steam Plant has evolved from a vital power provider to a facility grappling with environmental and community challenges.

Historical Notes

Pacific Avenue in Redondo Beach played a central role in the early development of the city, serving as a bustling commercial thoroughfare during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Redondo Beach, founded in 1887, quickly grew into a popular seaside resort destination. Pacific Avenue was a key part of the waterfront area, featuring a mix of businesses, hotels, saloons, and recreational facilities catering to visitors and residents alike.

The first electric trolley service to Redondo Beach began on November 9, 1902, as part of the Los Angeles-Hermosa Beach & Redondo Railway Company line, soon taken over by the Los Angeles Pacific Railroad. A connecting line between Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach was built in 1903. In 1911, the Pacific Electric Railway acquired the route, integrating it into its expansive system.

Historical Notes

In the early 1900s, the street was lined with attractions like The Columbia Hotel, bowling alleys, saloons, and dining establishments. The Redondo Beach streetcar line ran along Pacific Avenue, making it easily accessible for tourists coming from Los Angeles and surrounding areas. The street was also home to the Redondo Beach Pavilion and the Santa Fe Railway Depot, both important for the city’s connection to regional transportation and its development as a tourist hub.

Historical Notes

In the early 1900s, Pacific Drive in Redondo Beach played a crucial role in the city's development as a transportation and commercial hub. The street was a key artery, featuring a streetcar line that was part of the extensive Pacific Electric Railway system, known as the "Red Cars," connecting various parts of Los Angeles County. By 1915, these streetcars brought both residents and visitors to the beach, making Pacific Drive an important gateway to the area. Alongside its transportation significance, Pacific Drive also saw commercial growth, exemplified by the presence of the Garland Hotel, a prominent landmark in 1915. The hotel's location on Pacific Drive underscored the street's appeal for tourists, due to its proximity to both the beach and efficient transportation links.

The building on the N.E corner of Pacific and Emerald, on the left, was called the "English Block," built in 1893 and torn down for condos in the early 1970s.

Historical Notes

By the 1910s and 1920s, Redondo Beach experienced continued growth, but with the development of nearby cities like Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, its role as the dominant coastal resort began to shift. During this time, the original charm of Pacific Avenue persisted as an important local artery, with many businesses remaining in operation.

Historical Notes

Between 1916 and 1928, Redondo Beach saw a shift from industrial wharves to pleasure piers, beginning with the Endless/Pleasure Pier, a V-shaped reinforced concrete structure built by George W. Harding for fishing and strolling. Despite its initial popularity, it was condemned for safety reasons in 1928. Captain Hans C. Monstad constructed the Monstad Pier in 1925, originally 300 feet long, which served as a hub for fishing and pleasure boat landings and remains in use today. The Horseshoe Pier, built in 1929 after the Endless/Pleasure Pier was demolished, became a central community feature until it was destroyed by fire in 1988. Following the fire, the pier's southern remnant remained open until a new concrete pier was constructed and opened in 1995, though only a new restaurant was added among the planned attractions.

Historical Notes

The pier started out as a disjointed group of wharves near the end of the 19th century, but evolved into an interconnected structure after a series of storms and demolitions throughout the 20th century.

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Riviera Beach Club (1931-1958), designed by Mark Daniels, was located at what is now Miramar Park in Torrance Beach. It was designed as a private club for the original Riviera home owners. The beach club was destroyed by fire and the site was recognized as a Historic Landmark with a plaque by the Torrance Historical Society in conjunction with the Redondo Beach Historical Society.

Historical Notes

Ground had been broken for the private Hollywood Riviera Beach Club on March 4, 1930. Clifford Reid, the developer who envisioned the Hollywood Riviera section of Torrance as a potential playground for the Hollywood elite when he began selling lots there for about $3500 each in 1928, saw the club as a central attraction whose glamorous image would lure homebuyers in to buy lots.

It opened on June 27, 1931. Residents of the Hollywood Riviera development automatically became members of the club, though dues were required to use the pool and to attend special events held there.

Reid’s plan to attract movie stars foundered on two shoals: the advent of the Depression, and the development’s anti-Semitic policies, which prohibited Hollywood elites such as Louis B. Mayer and Sam Goldwyn from owning property there.

But the development’s spectacular location still attracted visits from the rich and famous, though only the late actress Rosemary DeCamp actually became a long-term resident there.*

Historical Notes

Not long after Pearl Harbor, the military installed anti-aircraft guns in the hills by Torrance beach. The pounding of the ensuing target practice structurally damaged the club, which closed in 1942.

It reopened after the war after Reid sold it, and its new owners made it a public club open to all. It had a successful run during the 1950s, though its image became decidedly less elegant and took on more of the atmosphere of a roadhouse than a swanky club.

Since the club straddled the city limit between Torrance and Redondo Beach, the story has been told that imbibers would have to cross from one side of the tavern to the other to stay in compliance with each city’s liquor laws.*

Historical Notes

On the night September 25, 1958 a spectacular fire consumed the seaside resort.  The club was a total loss.  For years afterward, plans were made to re-develop the site. Even before the fire, Torrance and Redondo were trying to formulate plans to buy the club and convert it into a teen recreation center, but they had been unable to sort out the site’s tangled ownership situation.

As early as 1964, the Sovereign Development Co. had proposed a plan to build a 16-story apartment complex on the site. That proposal was defeated in Aug. 1964, but similar attempts and proposals would be made throughout the rest of the 1960s, all of them opposed by Hollywood Riviera residents.

In 1972 a Superior Court ruled that the property had been “dedicated by implication” to the public, and the property’s then-owner, Oscar Berk, could not build upon the property that he had purchased for $600,000.  That ruling eventually led to the development of Miramar Park on the site. The small, beautiful park was dedicated by the City of Torrance on January 11, 1984.

Surfers still refer to the section of Torrance beach below where the Hollywood Riviera Beach Club once stood as “Burnout Beach.” *

Historical Notes

During the 1920s, the Los Angeles Port passed San Francisco as the west coast's busiest seaport. In the early 1930s a massive expansion of the port was taken with the construction of a massive breakwater three miles out that was over 2 miles in length. In addition to the construction of this outer breakwater an inner breakwater was built off of Terminal Island with docks for sea going ships and smaller docks built at Long Beach.*^

Historical Notes

The City of Long Beach was officially incorporated in 1897. The town grew as a seaside resort with light agricultural uses. Gradually the oil industry, Navy shipyard and facilities and port became the mainstays of the city. In the 1950s it was referred to as "Iowa by the sea", due to a large influx of people from that and other Midwestern states. Huge picnics for migrants from each state were a popular annual event in Long Beach until the 1960s.*

Historical Notes

The tall building topped by a cupola on the beach side of Ocean Boulevard is the Breakers Hotel. In front of and between the auditorium and the Breakers is the Capitol Theatre. The sign for the West Coast Theatre at 333 East Ocean Boulevard is visible on the facade of the large building, right. A sign for the theater is also on the water tower at the back. Several cars are parked at the front of the theater. The Robinson Hotel Apartments with its circular driveway is opposite the West Coast Theatre.^

Historical Notes

Designed by Edwardes Sproat, the Victory Fountain stood 45-ft. high and was equipped with electric lights that flashed in time to the water’s spray. At the top was a mirrored ball that reflected the lights at night.

Historical Notes

Designed by Edwardes Sproat and built by cement contractor S. W. Black, the fountain was dedicated to the American Legion in memory of those who fought in World War I. Financed by homeowners from West Long Beach, the 45 foot high memorial includes flasher lights of many colors and various sprays and cascades for water. A basement directly beneath the fountain included a 600 gallon storage tank and pumps.

Historical Notes

The Pike was the most famous beachside amusement zone on the West Coast from 1902 until 1969; it offered bathers food, games and rides, such at the Sky Wheel dual Ferris wheel and Cyclone Racer roller coaster.

Historical Notes

The Pike was most noted for the Cyclone Racer, a large wooden dual-track roller coaster, built out on pilings over the water. It was the largest and fastest coaster in the U.S. at the time.  They called it 'racer' because there were two trains on two separate tracks that raced one another from start to finish.^

Historical Notes

The U. S. Post Office is seen on the left. The Ducommun Building is on the northeast corner of Main and Commercial Streets. In the extreme upper right is the first of many buildings erected by Isaias W. Hellman, on the northwest corner of Los Angeles and Commercial Streets. On the southeast corner of Main and Commercial, being renovated, is the Hellman Building.^

Historical Notes

The Farmers and Merchants Bank was the oldest bank in Southern California from 1871 until 1956 when it was merged into the Security First National Bank of Los Angeles. Later, the Security First National Bank of Los Angeles became the Security Pacific National Bank and is now Bank of America.

Historical Notes

Early Los Angeles streetcars, including the Los Angeles Railway "Yellow Cars" and Pacific Electric "Red Cars," featured distinctive interior layouts that prioritized efficiency and passenger capacity. The Yellow Cars, which operated from 1895 to 1963, typically had forward-facing double seats arranged in rows on both sides of a central aisle, with hand grips on seat backs for standing passengers. The Red Cars, running from 1901 to 1961, offered a mix of forward-facing and side-facing bench seats, also with double seats along the center aisle in many models. Both systems shared common elements such as large windows for natural light, wooden or rattan-covered seats, overhead hand grips, and advertising displays above the windows. As streetcar technology evolved, newer models incorporated improved lighting, ventilation, and seating arrangements to enhance passenger comfort. These early streetcar interiors were designed to accommodate the growing transportation needs of Los Angeles during the first half of the 20th century, balancing practicality with the comfort of riders.

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Railway (also Yellow Cars, LARy, latterly Los Angeles Transit Lines) was a system of streetcars that operated in central Los Angeles and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods between 1901 and 1963. The company carried many more passengers than the Pacific Electric Railway's 'Red Cars' which served a larger area of Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

Long before the Grove, Third Street, or Universal CityWalk, Angelenos flocked to another open-air shopping promenade: Mercantile Place. This tiny, private street, which stretched between Spring and Broadway from 1904 to 1923, measured just 22 feet wide and was flanked by identical, two-story brick buildings, creating an intimate contrast to bustling downtown Los Angeles.

Though it resembled a public street with its concrete sidewalks and paved road, Mercantile Place cut through privately owned land leased by developer C. Wesley Roberts in 1904. Roberts ingeniously solved the problem of how to make the central parcel useful—by cutting a street through it, he more than doubled the available storefront frontage from 240 to nearly 600 feet.

Historical Notes

Mercantile Place was planned to be "something entirely new in Los Angeles development"—a private shopping street under the aegis of C. Westley Roberts, who secured a ten-year lease from the Los Angeles School Board and bought the material of the old brick school building, which was to be demolished.

Historical Notes

This walkway between two sets of buildings was razed in 1923, and the Mercantile Arcade Building was built in its place. The Arcade Building has entrances from Spring Street and from Broadway, and retains the feel of a passageway.

Historical Notes

The area around Broadway and 6th Street was a bustling commercial district in the 1910s, with many retail stores, theaters, and other businesses.

Historical Notes

H. Jevne & Company, founded by Hans Jevne in 1882, was a prominent grocer in early Los Angeles. In 1906-1907, the company constructed its flagship store at the southwest corner of 6th Street and Broadway, a building that still stands today next to the Los Angeles Theatre. This store, occupying all six floors of the building, was widely regarded as one of the finest grocery stores in the country, with some even calling it "the finest retail grocery store in the world" due to its equipment and high-end clientele. The store offered a wide selection of groceries, including imported delicacies and products from Jevne's native Norway, as well as liquors and cigars. It represented the pinnacle of H. Jevne & Co.'s success after decades of growth in Los Angeles and was a prominent fixture in downtown Los Angeles during the early 20th century. The store opened at this location in 1907 and operated until 1920, when H. Jevne & Co. closed the retail store to focus on its wholesale business. Today, the H. Jevne & Co. Building remains an important part of Los Angeles' architectural heritage.

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Hill and 5th Streets.

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Hill and 4th Streets.

Historical Notes

The building on the right is the 'New' Hotel Broadway and on the left is the Broadway Christian Church. The 'New' Hotel Broadway survived many, many years, the 'New' becoming ever more ironic. The church is about to be replaced by the Owl Drug Company which would, in its turn, survive until the CRA bulldozers and the coming of the Hollywood Parkway. The 1888 County Courthouse would be doomed in the Long Beach earthquake of 1933.

Historical Notes

The LA County Courthouse was built in 1888-1891 at the old site of Los Angeles High School. The building was demolished in 1933.

The Hall of Records was built in 1906 and demolished in 1973.

Historical Notes

This tunnel was the second of twin bores through the northeastern section of Bunker Hill. The hill was also referred to as Court Hill. The tunnel connected Temple St. with 1st Street.

Historical Notes

The first of the two Hill Street Tunnels was bored through a part of Bunker Hill in 1909 by Los Angeles Pacific (a predecessor of Pacific Electric). It connects Hill Street from First to Temple. In 1913, the second tunnel (on the left) was bored for streetcar traffic.

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more Early Views of the Court Flight.

Historical Notes

The Hill Street tunnels ran through a hill called Court Hill. Both Hill Street and Broadway had tunnels through Court Hill. In the photo above we're looking southwest towards First and Hill. First Street comes in behind the streetcar. At this point First Street is in a valley between Bunker Hill and Court Hill. The apartment houses in the center are on Bunker Hill. The hill at right is Court Hill.

Historical Notes

Within two months of the above photo, construction work to remove the tunnels and enlarge the Los Angeles Civic Center began.

Historical Notes

The Hill Street tunnels and the hill above them were completely removed by June 1955 to make way for the current Los Angeles Civic Center.

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see the Construction and Opening of the First Hill Street Tunnel

From Agricultural Park to Exposition Park

Long before the rose garden and the Coliseum, the 160 acres bounded by Figueroa Street and Exposition Boulevard served a very different Los Angeles. The Southern District Agricultural Society established Agricultural Park in 1872, setting aside the land as a fairground where the region's new farming class could exhibit livestock, produce, and farm equipment.The site made sense at the time. It sat just beyond the southwestern edge of the city, surrounded by open country, and was served by one of Los Angeles's first street railways, the Main Street and Agricultural Park Railroad, which began running horse-drawn cars to the park in 1875.

Over the next four decades the park hosted agricultural fairs, thoroughbred horse races, camel and dog contests, some of the first bicycle competitions in Southern California, and eventually the earliest organized automobile speed runs in the region. By 1910 the racing era had ended. A new chapter was beginning, centered on museums, a rose garden, and civic ambition rather than betting windows and grandstand saloons.

Historical Notes

The Southern District Agricultural Society purchased the 160-acre site in 1872 to promote commercial farming as the old rancho system gave way to American land ownership. Mortgage creditors foreclosed on the property in 1879, and the State of California acquired it in 1880. The City of Los Angeles annexed both Agricultural Park and the neighboring University of Southern California campus in June 1899, bringing them inside city limits for the first time. Civic advocates William M. Bowen and USC President George F. Bovard led the campaign that eventually transformed the grounds into a public cultural center, renamed Exposition Park in 1913.

Fair Days

Racing and gambling defined Agricultural Park's reputation, but they were never the whole story. The Southern District Agricultural Society founded the park to serve the region's farmers, and on fair days the grounds looked exactly as intended — families moving through livestock exhibits, tents pitched across the open fields, animals on display, and children exploring the grounds on foot and on bicycle. These quieter gatherings kept alive the park's original mission even as the racetrack and grandstand saloon drew the headlines and the reformers' complaints.

The agricultural fairs attracted exhibitors from across Southern California who came to show prize livestock, seasonal produce, and horticultural specimens. For many visitors, particularly those who came with children, the fair was the park, a public space that belonged to the community in a way the racetrack and its gambling culture did not. It was this side of the park's identity that reformers pointed to when they argued the grounds could be reclaimed for a higher civic purpose.

Agricultural Park served a dual identity throughout its history. On race days it was a gambling venue with a grandstand saloon and a packed hotel. On fair days it was a public fairground where families came to see livestock exhibits, horticultural displays, and novelties such as the deer shown here. The Southern District Agricultural Society had always intended the site to promote farming and agriculture in Southern California, and it was this original mission that reformers cited when they argued the grounds could be reclaimed for a higher civic purpose.

The Racetrack

The racetrack was the engine of Agricultural Park's daily life. Because the park sat outside city limits until 1899, gambling on races was beyond the reach of Los Angeles law enforcement, and operators took full advantage. The grandstand drew the crowds that made the park financially viable. A saloon operated underneath it, and a hotel in the park's interior catered to those who came for the races and not just an afternoon's entertainment. Horses dominated the early program, but the track also hosted dog races, camel races, and animal fights staged for gambling purposes, the last of which drew condemnation from anti-cruelty organizations.

As the surrounding neighborhood developed and the University of Southern California opened across the street in 1880, pressure mounted on park operators. Officers who attended the meets could observe but had little authority over the gambling taking place. That changed when annexation brought the park inside city limits in 1899 — though the racing and betting continued for another decade before state law finally shut it down.

Historical Notes

The grandstand shown here held a saloon on its lower level, one of the principal attractions for gamblers who came to the park for the races. The hotel that operated inside the park's grounds catered to racing enthusiasts who stayed overnight. Both structures were demolished after the state acquired the property in 1908 and reformers took control of the site. The grounds were eventually redesigned as part of the 1910 Exposition Park plan, which included the sunken garden to the north of the oval, designed by landscape architect Fred H. Howard. That garden became the Exposition Park Rose Garden, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Horse shows at Agricultural Park ran alongside the race meets and drew a somewhat different crowd — one more interested in breeding stock and carriage horses than in wagering. The park's dual identity as both a legitimate fairground and a gambling venue made it a complicated target for reformers, who had to argue that the racing culture had overtaken the agricultural mission the site was founded to serve. Attorney William M. Bowen began his public campaign to annex and reform the park in 1898, one year after this photograph was taken.

Race days at Agricultural Park drew spectators from across the city and beyond. In its early years the park offered horses, dogs, and camels on the oval, a combination that reflected the carnival atmosphere operators cultivated to maximize crowds and betting. California's Walker-Otis Law of 1909 banned racetrack gambling statewide, effectively ending horse racing at Agricultural Park and at venues across the state, including the original Santa Anita track in Arcadia, which closed the same year.

The Bicycle Era

By the late 1880s the bicycle had joined the horse as a fixture at Agricultural Park. Racing on two wheels had begun on the oval as early as 1883, using the same dirt track as the horse meets, but it was the arrival of the chain-driven safety bicycle in the late 1880s that turned cycling into a citywide movement. Organized clubs formed across Los Angeles, and the park's established grandstand and oval became their primary racing ground. The clubs were also central to the Good Roads movement, lobbying for paved streets at a time when most roads in the region were rutted dirt. The racers at Agricultural Park were in this sense making an argument about infrastructure as much as they were competing for prizes.

The October 3, 1893 race meeting documented in several of the photographs below was among the most organized cycling events Southern California had yet seen. Teams arrived with uniforms, support men, and formal starting procedures. The 25-mile race drew entrants from the East Side Club, the Los Angeles Athletic Club, a squad from Riverside, and others. Prizes sometimes included pianos, a reflection of the sport's broad social appeal and the showmanship of the park's promoters.

The Los Angeles Bicycle Club was one of the earliest organized cycling groups in the city. The high-wheeled penny-farthing bicycles common in the early 1880s had given way by the late 1880s to the chain-driven safety bicycle, which was lower, more stable, and far more accessible to a general public. The change in technology drove a rapid expansion in both recreational cycling and competitive racing. By the early 1890s, Los Angeles had multiple active clubs competing at venues including Agricultural Park.

Historical Notes

The October 3, 1893 race meeting was one of the largest organized cycling events in Southern California to that point, drawing teams from across the region. The grandstand that regularly hosted horse racing crowds was filled for the occasion. Horse-drawn carriages visible inside the oval reflect the track's dual identity — still a horse racing venue on most days, but increasingly shared with the new sport of cycling throughout the 1890s.

The East Side Club was based in Boyle Heights and was among the most active cycling organizations in Los Angeles in the early 1890s. Club races at Agricultural Park were formal affairs, with each rider assigned a support man to hold the bicycle steady before the starting signal. The dark sash worn over the left shoulder identified East Side Club members on the starting line and in the grandstand crowd.

The Los Angeles Athletic Club, founded in 1880, was one of the city's most prominent civic organizations and fielded teams in multiple sports. The presence of the mayor's brother and a city department official among its bicycle team entrants reflects how thoroughly the cycling movement had penetrated middle- and upper-class Los Angeles life by the early 1890s. Athletic club racing at Agricultural Park carried a social dimension well beyond the sport itself.

The Automobile Arrives

The gasoline-powered automobile arrived at Agricultural Park in November 1903 with the force of a revelation. Barney Oldfield, already the most famous racing driver in America, staged a three-day event at the park featuring speed record attempts, match races, and exhibitions aboard a Winton Bullet. Dirt clods flew as much as forty feet in the wake of the machine, and the Los Angeles Times covered the spectacle with mock alarm, writing that Oldfield's attempt to commit suicide at Agricultural Park had resulted only in a compound fracture of the world's automobile record. He returned in December 1904 driving the Peerless Green Dragon and recorded a mile in 54 seconds on the same oval where horses had raced a generation before.

The Automobile Club of Southern California, which organized the 1903 meet and kept a formal program with results recorded by hand in the margins, understood that racing was the most effective way to demonstrate the new technology to a skeptical public. Local competitors were drawn in as well, including oilman Frank Garbutt, who had watched harness races at the park since 1887 and arrived with a car he had designed and built himself. Spectators who watched a car cover a mile in under a minute went home converts.

What began as exhibition and spectacle quickly evolved into organized competition, and by the end of the decade, full-scale endurance races were being held on the same oval.

Barney Oldfield had become the first person to drive a mile in one minute flat at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in June 1903. His November visit to Agricultural Park just months later brought that national celebrity to Los Angeles for the first time. On December 17, 1904, he set a track record of 54 seconds for the mile on the Agricultural Park oval, driving the eight-cylinder Peerless Green Dragon. The Automobile Club of Southern California, founded in 1900, was among the earliest automobile advocacy organizations in the country and used racing events at Agricultural Park to build public support for automobile-friendly road improvements throughout the region.

Historical Notes

By 1908 automobile racing at Agricultural Park had matured into organized competition, including endurance events such as the 100 mile race shown here. Drivers and machines were now tested not only for speed but for reliability over distance, reflecting the growing practical importance of the automobile.

At the same time, the park itself was nearing the end of its racing era. The city had annexed the grounds in 1899 and outlawed gambling, but racing continued in diminished form. State acquisition in 1908 marked a turning point, and the following year California’s Walker Otis Law banned racetrack gambling statewide, removing the last economic incentive to maintain the track. The grandstand and related structures were soon demolished, clearing the way for the transformation into Exposition Park, formally dedicated on November 6, 1913.

From Racetrack to Park

California's 1909 ban on racetrack gambling removed the economic foundation on which the Agricultural Park oval had operated for three decades. A three-way agreement between the state, the county, and the city divided responsibility for the new grounds: the state would build an exposition building and an armory, the county would construct a museum of history, science, and art, and the city would maintain the grounds. Construction of the Natural History Museum began on December 17, 1910, and the park was formally renamed and dedicated as Exposition Park on November 6, 1913.

The 1918 aerial photograph below shows the new park five years into its life as a public cultural center. The Natural History Museum, the Armory, and the Exposition Building frame the northern portion of the park, and between them the sunken garden, already laid out with its formal grid of walkways and circular center, occupies the ground directly north of the racetrack oval. The oval itself remained fully intact in 1918, its ellipse clearly visible in the center of the park. It was the Coliseum, breaking ground in December 1921 and opening in May 1923, that consumed the western and central portion of the oval, its elliptical bowl built within the old racetrack footprint. Where Barney Oldfield had once covered a mile in 54 seconds, 75,000 spectators would come to watch football — and in 1932, the Summer Olympic Games.

The Natural History Museum building, designed by architects Frank Hudson and William Munsell in a blend of Spanish Renaissance, Romanesque, and Beaux Arts styles, was dedicated on November 6, 1913. The tripartite governance agreement between the state, Los Angeles County, and the City of Los Angeles established at that time still governs Exposition Park today. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, completed in May 1923 and designed by architects John and Donald Parkinson, was built as a memorial to Los Angeles veterans of World War I and was constructed within the western and central portion of the old racetrack footprint. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1984 and has hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984, with a third scheduled for 2028.

The sunken garden, situated between the racetrack oval and the museum buildings to the north, was designed by landscape architect Fred H. Howard and laid out as part of the 1910 Exposition Park plan. Planted initially with grass and walkways, it was redesigned and rededicated as the Rose Garden in 1928. The full story continues in the next section.

The Coliseum was built between 1921 and 1923 directly within the old racetrack footprint, its bowl occupying the same ground where Barney Oldfield had raced less than twenty years before. The oval that had defined Agricultural Park for three decades was gone within a decade of the 1918 photograph.

The 2022 image shows what replaced it. The Coliseum now sits where the oval once ran, its elliptical bowl built within the western and central portion of the old racetrack footprint. The eastern portion disappeared into parking and surrounding streets. That the Coliseum itself is elliptical, echoing the shape of the track it replaced, is one of the more quietly satisfying continuities in the park's history.

The sunken garden visible in its early unfinished state in the upper image became the Rose Garden in 1928 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. That transformation is the subject of the next section.

The Sunken Garden and the Rose Garden

When the old Agricultural Park racetrack was cleared and Exposition Park took shape after 1910, the seven acres between the museum buildings were set aside for a formal public garden. For the first several years the space amounted to little more than a graded field with grass, a few trees, and walkways converging on a concrete circle at the center. Plans for a grand memorial fountain at that center point were announced at the 1913 dedication but never carried out, set aside when World War I began and other priorities took over. Through most of the 1910s the sunken garden was more plan than place.

The transformation happened in stages. In 1915, the city proposed planting the beds with California wildflowers, including poppies, lupines, dahlias, and calendulas. In October 1921, the California Association of Nurserymen held a major horticultural exposition on the site, filling it with thousands of flowers, trees, and a new circular lily pond at the center. Many of those plantings stayed after the show closed. But the garden as it is recognized today did not take shape until 1926, when the city's Parks Department brought in rose experts George C. Robinson and Fred H. Howard, who had also designed the garden's original 1910 layout, to build what the Los Angeles Times called the world's finest public rose garden. The $15,000 project removed eight inches of topsoil across the entire site, replacing it with nutrient-rich soil and leaf mold brought from the canyons of Griffith Park. Workers laid 166 concrete-lined flower beds in four symmetrical quadrants, each anchored by a gazebo. Over 15,000 rose bushes, most donated by Southern California nurseries, were planted across the beds. The garden was completed in April 1928, remained the largest public rose garden in the country for 24 years, and has been operated by the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks ever since. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

The Early Sunken Garden

The sunken garden went through several distinct phases before the roses arrived. In its earliest years after 1910, it was simply graded open ground, cut below the level of the surrounding walkways and left largely as grass with a central concrete circle. The park's 1913 dedication drew attention to the site's potential, but the World War I years delayed any serious development. By the early 1920s the garden finally had real flowers in it, thanks to the California Association of Nurserymen, whose 1921 show planted the space for the first time and introduced the central lily pond and fountain. Events like Pershing Day in January 1920 had already established the sunken garden as a gathering place even in its unfinished state, showing that Angelenos would embrace the space once it was properly planted.

The photographs in this section document the garden during that transitional period, after the racetrack was gone but before the roses arrived, when the city was slowly discovering what the space could become.

Historical Notes

The land seen here had been graded and laid out as part of the 1910 Exposition Park plan, with grass, pathways, and a circular concrete center. Through most of the decade the space sat largely unused, waiting for the civic will and funding to develop it.

The 1921 California Flower Show and Horticultural Exposition was the first major use of the sunken garden for its intended purpose. The California Association of Nurserymen planted thousands of flowers and trees and installed a circular lily pond at the center. An electric fountain lit up the water at night during the event, and at the opening an orchestra played while performers danced traditional Spanish dances as visitors moved through displays of chrysanthemums, marigolds, and two acres of dahlias. Many of the show's plantings remained after the exposition closed, giving the garden its first real life as a planted space.

Historical Notes

Pershing Day marked the first anniversary of General John Pershing's return from World War I and was observed at public spaces across the country in January 1920. The event at Exposition Park reflected the park's growing role as a civic gathering place even before the sunken garden had been fully developed. The Armory Building visible here was designed by State Architect J.W. Woollett for the California National Guard 160th Infantry and was one of the four original anchor structures of the 1913 Exposition Park plan. It was later renamed the Wallis Annenberg Building for Science Learning and Innovation and now serves as the California Science Center's education annex.

Historical Notes

By 1925 the sunken garden had evolved considerably from the grassy field of the early 1910s, with ornamental planting beds established following the 1921 horticultural show. The grid layout visible in this photograph was carried directly into the rose garden design that began the following year. To prepare the beds for roses, workers removed eight inches of existing topsoil from across the entire site and replaced it with nutrient-rich soil and leaf mold brought in from the canyons of Griffith Park, giving the roses the rich soil they needed to thrive.

The Rose Garden

By the mid-1920s, Los Angeles was a city in full expansion. The oil, aviation, and film industries were booming, the population had more than doubled during the decade, and civic leaders cared deeply about how the city looked to the rest of the nation. When the Parks Department announced in 1926 that it intended to build the finest public rose garden in the United States at Exposition Park, the Los Angeles Times applauded: no better demonstration could be made of the region's devotion to gardens and outdoor beauty, the paper wrote, than by placing the world's finest rose garden at the heart of its greatest city. The work matched the ambition. Rosarians Robinson and Howard designed 166 concrete-lined beds in four symmetrical quadrants, filled them with soil brought from Griffith Park, and planted more than 15,000 bushes representing over 100 varieties. The garden was completed in April 1928.

It was an immediate success, drawing visitors from across the region and serving as a grand entrance corridor for the tens of thousands who came to the adjacent Coliseum for the 1932 Summer Olympics. Art deco lamp posts and concrete benches with Greek-style friezes were added to the garden's north entryway in 1932 in preparation for the Games. In 1936, Danish sculptor Thyra Boldsen donated four marble statues to the garden, one per quadrant, dedicated not to bravery and conquest as most public sculpture was but to love, life, and joy. The garden has remained largely unchanged in its layout since 1928 and continues to be visited by more than a million people a year.

Historical Notes

The rose garden opened in April 1928, timed to be in full bloom before the 1932 Olympics brought international visitors to the adjacent Coliseum. The Los Angeles Times had declared in 1926 that no better demonstration could be made of California's devotion to outdoor beauty than placing the world's finest rose garden at the heart of its greatest city. The garden held its position as the largest public rose garden in the country for 24 years. Danish sculptor Thyra Boldsen loaned four marble statues to the garden in 1936, one per quadrant, each honoring themes of love, life, and joy. They were reclaimed by a descendant in 1968. The All-America Rose Selection has donated its Rose of the Year to the garden annually since 1940.

Historical Notes

The 1950s marked the rose garden's cultural peak. Annual pruning demonstrations held each January drew thousands of enthusiasts for panel discussions, how-to demonstrations on a large model rosebush, and appearances by a rose queen. By 1955 more than 3,000 people attended the event annually. Summer Camera Days brought amateur photographers to the garden each season with flowers, animals, and models in gardening clothes provided by the Parks Department. The garden survived a proposal by the NFL Raiders in 1980 to convert it into a practice field, and a second threat in 1986 when the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission proposed replacing it with a two-story parking garage. In both cases public opposition was swift and decisive.

The Rose Garden Fountain

The fountain that stands at the center of the Exposition Park Rose Garden carries a history older than the roses themselves. Its story begins on November 6, 1913, the day Exposition Park was formally dedicated, the same day the city celebrated the opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, which had delivered Owens Valley water to the San Fernando Valley the day before. At the dedication ceremony, Senator John D. Works stepped to the platform in the sunken garden and, as he left, a jet of water shot thirty feet into the air from the concrete circle at the garden's center. It was a symbolic gesture, not a permanent structure. Water from the new aqueduct was pushed into the air as a public display. Plans were announced that day for a grand permanent fountain on the same spot, with a one-hundred-foot shaft flanked by sculptures representing California and the spirit of civic advancement. That monument was never built. World War I began, and the plans were shelved.

The fountain that eventually found its permanent place at the center of the garden arrived more modestly. In 1921, the California Association of Nurserymen built a circular lily pond and fountain for their horticultural exposition on the site, and this became the garden's first lasting water feature. When Fred H. Howard redesigned the space as a rose garden in 1926, the fountain was retained and fitted with electric lights that changed color at night, making it one of the first illuminated public fountains in Los Angeles. The display became one of the garden's most popular attractions, visible from the museum buildings and park pathways after dark. The fountain has been operated continuously by the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks since 1928 and remains the visual anchor of the garden today, its jets still rising from the same concrete circle where Owens Valley water first made its symbolic appearance more than a century ago.

Historical Notes

The circular lily pond and fountain seen here were among the lasting contributions of the 1921 California Flower Show and Horticultural Exposition. When Fred H. Howard took on the rose garden design in 1926, he incorporated the existing fountain rather than replacing it, adding electric lighting that allowed the water display to continue into the evening hours — one of the first illuminated public fountains in Los Angeles. The Natural History Museum building visible in the background was designed by architects Frank Hudson and William Munsell in a blend of Spanish Renaissance, Romanesque, and Beaux Arts styles and dedicated on November 6, 1913.

Historical Notes

Senator John D. Works dedicated the water display at the 1913 opening ceremony, and as he left the platform a thirty-foot jet rose from the concrete circle at the garden's center. Plans for a grand permanent commemorative fountain, with a hundred-foot shaft and flanking sculptures honoring California and civic progress, were announced that day but never executed.

Those plans reflected how confident Los Angeles felt in that moment. The aqueduct was done, Exposition Park was open, and the city saw itself on the edge of becoming one of the great cities of the world. For more on the opening ceremonies, see the Commemorative of the Official Opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct and Exposition Park.

Click HERE to see the Commemorative of the Official Opening of the LA Aqueduct and Exposition Park.

Historical Notes

The lily pond at the fountain's base carried through every phase of the garden's development, from the 1921 horticultural show through the 1928 rose garden completion. The grand memorial fountain proposed at the 1913 dedication was never built, and the simpler fountain installed in 1921 became the garden's permanent water anchor. USC's Mudd Memorial Hall of Philosophy, visible in the background, was completed in 1930 and designed by architects Ralph Flewelling and Allison and Allison. It stands just north of the park boundary along Exposition Boulevard, directly across from the Natural History Museum.

Historical Notes

The Rose Garden and its fountain have endured repeated threats to their existence over the decades. A proposal by the NFL Raiders in 1980 to convert the garden to a practice field was turned down. A 1986 plan by the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission to replace the garden with a two-story parking structure drew immediate public opposition and was defeated.

The 1984 Summer Olympics had brought renewed investment to the park just two years earlier, with the city refurbishing the garden for the millions of visitors who passed through Exposition Park during the Games. The garden was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, giving it a level of formal protection it had not previously held. It remains one of the most visited public gardens in Southern California, with an estimated one million visitors each year.

🏛️ The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum stands on ground that had already lived several lives before its construction. What began in 1872 as Agricultural Park, a fairground that evolved into a center for racing and public spectacle, was transformed after California's 1909 ban on racetrack gambling into a civic and cultural landscape known as Exposition Park. By the time of the 1918 aerial view, the mile-long oval remained intact, but its future had already shifted away from racing.

That transformation accelerated in 1921, when Los Angeles leaders moved to construct a major stadium as a memorial to veterans of World War I. Designed by architects John and Donald Parkinson, the Coliseum was conceived not only as a place for sport but as a monumental civic structure, one that could anchor the growing city's cultural and ceremonial life.

Construction began on December 21, 1921. In just over sixteen months, the elliptical bowl rose within the footprint of the former racetrack. When it opened on May 1, 1923, the Coliseum seated more than 75,000 spectators, immediately becoming the largest stadium in Los Angeles and one of the most prominent in the nation.

From Racetrack Oval to Stadium Bowl

The 1918 aerial shows the site at a turning point. The racetrack oval, once the defining feature of Agricultural Park, remained fully visible, even as the surrounding grounds had already been reshaped into a complex of museums, gardens, and public spaces.

By 1922, that oval was being erased. Construction photographs show the Coliseum rising directly within the infield of the track, its form echoing the very shape it replaced. Rather than imposing a new geometry on the landscape, the designers built within it, preserving the ellipse while transforming its purpose.

Where Barney Oldfield and other early drivers once raced against time, a new kind of spectacle took shape, one measured not in seconds but in crowds, ceremonies, and shared civic experience.

Historical Notes

The Natural History Museum, designed by architects Frank Hudson and William Munsell in a blend of Spanish Renaissance, Romanesque, and Beaux Arts styles, was dedicated on November 6, 1913. The governance agreement established at that time between the state, Los Angeles County, and the City of Los Angeles still governs Exposition Park today. The sunken garden visible north of the oval had been graded and laid out as part of the 1910 Exposition Park plan, with grass, walkways, and a circular concrete center. It would not be seriously planted until the 1920s and would not become the Rose Garden until 1928.

The International Olympic Committee selected Los Angeles as the host city for the 1932 Summer Olympics in April 1923, the same month the Coliseum was completed. The two events, arriving almost simultaneously, shaped the stadium's first decade in ways no one had fully anticipated.

Engineering Speed and Scale

The speed of construction remains notable. Built for $954,873, the original structure was completed in just over sixteen months. The design featured a continuous elliptical bowl open at the east end, where the peristyle would later become one of the Coliseum's most recognized architectural elements.

The 1922 construction images show this rapid rise. The surrounding Exposition Park grounds, already anchored by the Exposition Building and the Museum of History, Science and Art (later the Natural History Museum), frame the emerging stadium within its broader civic setting.

Historical Notes

The Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to veterans of World War I and rededicated to veterans of all wars in 1968. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on December 21, 1921, with construction completed in just over sixteen months on May 1, 1923. John and Donald Parkinson, whose firm also designed Los Angeles City Hall, Union Station, and the Bullock's Wilshire Building, modeled the elliptical bowl on the Yale Bowl of 1914, the first bowl-style stadium in the United States. The field was excavated thirty-two feet below grade, with the removed soil used to build the surrounding embankments. The structure measures 1,038 feet long and 738 feet wide. Total construction cost was $954,873.

Historical Notes

When the Coliseum opened in 1923, it was the largest stadium in Los Angeles, with a capacity of 75,144. The first event held there was not a sporting contest but the American Historical Review and Motion Picture Industrial Exposition, a month-long celebration of American history and the film industry that ran from July 2 to August 4, 1923, and drew more than 300,000 visitors. The first football game followed on October 6, 1923, when USC defeated Pomona College 23 to 7.

Expansion for the World Stage

The Coliseum's role expanded in preparation for the 1932 Summer Olympics. To accommodate the event, the stadium was enlarged in 1930, with additional rows and two tiers of tunnels raising capacity to more than 100,000 seats. The Olympic cauldron, still visible above the east end of the stadium, was installed at that time.

For a period the stadium was known as Olympic Stadium, reflecting its central role in the 1932 Games. By 1932 the expanded Coliseum had become the dominant landmark of Exposition Park, its bowl filled to capacity for the Summer Games.

The Coliseum hosted the Olympics again in 1984 and is scheduled to do so in 2028, which will make it the only stadium in history to host three Olympic Games.

The $315 million renovation completed in 2019 was funded by the University of Southern California under a 98-year lease agreement signed in 2013, which also transferred long-term management of the Coliseum to the university. The project added new seating throughout, a south side press box and suite structure, loge boxes, and a rooftop terrace with views of the surrounding park and city. Seating capacity was set at 77,500. The renovation was designed by DLR Group and carried out in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, given the stadium's status as a National Historic Landmark.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, visible in the contemporary image, is scheduled to open on September 22, 2026, on the south side of Exposition Park. Designed by architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, it occupies ground that was once the eastern edge of the Agricultural Park racetrack oval. When it opens it will complete a transformation of Exposition Park that began when the racetrack was cleared more than a century earlier.

The Coliseum's elliptical form was not an accident of its site. John Parkinson chose the shape deliberately, drawing on the Yale Bowl and on the ancient Roman amphitheater tradition, and built it within the western and central portion of the old Agricultural Park racetrack oval. The outer dimensions of the bowl, 1,038 feet long and 738 feet wide, made it the second most expensive stadium in the United States when it opened, behind only Yankee Stadium in New York.

In 1930, with the 1932 Olympics awarded to Los Angeles, the stadium was expanded upward to seventy-nine rows and capacity was raised to more than 101,000. The Olympic cauldron added for the 1932 Games remains above the peristyle at the east end and is lit during every USC home game. The Coliseum hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984 and will become the first stadium to host the Games three times when the 2028 Olympics open there.

Continuity Within Change

The then and now comparisons show one of the more interesting aspects of the Coliseum's history: the elliptical form of the stadium still traces the geometry of the racetrack that came before it. The sunken garden to the north, later redesigned as the Rose Garden, remains in place, connecting the park's early layout to its present form.

The surrounding landscape has changed considerably. What were once open grounds and racetrack edges have given way to parking areas, museums, sports facilities, and dense residential streets. The Coliseum, once set within a largely open park, is now part of a much more active urban environment.

Historical Notes

The Coliseum was built between 1921 and 1923 directly within the old racetrack footprint, its bowl occupying the same ground where Barney Oldfield had raced less than twenty years before. The oval that had defined Agricultural Park for three decades was gone within a decade of the 1918 photograph.

The Coliseum now sits where the oval once ran, its elliptical bowl built within the western and central portion of the old racetrack footprint. The eastern portion of the oval disappeared into parking and surrounding streets. That the Coliseum itself is elliptical, echoing the shape of the track it replaced, is one of the more quietly satisfying continuities in the park's history.

The sunken garden visible in its early unfinished state in the upper image became the Rose Garden in 1928 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. That transformation is the subject of the next section.

For a closer look at the Coliseum's construction, including ground level views of the arches, entranceway, and early seating structure, click HERE to see Early Views of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Construction.

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more Early Views of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the Olympics.

Historical Notes

USC agreed to play its home football games at the Coliseum when the stadium opened, a circumstance that contributed to the decision to build it where it was. The university took over long-term management of the Coliseum under a 98-year lease agreement in 2013 and funded the $315 million renovation completed in 2019.

Click HERE to see more in Early Views of U.S.C.

A Living Landmark

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1984, the Coliseum has served as more than a stadium. It has been a site of Olympic ceremonies, championship games, public gatherings, and civic commemoration. Originally dedicated as a memorial to World War I veterans and rededicated in 1968 to honor veterans of all wars, it remains both a working venue and a public monument.

The images in this section, from racetrack days through construction, expansion, and present day views, document more than the evolution of a single structure. They trace the transformation of an entire landscape and the ways Los Angeles has redefined how public space is used and remembered over more than a century.

2nd Street Tunnel

Historical Notes

The 2nd Street Tunnel was built to relieve congestion on the earlier 3rd Street Tunnel. Construction actually began in 1916 but was stalled for five years by litigation. Steam shovels didn't begin tearing into the hillside until April 11, 1921.

Historical Notes

For a time, it seemed the tunnel would never open; it became the laughingstock of the city. But by July 25, 1924, workers had finally bored 1,502 feet through Bunker Hill’s shale and sandstone.*

Historical Notes

Construction of the 2nd Street Tunnel began in 1916, and wasn't completed until 1924, with its formal opening on July 25 of that year. The distinctive white tiles, which give the tunnel its glow, came from Germany, which caused controversy at the time due to the legacy of World War I and protectionist feelings.^

Historical Notes

The last days of Bunker Hill: this view from the Second Street tunnel clearly shows the deterioration of the neighborhood’s boarding houses and residential hotels. The Hill would soon be scraped clean to make way for “redevelopment”.

Historical Notes

The above photo was published in the Aug. 22, 1921, Los Angeles Times with story claiming the tunnel would be finished in less than a year. The tunnel did not open for nearly three years.

Historical Notes

The tunnel's two entrances are very different in character – "the grittier east entrance and the glowing aperture of the west side, with flaring buttresses reminiscent of the shell of the Hollywood Bowl." The tunnel creates interesting light textures especially at night.  It’s been frequently used as a backdrop in movies and even more frequently in car advertisements.^

Historical Notes

The 2nd Street Tunnel in Los Angeles is probably the most recognizable city landmark most Americans have never heard of. The tunnel — a 1,500-foot-long bore lined with white tile, like a bathroom that never ends — has been used as an exterior in dozens of films and TV shows, most famously in the sci-fi masterpiece “Blade Runner.”

Historical Notes

Tropico was the name of the southern portion of Glendale, south of Windsor Road, between the late 1800s and 1918. The name "Glendale"  had originated in the 1880s and was utilized north of Windsor Road. Political factions had divided the town in two.   By the turn of the century, the commercial center of Tropico was at Central and San Fernando Road and its population was 700.^##^

Historical Notes

The Palace Grand Theatre was originally built and owned by Henry C. Jensen, who would later build the more palatial Raymond Theatre in Pasadena. The neo-classical building was designed by architect Robert G. Kitts. Construction on the Palace Grand began in August, 1914.^

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.^

Historical Notes

The site of the Hollywood Bowl was chosen in 1919 by William Reed and his son H. Ellis Reed, members of the newly formed Theatre Arts Alliance who were dispatched to find a suitable location for outdoor performances.*^

Historical Notes

At first, the Bowl was very close to its natural state, with only makeshift wooden benches for the audience, and eventually a simple awning over the stage. Not until 1926 did the Hollywood Bowl get permanent seating when a group known as the Allied Architects was contracted to regrade the surrounding, provide permanent seating and to construct a shell.*^

Historical Notes

On July 11, 1922, with the audience seated on simple wooden benches placed on the natural hillsides of Bolton Canyon, conductor Alfred Hertz and the Los Angeles Philharmonic inaugurated the first season of music under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl. The Bowl was very close to its natural state, with only makeshift wooden benches for the audience, and eventually a simple awning over the stage.

The Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, since its official opening in 1922.*^

The price of admission was only 25 cents in 1922.

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