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

Historical Notes

Between 1880 and 1890, the City of Los Angeles saw one of its fastest growing periods (percentage wise). Population increased from 11,200 to 50,400 (350%).

Historical Notes

Between 1890 and 1920, the City of Los Angeles saw its population increase from 50,400 to 576,700. That's an 1,044% increase in 30 years.

Historical Notes

With a thriving population of 50,395 (1890), 1st and Spring Streets, where present-day City Hall now stands, was the heart of the city. At that time the downtown section extended north of 1st Street, while the residential section started about 4th Street to the south.

Spring Street between Temple Street and 1st Street was a vital part of early downtown Los Angeles in the late 1880s. This section formed the heart of the central business district, with the intersection of 1st and Spring considered the city's center. The area was characterized by significant commercial development, reflecting the rapid growth of Los Angeles during this period. Notable buildings along this stretch included the Los Angeles National Bank Building, the Phillips Block (which housed A. Hamburger & Son's People's Store), and the Nadeau Hotel. Transportation evolved from horse-drawn streetcars to electric streetcars by the early 1890s, further enhancing the street's importance as a bustling hub. As Los Angeles experienced a population boom, increasing from 11,200 in 1880 to 50,395 by 1890, this section of Spring Street became increasingly busy and commercially vibrant. The area's significance in the 1890s laid the foundation for future development, though many of the original buildings were later demolished to make way for the Civic Center district in the 20th century.

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. 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

Note the elevated kiosk on the northwest corner of the intersection. Elevated booths like these were used by the Los Angeles Railway and the Yellow Cars as a switchman’s tower to control the flow and path of streetcars through the intersection.  Many of these were still standing well into the 1920s.

Historical Notes

There were three cable railways in Los Angeles. The Second Street, which lasted but a few years, was tied into a real estate development west of Bunker Hill. It succumbed with the collapse of Echo Park Lake. LA Cable closed in 1896. The third line, Temple Street Cable Railway, survived until 1902 when it became Los Angeles Railway’s “A” Line.

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. He also built the Nadeau Hotel, Los Angeles's first four-story structure and the first building with an elevator.

Historical Notes

Spring Street between Temple Street and 1st Street was a vital part of early downtown Los Angeles in the 1890s. This section formed the heart of the central business district, with the intersection of 1st and Spring considered the city's center. The area was characterized by significant commercial development, reflecting the rapid growth of Los Angeles during this period. Notable buildings along this stretch included the Los Angeles National Bank Building, the Phillips Block (which housed A. Hamburger & Son's People's Store), and the Nadeau Hotel. Transportation evolved from horse-drawn streetcars to electric streetcars by the early 1890s, further enhancing the street's importance as a bustling hub. As Los Angeles experienced a population boom, increasing from 11,200 in 1880 to 50,395 by 1890, this section of Spring Street became increasingly busy and commercially vibrant. The area's significance in the 1890s laid the foundation for future development, though many of the original buildings were later demolished to make way for the Civic Center district in the 20th century.

Historical Notes

The Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) stands for the complete abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and all harmful drugs and protection of the home. As the membership of the WCTU grew throughout the U.S, a call went out from May Gould, a resident of Los Angeles, to Frances Willard (president of the national organization) to organize a local group in Southern California. On September 20 and 21, 1883, the first State Convention was called and the WCTU of Southern California was organized at the First Presbyterian Church, 2nd and Fort (now Broadway) Streets, Los Angeles. This temple was dedicated in 1889 after money had been donated for its construction in 1886. The Frances E. Willard Home For Girls was housed on the 4th floor from its inception in 1919 until 1933, when the Long Beach Earthquake severely damaged the building.

Historical Notes

In 1947, the County of Los Angeles took the site where the Temperance Temple once stood by eminent domain and constructed a power plant. The Temperance Temple was completely razed in 1950.

Historical Notes

The Broadway Tunnel was a tunnel under Fort Moore Hill, built in 1901, extending North Broadway (formerly Fort Street), at Sand Street (later California Street), one block north of Temple Street, northeast to the intersection of Bellevue Avenue (later Sunset Boulevard, now Cesar Chavez Avenue), to Buena Vista Street (now North Broadway).

Buildings seen include the Hotel Aberdeen and the Women's Christian Temperance Union building with a rounded corner and a balustrade on the cornice. Signs read: "Hotel Aberdeen" "W.C.T.U, Temperance Temple, Furnished Rooms" and "Sanitarium and Health Office." Multi-story Victorian houses have half-timbering, dormers, and turrets.

Historical Notes

In 1891, the LA County Courthouse moved into it's new home, a beautiful new building constructed at the old site of Los Angeles High School.. Prior to its move, the courthouse was located in a large building on Temple Block sharing space with a theatre and marketplace (1861-1891).*

Historical Notes

Through more than 150 years the county has used at least eight buildings as its county courthouse. All have been situated within a mile of each other in downtown Los Angeles south of the original plaza in what has for the past 80 years been called the Civic Center.

◆ The first county courthouse was in the adobe Bella Union Hotel, where court was held in rented rooms from 1850 to 1852.
◆ From January 1852 until November 1853, the county rented the home of county attorney (and later judge) Benjamin Hayes on Main Street.
◆ The Roche (or Rocha) House, an adobe on the corner of Spring and Court Streets, which the county and city jointly purchased from Jonathan “Don Juan” Temple, was used from November 1853 to March 1860.
◆ From 1860 to 1861 the county rented a building, probably a two-story brick house on Main Street, from John Nichols, former mayor of Los Angeles.
◆ The Temple Market Block — where City Hall now stands — was rented by the county in May 1861, purchased in 1867 and used until 1891. This was the Clocktower Courthouse, known for its rectangular tower with a clock on all four sides.
◆ The Red Sandstone Courthouse on Poundcake Hill, completed in 1891, was damaged beyond repair by the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 and demolished in 1936. It is now the site of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, constructed in 1972.
◆ The Hall of Records, built next door to the Red Sandstone Courthouse in 1911, was used along with other buildings as the courthouse from 1934 until 1959, when the current courthouse was occupied. It was demolished in 1973.
◆ The current courthouse, the Stanley Mosk County Courthouse, is located at 111 N. Hill Street.  Dedicated in 1959, it was the largest courthouse in the United States. *

Historical Notes

The Red Sandstone Courthouse on Poundcake Hill, completed in 1891, was damaged beyond repair by the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 and demolished in 1936. It is now the site of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center,

Historical Notes

In 1896, West Side Lighting Company was organized by private investors to provide another source of electricity for the city of Los Angeles and fringe areas.

In 1897, West Side Lighting merged with the newly established private company, Los Angeles Edison Electric, which owned the rights to the Edison name and patents, especially the underground DC-power rights. The merged company took on the Edison name. An underground system and technology was crucial at this time, since the city voted in a resolution limiting the installation of new overhead utility poles due to excessive overhead wire congestion. Los Angeles Edison Electric installed the first major DC-power underground conduits system in the Southwest.

Until the 1930's, three separate electric utilities served Los Angeles. Click HERE to see more in First Electricity in Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

In June of 1893 the Los Angeles Post Office moved into this building from its location on Broadway near Sixth Street.

Main and 4th Street

(ca. 1890)^ - 4th and Main looking north. The I. W. Hellman Mansion is on the left and on the right is the Westminster Hotel, designed by Robert B. Young, before it was enlarged.

(ca. 1898)^*# - View looking north on Main Street at 4th Street. On the N/E corner stands the Westminster Hotel. On the N/W corner is the Van Nuys Hotel (Built in 1895).

Then and Now

(1890 vs. 2021)* – Looking north on Main Street toward 4th Street.

(ca. 1890)^ - A horse and buggy and a few people stand on the corner on 4th and Main Streets in front of the Westminster Hotel, architect, Robert B. Young. Down the street to the left is the N.P. Bailey Furniture store.

(1890)^ - View looking north on Main Street at 4th Street as seen from the Westminster Hotel. The City Hall Tower (226 S. Broadway) can be seen on the far left and St. Vibiana's Cathedral (Main and 2nd, SE Corner) is on the right.

(1887)^ - Panoramic view of the Isaias W. Hellman residence in foreground, southwest corner of Main and 4th streets. This would be the future site of the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles.

(1895)^ - View of the spot where the Isaac & Herman Hellman residence once stood on the corner of 4th and Main Streets. For the move, the house was cut into four sections, with the last section to be moved visible in the center of the image on the left. The house was moved to make way for his family's bank building - Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles. Dan W. Graybill, standing in the foreground on the right, donated this photograph. A couple street cars are seen traveling on the right (4th Street) in front of the Van Nuys Hotel (under construction).

(ca. 1905)^ – View showing the Farmers and Merchants Bank located on the southwest corner of Main and 4th streets. Built in 1905 on the site of the Hellman Residence, the bank was designed by the firm of Morgan and Walls.

(1906)^*# - View looking west on 4th Street at the intersection with Main Street. Two men are seen in an open-air car as it travels north on Main Street through the intersection. The Neo-Classic Greek Farmers and Merchants Bank can be seen on the left (S/W Corner) with the Van Nuys Hotel on the right (N/W corner).

Then and Now

(1906 vs. 2021) – Looking west on 4th Street at Main Street. The Classic Revival style Farmers and Merchants Bank is on the left (S/W Corner) with the Beaux-Arts style Van Nuys Hotel (today Hotel Barclay) across the street on the right.

City Hall View

Historical Notes

John Edward Hollenbeck (June 5, 1829 - September 2, 1885) was an American businessman and investor who was involved in the 19th century development of Nicaragua and the city of Los Angeles, California.

Arriving in Los Angeles a wealthy man from his investments in Nicaragua in 1876, Hollenbeck purchased land on the east side of the Los Angeles River, and built a large residence with broad verandas and a tower on extensive grounds on Boyle Avenue. He made twenty-seven acquisitions of property by 1880. In 1884 he purchased and developed an urban business district, known as the Hollenbeck Block, within Los Angeles.

In 1878 Hollenbeck became a stockholder in the Commercial Bank of Los Angeles, and was elected its president. In 1881, he and other investors organized and established the First National Bank. In 1880, Hollenbeck, with former California Governor John G. Downey, horticulturalist Ozro W. Childs and other associates, persuaded the State of California to purchase 160 acres in Los Angeles to foster agriculture in the southland. The property, then known as Agriculture Park, is now known as Exposition Park, home to the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Los Angeles County Museums.*^

Historical Notes

Two highly influential figures in 1880s Los Angeles, John Bryson, Sr., the 19th mayor, of LA and Major George H. Bonebrake, President of the Los Angeles National Bank and the State Loan and Trust Company, commissioned John Cather Newsom to erect this 126-room bank and office building. It's cost was projected to be $224,000, a staggering sum at the time. Bonebrake was one of the richest men in the city at the time, and he could afford making such an investment. He located the main headquarters of his bank in the Bryson-Bonebrake Block.^##*

Historical Notes

The Nadeau Hotel stood on the southwest corner of 1st and Spring Streets until 1932, when it was demolished to make room for the current Los Angeles Times Building.*

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Theatre opened in 1888. It was built by William Hayes Perry and the building containing it was known as the Perry Building. 

Historical Notes

In 1903 this interesting Richardsonian Romanesque building became the Orpheum - the second home of Orpheum Circuit vaudeville in Los Angeles. Previously they'd been at the Grand Opera House.

There were four Orpheum theatres in downtown Los Angeles:

◆ 110 S. Main St. -- Grand Opera House was the home of Orpheum vaudeville from 1894 to 1903.

◆ 227 S. Spring St. -- The Los Angeles Theatre, later called The Lyceum, was known as the Orpheum from 1903 to 1911.

◆ 630 S. Broadway -- Now the Palace Theatre -- this was the Orpheum between 1911 and 1926.

◆ 842 S. Broadway -- Orpheum Theatre from 1926 to Today

Historical Notes

In 1867, an enterprising French Canadian immigrant named Prudent Beaudry bought the land atop Bunker Hill -- at the reported cost of $51. Beaudry constructed a system of pipes and steam-powered pumps to deliver water to the hilltop from a reservoir below. He also built roads to connect the hill to the developed flatlands below and laid out streets atop the hill. One of them, which Beaudry named Bunker Hill Avenue in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Revolutionary War battle fought in Boston, eventually lent its name to the entire hilltop community.*

In 1868, Prudent Beaudry and his two partners, John Griffen and Solomon Lazard, formed the private Los Angeles Water Company. They would go on and sign a 30 year lease franchise agreement with the City to run its water system (1868 - 1898).

Prudent Beaudry also served as the 13th Mayor of Los Angeles from 1874 to 1876.

Click HERE to read more in Water in Early Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

Built in 1893, the Bradbury Building was commissioned by LA mining millionaire Lewis L. Bradbury and designed by local draftsman George Wyman. It still stands today and is the oldest building in Downtown LA.

Click HERE to see more Early Views of the Bradbury Building.

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

Construction on the Third Street Tunnel began in 1900, and Mrs. Crocker filed a petition claiming that the mansion was endangered by the street tunnel which was “unsafe, improperly constructed and a veritable death trap.” According to the Los Angeles Times, “the walls of her house are settling, the foundations giving way and the plaster is falling off…Unless something is done, the building is liable to topple into a hole.” The house never did topple and was alive and well in 1902 when Angels Flight began operating and dropping riders off practically on the Crocker doorstep.*

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.

Historical Notes

The building, the home of Mary E. Taft, was moved to face Fifth Street. Later this block would become part of the center of Los Angeles' financial district.^^*

Historical Notes

Abbotsford Inn was converted into a hotel by Abbot Kinney, best known as the developer of Venice. The building, designed by Robert B. Young, was erected in 1887 by D. W. Hanna as Los Angeles College or Hanna College. After the college failed, Kinney took it over.^

Historical Notes

In 1932, the entire length of the 10th Street, from East L.A. to Santa Monica, was renamed Olympic Boulevard for the 10th Summer Olympics being held in Los Angeles that year. *^

Click HERE to see the same view in 1926.

Click HERE to see the same view in 2015.

Historical Notes

The Raymond Hotel guests invariably arrived by train, the mainline Santa Fe which stopped at Raymond Station at the bottom of the hill. Many had private cars that would park on the side spur near the station. All guests were ferried by a horse-drawn bus to the hotel at the top of the hill.

Later, much to the dismay of many guests, the old station closed down in deference to a newer station built up the tracks closer to downtown Pasadena. Guests were then forced to take an auto bus the extra distance to the hotel.

Historical Notes

Alhambra was founded as a suburb of Los Angeles in 1903. It existed as an unincorporated area during the mid-19th century. The first school in Alhambra was Ramona Convent Secondary School built on hillside property donated by the prominent James de Barth Shorb family. Thirteen years before the city was incorporated, several prominent San Gabriel Valley families interested in the Catholic education of their daughters established the school in 1890. The city's first public high school, Alhambra High School, was established in 1898, five years before the city's incorporation. The Alhambra Fire Department was established in 1906. On July 11, 1903, the City of Alhambra was incorporated.

Alhambra is named after Washington Irving's book Tales of the Alhambra, not after the Alhambra palace itself.*^

Historical Notes

The elegant Alhambra Hotel stood at the northwest corner of Garfield and Main. This ornate structure was one of the earliest commercial buildings having been built in 1888 and which featured a billiards hall, barbershop, and restaurant. Unfortunately, the building burned down in 1908.*##*

Historical Notes

Tilley's Restaurant opened in 1885.  It was built by H. W. Stanton at the corner of Main and Garfield, the building was first used as a post office and grocery. The upstairs hall was used as a church, school, community meetings, and entertainment gathering place. H. W. Stanton was the first storekeeper, postmaster, teacher, telephone agent, land subdivider and promoter. After subdividing several ranches he became wealthy and retired. He took a trip around the world, but upon his return to Alhambra found that the boom had gone bust, and he too was broke.^#*#

Historical Notes

William Wolfskill, a native of Kentucky, came to California in 1831 and settled in Los Angeles in 1836.  In March 1838, Wolfskill purchased a 100-acre lot bounded by 3rd to 9th streets and San Pedro to Alameda streets, which he named Wolfskill Ranch, and built a large adobe (known as "Wolfskill Adobe") located at 239 Alameda, between 3rd and 4th streets.

In 1839 Wolfskill became a major grape producer when he planted the first vineyard of table grapes in California. Two years later, in 1841, he planted his first 2-acre plot of citrus behind his adobe, between 4th and 6th streets east of Alameda. In a short period of time, Wolfskill's farm had increased to 28-acres of planted citrus with over 2,500 orange trees. By 1862 he owned 3/4 of all the orange trees in California and was the biggest orange grower in the United States - for which he is considered the father of early California citrus industry.^

Historical Notes

In 1888, the Southern Pacific Railroad built the Arcade Depot in competition with the Santa Fe Railroad. Santa Fe R.R. would open the La Grande Station at 2nd Street and Santa Fe Avenue just five years later, in 1893.

The Arcade Depot replaced the adobe house of William Wolfskill and its surrounding orange grove, the largest in Southern California.^

Historical Notes

The first automobile in Southern California appeared in 1897. It was built in a shop on Fifth Street in Los Angeles by S.D. Sturgis for J. Philip Erie. Erie became the first to drive an automobile on Los Angeles roads. By 1904, 1,600 cars were cruising the streets of Los Angeles. The maximum speed limit was 8 mph in residential areas and 6 mph in business districts.^#*

Historical Notes

The Arcade Station was the second station built by Southern Pacific in Los Angeles (and first one built primarily for passenger service). Built in 1889 and used until 1914 when it was replaced by larger SP Central Station. It was demolished shortly thereafter.

Historical Notes

In 1914, the Southern Pacific Railroad replaced the Arcade Station with the Central Station, a larger and more modern railroad passenger depot. The Union Pacific Railroad moved its Downtown Los Angeles passenger terminal to Central Station in 1924 after its original passenger depot just south of First Street on the east side of the Los Angeles River was destroyed by fire.*^

Historical Notes

Amazingly, the original Arcade Depot palm is still alive. It was replanted at a location in front of the Los Angeles Coliseum where it stands today. It along with the Longstreet Palms are considered to be the oldest trees in the City of Los Angeles.^*#

Historical Notes

The plaque sits in front of the Exposition Park entrance leading to the coliseum. It reads:

“This historic palm tree stood for more than twenty-five years at the entrance of the Southern Pacific Station.  At this railroad portal of the City it became a familiar landmark to many thousands of Los Angeles and Southern California citizens and visitors from elsewhere, and was a mute witness to the growth of Los Angeles from a community of Pueblo days to a great world metropolis of today.  When construction of a new Southern Pacific Station necessitated removal, under the auspices of the Los Angeles Examiner it was presented to te City of Los Angeles by the Southern Pacific Company.  On September 5, 1914, it was placed here, where it and its sentimental associations will be prmanently preserved.”

Historical Notes

Santa Fe opened La Grande Station on July 29, 1893 and it was unique for Southern California in its Moorish-inspired architecture. The station was located at 2nd Street and Santa Fe Ave, just south of the First Street viaduct built in 1929 and on the west bank of the LA River.*^

Historical Notes

The Moorish-inspired La Grande railroad station was used as a passenger terminal for Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.^

Historical Notes

Many Hollywood movies were filmed at the stylish station. Laurel and Hardy's film Berth Marks (1929) was one of the first sound movies shot on location. Other movies that used Santa Fe's La Grande Station included Choo Choo 1931 (Our Gang - Little Rascals), Lady Killer, 1933 with James Cagney, Swing Time 1936 (Fred Astaire) and Something to Sing About 1937 (James Cagney).*^

Historical Notes

The Central Market was a retail meat makret located at 149-51 Spring Street. It was owned by Simon Maier, brother of Joseph Maier of the Maier and Zobelin Brewery.

Interesting Fact: The Central Market was located next door to the undertakers (per the 1894 Sanborn Map).^*#

Historical Notes

Lankershim Boulevard was named for the town of Lankershim (first called Toluca, now North Hollywood) and its founding family, the Lankershims. Isaac B. Lankershim grew wheat on a wide swath of the Valley floor on his Lankershim Ranch. North Hollywood was established by the Lankershim Ranch Land and Water Company in 1887. It was first named Toluca before being renamed Lankershim in 1896 and finally North Hollywood in 1927.

Chandler Boulevard was originally a leg of Sherman Way, it was renamed for land developer and Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler.^*

Historical Notes

In the late 1800s the San Fernando Valley was divided into thirteen ranches, seven of which were located in the southern half of the valley and six in the northern half.  The Granger Ranch, owned by Benjamin F. Porter, became Chatsworth Park.

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

Historical Notes

The Old Soldiers Home was built on land donated to the U.S. Government by landholder Arcadia Bandini de Baker in 1887, who specified that it should be used to house wounded veterans. The following year, the site grew by an additional 200 acres; in 1890, 20 acres more were appended for use as a veterans' cemetery. With more than 1,000 veterans in residence, a new hospital was erected in 1900. This hospital was replaced in 1927 by the Wadsworth Hospital.

Historical Notes

The chapel seen above was used for religious services, weddings, substance abuse counseling and funeral rites by both veterans and members of the local community until the 1971 earthquake made the building unsafe for use.  It is currently deteriorating, although the VA hopes to save it.

Historical Notes

The National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was established on March 3, 1865, in the United States by Congress to provide care for volunteer soldiers who had been disabled through loss of limb, wounds, disease, or injury during service in the Union forces in the Civil War. Initially, the Asylum, later called the Home, was planned to have three branches: in the northeast, in the central area north of the Ohio River and in what was then still considered the northwest, the present upper Midwest. The Board of Managers, charged with governance of the Home, added seven more branches between 1870 and 1907 as broader eligibility requirements allowed more veterans to apply for admission.

Historical Notes

Memorial Day and Veterans Day both honor U.S. military service, but with distinct purposes. Memorial Day, observed in May, commemorates those who died in military service, especially in battle. Veterans Day, celebrated on November 11, honors all who served, both living and deceased, whether during war or peace. While Memorial Day often involves visiting cemeteries, Veterans Day features parades and community events to thank living veterans. Together, these holidays reflect national gratitude for the sacrifices made by military personnel.

The National Home and the Veterans Bureau, were combined into the United States Veterans Administration by President Hoover in 1930. Planning began for a major building campaign, including Mission/Spanish Colonial style hospital buildings and a group of Romanesque-inspired research buildings. The present Wadsworth hospital was constructed in the late 1930s. A new theater replaced the former Ward Theater in 1940. Most of the 1890s era buildings were demolished in the 1960s. The Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital building (VA Wadsworth Medical Center) was opened in 1977.

Historical Notes

In 1880, with a population of 11,000, Los Angeles was a gas-lit pueblo trying to convince the state to establish in Southern California a second State Normal School, like the one already existing in San Jose, some 300 miles to the north. In March of the following year, the State Assembly approved the establishment of such a school. A group of enthusiastic citizens, over 200 of whom contributed between $2 and $500, purchased a site less than a mile from the business section. Soon the towering Victorian form of the school rose from an orange grove that, today, is the site of the Central Los Angeles Public Library.^

UCLA's roots are intertwined with that of the State Normal School. Click HERE to see the connection in Early Views of UCLA.

Historical Notes

After the demolition of this structure (1924), 5th Street was straightened and the remainder of the site was eventually occupied by the L.A. Public Library. Click HERE to see Construction of the Central Libary.

Historical Notes

Los Angeles’ third City Hall was erected in 1888 at 226-238 South Broadway.  This grand Romanesque edifice of marble and red sandstone building stood for 40 years until 1928 when the present day City Hall was completed.^

Historical Notes

The following historical timeline lists the buildings used by City Council, also known as City Hall, since 1850, when Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality:

◆ 1850 - 1853 - used rented hotel and other buildings for City meetings

◆ 1853 - rented adobe house (aka Rocha Adobe) on Spring Street - across from current City Hall (now parking lot for Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center). The buliding was shared with the County who used it as a Court House.

◆ 1861 - moved into John Temple's Clocktower Market Building, but only stayed for less than a year before the County Court House moved-in

◆ 1861 - 1884 - relocated back to the Rocha Adobe and stayed for over 20 years

◆ 1884 - 1888 - moved to new City Hall Building at South Spring Street and West 2nd Street (site of current Los Angeles Times Building)

◆ 1888 - 1928 - moved to new Romanesque Revival Building on 226-238 South Broadway between 2nd Street and 3rd Street; demolished in 1928 and now site of parking lot between LA Times Parking structure and 240 Broadway.

◆ 1928 - moved to current City Hall Building *^

Historical Notes

City Hall (1888-1928) dominates the right of the picture. Several other landmarks of the day can also be seen here. The tower of Los Angeles High School is partially visible to the left of the power poles. The clock tower in the distance is that of the Los Angeles County Court House. The tall spire next to that belongs to the First Presbyterian Church at the SE corner of Broadway and Second Street. And, the gothic structure just barely visible between City Hall and the Crocker Building (with the two bay windows) is Los Angeles' first Jewish synagogue (B'nai B'rith Temple).*^^*

Historical Notes

This photo was taken mid-block, between 3rd and 4th Streets, approximately where the present-day Grand Central Market is located (in the 1896 Homer Laughlin Building). The large building in the upper middle-right is the Bradbury Building. The multi-story structure in the upper left (north-west corner Broadway and 3rd Street) is the 1895-built Byrne Building, the second oldest building in downtown Los Angeles, right behind the Bradbury Building (1893).

Historical NotesCInitially, the area where Westlake Park was developed was a swampland and had been used as a city dump. However, by the 1890s, it had been transformed into a desirable vacation destination, surrounded by luxury hotels. The park was named after Henricus Wallace Westlake, a Canadian physician who had moved to Los Angeles and donated part of his land for the creation of the park.

Historical Notes

The park, originally named Westlake Park, was built in the 1880s, along with a similar Eastlake Park, whose lake is artificial. Westlake Park was renamed MacArthur Park on May 7, 1942; Eastlake Park was renamed Lincoln Park.

Both Westlake Park and Eastlake Park (as well as Echo Park) were built as drinking water reservoirs connected to the city's systems of zanjas (small conveyance channels/trenches). When the city abandoned the non-pressurized zanja system for a pressurized pipe system, these smaller, shallow reservoirs located at low points no longer provided much benefit. They were then converted into parks.

Historical Notes

In the late 1880s, the Los Angeles Cable Railway ran a line from downton Los Angeles along 7th Street to Westlake Park. The lake was becoming a popular destination for a quick get-away vacation.

Historical Notes

In the mid-19th century the area was a swampland; by the 1890s, it was a vacation destination, surrounded by luxury hotels.

Historical Notes

Wilshire Boulevard formerly ended at the lake on its west side, but in 1934 a berm was built for it to cross and link up with the existing Orange Street (which ran from Alvarado to Figueroa) into downtown Los Angeles. Orange Street was renamed Wilshire and extended east of Figueroa to Grand Ave. This divided the lake into two halves; the northern one was subsequently drained.

Historical Notes

In 1890, Edward Doheny struck oil south of Angelino Heights and Echo Park, triggering the city’s first oil boom. Soon, hundreds of wells were pumping away in a wide belt stretching roughly south of Temple Street. For decades the wells would change the landscape of the City.

Click HERE to see more in 1890s Oil Boom.

Historical Notes

Westlake Park was renamed MacArthur Park on May 7, 1942.

Historical Notes

The corner house, at 1213 Orange Street, was the residence of George R. and Clara Shatto, and later became the site of Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. George Shatto, a real estate speculator from Michigan, purchased Santa Catalina Island in 1887 for $200,000 and created the settlement that would become Avalon. He was the first owner to try to develop the island into a resort destination at the height of the real estate boom, and can be credited with building Avalon's first hotel and pier.^

Next to the Shatto house is the Orson Thomas (O.T.) Johnson house at 1221 Orange Street. O.T. Johnson became a very successful businessman in Los Angeles, known for building the Westminster Hotel. Occidental College has the Johnson Hall that was constructed in 1914 and was a gift of the Johnsons.  O.T. was also a big supporter of the LA YMCA, donating a reported $35,000 to construct a YMCA building. Johnson built the Florence Crittenden Home and established a clinic in Los Angeles for the aid of poor children.  He also built a seventy-five suite apartment building named Anna Craven Johnson Home, after his wife, that was established for the use of widowed mothers with dependent children.*

The Good Samaritan Hospital was built on the NW corner of Orange (later Wilshire) and Lucas in 1925.

Orange Street was renamed Wilshire Bouelevard in 1934.

Historical Notes

What is now the easternmost portion of Wilshire Boulevard was originally a residential avenue called Orange Street, developed as part of the Orange Heights Tract by George Rufus Shatto.

Shatto made his fortune in mining and purchased Catalina Island in 1887. In 1890, he began construction of a massive Victorian residence at the intersection of Orange Street and Lucas Avenue, close to his business headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. Designed by Curlett & Eisen, the residence included a four-story tower from which one could see Catalina. Shatto only occupied the residence for a short time, as he was killed in a railroad accident in 1893. Eventually, Good Samaritan Hospital would replace all of the residences along this stretch of Orange Street (later Wilshire Boulevard).

Today, two remnants of the original rusticated stone wall are all that remain of this elaborate residence; the other remnant is situated on 6th Street between Lucas Avenue and Bixel Street.*

Historical Notes

The J.W. Robinson mansion can be seen on the hilltop.  It was located on Teed Street near Bella Vue Avenue  (now Bellevue, this section of which would later become part of Sunset Boulevard).

Teed Street was named after Freeman G. Teed who, in the 1880s and 90s, was LA City Clerk and President of the City Council. He was also a real estate speculator.^*#

Historical Notes

Samuel and Joseph Carter Newsom were the architects. The house was built in 1887 at a cost of $10,000.

Joseph Winchester Robinson was the owner of Boston Dry Goods which later became the J. W. Robinson Department Stores.^

Historical Notes

J. W. Robinson's “Boston Dry Goods Store” began business in of 1883 at the corner of N. Spring and Temple Streets. Joseph Winchester Robinson advertised that his establishment was characterized by “fine stocks and refined ‘Boston’ service.” The arrival of railroads spurred the enormous and long-lived growth of Southern California, and Robinson’s store brought eastern goods and their attendant sophistication to a willing (and growing) public; in 1887 the store was forced to move to larger quarters at 69-73 N. Spring Street. After returning from a trip back east in 1891, Robinson became ill and passed away in his home at the age of 45. His father, H.W. Robinson came to Los Angeles for the funeral and to look after the business founded by his late son. #*^^

Historical Notes

The prominent roadway running from center-left to center-bottom, where it is partially obscured by the brow of Fort Moore Hill, is Bellevue (sometimes called Bella View) which would become Sunset Boulevard and then, ultimately West Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. #^*

Historical Notes

The Julia S. Ford mansion (previously J.W. Robinson mansion) can be seen on the hilltop, left, overlooking Castelar Street (on the right, running directly away from the camera). Bella Vue (now Bellevue, this section of which would later become part of Sunset Boulevard) is below the frame running right to left. The two-story Victorian style home is located on Teed Street near Bella Vue Avenue.

Historical Notes

The part of the city called Sonora Town was an old adobe village north of the Plaza and Church of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels. It was Los Angeles' first Mexican quarters, or barrio. The area was named for the numerous miners and families who came from Sonora, Mexico, and may have still been around in the 1930s. Now it is Los Angeles' Chinatown District.

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

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Sonora Town

Historical Notes

The surrounding area was named El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula ("The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the River Porciúncula", which is the present-day City of Los Angeles). A chapel, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles, was later erected and dedicated on December 8, 1822, and for years served as the sole Roman Catholic church in the Pueblo. It is the oldest church in the city of Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

The Old Plaza Firehouse is the oldest firehouse in Los Angeles. Built in 1884, it operated as a firehouse until 1897. The building was thereafter used as a saloon, cigar store, poolroom, "seedy hotel", Chinese market, "flop house", and drugstore. The building was restored in the 1950s and opened as a firefighting museum in 1960.*^

The Old Plaza Firehouse was dedicated as California Historical Landmark No. 730 (Click HERE to see more in California Historical Landmarks in L.A.)

Hisorical Notes

Pío de Jesús Pico (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was the last Governor of Alta California (now the State of California) under Mexican rule.

In 1821 Pico set up a tanning hut and dram shop in Los Angeles, selling drinks for two Spanish bits (US 25 cents). His businesses soon became a significant source of his income.

John Bidwell, an early California settler, mentioned him among the people he knew: "Los Angeles I first saw in March, 1845. It then had probably two hundred and fifty people, of whom I recall Don Abel Stearns, John Temple, Captain Alexander Bell, William Wolfskill, Lemuel Carpenter, David W. Alexander; also of Mexicans, Pio Pico (governor), Don Juan Bandini, and others".

By the 1850s Pico was one of the richest men in Alta California. In 1850 he purchased the 8,894-acre Rancho Paso de Bartolo, which included half of present day Whittier. Two years later, he built a home on the ranch and lived there until 1892. It is preserved today as Pio Pico State Historic Park. Pico also owned the former Mission San Fernando Rey de España, Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores (now part of Camp Pendleton), and several other ranchos for a total of over one half-million acres, or 800 mi².  Also, in 1868, he constructed the three story, 33-room hotel, Pico House (Casa de Pico) on the old plaza of Los Angeles, opposite today's Olvera Street.*^

Historical Notes

The Arroyo Seco, meaning "dry stream" in Spanish, is a 24.9-mile-long seasonal river, canyon, watershed, and cultural area in Los Angeles County.  It was one of the Los Angeles River tributaries explored by Gaspar de Portola in the late summer and fall of 1770. He named the stream Arroyo Seco, for of all the canyons he had seen, this one had the least water.

By 1895 a railroad line had been established from Downtown Los Angeles with a grand wooden trestle that cut a straight line crossing from the west side to the east. Eventually this line would hook up with rail lines built from the east to create the cross-country course of the Santa Fe Railroad. For local commutes, an electric traction trolley was put in and operated by the Pacific Electric Railway, a Henry E. Huntington enterprise, which ran the "Red Cars" from the upper Arroyo and Pasadena through the San Gabriel Valley into Los Angeles and many points beyond. The lower Arroyo Seco was served by the Los Angeles Railway "Yellow Car" lines.*^

Historical Notes

One of the oldest settled areas of Los Angeles, Highland Park is also one of the most scenic due to its location along the Arroyo Seco, between the Mt. Washington hills, the San Rafael hills and the Monterey Hills.*^

Garvanza is considered a sub-district of Highland Park.  The area was named for the garbanzo beans that once flourished there. In 1899, Garvanza was annexed by the City of Los Angeles.*^

Historical Notes

Cawston Ostrich Farm, located in South Pasadena was opened in 1886 by Edwin Cawston. It was America's first ostrich farm and was located in the Arroyo Seco Valley just three miles north of downtown Los Angeles and occupied nine acres.

In 1885 Edwin Cawston charted a ship to take fifty of some of the best obtainable ostriches in the world from South Africa to Galveston, Texas. From there, the ostriches endured a treacherous train journey to South Pasadena. Out of the original fifty, only eighteen survived. Cawston bounced back from the loss of over half of his stock and the Ostrich Farm eventually boasted over 100 ostriches from the original batch.*^

Historical Notes

Hollenbeck Park was a reflection of a citywide effort to establish "pleasure grounds" as part of a national "city beautiful" movement that encouraged healthful and attractive oases in urban environments.  Consequently, several parks sprung up in the city during the late 1880s and early 1890s including Westlake Park, Elysian Park, Griffith Park and others.

The location of the park was a natural arroyo that existed across Boyle Avenue from Mrs. Elizabeth Hollenbeck's estate and a key component of the creation of the facility was the establishment of a dam and reservoir that served as a lake for the new park.* 

Historical Notes

William Workman and Elizabeth Hollenbeck, whose late husband John invested heavily in Los Angeles-area real estate and banking before his 1885 death, agreed to donate fifteen and ten acres, respectively, to the city for a new Boyle Heights park to be dedicated to John Hollenbeck.  The main condition was that the city commit to spending $10,000 over two years for improvements and the council approved the proposal by early 1892.* 

Historical Notes

The effort to plant trees, bushes and shrubs and grass and lay out walkways, benches and other amenities took some time and the park was dedicated in the middle of 1893.  Within a couple of years, a boathouse was established and a franchise awarded for the operation of pleasure boats on the lake.* 

Historical Notes

Hollenbeck Park was easily the most visible aspect of Boyle Heights, with many postcards, including real photo cards, professionally published in the first few decades of the 20th century demonstrating its importance. * 

Historical Notes

Over time, development continued to accelerate near the park and elsewhere in Boyle Heights, although development trends in west Los Angeles and the emerging industrial core of the east part of downtown brought about a transformation of Boyle Heights from a middle and upper class residential suburb to a working and middle class enclave.* 

Historical Notes

In the 1950s, the Golden State Freeway was built against the western boundary of Hollenbeck Park.*^

Historical Notes

Some of the Park's features include a man-made lake, rolling hills, towering palms, picnic areas, and even a skateboard park. Hollenbeck Park is located at 415 South Saint Louis Street and the corner of Fourth Street in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles.^

Historical Notes

It was on the night of September 8, 1880, in the old Arcadia building located on North Spring Street, that the Los Angeles Athletic Club was born. Forty prominent Angelinos - sons of pioneers, adventurers and athletes - gathered in Frank Gibson's law office to create an American Style Club. During the late 1800's, The Club became a haven for up and coming members of the Los Angeles community. Health, recreation, grace and vigor became the motto of this distinguished club.*#^

The Los Angeles Athletic Club used several locations before settling into its own twelve story building in downtown Los Angeles in 1912. The LAAC building was notable at the time for being the first building in Southern California to have a swimming pool on an upper floor.*^

Historical Notes

Athletes from the Los Angeles Athletic Club have earned numerous medals in the Summer Olympics, with a particularly high number during the 1932 Los Angeles Olympiad. The total medal tally for the LAAC is 97 medals, including 47 gold.*^

Historical Notes

In 1880, John Hollenbeck, with former California Governor John G. Downey, horticulturalist Ozro W. Childs and other associates, persuaded the State of California to purchase 160 acres in Los Angeles to foster agriculture in the southland. The property, then known as Agricultural Park, is now known as Exposition Park, home to the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Los Angeles County Museums.*^

Historical Notes

Exposition Park was originally created as an agricultural park, and 160 acres were set aside for the Southern District Agricultural Society. In 1913, it was renamed Exposition Park according to the “City Beautiful” movement with 4 anchor tenants: California Museum of Science and Industry (Exposition Building), National Armory, Domed National History Museum and the Sunken Garden (which in 1928 was later renamed the Rose Garden).^###

Historical Notes

Originally, this piece of land served as an agricultural fairground from 1871 to 1911. Farmers sold their harvests on the grounds, while horses, dogs, camels, and later automobiles, competed along the racetrack (seen).^

Historical Notes

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the city's most influential families moved into the neighborhood but did not appreciate the racing and gambling that came with it. As a result, this racetrack was transformed into the now-famous Exposition Park Rose Garden.^

Historical Notes

In 1909, plans were nearly complete for the building of the Natural History Museum (only then it was the Museum of History, Science, and Art) and a state armory. Bids were solicited. The next year, the site changed its name from Agricultural to Exposition park.^

Historical Notes

At the turn of the century (1893 - 1938) one of the most famous excursion in Southern California was the Mt. Lowe trip. Sightseers from all around the Los Angeles area took a Pasadena car to Altadena and Rubio Canyon. They then transferred to a cable car on the Incline Railway that went up a 62% grade to Echo Mountain. From there they would take a narrow-gauge trolley car winding its way up the rugged San Gabriel Mtns. and finally would arrive at Alpine Tavern on Mt. Lowe, a nearly 7 mile railway ride from the base of the mountain. The views of the valley floor and beyond were spectacular.^

Historical Notes

Buildings at Echo Mountain, reached by the Mount Lowe Railway, included the Echo Mountain House, a 70-room hotel at an elevation of approximately 3500 ft., the 40-room Echo Chalet, the observatory, car barns, dormitories, repair facilities, and a casino/dance hall.^

Click HERE to see more in Early Views of Mt. Lowe Railway.

Historical Notes

Completed in the fall of 1894, the Echo Mountain House was a marvel. The four-story Victorian building was marked by a tall, cylindrical tower and capped by a metal dome and a huge American flag. The bright white exterior was marked by a long row of windows on each floor. At the building’s entrance, two sweeping verandas looked off across the canyons and the valley. The interior of the hotel was extravagant, with detailed wood inlay, the finest floral-patterned carpet and handmade furniture throughout. There were seventy guest rooms, large areas for office space, a massive social hall and dining room, a souvenir shop, a Western Union office, a bowling alley, a billiard room, a barbershop and a shoeshine stand.^^##

Historical Notes

From the top of Echo Mtn, passengers could transfer to another trolley line, the Alpine Division, which would take them to the upper terminus at Crystal Springs and Ye Alpine Tavern, a 22-room Swiss Chalet hospice with a complement of amenities from tennis courts, to wading pools, to mule rides. This phase of tracks cut through the broad Las Flores Canyon which gave a tremendous panorama of the valley floor below. At one point a tall trestle was required to bridge a broad and deep chasm with a bridge so named High Bridge.*^

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.*^

Also known as the Los Angeles Long Wharf the site was designated as California Historical Landmark No. 881 (Click HERE to see California Historical Landmarks in LA).

Historical Notes

In 1897, San Pedro Bay, now known as the Port of Los Angeles, was selected by the United States Congress to be the official port of Los Angeles (Port of Los Angeles) over Santa Monica. Still, the Long Wharf acted as the major port of call for Los Angeles until 1903. Though the final decision disappointed the city's residents, the selection allowed Santa Monica to maintain its scenic charm. The rail line down to Santa Monica Canyon was sold to the Pacific Electric Railway, and was in use from 1891 to 1933.*^

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

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 1895, Abbot Kinney acquired the deed to the coastal strip previously purchased by W.D. Vawter and named the area Ocean Park. It became his first amusement park and residential project. A race track and golf course were built on the Ocean Park Casino. After a falling out with his partners he focused on the south end of the property, which he made into Venice of America.*^

Click HERE to see more in Early Southern California Amusement Parks.

Historical Notes

Prior to its development as a small craft harbor, the land occupied by Marina del Rey was a salt-marsh fed by fresh water from Ballona Creek, frequented by duck hunters and few others. Burton W. Chace, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, referred to the area as mud flats, though today the area would more properly be referred to as wetlands.*^

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Marina del Rey.

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.

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Playa del Rey.

Historical Notes

In 1897, the Los Angeles Golf Club (predecessor of the Los Angeles Country Club) leased the land seen above and built a nine-hole golf course that came to be known as "Windmill Links," due to the use of an old windmill as the clubhouse. Jones subdivided the land into residential lots in 1902. The lots were sold for $10 each, with the caveat that the buyer was required to build a house costing at least $4,000. The area was promoted as a "second Chester Place," referring to the city's most prestigious street in the West Adams district. By 1906, the development was full.

Alvarado Terrace Historical District is a designated historic district southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, located along Alvarado Terrace between Pico Boulevard and Alvarado Street. Six homes and a church in the district were designated as Historic-Cultural Monuments in 1971, and the entire district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.*^

Click HERE to see complete list of LA HIstoric-Cultural Monuments.

Historical Notes

The Arcadia Block building was the first business brick building in Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

“La Fiesta de Los Angeles” also called "La Fiesta de Las Floras" began on April 10, 1894 and was a four day festival that the city threw in its own honor celebrating its many different cultures. It continued throughout the 1890s and early 1900s. The event featured parades, floats, many flowers, athletic competitions, a costume ball, and carnival attended by masked revelers. It was conceived of by a local business man as a way to attract tourism at a time when the effects of the 1893 depression were being felt.

Historical Notes

The Spanish title of the festival was reflective of a goal: to capture the color and the aura of old Los Angeles in its days as a pueblo under Mexican rule. Men in the garb of caballeros (horsemen) and vaqueros (cow hands) participated. So did Chinese, native Americans, and African Americans. It was a multi-cultural gala, distinct from any celebration elsewhere.

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more early views of the La Fiesta de las Flores parade.

Historical Notes

The tall pole seen in the upper-left of the photo is one of the City's first 150-ft tall electric light poles. Click HERE to see more in Early L.A. Streetlights.

Historical Notes

The first automobile in Southern California appeared in 1897. It was built in a shop on Fifth Street in Los Angeles by S.D. Sturgis for J. Philip Erie. Erie became the first to drive an automobile on Los Angeles roads. By 1904, 1,600 cars were cruising the streets of Los Angeles. The maximum speed limit was 8 mph in residential areas and 6 mph in business districts.^#*

The passenger seen in the rear seat was William H. Workman, father of Los Angeles' Mayor Boyle Workman.^^^

Historical Notes

Echo Park Lake didn’t start out as a man-made lake. Instead, its earliest use by the city was as a reservoir, storing water in a section sometimes known as the city’s “West End.” In those years this area was thought of as the city’s west side.

The Los Angeles Canal and Reservoir Co. formed Reservoir No. 4 in 1868. The company obtained the water by digging a ditch that sent water flowing from the Los Angeles River – in the area now known as Los Feliz – along a zigzag path that merged with the Arroyo de los Reyes and then emptied into the reservoir.*

The Arroyo de los Reyes originates near the Catholic school on Glendale Boulevard – right by the 2 off-ramp.  It flowed southward, along Glendale Boulevard, occupied the area now taken by Echo Park Lake, and continued down to 2nd Street, then crossing through downtown LA, about a block or two south of Pershing Square, where it spread and created a big muddy mess.  These flows eventually connected with the Los Angeles River, when they didn’t seep into the ground first.^

Historical Notes

In the late 1880s, a carriage maker turned real estate developer, by the name of Thomas Kelley, teamed up with other investors to purchase about 70 acres that included Reservoir No. 4—what is now Echo Park Lake.  Kelley and his business partners sold off pieces of what they called the Montana Tract to individuals who built the business district along Sunset Boulevard and the densely packed homes and apartments that surround Echo Park Lake.*

Historical Notes

In those years, Reservoir No. 4 was held in check by a dam in the vicinity of Bellevue Avenue. From there, water traveled down the Woolen Mill Ditch to a mill near present-day Fifth and Figueroa Streets, not far from where Kelley lived.

Kelley petitioned the city to provide a quitclaim, essentially a land swap, converting the reservoir lands into a park and private residences. That request, and quite possibly a legal challenge, led to three years of debate by the parks commission, the city council and the mayor.*

Historical Notes

In 1891, the city’s health officer inspected the lake's dam and determined that, if it were to hold a greater volume of water, it would pose a danger to residents who lived south of Bellevue Avenue.

Two months later, city leaders struck a deal with the men who owned the land around the reservoir. Kelley and his associates – including William LeMoyne Wills, who like Kelley, would later serve on the school board – gave up 33 acres of land around the reservoir so that it could be used as a park.

In exchange, the city agreed not to overflow the reservoir land, making the remaining land held by Kelley and his associates – including the street that would soon become Sunset Boulevard – far more valuable.

When Mayor Henry Hazard signed the paperwork in 1891 allowing the park to be created, he envisioned a grand boulevard on Alvarado Street that would transport residents from Westlake – now MacArthur Park – to Echo Park Lake and then northeast to Elysian Park.*

Historical Notes

Designed in the rustic style, one of the lake's two bridges helped pedestrians reach the island seen on the left, while a second bridge passed over the lake’s northwest corner, where the ditch delivered water from the Los Angeles River (and lotus now grow).

The city began work landscaping the park in October 1892. By 1895, the park and accompanying boathouse were completed.

Historical Notes

The city began work landscaping the park in October 1892. By 1895, the park and accompanying boathouse were completed.

(1890s)^- View showing four boys fishing off one of the two bridges at Echo Park Lake with willow trees in the background.  Note the “tree-limb” railing.

Historical Notes

The above bridge passed over the lake’s northwest corner, where the ditch delivered water to the lake from the Los Angeles River (where the lotus now grow).

The city began work landscaping the park in October 1892. By 1895, the park and accompanying boathouse were completed.

Historical Notes

Echo Park development began in 1891 with landscaping a year later. The first Superintendent of Parks for the city was an English immigrant named Joseph Tomlinson who was assigned the task of creating the park. Mr. Tomlinson, being somewhat homesick for his favorite park in Derbyshire, England, decided to model the park after his favorite childhood place to play.

At the same time, the reservoir was closed and the stream was capped. The park superintendent created a 16-acre lake where the reservoir had been.

It cost $5,637.00 to create the lake that is now filled with city water. Once that was accomplished, the planting began on the other 15 acres of park. One day, while overseeing the work, Mr. Tomlinson thought he heard his workers talking during a break, but he knew they were across the park from him. The park had an echo! He knew what the name of the park would be! Unfortunately, the plantings he installed destroyed the echo, but the name remained. The park was dedicated and opened to the public in 1895. The famous bed of lotuses that grow in the lake at the northwest end of the park, the largest stand of lotuses outside Asia, is a mystery yet to be solved. One legend says that evangelical Chinese missionaries planted them for use as food, but no one knows the real story. They appeared some time in 1923 or 1924. Nonetheless, they remain a beautiful addition to the park and have inspired the city to sponsor the annual Lotus Festival that celebrates Asian and South Pacific Island cultures.^^

By 1899, city leaders were intent on adding even more green space, by extending the parkland south to Temple Street. Bounded by Temple on the south and Bellevue on the north, the area was completed by 1907, with an extensive network of playing fields and courts for tennis and croquet.  Called Echo Park Playground, it was only the second public playground to be built in the city of Los Angeles and still remains today.

Click HERE to see more on the Echo Park Playground.

Click HERE to see more contemporary views of Echo Park Lake (1975+).

Historical Notes

In 1985, the Barclay Hotel Building (Van Nuys Hotel Building) was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 288 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

Before most cables ran underground, all electrical, telephone and telegraph wires were suspended from high poles, creating strange and crowded streetscapes.*

Historical Notes

By the early 20th Century, wooden poles were carrying telephone lines and electrical lines as well as telegraph lines. Between electrification and the rapid adoption of telephony, wooden poles grew larger and more heavily burdened with utility lines to an extent that is unimaginable today.*

Historical Notes

The Mateo Street Line ran from First and Santa Fe Avenue South via Santa Fe Avenue to Fourth, using a private right-of-way to Mateo, then from Mateo to Ninth Street. The Los Angeles Railway purchased the Mateo Street Line in April, 1901.*

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Sharpshooters, also known as Kelly's Kayotes, was an exclusive club of marksmen that existed in the late 1890s. The team was formed in May 1898, under the leadership of Captain Allen Kelly, with around 65 members. Its team rifle was the Winchester. After receiving permission from the Governor to carry firearms in Los Angeles County, the Sharpshooters made quite a showing marching in the July 4 parade. Soon others wanted to join and by the end of the month, there were over 100 members, with others wanting to join. Of course, in order to be accepted, an applicant needed to prove himself with a rifle. The club did, however, offer honorary membership at $20, which was then invested in ammunition.

Their practice range was a gulch called "Hunter Highland View" in Highland Park. Apparently, during their meetings, there would be a lot of drinking, smoking, and tall stories. However, they took their drills seriously.

The team occasionally competed against divisions of armed forces (like the National Guard) and other sharpshooter organizations. Rifle tournaments were held on Round Hill and Glassell Park.

The group ended around 1901-02, when it appears to have merged with another gun club, thus losing its identity.^*^#

Historical Notes

The Zanja (Spanish for ditch) was the original water supply channel for the southwest part of the city. It was built in 1868 and rebuilt in 1885 with concrete. By the 1880s there were 10 zanjas that covered 93 miles.^

Historical Notes

The original water supply for Los Angeles was delivered in open trenches despite serious problems with public dumping into the trenches. In the 1880s and 1890s gradually piped water was introduced into more expensive neighborhoods, and the zanjas were used for irrigation only.  The zanjas served the city until 1902, when they were replaced with a system of underground pipes.^

Historical Notes

Western Avenue, apart from Sepulveda Boulevard, is one of the longest north–south streets in Los Angeles. The name of the street is derived from its history as the westernmost border of Los Angeles before annexations in the early 20th century expanded the city.

Western Avenue eventually ends north of Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood Hills. It swerves to become an east/west street, Los Feliz Boulevard.*^

Historical Notes

Western Avenue derives its name from its history as the western–most border of Los Angeles city limits in the 19th century, before annexations in the early 20th century expanded the city westward and onwards.*

Historical Notes

At one time, the name Larronde was a fairly well known one in the City of Angels. Pierre Larronde was a native Frenchman who landed in San Francisco in 1847 and made a killing in the gold mines. When he relocated to Los Angeles in 1851, he amassed a further fortune by successfully raising sheep on one of the Ranchos. Always the astute businessman, Larronde cashed out his sheep empire in the late 1880s and focused his energies on real estate. His holdings included prime land at the corner of First and Spring, and a parcel on North Hope Street near Temple where he built the family home.#**#

Historical Notes

Aliso Street was first named in 1854. When early settlers arrived at the Los Angeles River (El Rio de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles de Porcinucula) by way of Mission Road, they picked as a nearby gathering point a huge sycamore that gave them shelter and became a landmark, "El Aliso." That Spanish word for sycamore was later used to name the road carved out near the river.

The landmark "El Aliso" was located right about where this photo was taken from. Today, the tree's site is underneath an onramp for the 101 freeway, directly across the highway from Union Station.

Historical Notes

Aliso runs directly away from the camera in the middle distance.  Baker Block is at center-left.  The confluence of Temple, Spring and Main Streets is in the lower right. The intersection of Temple and New High Streets is in the bottom center-right at the base of the peaked turreted building. Central Jail is in the lower left corner beyond the blurred diagonal roof cornice from the courthouse.

The section of today's Hollywood Freeway that runs through downtown goes right through where Aliso Street is shown above. It also makes a slight turn and runs directly under where the Baker Block once stood on the 300 block of North Main Street. Click HERE to see more in Early Views of the Historic 300 Block of N. Main Street

Historical Notes

Detail shows Aliso Street on the left edge with the Maier Brewery reaching through from Aliso to Commercial Street about halfway up the image. Hotel Oriental in bright sunlight, directly beneath the Gasometer and below the dark stand of trees at Commercial and Alameda Streets. Stationary store is on the northeast corner of Commercial and Los Angeles Streets.

Historical Notes

Los Angeles Railway (1895-1945) also known as the Yellow Cars of Los Angeles, was the local streetcar transit system running down the center of city streets and connecting the city center to neighborhoods in about a six mile radius of downtown.

The original address for the above site was 648 South Central Avenue, but was later changed to 1130 East Sixth Street. Today the division operates hundreds of natural gas powered Metro buses for the Gateway Cities Service Sector.*

Historical Notes

There were about 642 miles of track at its peak in 1924. Henry E. Huntington ran the system until his death in 1927. The Huntington Estate later sold LARy to Los Angeles Transit Lines in 1945.*

Click HERE to see a map of the Los Angeles Railway System (Includes: LARy/Yellow Cars, PERy/Red Cars, LA Inter-Urban, LA Pacific R.R., and the LA & Redondo Ry).

Historical Notes

The system slowly morphed into a bus system over the years until the last streetcar ran in 1963.  After a 27 year absence, light rail returned to Los Angeles with the opening of the Metro Blue Line in 1990.*

Historical Notes

W. S. Hook came here from Illinois in 1895 and organized the LOS ANGELES TRACTION COMPANY, and commenced to build a system of car lines. The first line starting at the Santa Fe Station, then by way of Third Street to Hill Street, Hill to Eighth Street; Eighth to Figueroa Street; Figueroa to Eleventh Street; Eleventh to Georgia Street; Georgia to Sixteenth Street; Sixteenth to Burlington Avenue; thence on Burlington Avenue, Hoover, Twenty-fourth and Vermont Avenue to Vermont Avenue and Thirty-ninth Street. This line was put in operation from the Santa Fe Station to Sixteenth Street and Burlington Avenue on the 29th day of August, 1895. The construction continued and in a few months the line was completed and in operation to Vermont Avenue and Exposition Boulevard and a year later was extended to Thirty-ninth Street.

Franchises were obtained by the Los Angeles Traction Company, as follows:

From Eighth Street, Lake, Seventh and Commonwealth Avenue to First and Virgil Streets.

From Twenty-fourth Street and Vermont Avenue by way on Twenty-fourth, Normandie and West Adams to Western Avenue.

From Jefferson and Wesley Avenue (now University Avenue) west on Jefferson to Fourth Avenue.

On East Fourth Street and connecting streets from Third and Stephenson Avenue to First and Fresno Streets.

All these lines were built and in operation by 1898.*

Historical Notes

The Hooks sold their interests in the Los Angeles Traction Company to the Southern Pacific Company who continued to operate these lines until 1910 when they were transferred to the LOS ANGELES RAILWAY.*

Historical Notes

The Bullard Block was once the site of the old Clocktower County Courthouse. Today, City Hall stands at this location.

Historical Notes

Click HERE to see more Early Views of Spring and Court Streets (1800), where the old Clocktower County Courthouse. Today, City Hall stands at this location.

Historical Notes

The new Los Angeles High School replaced the original one that was built in 1872, at the former site of Central School on what was then known as Poundcake Hill, at the southeast corner of Fort Street (later Broadway).

This second location atop a hill was completed in 1891 and LAHS moved in. It was an enormous, for then, building. The new high school was built on part of the site of the abandoned Fort Moore Hill Cemetery, the first Protestant cemetery in Los Angeles, which was spread over the slopes of the hill.

Early buildings commissioned to house the Los Angeles High School were among the architectural jewels of the city, and were strategically placed at the summit of a 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

This would be one of the last photos taken of the Plaza Church with its gazebo-like tower. It would soon be replaced with a "bell wall" similar to the one it had prior to 1861.*^

Historical Notes

The Downey Block was demolished in 1904. Since then the corner has been the site of two Federal Buildings: the Federal Building and Post Office (1910 - 1937) and the Federal Courthouse and U.S. Post Office Building (1940 - Present).

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