I would never have guessed that The Hamilton had such a central location, thanks
GW. For some reason it doesn't appear in the 1909 CD, although a few residents/workers are listed at 521 S Olive. I did, however, find a mention in the 1915 edition.
Here's another view, this time from circa 1913.
USC Digital Library
And a close-up. The palm tree appears to be growing nicely.
Detail of picture above.
A few years before The Hamilton was built (circa 1885, according to the caption), the area looked a lot more bucolic, although the large, neighboring church and Normal School were already there.
USC Digital Library
The Hamilton is marked on the Baist maps. Here it is in 1910, standing alongside Central Park. The building to the left of the church in the 1913 picture is named as The Virginia.
www.historicmapworks.com
It's still there in 1921, not long before construction on the Biltmore started, although The Virginia seems to have gone and St. Pauls Church has gained the word "Cathedral". I was curious about the word "Tunnel" on the Normal School site. I don't know if we've covered it before, but
an article on blogdowntown.com says that there were plans to extend 5th Street with a tunnel under Normal Hill. Of course, in the end they just knocked down the school and built the public library next to the 5th Street extension.
www.historicmapworks.com