That would almost have to be the back of Hazard's Pavilion, at Fifth & Olive, where The Auditorium would be built later, in 1906.

-Scott

Well, I was just in the old Plaza area today, specifically to look at those two buildings you mentioned. They look nearly restored. Yes, one is the Brunswig, and the other one next to it is curiously called the Garnier Block.

I took some pictures:

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1856/p1060925s.jpg

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/9388/p1060919.jpg

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1856/p1060925s.jpg

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/7858/p1060921.jpg

Here's the Brusnswig Building in an old undated photo:

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/171/chs41321.jpg
USC Archive

Here it is in another old undated photo, but look at the other buildings that used to be adjacent to it. You even see business signs in Spanish.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/791/dw86768isla.jpg
USC Archive

These are really great images, ethereal. I love those old brick storefronts! That's also a very nice photo of the Westminster Hotel. I admit, when I first started delving into L.A. history, I didn't pay much attention to Main Street, but there were some real jewels on "Calle Principal," after all. One thing I'd like to find is a nice photo of the (1875?) L.A. post office that was at Main & Winston. None of the images I've been able to find so far have been very satisfactory...

Excellent! When I was there in July, the Garnier Block was still surrounded by scaffolding. Both buildings look great now!

Now, when they get done with this restoration, they should rebuild the old Court House! It was a sin to tear down that grand edifice in the first place...

https://otters.net/img/lanoir/98535035_o_mod.jpg
Found on eBay.


:cheers:

Hi all, my first post here…and yeah, dig it, this is too cool a thread, I was tipped off to it by Scott.

One thing I’d like to point out, going waaay back to the beginning of this thread, post #9, ethereal_reality asks what is that solitary building off to the left? (Which is seen again in post #383, for example.) That was the Law Building, by Taylor and Taylor, a twelve-story height-limit built in ‘24-25. Brothers Edward Cray Taylor and Ellis Wing Taylor are best known for their Masonic Temple in Yuma (National Register) and the Wolfer Printing bldg on LA’s Wall St – Historic Cultural Monument #161. Anyway, the Law Building had a 45’ frontage at 139 N Broadway and a depth of 100’. It was just a stone’s throw down from Court Flight. It was occupied mostly by attorneys but also housed a collection of County governmental departments. In 1953 it was remodeled by the famous coffee shop architects Armet & Davis, lots of Colorosa travertine and horizontal aluminum, very cool. The Law Building and its neighbor, Lawyers Title Guarantee (the little building with the columns, best seen in post #11) were the last privately owned structures in the Civic Center mall area before being forced to sell out in ’64…though the owners and the City battled it out in Superior Court for two years over the price! After the City finally got a legal judgment on a price in ’66, they knocked the Law Building down but quick.

Funny you should mention the Hotel Elmar...check out what I wrote about it here ...plus whatever you do, don't miss the ultra-cool 1947 noir footage of the Elmar here.

Beaudry....welcome to the thread!

I checked out your essay on the Hotel Elmar.
I guess I hit the nail on the head when I mentioned 'sordid' going ons.
I had no idea one place could be so crime ridden and stay in business.

So is 'On Bunker Hill' your site? I've enjoyed it numerous times.
You have a great writing style and a flare for details.

Needless to say...I hope you continue to post on this thread. :)

Hey Beaudry! I was thinking just today that this thread needs more Bunker Hill, and you're definitely the man for that. Thanks for joining in!

-Scott

Thanks for the welcome! Onbunkerhill.org wasn't my site as much as 1947project.com was the brainchild of my college buddy Kim, we blogged about LA in 47, then 1907, then 1927...then Bunker Hill. The new incarnation is InSROLand, which I'm not posting to because I'm too busy with other more annoying and stupid things, unfortunately.

(I'm only going by "Beaudry," by the way, because "Nathan" is already taken by some other guy named Nathan on skyscraperpage. I don't begrudge him that of course, it's a great name. But call me Beaudry, it's more noir to have a moniker.)

Anyway, I just came back from the post office, the magical wonderful post office, bestower of glorious eBay treats...lemmee make a pork chop and fire up the scannertron...

...and speaking of Bunker Hill. :)


Below: Clay Street.


http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2...illclaystr.jpg
Cal State Archive




Below: The Vendome Hotel.
I'm not sure of the street address for this one. Notice the archaic telephone booth.

Also why are there windows in what looks like a retaining wall?
They're to the right of The Vendome in the photo.


http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/2...illvendome.jpg
Cal State Archive





Below: The EMS. -no address-
Hmmm...intriguing...why The EMS and not.....say.... The ELMS?
Anyone know what EMS stand for?



http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9...illtheemsi.jpg
Cal State Archive

Below: The corner of Grand Ave. and 3rd Street.
To the right of the corner building is the Alto Hotel.

Perhaps the corner building is the Alto as well?
The information was vague.


http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4...illgrandan.jpg
Cal State Archive




Below: Here you see the same buildings from a different angle (Grand Ave.) looking towards 3rd Street.
Note the Alto Hotel sign.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/8...llgrandand.jpg
Cal State Archive





Below: Here is a close up of the house that appears in the above photo to the right of the Alto hotel.
It looks like the housekeeper is out on the front porch.


http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7...illgrandav.jpg
Cal State Archive

Below: Looking west along 1st Street from Grand. 1926.


http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9...westalong1.jpg
Cal State Archive

The deli was 259 South Grand, the New Grand Hotel was 257; they shared that turreted building. The Alto was the big blocky guy next door at 253. 245 S Grand was the house:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2733/...aa11e4c4_o.jpg
(Walker Evans, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 61-62)

While we're Bunker Hill-izing, there was some talk about the location of Clay St a while back, sooo...1957 Thomas Guide, meet Google Maps:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2721/...8e3fabbc_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/...6e51bd3f_o.jpg

As you can see, Clay St. has been wiped out, as has Bunker Hill Ave, which was where all the "premier" Victorians stood. Sack Alley, Cinnabar, heck, the whole of Court St., memories...

Just picked up some amateur snaps from a guy who liked to go up City Hall, bless him.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/...36995ffc_b.jpg

The first is from 6/63, the next from 2/75; most striking of course is the '72 Pereira to the Times. What really gets me is what got done to the Seymour Building (the tall skinny one, 1926) and California Building (1911) on Second btw Broadway and Hill, and facing Broadway is the California Water Bldg (1905), they've all been refaçaded with unrelenting modernity!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/...df87990a_b.jpg

1962 & 1975. Looking east down Commercial/Ducommun. The 1964 Welton Becket Federal Building (left) has gone up, as has the '73 Stanton & Stockwell City Hall East. But most of all we've lost the gas tanks.

Speaking of the Federal Building...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2746/...16c0d385_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2662/...4cca213c_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2663/...37ed61f5_o.jpg

More then & now! Another lost gas tank, this one at Sunset (i.e., Cesar Chavez) and Lyon, now the site of a great collections of buses, and the Twin Towers Correctional Facility.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2791/...38063c0b_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2522/...45c13cb7_o.jpg

By the way, in case you don't have it, go on bookfinder.com or wherever you hunt out your old books and pick up "Views of Los Angeles" by Gernot Kuehn. It's the gold standard of Then & Now books, and especially because his "now" pictures are from 1978, they alone are awesome.