[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Fire at the St. George Hotel in 1952.


http://esotouric.com/mainhotel

Below: Much to my surprise, the St. George Hotel still stands.


willowscottage.blogspot


saturnine

More info on the St. George Hotel.

http://www.housingfinance.com/ahf/ar...6_AHF_12-3.htm

While I was poking around 3rd and Main recently http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=14439 I came across an early (c. 1905-1909) photo of the St. George Hotel (1905) at 115 E. 3rd Street when it was known as the Bisbee Inn:

USC Digital Library -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/2135/rec/6

Closeup of the entrance:


The entrance in January 2011:

GSV

The 1910 Baist Map lists the building as Girard's House, but it had already been renamed the St. George by 1912. In that year it had the first of three fatal fires; 5 dead and dozens injured on November 19, 1912: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/...Y+MORNING+FIRE.

“As early as 1912, a fire in the St. George Hotel in the downtown area raised the issue of the danger of open stairwells in spreading fires" . . . a quote from this LA City Planning Dept. document: http://cityplanning.lacity.org/cwd/gnlpln/saftyelt.pdf

Here's a larger photo of the 1952 fire, which killed seven and injured over 50 on March 25, 1952:

Gendisasters.com -- http://www3.gendisasters.com/califor...-fire-mar-1952

Then there was another fire in May 1983: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/...4th+Since+1912

The west side in 2011. When the St. George was built, 3rd Street hadn't been realigned yet, and there were two buildings between the St. George and Main Street, so the "back" side didn't show so much:

GSV

The south and east sides in 2011; you can see where 3rd Street was realigned immediately to the west of the St. George:

GSV

It's amazing that this building is still standing. It's survived three major fires that have killed 14 people, street realignment, earthquakes, and 108 years of use.