I found this picture on eBay a couple of nights ago. It shows the aftermath of a $400,000 fire at J.J. Newberry in 1931.
eBay
The 1932 CD lists many J.J. Newberry stores, but this is the one that was located at 445 South Broadway.
LAPL
Here's how the building looked five years earlier when it was Bon Marché.
USC Digital Library
It's still there, but someone should be held accountable for crimes like this! The 2014 GSV images show a bulge protruding from the sidewalk into the roadway, but I went back to June 2011 for this shot as the shadows from the fire escapes are very similar to the picture above (the building hasn't changed in the last three years). For more information on this building, check out
urbandiachrony.
GSV