Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
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I came across this photo in the Metro Transportation Archive.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metroli...ve/2951000582/
It is the remains of the Forthmann & Bergin Building on First Street that housed the Los Angeles Soap Company (shown in 1884).
usc digital archives
I was delighted at the thought of the grand old building surviving against all odds.
Sadly, after a few searches on google street views of east First Street I realized the Forthmann & Bergin Building is probably long gone
......and that the Metro photo must date from the 1970s or 80s. 
Can anyone pinpoint on an old map where did this building once stood? I only have the vague address of east First Street.
We covered the building briefly way back on page 96 of this thread.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=1907 |
I think it was on the north side of 1st street, a block or so east of Alameda, in what would now be considered the Arts District, just east of Little Tokyo. This area is now surface parking lots, and the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple is now there. If you do a Google Map search of E. 1st Street and Hewitt Avenue, you'll see the general area of where the soap company was:
1st and Hewitt
So was the Los Angeles Soap Company later White King Soap?
Here is the area in 1923. Notice in the lower middle-right, you can see the Los Angeles Soap Company.
LAPL
Here is the area circa 1950s. Notice in the middle right that the building says White King Soap.
LAPL
I'm very fascinated by the above photos because I frequent Little Tokyo and the Arts District, and it's interesting to me to see what buildings were there.
In fact looking at the above photo now, the old building that you posted, ethereal, is just right (east) of the intersection of Hewitt and 1st.