I found this wonderful slide among others a few years back on ebay.
After some research I found out this is the 1889 Cummings Block at 1st Street & Boyle Avenue.
Developed as a hotel by George Cummings, it was an important center of elite social life in the early years of Los Angeles' suburban growth.
Designed by architect W.R. Norten, the four-story brick building featured a blend of distinct Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival flourishes,
including decorative brickwork, arched windows, two parapets, and a corner turret.
The upper stories operated as a residential hotel for over a century. In recent decades it became locally famous as a lodge for mariachis.
Various tenants occupied the first floor.
below: Here is the Cummings Block as it appeared in 1942.
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=13013
below: Date unknown.
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/
Here is the block in 1978. Sadly, the roof of the turret is gone.
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=13261
Here is the block as it appeared in 1997...looking quite dour indeed.
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=77732
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A more current view. Downtown Los Angeles can be seen in the distance.
google street view
google street view
Here is a wider angle showing the gazebo in Mariachi Plaza across the street.
google street view
google street view
Recently wonderful things have been happening at the Cummings Block! Notice the scaffolding in the aerial photo below.
GE
Great news! The renovations are complete. The building is now back to how it looked during it's glory days!!
http://la.curbed.com/tags/boyle-hotel-cummings-block
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As I was about to finish this post I came across this amazing photograph of the Cummings Block in 1889.
http://www.boyleheightsbeat.com/hist...h-its-past-348
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