I don't have the complete history of the Brunswig building on Second Street, but I can fill in twenty years, or so.
This photo of Little Tokyo is from sometime between the mid 1960's and prior to the 1971 earthquake.
Earl Witscher, Modernage Photo Service
The Brunswig building looked like this:
Earl Witscher, Modernage Photo Service
Another view at about the same time shows that the building
was basically being used as a parking garage.
Earl Witscher, Modernage Photo Service
Fast forward to about 1982. Many changes have taken place in Little Tokyo...
Earl Witscher, Modernage Photo Service
...but the Brunswig building has not changed a bit.
Earl Witscher, Modernage Photo Service
When I started working in Little Tokyo in May, 1985, the Brunswig building still looked like the photo above.
Then after about 20 years of serving as a parking structure, an amazing transformation took place. The building was
stripped down to its bare frame. An additional three floors were added on top, and the final result was this amazing building:
google Earth
So basically, the bones of the 1931 building are still in there. That is why the new building occupies the exact footprint
of the original. And, if you notice, the builders even incorporated the old car ramp on the side of the building into the new structure.
Of course, the original Brunswig Drug building was up on N. Main Street..
Waterandpower.org
And recently, has been nicely restored.
mimlay.com