Really awesome pics!
____________________________
The building on the left was the Jennette Block, built in 1888, which was torn down in the 1950s when they built the Hollywood/Santa Ana (US 101) freeway through downtown, leaving the adjacent Garnier Building (built in 1890) standing. The photo is from around 1925:
LAPL
The Garnier Building is currently the home of the Chinese American Museum which opened not too long ago. A very fitting place for a Chinese American Museum, being that this building for decades was used by Chinese merchants, and being that this building faced the old Chinatown and is near the Old Plaza. It's considered the last building to be left standing from the old demolished Chinatown. Of course now the building faces Union Station.
Here's Madame Chiang Kai-Shek on a visit to Los Angeles in front of the Garnier Building in 1943:
LAPL
During a Moon Festival:
LAPL
Chinese American Museum website
From these pictures, it looks like after the Jennette Block was knocked down, much of the Garnier Block was also knocked off. Look at these, taken some time after the demolition.
1968; looks like they might've restored the old firehouse by then.
LAPL
Notice the firehouse being worked on.
LAPL
LAPL
Compare the above photo with this much earlier shot:
LAPL
Undated photo, but as you can see the Garnier building's facade is restored, but is still not as big as it once was:
Here's a photo of it in 1971:
cdlib.org
Here's a view of it today:
From imageshack
From flickr
Here you can see it in context to the rest of the historic Plaza area, next to the Old Firehouse Museum and the Pico House.
inetours.com