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.
![](http://imageshack.us/a/img13/9493/slide1963t2firstatboyle.jpg)
google street view
![](http://imageshack.us/a/img17/9123/slide1963tsad.jpg)
google street view
Here is a wider angle showing the gazebo in Mariachi Plaza across the street.
![](http://imageshack.us/a/img822/2967/slide1963tac1mariachipl.jpg)
google street view
![](http://imageshack.us/a/img560/9734/slide1963tacrossthestre.jpg)
google street view
Recently wonderful things have been happening at the Cummings Block! Notice the scaffolding in the aerial photo below.
![](http://imageshack.us/a/img197/7788/aacummingsaerial.jpg)
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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