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70 Years Ago: Digging Completed for Figueroa's First Street Cut

By Eric Richardson — February 25, 2010 — 4 Comments

For decades, city planners have seen Downtown's Bunker Hill as an obstacle rather than a feature. They've tunneled under it, cut across it, and when all else failed...

Elysian Park Convention Center Rendering

3 Photos

Los Angeles Times

45 Years Ago: Council Committees Back Plan to Put Convention Center in Elysian Park

By Eric Richardson — February 23, 2010 — 3 Comments

On February 23, 1965, a pair of City Council committees voted to back a plan to build a new Los Angeles Convention Center in the heart of Elysian Park. 63 of the...

Philippe’s Patriarch Passes at 94

By Ed Fuentes — February 10, 2010 — 1 Comment

The former owner of landmark Downtown eatery Philippe's passed away on January 28 at the age of 94.

William “Bill” Binder took over the restaurant after he married...

LAPL Photo Collection

The Great Debaters of Pershing Square

By Eric Richardson — February 09, 2010 — 5 Comments

The L.A. Times' Steve Harvey yesterday dedicated his Then and Now column to the Long Beach Spit 'n' Argue Club, a group that for 75 years would gather to chew tobacco...

6 Photos

Los Angeles Times

60 Years Ago: Pershing Square Garage Idea Almost Killed When No Bids Came In

By Eric Richardson — January 26, 2010 — 12 Comments

The idea of building a parking garage underneath Pershing Square already had a long and complicated history when it was almost killed on January 26, 1950. First...

Eric Richardson

31 Years Ago: Downtown's First Residential Reuse Announced

By Eric Richardson — January 07, 2010

While the 1999 passage of the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance is credited with spurring Downtown's now decade-long rebirth, the city's first real conversion of an outdated...

1950's Saw Decline of Downtown Department Stores

By Eric Richardson — December 30, 2009 — 5 Comments

During the first half of the 20th century, Downtown's department stores were the place to shop for Los Angeles residents. Buyers would come from far and wide, either...

People on Broadway Street celebrating New Year's Eve, 1940

Los Angeles Daily News / UCLA Digital Collections

Broadway Was the Place to Be in Downtown's New Year's Past

By Eric Richardson — December 29, 2009 — 6 Comments

On December 31, 1940, an estimated 500,000 people packed Broadway between 3rd and 8th to celebrate the start of a new year. Warnings against the throwing of confetti...

3 Photos

Los Angeles Examiner / 11-21-1951

Department Store Windows Were Downtown's Christmas Draw

By Eric Richardson — December 23, 2009 — 14 Comments

In the heyday of Los Angeles' department store history, shoppers would descend on Downtown each holiday season to gaze at intricate displays set up in the windows...

3 Photos

California Historical Society / USC Digital Archives

75 Years Ago: Wilshire Boulevard Opened Through Westlake Park

By Eric Richardson — December 07, 2009 — 10 Comments

On December 7, 1934, a crowd of more than 2000 turned out to see the opening of a new causeway that carried Wilshire Boulevard across Westlake Park, creating what...

Cal Plaza Trains Offer Holiday Spirit and L.A. History

By Eric Richardson — December 02, 2009 — 6 Comments

A pair of model trains at California Plaza aren't just a bit of traditional holiday decoration, they're also a homage to Los Angeles' railroad history. The "G"...