An Old Image of New Los Angeles

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES —

Last week Michael Sweeney sent me this great postcard he had just picked up on Olvera Street. It was in with the current postcards, but looking a little closer one can see that it's anything but. The shot shows construction on City Hall East, a dug out L.A. Mall and most notably still-standing views of the old State Building and the old Hall of Records. The shot was most likely taken in mid-1973, and the Hall of Records was torn down just a few months later.

So often I see old views of these particular structures and think of them as if they were ancient buildings, torn down ages ago. Shots like this offer a great reminder that they were still standing only a few decades ago.