History Lesson

Today in Downtown History: Building Plans Signaled Finance's Westward Move

By Eric Richardson — October 28, 2008 — 1 Comment

800 Wilshire Eric Richardson

Today it's just a non-descript office building, but when plans for 800 Wilshire were announced on October 28, 1970, the L.A. Times wrote that "the downtown financial district's shift away from Spring St. is gaining momentum."

Financial tenants were fleeing the old bank buildings of the Historic Core. The announcement of the sixteen-story building was the second in a week. Just days before, Security Pacific had announced plans for its 54-story tower at 3rd and Hope. 800 Wilshire was unveiled with Chase Manhattan and Dean Witter as its marquee names. — Continued Inside...


Third Street Tunnel: A Primer

By Eric Richardson — September 05, 2008 — 11 Comments

Third Street Tunnel Eric Richardson

|Photo Gallery| The elder of the two tunnels under Bunker Hill, the Third Street Tunnel turned 107 years old this year. That makes it nearly half as old as the City of Los Angeles, which this week turned 227.

The 1,240 foot tube's history has been anything but boring. Efforts to get the tunnel approved took a decade, then construction claimed six lives. Once open, the Times called the tunnel a "veritable stench in the nostrils of the public."

That's quite a lot for just one tunnel. — Continued Inside...


Old and Outdated, a Street Sign Survives... Until Now

By Eric Richardson — August 25, 2008
2 Comments

One Old Way

Every once in a while on a walk through Downtown, you run across something that makes you stop and say, "I think that's probably pretty old." Last week I was walking down from Bunker Hill when I passed this old "One Way" sign, featuring white lettering on a black background instead of the more modern inverse layout.


Who Was John H. Jones?

By Eric Richardson — August 19, 2008 — 7 Comments

John H. Jones Building Eric Richardson

Located in the heart of Gallery Row and the Historic Core, nearly everyone Downtown has likely stood on the corner of 5th and Main at one time or another. Likely very few have noticed the inscription chiseled on the corner pillar of the Rosslyn Lofts, beneath the windows for Pharmaka. The writing proclaims this the "John H. Jones Building."

But who was John H. Jones? A 1922 article in the LA Times called his tale "one of the most interesting stories in all the annals of Los Angeles." — Continued Inside...


Views Highlight South Park's Changing Personality

By Eric Richardson — May 26, 2008

Juxtaposition Eric Richardson

|Photo Gallery| Nowhere is the changing nature of South Park more evident than at the corner of James M. Wood Blvd. and Francisco street. Located on the corner there is the Salvation Army's regional headquarters, a cluster of old buildings hugging the one-way street. Looming in the background is the rising steel for L.A. Live's skyscraper hotel, soon to be a symbol of what South Park has become. — Continued Inside...


Historic Belasco Theater Awaits Its Next Act

By Eric Richardson — September 07, 2007
4 Comments

Former Stage Area

Downtowners who've seen his rhymes via Art Walk or email may be more familiar with the latter of Broker Poet Ed Rosenthal's two professions, but Ed's no slouch when it comes to real estate. He prides himself in finding the right buyer for historic properties, and has managed the sales of such Downtown landmarks as the Old Bank District and the Eastern Columbia...


Welcome to Los Angeles

By Eric Richardson — August 13, 2007
7 Comments

Former Greyhound Station

If you're on 7th street and glance into the parking entrance for the LA Merchandise Mart, you may just catch a glimpse of signage welcoming you to Los Angeles. It's one of those things that's pretty easy not to notice, but the little leftovers like this that tell the story of what Downtown used to be. Why would a parking garage welcome you to Los Angeles?...


History Lesson: Evolution of the Merritt Building

By Eric Richardson — December 10, 2006
13 Comments

There are a lot of odd buildings on Broadway, and each has arrived at its look via a unique path. The Merritt Building sits on the northwest corner of 8th and Broadway, and today is quite an odd sight, seemingly missing its second floor. The Merritt, in fact, looks like someone took a Roman-style building and plopped it on top of a 50-foot tall marble box...


History Lesson: Gas Holders

By Eric Richardson — November 21, 2006
23 Comments

If you look at the photo I linked to in the Sunkist post you'll see an enormously large tank or silo back in the distance. I'd seen these same sort of tanks in various other photos and they always seemed impossibly large. It turns out these tanks were known as "gas holders", and helped supply natural gas to the city. They were in fact laughably large and...


History Lesson: Downtown's Sunkist Building

By Eric Richardson — November 20, 2006
3 Comments

There's really no end to the fascinating things you can find when you start digging into the history of Downtown Los Angeles. Yesterday I was wandering through photos in the USC Digital Archives and came across one that showed the Sunkist Building. The building, which sat at the corner of Flower and 5th, was built in 1935 by the Sunkist Corporation as their...