Well, LA, I've been looking for pictures of West Adams/University for years--to me, one of the most interesting and overlooked areas of old L.A. Vintage shots of houses east of Figueroa, other than perhaps on Adams, are very rare. There are actually quite a few old houses still standing in the area you're talking about--perhaps hundreds. You'd get a better idea of the residential character once there by driving around, or Google Street Viewing... here are a few examples. (Alot of the early lamp standards are still in place.)
Google Street View
East side of Hill Street, just south of 39th
Google Street View
Northwest corner Broadway & 33rd
Google Street View
Long one of my favorites...southeast corner of Grand and 33rd