Very cool photos, ethereal and gsjansen! That 1868 photo is very fascinating. And those other shots of downtown LA are also very cool-- so much material for my hobby of before and after photos, of which my facebook album is continuing to grow.
If anyone doesn't already know, the American Cinematheque in LA has been having its Film Noir Festival, which ends next weekend. I went tonight (Sunday night) and snapped this photo of the ceiling of the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood; kind of a crappy photo, taken in dim lighting with my cell phone:
Here's a 1925 photo of the ceiling from the LAPL:
Of course back then, the theater was much more ornate. My understanding is that when the Egyptian was restored and reopened, they were only able to salvage a little of what was damaged of the interior over the years.
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An accident involving two cars, one motorcycle and the Los Angeles Transit Lines' car 1523 on March 10, 1946. This is at the intersection of Figueroa and Piedmont in the Highland Park neighborhood.
LAPL
LAPL
LAPL
Here's the intersection again in 1946. Notice the Los Angeles Public Library branch in the left of the photo.
LAPL
Here, the old streetcar tracks are being ripped up in 1958.
Here's the same intersection on April 11, 2010. The old library building has since been replaced with a Craftsman-themed, larger library structure.
Photo taken by me.