Quote:
Originally Posted by Beaudry
I'm doing some work on early Hill Street and a couple pictures are confounding me. Any input would be appreciated.
These two Widney houses. Here's this image of Joseph Widney's pad at 321 S Hill. And what do we think is up there on the hillside?
usc
Now also at USC is this image of "Judge Widney"'s residence. See how much it looks like 321's neighbor, on the Sanborn.
usc
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You picked a tough nut to crack,
Beaudry!
On the 1888 Sanborn, the first four addresses on the west side of Hill Street below 4th Street are hard to read but might be 301, 305,
309, and 321.
The bottom photo appears to show 309 S. Hill, Judge R. M. Widney's residence until he built behind it on Olive (see the
October 21, 1883,
Los Angeles Herald). The house in the photo certainly resembles 309 S. Hill (the third house south of 4th St.) on the 1888 Sanborn.
If the top photo shows Dr. J. P. Widney's 321 S. Hill before it was remodeled prior to 1888 (as you surmise), the house on the hill behind
it could be 317 S. Charity/Grand, which seems to line up west of 321 S. Hill. UCLA's copy of the top image (
"View of houses near
present-day Grand Ave, Los Angeles") says the house in the background was on Grand (ex-Charity). In UCLA's image you can also see
a second set of streetcar tracks in front of 321 S. Hill (in case that's helpful for comparing the location with other photos).
Three one seven Charity looks to have been occupied by the
Packard family as early as
1878. Mrs. David Packard is shown living there
on the
1881 Los Angeles map re-created in 1931 (Block 76).