Regarding Hollywood Bowl:


If I remember correctly, that theater has a long history of renovations.

Yes, and nearly all of it has been due to trying to get the acoustics just right.

The Hollywood Bowl was a dell that had naturally amazing acoustics. It wasn't until they built a permanent bandshell that the acoustics were compromised (because of regrading the land for the permanent stage and shell and also because of the gradual deterioration of the shell) and with each successive shell that was built, they still didn't get the acoustics just right. The current shell that was built in the early part of the present decade was controversial because many preservationists didn't want the previous shell demolished, being that it was the longest in use, from the late 1920s until the early part of this decade; it wasn't even the best shell acoustically. I wonder if those same preservationists knew that the two previous shells to that one were designed by Lloyd Wright and the new, current shell's design incorporated elements from both the 2nd Wright design and the previous shell. But whatever; sometimes I think this idea of preserving things just because they're old goes too far. Does this mean that we'll NEVER knock down or remodel buildings once they're built? Will people start wanting to preserve old strip malls because some time in the future they'll represent a bygone era? Don't get me wrong, I'm totally for the preservation of historic buildings, but only buildings that are worth saving-- but I guess that can be totally subjective.

And on that note, here's what is now the Pegasus Lofts, from 1951:
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/4232/1951w.jpg
From the USC Archive

Pegasus is right next to Aon, right?

Anyway, I agree to a certain extent. Unless they're old houses from the PE rail era, they should go if they're being considered for demolition.

It's when its in places like Downtown and Hollywood (with early 20th century jewels like Rowan, El Dorado, Roosevelt, Great Republic,etc.), where we should take a good look at buildings and see if they're worth saving; and perhaps sometimes, like Title Guarantee, incorporate the renovation with a whole new project.

The Beverly Wilshire Hotel located at 9500 Wilshire Blvd.
is at the southern terminus of Rodeo Drive.



http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8...wilshireho.jpg
USC archives

above: What I like about this photo is the sign on top.
I had no idea that there used to be a sign.



I worked at the Beverly Wilshire as a 'pool boy' when I was 20 years old.
The 1971 south tower addition (named the Beverly Wing) took the place of the Olympic sized pool and tennis courts.
The new pool was SO SMALL that I would be standing right in front of it, and guests would ask me where the pool was.
The tiny pool had a fountain, so most guests thought it was just that, a fountain.
It was very embarrassing telling them that this was indeed, the Beverly Wilshire pool.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1...wilshireho.png
unknown

above: Another view of the long lost sign.



below: The very tiny pool with the fountain in the middle..

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/1...bevwilpool.jpg



below: A brief history of the Beverly Wilshire.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5040257_hi...ire-hotel.html

thanks for the explanation! darn earthquakes.

The old Los Angeles County Courthouse was actually attached
to the old Hall of Records. I didn't realize that......until I found these pics.



http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/741...ourthouseh.jpg
USC digital library








http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/879...ntycourtho.jpg
USC digital library










http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/483...tycourthou.jpg
USC digital library









http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/204...ycourthous.jpg
USC digital library

Below is Los Angeles Central Jail in 1926.
I'm not sure where exactly this was located.



http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/9...aljail1926.jpg
USC digital archive

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1...y0808hjail.jpg
old family pic

Great thread... I'm a lurking fan...
It's sickening they tore down the courthouse and the attached hall of records.

The thing that caught my eye about the picture previously posted is the dense row of buildings low-rise buildings (bottom of the picture next to City Hall) that were demolished at some point. Those would be great rehabbed and reused today. Think of the possibilities.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics48/00058615.jpg
from LAPL

I totally agree PHX31.

But in my opinion, the biggest mistake was destroying the Bunker Hill area.
Another hill, called Court Hill, was destroyed even earlier.
Court Hill bordered Bunker Hill to the north (center in the above photo).

The two hill-tops were popular around the turn of the century.
Each area was abundant in Victorian architecture,
and each sported their own funicular (inclined) railway.

If you look closely at the above photo, you can see Court Flight in the center.




Below is a photo of Court Flight (steepest of the two funiculars)
It's a bit hard to see....the funicular is in the center of the photo.


http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9...flight1926.jpg
unknown

You can also see Court Flight in the photo posted by sopas_ej at post #172.
The funicular is in the upper left corner.



I'll dig up the numerous photos I have of Angel's Flight
(the more famous of the two).

It was located adjacent to the Hall of Justice and the Old County Courthouse. It was demolished when Spring Street was widened and straightened. This is from the LAPL website, photo from 1930:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics29/00049287.jpg
Caption: The gnarled hand of Time rips out a strip from the heart of old Los Angeles today, to make way for modern progress. Spring Street is to be cut through from Temple Street to Sunset Boulevard to create a new traffic artery, dooming the historic buildings crossed by the dotted lines marking the path of the extension and eliminating Justicia Street that goes up the hill at left. This street of memories, which was Buena Vista, "Good View," street in the past, and its hill that was the "Nob hill" of Los Angeles will be eliminated. The building first struck by the dotted lines is the old county jail. That just back of it is the old Hall of Justice. Photo dated: April 3, 1930.

Here's an aerial shot from 1938, courtesy LAPL website.
You can see how Spring Street was widened, and the little street that was adjacent to the Hall of Justice basically became a parking lot. The Hall of Justice building still exists, but it's been abandoned since 1994, the year of the Northridge Earthquake. It supposedly isn't safe to occupy. There have been plans to rehab and seismically strengthen the building but it hasn't happened yet. The construction site you see is for the Federal Courthouse building.
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics51/00075427.jpg

You're a wealth of information sopas_ej.
Thanks!

Creating a new street near the Civic Center.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9...extensionb.jpg

:previous: Amazing photos!

oops. I posted the same pic twice.
Here's the 'after' photograph.




http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9...dextension.jpg
USC digital library

ugh... what were they thinking, too bad they couldn't come up with a plan to preserve these areas. I never knew the history, in pictures, of Bunker Hill until I saw this thread and never knew about Court Hill. Great (albeit horrible) pictures ethereal reality and sopas ej!

Bunker Hill was the city's most exclusive residential neighborhood
during the 1880s and 1890s.


http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8...illlo2ndst.jpg
usc digital library

above: The view east down 2nd Street from Bunker hill in 1886.




http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6...illlooking.jpg
usc digital library

above: The view southeast from the southern tip of Bunker Hill in 1880.
The large structure in the distant far right is the Bellevue Terrace Hotel
located at Figueroa & 6th Street.




http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8...eterracefi.jpg
usc digital library

above: Another view of the Bellevue Terrace Hotel at Figueroa & 6th.
Today it is the site of the Jonathan Club.




http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6...eterraceho.jpg
usc digital library

above: The Bellevue Terrace Hotel and neighbors in 1895.
I know these buildings aren't exactly ON Bunker Hill, but they're
fine examples of the Gothic architecture in the immediate area.





http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/9...illfromspr.jpg
usc digital library

above: This is a view of Bunker Hill in 1898.
This is looking west from Spring Street near 3rd Street.





http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/1...illfromcit.jpg
usc digital library

above: Bunker Hill in 1900.



By the end of world War I, Bunker Hill was increasingly populated by
transients, pensioners, and derelicts and developed a crime rate
DOUBLE the city average.

The Los Angeles author Raymond Chandler wrote the following
description in his novel 'The High Window' (1942).

"Bunker Hill is old town, lost town; shabby town, crook town.
Once, very long ago, it was the choice residential district of the city,
and there are still standing a few of the jigsaw Gothic mansions with
wide porches and walls covered with round-end shingles and full corner
bay windows and spindle turrets. They are all rooming houses now,
their parquetry floors are scratched and worn through the once glossy
finish and the wide sweeping staircases are dark with time and cheap
varnish laid on over generations of dirt. In the tall rooms haggard
landladies bicker with shifty tenants. On the wide cool front porches,
reaching their cracked shoes into the sun, and staring at nothing,
sit the old men with faces like lost battle."



http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7...llbroussej.jpg
Richard Schave

above: The Brousseau Mansion in 1960.
Shortly before the leveling of Bunker Hill.





http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3...illbrousse.jpg
Richard Schave

above: The Brousseau Mansion (far left) and neighbors in 1960.

below: Angels Flight climbing to the top of Bunker Hill.


http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6...illaflight.jpg
Richard Schave




http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9...lightwitht.jpg
usc digital library

above: From the top of Angels Flight looking east down 3rd Street.
Also at the top, was an observation tower.

below: Angels Flight on Sept. 7th, 1959



http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7...59excabby4.jpg
excabby41 on picasa