Home sweet home...
 

As for living downtown, I really don't know what more you could ask for. This place is lovely. It has local parking, a sturdy retaining wall, plenty of sunshine and a street lamp for safety at night.. :):

1957 - Seen from Jonathan Club on Figueroa Street north of 6th Street, this is the 1909 Rose Grove Hotel at 530 South Figueroa Street.
Tall buildings in the background from left to right: the 1915 Bible Institute of Los Angeles, the 1928 Farquhar and Kelham California Club,
the 1953 Claud Beelman Superior Oil Company Building, and the 1929 Morgan, Walls and Clements Richfield Oil Company Building.


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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/6246/rec/14

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Thanks for locating The Hamilton for us GW!
I am surprised by how utilitarian the back and north sides are compared with the victorian front and the south side with all the bay windows and shutters.

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1961 - Rear view of structures from Clay Street. The left building is 224 South Olive Street.
On the far right, the Hotel Northern sat at the southwest corner of Hill Street and Clay Street.

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/6296/rec/1


The apartment's incinerator?

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/6296/rec/1

I would never have guessed that The Hamilton had such a central location, thanks GW. For some reason it doesn't appear in the 1909 CD, although a few residents/workers are listed at 521 S Olive. I did, however, find a mention in the 1915 edition.

Here's another view, this time from circa 1913.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...3.jpg~original
USC Digital Library

And a close-up. The palm tree appears to be growing nicely.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...4.jpg~original
Detail of picture above.

A few years before The Hamilton was built (circa 1885, according to the caption), the area looked a lot more bucolic, although the large, neighboring church and Normal School were already there.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...alPark1885.jpg
USC Digital Library

The Hamilton is marked on the Baist maps. Here it is in 1910, standing alongside Central Park. The building to the left of the church in the 1913 picture is named as The Virginia.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...amiltonLH5.jpg
www.historicmapworks.com

It's still there in 1921, not long before construction on the Biltmore started, although The Virginia seems to have gone and St. Pauls Church has gained the word "Cathedral". I was curious about the word "Tunnel" on the Normal School site. I don't know if we've covered it before, but an article on blogdowntown.com says that there were plans to extend 5th Street with a tunnel under Normal Hill. Of course, in the end they just knocked down the school and built the public library next to the 5th Street extension.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...amiltonLH6.jpg
www.historicmapworks.com

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/66...0/545/2c0d.jpghttp://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/6293/rec/49

When I look at the photos of old Bunker Hill, I'm always amazed by the architecture, yet saddened to know it's all gone. It was more than individual buildings; almost every structure looked to be in perfect context with its surroundings. I know that not all of it could have remained until the present day but I don't think it had to be completely destroyed either. Just as an example, San Diego's downtown is every bit as monolithic as LA's (well, almost), but they've done a far better job at preserving many of the older, smaller buildings in between it all. And look at Bunker Hill now - not exactly the place to be, unless you like walking through empty streets and staring at blank concrete walls. It seems likely that the same resurgences that came to neighborhoods like Echo Park & Silver Lake could have swept through Bunker Hill (maybe even before Echo Park & Silver Lake), had just a few slivers of it remained "human scaled." For all we know, buildings like The Hillcrest or The Fremont would now be converted into lofts, like with the older buildings in the Historic Core. I won't claim to be an expert in urban planning, but it's an interesting thought to consider...

Bunker Hill Avenue
 

1963 - Looking west toward the Brousseau Mansion, 238 South Bunker Hill Avenue. Beyond the Brousseau, the house at 244 South Bunker Hill Avenue,
and the large brick building is the backside of the Alto Hotel, which fronted on 251-253 Grand Avenue. At lower left, a bit of the crenelated Lovejoy
Apartments, northeast corner of 3rd Street and Grand Avenue, can be seen with the Palace Hotel behind it.

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/7648/rec/16


1961 - Bunker Hill mansions of South Bunker Hill Ave near 4th Street.

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/6285/rec/1


1962 - Bunker Hill Avenue home close to 4th Street.

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/7639/rec/5


1962 - The Salt Box had multiple units for rent to families or single tenants. House at 343 South Bunker Hill Ave once stood on the now cleared
vacant dirt lot south of the Salt Box.

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/7656/rec/6


1963 - Wood frame buildings starting from the left at 251,245, and 241 South Bunker Hill Avenue.

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/7649/rec/9


1957 - Located at 238 South Bunker Hill Ave, the Brousseau Mansion was built for Judge Julius Brousseau in 1878

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/6247/rec/12


1966 - Looking southwest on South Bunker Hill Avenue, the Castle at 325 South Bunker Hill Avenue with a bit of 333 South Bunker Hill Avenue seen behind it. The partially visible Statler Hilton (formerly the Hotel Statler) is in the far right distance at Wilshire Boulevard and Figueroa Street. Douglas Oil building is at Fifth Street and Figueroa Street.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/11...90/46/ec5t.jpg
http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/7679/rec/47


1957 - Victorian address was 256 South Bunker Hill Ave, middle dwelling at 603 West 3rd Street, and on the right the back end of the New Grand Hotel (formally the Nugent) at 257 South Grand Avenue. The large brick background building was the Alto which fronted 253 South Grand Avenue.

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1963 - Standing at the cleared site of 239/241 South Grand Avenue, looking up at the backside of the Brousseau Mansion, 238 South Bunker Hill Avenue.
244 South Bunker Hill Avenue is next door to the left.

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I grew up in Echo Park and the history there comes later than Bunker Hill. Most of the development and growth is during the 1910’s, 20’s and 30’s. My home was built in 1922. Although there are some areas a little older. The local school opened in 1888 for the scattered residences. When my parents bought in 1946 the area was blue collar and white collar, my dad being in banking. Neighbor across the street was a chauffer, next door a factory supervisor. So the area was far from run-down, and quite middle-class.

However, by the time we moved in 1964, things were a-changing and fast. And not for the better!! But this was after Bunker Hill was pretty much leveled. Today’s resurgence in Echo Park is still a work of hope for the architecture and character that once was. My old home has been disgraced by stucco, aluminum sliding windows and a jungle of bamboo. But others are being restored with loving care.

So I’m not sure if the very old buildings of Bunker Hill could have weathered long enough to where their value as a structure was as important as the value of the bare land. Having seen some of those places first-hand as a teenager, I’m not convinced that in their dilapidated state they could have survived. Perhaps if the hill had remained a viable residential area the buildings would have not deteriorated so fast.

1962 - The West Temple Apartments (formerly The Rochester), 1012 West Temple Street, was built in 1887 and declared a
Historic-Cultural Landmark in 1963. Nevertheless, after being moved around a couple of times it was demolished in 1979.
Its site is now a parking lot for the 1979 Bank of America Computer Center.

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http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/6302/rec/58

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www.westadams-normandie.com

I wish we could see the blade sign at far right better. It does say Blue Bird Laundry.

Interestingly, the church was lengthened between 1885 and 1913. The tower which was at the corner in the 1885 pic is about 1/3 of the way back in 1913, and the roof has 9 dormers in the later photo, instead of 5.

1962 - Looking east at South Flower Street between 3rd and 4th Streets from the palm tree, going left: Flower Apartments, 318 Flower Street; Hotel Keswick, 312 Flower Street; and apartment buildings at 308 Flower Street and 732 West Third Street. The large beige building are the Rangley Apartments, 733-721 West 3rd Street. Apartments line Hope Street on the hill above.

Far left background, Hotel Elmar is at 325 South Hope Street. Its large rooftop sign reads, "NEW HOTEL ELMAR".

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Up on Hope Street in the top photo (from right to left)

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Western Public Market, 3601 S. Western Avenue circa 1928
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/31/1byx.jpg
www.westadams-normandie.com

I like this guy. Your friendly neighborhood grocer.



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www.westadams-normandie.com


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/6/5ddq.jpg
www.westadams-normandie.com

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This is frustrating because the top half of the banner is obscured. (the guy should have invested in a iron)
-the seller posts 'League of North America Los Angeles Association'.
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The two words in an arc across the top were the troublesome part, but I got just enough to figure it out. The shield in the middle has the initials and being able to see "P__tern" in the first word led me to figuring out the whole thing:


Pattern Makers
League of
North America
Founded [shield] 1887
Los Angeles
Association

The Pattern Makers’ National League of North America was established in 1887, and changed its name changed to Pattern Makers’ League of North America in 1898. On October 1, 1991, it merged into the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Founded to promote interest in protecting the high standards of their workers’ craft, the Pattern Makers’ League was composed of associations of practical pattern makers, mold makers, model makers, fixture builders, allied craftsmen, and eventually plastic workers.
GSU

Bunker Hill in Color
 

FredH Good on you for having the foresight to photograph Bunker Hill and the surrounding area in color before it all disappeared!

Cheers,
Jack

Thanks, but I didn't take the photos, I just found them on the internet. They are great though!

By the way, click on the link below any of the photos and it will take you to the high resolution image. Move the slider to the right and you can zero
in on any part of the photo.

Thanks, ProphetM, I'd missed that detail. That probably explains why St. Pauls Church had the cathedral designation in the later Baist map.

Great series of Bunker Hill shots, FredH--perhaps one of the most important gathering of photos ever on NLA. Thanks for posting, and don't stop until you can't find any more.

As for lamentations over the loss of Bunker Hill-- as has been pointed out on the thread before, the silver lining in the demolition may be what escaped the wrecking ball: the 1900s/10s/20s business district to its east. L.A. had long wanted to get rid of Bunker Hill because of the barrier it presented to westward expansion--the neglected wooden houses were easy to tear down, if the hill itself presented more of a problem. While I like many others fantasize about some sort of Victorian residential paradise in a preserved BH, we might then have lost what today is roaring back as an urbanist's dream--loft living. Sometimes though I wonder how long it will be before the pendulum swings back and the younger professionals in the district get older and wonder where the outdoors went.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v...2520AM.bmp.jpgGSV

Can't help but speculate that the wooden Western Market might still stand under stucco. The massing is the same.... It also appears that the building to its left may be the same--note the horizontal detailing; and behind it from the corner perspective in the then and the now shots there seems to be another survivor. If anyone is driving by the corner of Western and 36th, perhaps you'll stop by and check out the interior of the market for clews (as the papers used to spell it).


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h...448%2520AM.jpgGSV