Oh. My. Gawd. That's almost like porn to me. :D

That's the first time I've seen a color photo of the Amstoy as well.
I read somewhere that the Amstoy was the first building in L.A. to have an elevator.




I'll repost this cool shot.

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/1...dgarnerlat.jpg
Ed Garner L.A.Times

Notice the "Stake Out" Bar next to Rexall's. It was a popular police hangout.

The Amstoy Building in 1958.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2...ldingatmai.jpg
usc digital archive

The first pay telephone at 228 S. Spring Street, ca. 1899
All three photos are slightly different.


http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6...ytelephone.jpg
state library of louisiana


I wonder what building is being reflected in the window.


http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6...ytelephone.jpg
state library of louisiana




http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/5...ytalktosf5.jpg
state library of louisiana

"Talk to San Francisco 50c a Minute"

The northwest corner of 4th & Olive, ca. 1889.
The Los Angeles Cable Railway Co.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/753...lescablera.jpg
usc



below: Second Street Cable R.R. ca. 1890

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6...arbarn1890.jpg
usc



below: Pacific Railway Co. Power/Cable House, ca. 1890

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/407...railwaycop.jpg
usc

A lot of that is gone just in the past 10 years. I didn't know the building next door to the Brunswig building was still there that recently--it looks like they really tried to spruce it up before ultimately tearing it down.

The asphalt sea laps at ever-wider shores.

ETA: It looks like the facade of the Brunswig Annex was saved, after all.

ETA: From historic views in Google Earth, I suspect the Annex may have been gutted in much the same way as the Pershing Hotel a few weeks ago.

Hail Tritons, overlooking Neptune's ceaseless roar...(Just kidding!)

I was also in Revelle, and lived there the whole time except for my EAP year. Unusually for the college, I was a liberal arts major but, as it turned out, I've spent most of my career in programming or other IT work. I suppose it figures.

You must have been in the tunnels! When I got there in summer '75, I got to go on a clandestine tour; I think we entered somewhere around Muir. AFter that, though, it got too difficult.

and once again, while no one was looking, the USC Digital Archive site, seems to be updating their library.

i know i would have remembered this image

looking west from the construction of union square......probably early 1938, as the buildings at marchessault and alameda are still standing

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...6-15-ISLA?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...6-15-ISLA?v=hr

Great picture! I believe I see the back of the Lugo House to the left.

^^^You're absolutely correct. I see the sign for the Dragon's Den next door.



http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/6473/aaaddlapl.jpg
lapl

My guess is the Hollenbeck Hotel.

-Scott

Hi Scott.

That would have been my guess as well.... but as I look at the photo below it seems the windows are different.

The top of the windows in the Hollenbeck are somewhat arched/curved.
The windows in the reflection (above) are squared off.



http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/9...hotelsprin.jpg
usc digital archive

above: FYI: The sliver of the building on the far right is the Bryson Block.
I had forgotten that the Hollenbeck Hotel and the Bryson Block faced each other.



Bryson Block
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/6...nblock1905.jpg
usc digital archive

above: Here is a photo of the Bryson Block already missing the elaborate gables and turrets on the rooftop.

After comparing the two photos above & below...yes the gables and peaked roof are gone, but it looks as if the Bryson Block added 2 more floors!
Is this correct? ? ? Did I somehow miss the addition of two floors in previous discussions of the Bryson Block?



below: Here is an earlier view of the Bryson block with the rooftop intact. It's hard to believe it's the same building.
Lower left is the Hollenbeck Hotel....which started this whole conversation.....with myself. :)

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2...topornamen.jpg
usc digital archive

The Pico House--Interior shots!
 

About twenty years ago I was in the Plaza area for some reason, on a weekday which is what made it unusual. I stopped by the historic park management office, which in those days, if memory serves, was located in the old Mason hall. My intent was to ask politely if someone would please take me inside the Pico House, which I'd only ever seen from the outside due to its always being locked shut. The woman running the front desk very kindly offered to show me around.

These pictures aren't that great, because they were taken with a conventional albeit decent quality camera, then scanned recently.

The first one may have been taken from the street through the windows of the main entrance. This is looking up the "grand staircase"; you can see the niches where the statues were placed in its heyday. Now that I look at the shot again, it looks like there still might be a manikin or statue of some kind!

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...ylightened.gif

Next we have a large ground floor public room on the Plaza side. I believe this was the dining room during the period when the hotel was good enough to have one. In later years I believe this was used as a billiards hall.

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...iorrotated.gif

Last we have the interior courtyard. The guide told me that the railings, along with the brick staircase on the far side, were new work; presumably they were hoping visitors would be on the upper floors for some reason yet to be determined, and they had to be brought up to code. We are looking at the north wall of the Merced Theatre. I seem to remember reading somewhere that there was a door between the Pico House and the auditorium level of the theater, which was on the second floor. The Merced, like the Pico House, is three stories high but we can see that the height of each floor was considerably greater in the theater building. This may be related to the fact that there are two doors of which the higher one doesn't seem to be on the proper level for either the second or third floor of the hotel. One door may be a recent alteration.

As I wrote in the Wikipedia article on the hotel,


http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...cingMerced.gif

If anyone knows how to post these photos taken at Hollywood and Vine in August,1944:
http://images.google.com/hosted/life...28e1f7d012a5b1

just right click on the photo and select copy image location, then select the insert image button, (the one that looks like it has a mountain with the sun above)...........viola!

Singer Carolyn Grey walking down Hollywood and Vine.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/762...12a5b1_landing
Source: Life http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/762...12a5b1_landing


Order Clerk Carolyn Grey walking down Hollywood and Vine.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/13b...0ebccc_landing
Source: Life http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/13b...0ebccc_landing

Secretary Jane Yaeger walking Hollywood and Vine.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/7ee...28e70b_landing
Source: Life http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/7ee...28e70b_landing

Singer Marilyn Hall walking down Hollywood and Vine.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/bd3...0b49f0_landing
Source: Life http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/bd3...0b49f0_landing

Window stylist Cecilia Fiala walking down Hollywood and Vine.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/209...bf7536_landing
Source: Life http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/209...bf7536_landing

Students Joianne Breckenridge and Gloria Jones walking down Hollywood and Vine.

http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/65c...6f6236_landing
Source: Life http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/65c...6f6236_landing

got it!

the old orpheum theater which was located across the street at at 227 S. Spring Street

http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015510.jpg
Source: LAPL http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015510.jpg

the LAPL has the same image as you posted E_R. the caption for the photo on the LAPL site says;

This was Los Angeles' first telephone pay station, at 228 So. Spring St., in 1899. The first telephone line between San Francisco and Los Angeles had just been opened, and long distance calls to the Bay City were being stimulated. The young man, Roy E. Jillson, was messenger boy then and was still an employee of the telephone company in 1934.

here's an image of the building at 228 spring street

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...E11C52840?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...E11C52840?v=hr

kere's another view of the Hollenbeck Hotel where you can see the side of the orpheum on the far left

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets.../CHS-7956?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive

the theater at 227 spring street began life as the original los angeles theater, it then became the home of the 2nd orpheum theater. when the orpheum moved out, it became the lyceum theater. the theater was demolished in 1941.

a photo of the lyceum taken before it's demolition in 1941

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics41/00070226.jpg
Source: LAPL http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics41/00070226.jpg

the caption for the above photo is interesting

Street view of the Lyceum Theatre, located at 227 South Spring Street, is the second oldest showhouse built in the city. Originally known as the Los Angeles Theater, where stars of yesteryear appeared, the theater will be razed to become a parking lot. Beneath it is one of the original springs from which Spring Street derived its name.

hmmmmmmmm....something new for me to research.....the springs beneath this location that is responsible for spring street's name........

this image shows the lyceum, (orpheum, los angeles), theater, the hollenbeck hotel, and 228 spring street

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...CHS-36054?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...CHS-36054?v=hr

an image looking north on spring street prior to the demolition of the lyceum.......the hollenbeck?................sigh.......not so much...........

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...3-30-ISLA?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...3-30-ISLA?v=hr

Absolutely amazing detective work gsjansen!

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/288...lockholmes.jpg

Very interesting! However, I seem to recall that the original Ord map gave the street's name as "Calle Primavera"; that being "Spring" as in the season of the year, not a water spring.

I'll be interested to see what you come up with, gsj. :)

-Scott

If you ride Amtrak down to San Diego, some of the route in North County, e.g. Cardiff-by-the-Sea, runs on the center island of PCH. True, it's not quite in the street, but as a student I did ride past local attractions like V.G.'s Donuts to which I usually drove. That always seemed rather unusual.