I wonder if that doorway survived when the 1917 Olympic Bl HS was torn down and replaced with the current monstrosity after the Sylmar earthquake--here is a website with some sad pictures of the demolition. Is the door in there somewhere? http://franklinavenue.blogspot.com/2...gh-school.html
Here is the school in one piece: http://theusgenweb.org/ca/losangeles...h%20School.jpg

That's a sad tale. I did not know the story of the fate of the 1917 high school before...

Here's a photograph of the ill-fated Los Angeles High School on Olympic.
This was the third L.A. High School.


http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4...sangeleshi.jpg
usc digital archive






Below: One more of the first Los Angeles High School in it's last days.
For some reason I just love this building. I think it's proportions are perfect and pleasing.



http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7...ngeleshigh.jpg
usc digital archive

Earlier, I forgot to post this photograph of the old High School and it one of the best.
Here it sits proudly on the hill.

There is one other reason I wanted to post it.
I've been intrigued by the rather large elongated/horizontal building
in the distance. It almost looks like a train shed or livery stables.
Whatever it is, it's quite impressive for this early date.

Does anyone know what it is? Scott, Beaudry, Sopas_ej, GayloreWilshire?


http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/916...lesfromfor.jpg
usc digital archive

Yeah, after reading about the 1870 doorway going there and I didn't know anything about that school...I took a "bing maps" flyover and could only think "what the h---?" -- this'un on Olympic & Rimpau was John C. Austin, a half-million dollar (10,517,000 USD2008) tudor-gothic that, when it opened, there was a lot of public grumbling that it was too far from the city. It was surrounded only by barley fields and dirt roads. Those pictures on Franklin Ave are really heartbreaking.

Thirty-five other schools suffered major structural damage via Sylmar but the only other school to be demolished was Van Gogh Elementary in Granada Hills. It seems like this school, famous as the school of Thurmond Clarke, Fletcher Bowron, Norman Topping (and the setting of Room 222 for pete's sake) could have been shorn up and retrofitted.

I know, now I'm getting all worked up about it. Here's a bunch of noteworthy news regarding its final days --

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2501/...3c872e5b_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/...9fbde081_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2505/...e0a42b2a_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2698/...566c188d_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2671/...d0e830a3_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2722/...143b7295_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2573/...3c638274_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2675/...28e65923_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2630/...9f2cc798_o.jpg

One can only assume when the new prison structure was erected on Olympic, they tossed this portal like so much more rubble.:hell:

Since the article said the frame was set up on the grounds to be incorporated into a new building...I just wrote and email to the principal. We'll see what happens! On the hunt for the old portal!

^^^Good luck on your portal hunt Beaudry.
It will be interesting to see what you find out.

This is what Los Angeles High School looks like now, courtesy of Google Earth:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2...highschool.jpg

It's like why did they even bother with the lame tower...

^^^My god, that tower is a crime against architecture.

That's why that cop's there. Somebody's going to get popped and do a stretch for that thing. CSI: Architectural Investigations Unit.

Hmmm. At first I thought it might be the covered bridge shown crossing the Los Angeles River at Macy Street in the 1877 bird's eye map.

https://otters.net/img/lanoir/covere...street1877.jpg
Library of Congress

Given the vantage point and angle of the photo in question, however, it can't be that bridge.

I vote for it being a train shed - and a very large and fancy one, at that.

-Scott

A covered bridge had crossed my mind as well, but I wasn't sure if California ever had covered bridges
(I thought they were built for more harsh climates).

But your map from 1877 shows that California did in fact have covered bridges.
So thanks for posting Scott...I learn something new every day from this thread.

Built in 1858 as a market, this building became Los Angeles' 1st City Hall.


http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1...tyhall1858.jpg
usc digital archive






http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9...thouse1872.jpg
usc digital archive



http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/8...tycourthou.jpg
usc digital archive




Around this time, the usc archive starts labeling it the Temple Building.
At first I thought it was just a mistake (there are many photos mislabeled in the archive).



http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/3...thousetemp.jpg
usc digital library





But then I came across this photograph from 1885.


http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3...thousetemp.jpg
usc archive



So...I take it, the 1st city hall (or court house as it's often labeled)
was, over the years, enveloped by surrounding buildings that eventually
created the Temple block.

Is this correct?

Below: This is another photograph from 1880 of the Temple Block.
You can make out the lightning rod/spire of the old courthouse.

The building on the right is the Downey block.





http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/1...aintemplew.jpg
usc archive






Below: A better view of the Downey Block in 1887.


http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4...yblockacro.jpg
usc archive







Below: Another view of the Downey Block center left 1888.
Does anyone know what the fine building is that's closest to the camera?

That's the Nadeau Hotel in the distance.


http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/2...lockonmain.jpg
usc archive

This is a 1875 photograph of the first offices of the Los Angeles Times.
The label says it's the Downey block.





http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/581...ceofthelos.jpg

usc archive



Again, I'm a bit confused.
I don't recognize this building in any of the photographs
I have of this area (and roughly in the same time period).

Perhaps this building was replaced by the building in the above photos.
I guess it's possible.....there is a 10 years difference from the above pics.



One clue (I guess you could call it that) is a banner on the Downey Block in the fifth photo in my post #534.
It says BOOKS.....perhaps it's the same company as in the above photograph but in a newer building.


Detail from post #534.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3...thousetemp.jpg
usc archive

I have an old book, Yesterday's Los Angeles (part of series covering various US cities) that includes a picture of the first HS from this same time (same young trees surrounding it)--with the first city hall off to its right. From that picture's angle, the large horizontal structure would be behind it. The same book also has a picture of the depot of LA's first railroad (apparently begun Oct 1869, to San Pedro/Wilmington), which the caption says was at Commercial and Alameda. This is a picture of the same depot:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2119/...865325ea20.jpg

The big building could be that first depot enlarged after the Southern Pacific took over the LA-San Pedro line in 1873, or another, bigger one in the same location. It seems to me that Commercial and Alameda might be the location of it given the angle of ethereal's photo.

Here is a map from 1908 of L.A.'s railroads and electrified railways.



http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/623...ngeles1908.jpg
usc archive

It shows Commercial Station on Alameda but I haven't been able to find any information or photos.



http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6...ngeles1908.jpg
usc archive


Above: The first station that caught my eye on this map was the Arcade Depot,
also on Alameda. I was able to find several photographs of this impressive structure.




http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/293...rcadedepot.gif




Below: The Arcade Depot in 1900.


http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/9...arcade1900.jpg
usc archive











http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7...rcadedepot.jpg
unknown




http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/3...cadedepot2.jpg
unknown




http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/6...onalamedas.jpg
usc archive





Below: And last but not least my favorite find.

This photo was listed under photographs showing vacant lots.
To my surprise when I enlarged it, there was the Arcade Depot in all it's glory.


http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/4...sopacificd.jpg
usc archive

This is the Arcade Southern Pacific Depot looking east on 5th Street in 1890.
Notice the 'Narcisse House' on the right.

GaylordWilshire....could the mystery building in the old high school pic be
this one.....or is the Arcade Depot too far south?

I'm thinking that the Commercial Station on this map is the one in the picture, the Arcade Depot being too far south on Alameda. The San Pedro RR station (Commercial Sta) was built in 1869; the SP took over the line and station in 1873, which I'm guessing was the main station (enlarged by the time your pic was taken) until Arcade was built in 1888. Looking at your map, I think that Poundcake Hill is too close to the first city hall (going by the other picture I have in a book showing the school with the same young trees, with city hall to the right in the distance--taken maybe from Grand and California/Sand) so I'd say that the picture you posted below is the school soon after it was moved to Ft Moore Hill in 1887. Looking at your map, I think maybe your picture was taken toward the south from Grand St or Bunker Hill Av nr Ord, so that city hall would have been behind it. (Hope this makes sense.)

Could the building in the photo be the old River Station, where the Corn Field State Historic Park is now?

There was a local news story about it about a year ago-- to read and watch the video of the news story, click here.

________________________________________________________________

And from the LAPL, here's a picture of the interior of the Arcade Depot:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics49/00074492.jpg

According to the LAPL, the Southern Pacific Railroad built the Arcade Depot in 1885 in competition against Santa Fe Railroad. It replaced the adobe house of William Wolfskill and its surrounding orange grove, the largest in Southern California. It was demolished in 1914 and replaced with the Central Station, a larger and more modern railroad passenger depot. It, too, was later demolished. I realize now that the site of the Arcade Depot is now occupied by a large warehouse-type building.

BTW, I love the 1908 map of Los Angeles, ethereal. I like looking at the now vanished street grid, before the freeways and before the destruction of Bunker Hill. It's also cool to see 10th Street denoted as such before it was renamed Olympic Blvd.