Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson
I happened to be looking at a photograph the other day (which we've seen here) which showed, among other things, the scattered remains of the Fremont Hotel including the front stairs, a curved affair of some beauty. As thought trains go, what followed was not surprising. I thought for a few minutes about how many times we've seen the Fremont, talked about it, measured other buildings from it, oriented the point-of-view by it, estimated the date of an image by it's appearance. It now seemed especially sad to contemplate this largely vacant lot even though, I'm sure, the useful life of the Fremont had come to an end. In some small way, it was similar to the feeling of having to put down a long-time pet when the deteriorating quality of their life demands it. An essentially bitter moment in an otherwise sweet association. But nonetheless, seeing those stairs brought to mind the thousands of feet that had trod them, going in or coming out of the Fremont. And then it occurred to me, a question that has always haunted me is where did the people go? Where did they end up, the people who were forced off of Bunker Hill? Or was the Bunker Hill diaspora sufficiently gradual as to allow them to simply be swallowed piecemeal by the city? Or did they find themselves in common eddies, arriving in cheap hotels, retirement homes or County Hospital in waves, a cohort of the disenfranchised. Has anyone ever published a study of this largely involuntary emigration. It seems like a worthy thing to know about.
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I've been meaning to post this article for a while now - I'm taking your post as a sign to stop being lazy about it.
LA Times
Article is dated Feb. 4, 1962.
So, what came of Mrs. Biby's new place at 2818 W. Temple?
GSV
Seems to have absorbed into the high school next door. The driveway and steps certainly do look like they once led up to a residential building of some sort.
And Mrs. Hillman at 740 S. Hartford?
GSV
Still hanging on, looking not unlike some of the old homes on Bunker Hill.
Ms. Vidette moved in across the street to 735 S. Hartford:
Looks like it's been remodeled a bit and incorporated into a contemporary structure next door.
Mr. Sosa went to Aliso Village, though the article didn't specify where.
LAPL
Helene Schleicher moved to 1426 S. Malvern:
A bit remodeled now but not in bad shape at all.
And as for Noah Marker, the landlord who could afford to move to swankier digs? 918 E. Chevy Chase (addressed as 916 - I think 918 is a separate building at the rear of the property):
GSV
I find some irony in the fact that at least two of the people mentioned in this article (Mrs. Hillman & Ms. Vidette) moved to places that really don't seem to be much different than apartment buildings (and mansions cut up into apartment buildings) that you would have found on Bunker Hill. I'd be willing to bet that Mrs. Biby's place on Temple was not much different, either. Their new homes were just sitting on less valuable land, I suppose.
