Main Street south from Republic Street, 1939:
Today:
A vanished city lives again...
Monday, November 9, 2009
The old and the new
Tags:
civic center,
main street,
then and now
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8 comments:
While googling historic Los Angeles photos, I came across your site. What a sweet pleasure this is! Do you also have a Twitter?
@SaraLime: Actually, yes, I do have a 'losangelespast' Twitter account! I haven't put it to use yet, though. I really should. I think it might be fun!
Great to know! Im a follower now! Look forward to you tweeting about a new blog post!!
So instead of the St. Peter's-inspired office complex in the 1940 civic center plan, we have on this site...a parking lot? Also, I noticed that the Google map shows a "La Golondrina" cafe on Olvera--I'd like to think that it could be the same cafe (more or less--it's down to one swallow from multiple) as the "Las Golondrinas Cafe" in the 1939 picture.... Maybe?
Visited Olvera street today. You inspired me! Took a tour around DTLA as well. On twitter, you have new followers as well. People are retweeting your blog photos! You've created a monster in young Los Angelinos that want to know more about our spot!
@Duncan: I'd be willing to wager a few bits that the 1939 Golondrinas Cafe is a direct forbear to the present Olvera Street restaurant. Good eye spotting that, Duncan!
I may have to cheat on Philippe's the next time I'm downtown and check out La Golondrina... although it's hard to imagine a better place than Philippe's to feel as though you're in old LA. I enjoy it during the day, with the office workers--but in the evening, people right out of the pictures you give us here turn up--Bunker Hill ca. 1950 must still exist somewhere in LA. Old ladies with wigs askew, race-track touts etc-- now I know where the colorful characters of Times Square went after that NY neighborhood went Disney. Ironic, isn't it? Times Square is Disneyfied, and there are parts of LA that seem more like TS did when I moved to NY in 1979.
@Duncan: Another reason you might want to check out La Golondrina is that it is located in the Pelanconi House (1855-1857): the oldest house made of brick still standing in Los Angeles.
http://wikimapia.org/6406392/Pelanconi-House-La-Golondrina-Cafe
It is also said to be the oldest Mexican restaurant in L.A.
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