Up on Bunker Hill stands the ornate victorian Crocker Mansion, built in 1886. Next to it, in 1901, another old L.A. landmark would be constructed: the Angels Flight funicular railway.
Back in 1961, my mom took me on one of the last Pacific Electric trolley runs down to Long Beach – a train ride exactly like the one depicted in this film. Although I was only 6 at the time, I still have some very clear memories of that day-trip, half-a-century ago. Looking back now, I realize that this was my first-ever excursion into Los Angeles past.
One morning at breakfast (I think it was actually a school day), Mom just told me out-of-the-blue that we were going Downtown to ride the last of the street cars. She wanted me to experience something that was an important part of her daily life when she was young; something that was now about to vanish into history.
Before we rode the Red Car, though, we went to Angels Flight. That was the first of the two times I got to ride it, and it was a big thrill. Afterward, we stood at a busy street corner for awhile – it was probably Third and Hill – waiting for a bus to take us to the PE station. I'll never forget the NOISE of that intersection; how LOUD the general hustle-and-bustle of the city was. It was nothing like out in the suburbs. I was especially impressed by the electric arcs and sparks that shot out from the trolleys' contact with the overhead wires. Snap! Crackle! Pop!
The Red Car ride to Long Beach was actually pretty boring for a fidgety 6-year-old, despite it being my first time ever on an inter-urban train. I do remember the car was filled to capacity. I guess nostalgia was thick among the passengers, as there was little talking. Mostly just the sound of the train wheels going clickity-clack, clickity-clack, all along the rail road track.
When we got to Long Beach, Mom took me to an immense old cafeteria downtown. The ceiling seemed like it was two stories high. It was crowded and noisy, and kind of dark inside, even though it was mid-day. I can't recall the name of the big cafeteria, but I think my mom probably went there a lot when she had relatives living in Long Beach in the '40s.
I don't remember the ride back at all. Likely I slept all the way. But overall, it was a very memorable day! I think Mom would be surprised how much I remember. At the time, she probably concluded that the experience was wasted on a little child like me, but it turned out it wasn't at all. I really wish I could tell her now how much it meant to me, and thank her accordingly.
I'm really struck by how ancient and worn this film looks. Knowing I was on one of those trains, well, it makes ME feel old, too. I have to say, though, that I am in much better shape after 50 years than this footage is! That's at least some consolation for a man my age. :-)
A panoramic postcard view of Downtown Los Angeles from atop the observation deck of Angels Flight, just over 100 years ago.
Click image for a nice 2592x503 enlargement.
I believe this photo can be dated fairly precisely to late summer 1910, as the second Los Angeles Times Building has not yet been bombed, and the Hall Of Records behind it is in the earliest stage of its construction. Quite a remarkable view, in my layman's opinion!
During my recent trip to Los Angeles, I got to ride Angels Flight again for the first time in 49 years.
All aboard!
Viewed from Hill Street, Angels Flight today looks frankly anachronistic and out of place. Two California Plaza (1992) truly towers over the 1901 landmark.
The vista looking southeast from atop Angels Flight, however, looks much as it might have 50 or more years ago. (The view today is actually better than it was in the old days.)
Photo by J Scott Shannon.
Sinai, ascending...
Photo by J Scott Shannon.
Photo by J Scott Shannon.
Angels Flight from Hill Street, 1910. What a difference a century makes!
I'm not quite done with the special project I've been working on of late, but I just got this old postcard and I can't wait to do a quick "Then & Now" with it.
As usual, I can't be absolutely certain about the date of this photo, but I'm thinking it's probably around 1962. The buildings around Angels Flight have been razed by this time, but The Dome is still alive and well at the corner of Second and Grand (upper right), so I think this is a good ballpark guess.
Taken by me from the observation deck of City Hall during my visit on July 10, 2009. I have to say – when I first saw that block-square open pit at First and Broadway, I had mixed feelings about it, but now that I see the building that was there before (The California State Office Building?), I have to say the current open space is a significant improvement.
It's interesting to me to think that the old photo is from a time that is actually within my living memory. This Then & Now comparison illustrates pretty much exactly the extent to which downtown Los Angeles has changed in the short space of my own lifetime...
I know it's regarded as historical canon these days that the name "Angels Flight" is not supposed to contain any apostrophes. Being the fan of heterodoxy that I am, however, I would like to ask someone/anyone to produce documentary proof for this lack of possessive punctuation. I wish to see conclusive evidence that the original name of our world famous funicular railway is, in reality, what modern experts on the subject say it is.
Photo by J Scott Shannon.
The main reason I have my doubts about this is that, back in the '00s, '10s and '20s, when there were lots of people around who should know the correct, original spelling, the appellation is apostrophized more often than not; as either "Angel's" or "Angels'." It seems to me that the apostrophized spelling only fell out of favor after the 1920s, when the The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks erected the massive filigreed archway that today is the landmark's signature. There is no apostrophe to be found on this monument. But should there be, in actual fact? I do wonder...
So, can someone maybe produce, say, a copy of the architect's/builder's original plans that would prove their intent to either apostrophize or not apostrophize the railway's name? Or perhaps there was an official program printed for the dedication of the railway in 1901 that would settle this spelling question once and for all. Even a good, close-up photo of the original archway should do.
Until I see proof one way or another, I will continue to abstain from using apostrophes when I spell "Angels Flight," but I remain quite curious about just exactly how the name should properly be punctuated....or not, as the case may be.
For at least 25 years after Angels Flight opened, there was an observation tower adjacent to the incline railway from which one could take in a breathtaking overlook of downtown Los Angeles. Here's a commonly-seen view of Angels Flight from the bottom. (Please pardon the spelling!)
And the much more rarely-seen view from the top of the observation tower.
It's a rather dizzying sight, isn't it? We're even higher up here than Bunker Hill itself! What a teeming multitude is below. Judging by the shadows and the crowd, it looks like it's noontime on a high summer's workday, and yearwise, you can tell we're still in the "aughts" here as indicated by the scarcity of automobiles. It's almost all foot- and trolley-traffic down there.
Here's another view from the top of the tower. This one dates closer to the 1901 opening of Angels Flight, though...
