Template:Street grid of landmarks in Victorian Downtown Los Angeles

This is a map of the former and current buildings located in the Victorian business district of Los Angeles around 1890-1905.

Abbreviations and notes

  • CH = Concert Hall
  • "Female boarding" was a euphemism for small rooms, "cribs", used by prostitutes.[1]
  • †(Dagger) indicates a street that no longer exists

To be read like a map:

For the area to the north, see Los Angeles Plaza Historic District


now US 101 1951⁠–⁠pres[2]

f
o
r
m
e
r

F
O
R
T

S
T.


n
o
w


B
R
O
A
D
W
A
Y

f
o
r
m
e
r

B
U
E
N
A
V
I
S
T
A

S
T.

f
o
r
m
e
r

N
E
W

H
I
G
H

S
T.

now US 101 1951⁠–⁠pres[2] S
P
R
I
N
G

S
T.

E
X
T
E
N
S
I
O
N

1
9
3
1
now US 101 Hollywood Freeway 1951⁠–⁠pres[2]


M
A
I
N

S
T
R
E
E
T

Stearns House 1835-77/
BAKER BLOCK 1875⁠–⁠1942
now US 101

Arcadia Block 1858⁠–⁠1927
now⁠ ⁠US⁠ ⁠101


L
O
S

A
N
G
E
L
E
S

S
T
R
E
E
T

Calle de los Negros
now US 101

ARCADIA STREET former route ALISO fmr. rt.
Temperance Temple 1888–1950s

now L. A. Co. Heating & Refrigeration Plant


Hall of Justice 1925⁠–⁠pres ----------

north side of Temple from Broadway to Spring St. ext.

Lafayette Hotel/
Cosmopolitan Hotel/
St. Elmo Hotel 1850s⁠–⁠?

1st Downey Block ?⁠–⁠1871
2nd Downey Block 1871⁠–⁠?
Post Office & Courthouse 1910⁠-⁠1937
Spring St. US Courthouse 1940⁠–⁠pres

Grand Central Hotel 1876⁠–⁠?

Pico Bldg/ Farmers & Merchants Bank 1867⁠–⁠1957

Bella Union/St. Charles Hotel 1835⁠–⁠1940

Ducommun Block/Security Pacific Bank

now part of Los Angeles Mall

Hellman Block 1870⁠–⁠?

now part of Los Angeles Mall


Bell Block

now US 101

Mellus Row
(Fremont HQ)

Hellman, Haas & Co

now Federal Bldg 1965, arch. Welton Becket

COMMERCIAL ST.
now part of Los Angeles Mall
COMMERCIAL

 240 N  Mascarel⁠-⁠Barri adobe 1850s[3]
Arbuckle dry goods 1850s
John Jones wholesale grocery 1850s
Farmers & Merchants Bank p1894[4]–d
U.S. Nat'l Bank p1906–d

 236 N  L. A. Savings Bank p1894[4]⁠–⁠d

 226–8 N  Commercial Bank 1870s/
1st Nat'l Bank 1880[5]–d

now part of Los Angeles Mall north block


TEMPLE STREET

 214⁠–⁠22 N  New Lanfranco Block 1888⁠–⁠d
TEMPLE STREET extended 1930

TEMPLE ST.
1930⁠–⁠pres

Hall of Records 1962⁠–⁠pres

Pound Cake Hill
lowered c.1887⁠–⁠90, leveled 1961[6]

High School 1873⁠-⁠87d/
"Red Sandstone" Courthouse 1891⁠-⁠1936d
Plaza de Justicia public space –1961 now County Courthouse 1972⁠–⁠pres

L.A. Co. Hall of Records 1911⁠-⁠73d

Jones Block c.1882/3⁠–⁠1920s
J. W. Robinson's 1886⁠–⁠1895
City of Paris 1895⁠–⁠7
now City Hall


P
R
I

TEMPLE
BLOCK

1858⁠/1871⁠
–⁠1927

N
G

former MARKET ST.

S

Clock Tower
Courthouse

1858⁠-⁠1895/

Bullard Block
1895⁠-⁠1925/

now City Hall
1928⁠-present

T
pre-
1930

now part of Los Angeles Mall south block

bldgs
N
of
Market

former REQUENA ST. former MARKET

United States Hotel 1861⁠–⁠1939
Now part of L. A. Mall south block

now City Hall East 1972⁠–⁠pres

Parker Center (former LAPD HQ)

Hotel Broadway d

Court Flight Funicular 1905⁠–⁠1943

PHILLIPS BLOCK
1887⁠–⁠1912

Hamburger's Peoples Store 1888–1908

S
P
R
I
N
G

S
T
R
E
E
T
COURT ST.
former FRANKLIN ST.

 128⁠-⁠38 N 
Jacoby Bros. DS 1879⁠–⁠1900

 100⁠-⁠10 N 
L. A. Nat'l Bank Bldg 1887–1906[7][8]
Odd Fellows Lodge p1894[9]/
Equitable Savings Bank Bldg 1906⁠-⁠20s[10]/ Now park at City Hall

 125⁠-⁠31 N 
Hall of the Amigos del País c.1844⁠-⁠47/
Dos Amigos bar c.1850/60s⁠-⁠70s/
McDonald Blk c.1876⁠-⁠?[11]

 121⁠-⁠7 N 
Jacoby Bros. DS 1879⁠–⁠1900

 101⁠-⁠11 N 
Lichtenberger Block
now park at City Hall

now part of L. A. Mall south block

German-American
Savings Bank
1894⁠–⁠1906

now part of L .A. Mall south block

Tajo Bldg 1896⁠–⁠mid⁠-⁠20th c.
now Law Library

Los
Angeles
Times

Bldg

#3, 1912⁠–⁠38
now vacant lot

Larronde Block 1892⁠-⁠c.1930/
Calif. State Bldg. 1931⁠–⁠1976
now vacant lot

FIRST ST. FIRST ST. FIRST ST. FIRST ST. FIRST ST.

 107: Old J. Serra State Office Bldg 1958⁠–⁠2006[12]

now 1st St. Courthouse
2016, entire block

#127 Mason Opera House 1902⁠-⁠56[13]

 #141⁠–⁠145
Frost (Haig M. Prince) Bldg 1898⁠–⁠1960 JP[14]

Parking structure 1960⁠–⁠97[12]

Culver Block/
now Times Mirror Sq. Pereira Bldg
1973⁠–⁠pres

128-130
Southwest Bldg 1903⁠–⁠?
Chamber of Commerce;
The Herald

Nadeau H. 1882⁠–⁠1932
now Times Mirror Sq. Kaufmann Bldg 1935⁠–⁠pres.

Wilson Block
1886⁠–⁠d

Natick House
1883⁠–⁠1950 JP

 

 #110: Grand Opera House/
Orpheum Theatre #1
[15]

 

Now Caltrans
(entire block)

Doubletree Hotel
(ex-New Otani)
1977⁠–⁠pres
Weller Court mall

1st Roeder Blk
Bryson Blk
Mueller's Blk

Now LAPD HQ
2009, entire block

#138 Hellman Bldg.
1897⁠-⁠1959
now parking garage

Bryson-Bonebrake
Block
1888
now Times Mirror Sq.
Crawford Bldg 1948⁠–⁠pres

Corfu Hotel

Burdick Blockk/
American Bank Bldg 1888-d

Newell Block

SECOND ST. SECOND ST. SECOND ST. SECOND ST. SECOND ST.


 201⁠-⁠5 
American Nat'l/California Bank 1878-1911/ 2nd Calif. Bank Bldg 1911⁠–⁠?

now Broadway Media Center

 200⁠-⁠4 
1st Presbyterian Church 1890s d[16]
Nolan, Smith & Bridge Bldg d

 206⁠-⁠10 
Gordon Bldg d
New King Hotel

 201⁠-⁠13 
Hollenbeck Block 1884⁠–⁠1933d RBY
Hollenbeck Hotel
Coulter's DS 1884⁠–⁠98



now Historic Broadway light rail station,
proposed 222 W. 2nd 30-fl. res[17]

 200–10 
Wilcox Bldg
1895⁠/⁠6⁠–⁠pres

Higgins Bldg. 1910 Little Tokyo district


 207⁠-⁠11 
YMCA Bldg 1889⁠-⁠1911/
Merchants Trust Co. Bldg. 1910⁠–⁠?
now parking lot

 213⁠-⁠223 
Potomac Block 1890⁠–⁠1953
Ville de Paris DS 1893⁠–⁠1905
Coulter's DS 1905⁠–⁠17
now parking lot

 237⁠-⁠41 
J. W. Robinson's Boston Dry Goods 1895–1915
Now church

Now parking garage.

 212⁠-⁠6 
Crocker Bldg
Victor Clothing 1926⁠–⁠1964

 218⁠-⁠24 
Temple B’nai B’rith1872/3–95⁠[18][16]
Copp Bldg 1896–pres[18]
Pig 'n Whistle

 226⁠-⁠8 
City Hall 1888⁠-⁠1928

Now parking garage.


 240⁠-⁠6 
Hosfield Bldg 1914–pres
City Hall North
Natatorium
Victor Clothing 1964⁠–⁠2001

Now parking garage.

 225⁠-⁠235 
Perry Bldg

 227 
1st Los Angeles Theatre/
2nd Orpheum Theatre/
Lyceum Theatre
1888–1941[19]

 229 
Turnverein (Lyceum) Hall 1894⁠–⁠1950s

 243⁠-⁠7 
Woollacott Bldg

Now parking garage.

 212–8 
Wilcox Annex

 220–8 
Stowell Block p1894[9]
L. A. Athletic Club p1894[9]
German Bldg p1906

 230–4 
Workman Block p1894[9]

 251 
1924⁠–⁠40: Arrow Th.
1940⁠–⁠5: Aztec Th.
1945⁠–⁠80: Linda Lea Th.
2007⁠–⁠8: Imaginasian Th.
2008⁠–⁠20: Downtown Independent th.

 214 
St. Vibiana Bldg 1876–pres
cathedral 1876–1994
now culinary event center[20]

 249⁠–⁠59 
Irvine Byrne Block, now Pan American Lofts 1895⁠–⁠pres

 248⁠-⁠62 
Rindge Bldg c.1901⁠–⁠pres

Metropolitan Barber Shop[21]

 249⁠-⁠257 
Douglas Bldg 1897⁠–⁠pres

 250⁠-⁠60 
Stimson Bldg 1893⁠–⁠1963

Now misc. retail Now parking garage.
THIRD ST. THIRD ST. THIRD ST. THIRD ST. THIRD ST.
Hotel Ramona (?-1903)/[22]
Million Dollar Theatre 1917⁠-⁠pres
Bradbury Building 1893⁠–⁠pres Washington Bldg. 1912

Lankershim Bldg.
1897⁠–⁠1959d, Robert Brown Young
Now Reagan Bldg.

Wesley Roberts Bldg.
Now Reagan Bldg.
Now parking lot.
For the area to the south, see Historic Core
  1. ^ Hadley Meares, "Hell’s Half Acre: In the old red light district of Los Angeles, women worked in squalor while pimps and landlords grew rich", Curbed L.A., November 17, 2017
  2. ^ a b c "December 20: This Date in Los Angeles Transportation History". Metro's Primary Resources. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  3. ^ Newmark, Harris (1953). Newmark, Marco; Newmark, Maurice (eds.). Sixty years in Southern California, 1853-1913, containing the reminiscences of Harris Newmark (PDF). p. 67. Retrieved 8 November 2024. In the one-story adobe of Mascarel and Barri, on the corner of Commercial and Main streets, now the site of the United States National Bank, an Irishman named Samuel G. Arbuckle, who had come here in 1850 and was associated for a short time with S. Lazard, conducted a dry goods store. From 1852 to 1856, Arbuckle was City Treasurer. In the same building, and adjoining Arbuckle's, John Jones, father of Mrs. J. B. Lankershim and M. G. Jones, carried on a wholesale grocery business.
  4. ^ a b Block 21, Sanborn Fire Map of Los Angeles, 1894
  5. ^ "Main Street", Calisphere
  6. ^ "Plaza Leveling (photo)". Los Angeles Times. Newspapers.com. 26 June 1961. p. 37 (part 3, page 1).
  7. ^ Costello, Julia G.; Friedman, Paul D. (September 1980). "IV". Phase 2, Archeological Resources Survey, Downtown People Mover Program (PDF). Los Angeles: Science Applications, Inc., for the Community Redevelopment Agency, City of Los Angeles. p. 91. Retrieved 8 November 2024. At the northeast corner of First and Spring stood the Los Angeles First National Bank Building in 1887. This three story brick building, with a basement…
  8. ^ "Los Angeles National Bank, view 1". Calisphere. 1890. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Los Angeles (1894) vol. 1, Plate 10, Image 21". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. 1894. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Equitable Savings Bank construction". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  11. ^ "McDonald Building #1, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA". PCAD. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Junípero Serra State Office Building #1", Pacific Coast Architecture Database
  13. ^ "Mason Opera House", Pacific Coast Architecture Database"
  14. ^ "2nd Street and Broadway", Huntington Digital Library
  15. ^ " Audience at the Orpheum Theater", Los Angeles Public Library
  16. ^ a b "Plate 8, Image 19 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California". Library of Congress. 1894. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  17. ^ "222 W. 2nd", Curbed LA
  18. ^ a b Stewart, Robert W. (21 January 1988). "Builders Dig Up a Piece of L.A.'s Jewish History". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  19. ^ "Orpheum Theatre", Cinema Treasures
  20. ^ "Vibiana Homepage". Vibiana event center. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Metropolitan Barber Shop" in "A visit to old Los Angeles"
  22. ^ "Hotel Ramona", Pacific Coast Architecture Database