Still Chasing Garages

By Eric Richardson
Published: Friday, June 16, 2006, at 12:51PM

Old May Company Garage Eric Richardson [Flickr]

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I’m still hunting details to definitively answer the question: What is Downtown’s oldest surviving free-standing parking garage?

I keep finding more information, but keep just coming up with more questions.

For instance, the other day a photo from the LAPL Archives let me say for certain that the Hotel Clark garage is no longer standing. But yet another shot of that corner gave me that the garage that is standing at 4th/Olive – the one tucked into the Subway Terminal Building – was formerly the “Savoy Garage”. An article from 1924 mentions “Tom O’Connor of the Savoy Garage”, so does that mean this garage was standing in that year?

That’s a tough question. Savoy Auto Parks & Garages eventually owned a number of garages Downtown, so I can’t say for sure when they built or purchased the garage at 4th & Olive. For instance, in 1925 I have record of them leasing out an “auto park” in the 900 block of Broadway. And in 1921 a classified ad ran in the “Autos Wanted” column that read:

WANTED-60 buyers and 60 sellers to meet every Sunday all day at the Savoy Auto Park, 6th and Grand. $25 commission for every car sale. See ANDREW

So apparently they had a location there as well.

Also still unknown: when was the garage at 719 S. Main built?

Pictured is the Old May Company Garage at 9th/Hill.



Comments

1
Bill Lopez writes:

I have an interesting photo that I am trying to research - its a picture of the aftermath of a fire, the photo is labeled “after the fire, anual auto show March 1924”

What might be of interest is that from the photo I can pick out the olympic auditorium, and accross the street on Grand there is a sign that says Savoy Auto Park.

Does anyone still watch this blog?

# on Oct.27.2007 AT 08:32 PM
2
Eric Richardson writes:

Bill: I’ll send you an email, but I’d certainly be interested in seeing that shot. I’m always up for old Downtown photos.

# on Oct.27.2007 AT 11:40 PM
3
Bill Mills writes:

05 April 2008, for Eric about Savoy Auto Parking. I found one at Main and Navy Streets in Venice, California in 1941. It was on the southside of Main. Could this be the “719 S. Main”? If it’s not, do you know of a Savoy in either Venice or Ocean Park, California? thanks, bill

# on Apr.05.2008 AT 11:08 AM

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