History

126 Years Ago Today: Downtown Got Its First Electric Street Lights

By Eric Richardson — December 30, 2008

California Historical Society: TICOR/Pierce

On December 30, 1882, at roughly 7:40pm, Mayor Homer Toberman threw the switch to send current to the first two arc lights installed by the Los Angeles Electric Company. The two were 1000-candle power lamps installed on top of 150-foot poles at the intersections of Main and Commercial and 1st and Hill.

Current to power the lights came from a small generating plant built at the corner of Alameda and Banning, just north of the present-day intersection of 1st and Alameda. The plant could supply a meager 30 kilowatts. — Continued Inside...

Tradition of Pershing Square Ice Skating Over Fifty Years Old

By Eric Richardson — December 15, 2008 — 2 Comments

Los Angeles Times, 12/12/1952

While this year's Pershing Square rink is billed as the "11th Annual Downtown on Ice" the tradition of skating at the square actually dates back to 1952. In that year the Downtown Business Men's Association sponsored the first of two years of "Skating in the Park," bringing a 40 by 60-foot rink to the square.

These two first years didn't offer the Los Angeles public the chance to get out on the ice, instead offering a steady stream of performances by area skating clubs and stars. — Continued Inside...

Fifty-Five Years Ago Today: Plans for 4th Street 'Cut' Unveiled

By Eric Richardson — November 25, 2008 — 8 Comments

Eric Richardson

On November 25, 1953, city officials presented detailed plans for the viaduct-cut that would take 4th street over Figueroa and Flower and under Hope and Grand. The plan, which the Times called a "sort of roller-coaster loop over Bunker Hill," replaced a previous agreement to build a tunnel under Bunker Hill. — Continued Inside...

Thirty Years Ago Today: Jewelry Exchange Opened Amid Local Industry Boom

By Eric Richardson — November 14, 2008 — 3 Comments

Eric Richardson

Hailed as the "largest retail jewelry exchange in the world," the New York Jewelers Exchange opened on November 14, 1978. For thirty years the Exchange has occupied the ground floor and mezzanine of the Los Angeles Jewelry Center at 629 S. Hill, offering ninety booths where jewelers can cut costs by sharing rent and utilities.

The opening came at a boom time for Downtown's jewelry trade. Between 1974 and 1979, jewelry sales Downtown ballooned from $150 million to $500 million. — Continued Inside...

Wednesday: Talk Green Preservation with the National Trust's Richard Moe

By Eric Richardson — November 10, 2008

Eric Richardson

Downtown's revitalization has been built on adaptive reuse -- taking old commercial buildings and refashioning them to contain residential uses. That movement was driven largely by the availability of the buildings, but did historic revitalization also have a green outcome?

On Wednesday evening, the L.A. Conservancy will welcome National Trust President Richard Moe for a talk about historic buildings as renewable resources. We asked the Conservancy's Director of Advocacy, Mike Buhler, a few questions about what Downtowners can still learn about sustainability and reuse. — Continued Inside...

Looking at Pershing Square's History

By Eric Richardson — October 30, 2008 — 11 Comments

California Historical Society: TICOR/Pierce

The Times' Cara Mia DiMassa takes a look at the history and current condition of Pershing Square in a story for tomorrow's paper.

When looked at from above, Pershing Square resembles a kind of village, with a 125-foot, bright purple bell tower at its center and "streets" emanating from there.

But it's at ground level that the park's problems become clear. Low walls surrounding the park separate it from the busy downtown streets -- and the division isolates rather than insulates. Inside the walls, areas of the park are divided by steps, grades and other low barriers. And under a noonday sun, the glare off an expansive stretch of hardscape makes it taxing to linger anywhere -- even next to a shallow, circular pool. — Continued Inside...