City of London (Los Angeles)

This article is about the district that served as the central commercial hub in the 1880s and 1890s. For the neighborhoods renowned for Victorian architecture, see Angelino Heights, Los Angeles and Bunker Hill, Los Angeles.

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Illustration from 1894 by Bruce Wellington Pierce: segment spanning from Third Street (lower left) to Plaza (upper right). The Red Sandstone Courthouse with its distinctive clocktower stands out centrally. To the upper right is Los Angeles High School located on Fort Moore Hill.

In 1880, the Downtown area of Los Angeles during the late-Victorian-era was concentrated around the southern edge of the Los Angeles Plaza. Over the following twenty years, this district expanded southward and westward along Main Street, Spring Street, and Broadway reaching as far as Third Street. The majority of structures from the 19th century have since vanished, with only a few remaining near the Plaza or just south of Second Street. The rest were cleared to establish the Civic Center area, incorporating City Hall, multiple courthouses, and various government buildings at municipal, county, state, and federal levels, alongside Times Mirror Square. This entry focuses on the zone bounded by the Plaza, 3rd Street, Los Angeles Street, and Broadway from 1880 until its demolition phase between the 1920s and 1950s.

During the period between 1880 and the early 1900s, this locale was commonly known as the business center, business section, or business district. By 1910, it had become identified as the "North End" of the expanding business district, which had extended southward to what is now recognized as the Historic Core, covering Broadway, Spring, and Main Streets approximately from 3rd to 9th streets.

Location

Baist's 1910 map depicting the neighborhood. Highlighted in blue are subsequent modifications to Spring and Temple streets, the present route of US-101, and most of the major existing structures.

By the latter part of the 1890s, the intersection of First and Spring streets had become the focal point of the commercial district; notably, the Bradbury Building, which opened in 1893 at Third and Broadway, remains intact today. By 1910, areas north of Fourth Street were identified as the "North End" of the business district. At this time, concerns emerged regarding its decline as commercial activity shifted toward what is now called the Historic Core, spanning from Third to Ninth streets.

Map

This map illustrates the street layout as it existed in 1910 and marks in blue three significant roadway realignments implemented between the 1920s and 1950s:

• The adjustment of Spring Street north of First Street to run parallel with Main Street
• The eastward extension of Temple Street beyond Main Street
• The development of the US-101 Freeway along with its adjacent service roads, named Arcadia and Aliso streets, though these do not exactly follow the original locations of the former Arcadia and Aliso streets

Overview of the area

A panoramic photograph by William Henry Jackson circa 1900-1902 showing the Los Angeles business district. The scene extends from the Bullard Block just south of Temple and Spring (bottom left) to the Burdick Block at Second and Spring streets (right). Visible behind are sections of Main Street and Los Angeles Street. The majority of these buildings have since been demolished. Presently, approximately half of this area comprises City Hall and its surrounding grounds, while most remaining space is occupied by structures within the Civic Center district.

Transportation

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  Lithograph portraying the Baker Block with a horse-drawn streetcar, circa 1890
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  Cable car from the Temple Street Cable Railway in 1890 at Fort (Broadway) and Temple streets looking northwest
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  "Red car" operated by Pacific Electric
• An electric streetcar from Los Angeles Railway, 1891
  An electric streetcar from Los Angeles Railway, 1891
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  Electric streetcar on Main Street & Agricultural Park line, circa 1896
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  Electric streetcar operated by Los Angeles Railway, around 1900–1910

Horsecars (1874–1897)

The inception of horse-drawn streetcars in Los Angeles began with the Spring and Sixth Street Railroad in 1874. By 1897, the remaining horsecar lines were fully converted to electric streetcar operations.

Cable cars (1885–1902)

Main article: Cable cars in Los Angeles

The introduction of cable car railways commenced in 1885, initially climbing Bunker Hill. Between 1885 and 1902, three separate companies managed cable car services until electrification replaced these lines with electric streetcars that largely followed the original cable routes. Approximately 25 miles of track connected the intersection of 1st and Main in what was then the Los Angeles Central Business District to neighborhoods now known as Lincoln Heights, Echo Park/Filipinotown, and the Pico-Union area.

Electric streetcar systems (1887–1963)

Starting in 1887 with the Los Angeles Electric Railway, numerous electrically powered streetcar systems operated throughout the city before consolidating into two principal networks:

• In 1901, Henry Huntington acquired several electric streetcar companies primarily serving the City of Los Angeles—excluding regions such as the San Fernando Valley, Harbor area, and Westside—and merged them into the Los Angeles Railway, known for its distinctive "yellow cars."
• The following year, in 1902, Huntington partnered with banker Isaias W. Hellman to create the Pacific Electric Railway. This enterprise expanded by acquiring additional railways to provide interurban transit connecting surrounding communities within what is now Greater Los Angeles (covering Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties), supporting emerging suburban developments. The Pacific Electric Building, featuring an underground station, was inaugurated in 1905 at 6th and Main Street.

Funiculars

Angel's Flight and Court Flight were funicular railways that operated along Broadway ascending Bunker Hill.

Railroad depots

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  Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad Depot at the southwest corner of Alameda and Commercial streets circa 1880
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  Los Angeles and Independence Railroad Depot located at 5th & San Pedro streets around 1875
• Southern Pacific Railroad's Arcade Depot, situated on Alameda Street between 5th and 6th streets, circa late 19th century
  Southern Pacific Railroad's Arcade Depot, situated on Alameda Street between 5th and 6th streets, circa late 19th century
• Central Station of the Southern Pacific Railroad, at Central & 5th streets around 1918
  Central Station of the Southern Pacific Railroad, at Central & 5th streets around 1918
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  La Grande Station belonging to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, located at Santa Fe and 2nd streets circa early 20th century

• The Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad Depot stood at the southwest corner of Alameda and Commercial streets.
• The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad Depot was positioned at San Pedro and 5th streets on the southeast edge of the business district.
• The Southern Pacific Railroad's Arcade Depot, opened in 1888 along Alameda Street between 5th and 6th streets, ceased operations in 1914.
• The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway operated out of La Grande Station, located at Santa Fe Avenue and 2nd Street east of downtown; it opened in 1893 and closed by 1939.
• The Southern Pacific Railroad's Central Station was situated at Central Avenue and 5th Street southeast of downtown; it opened in 1914. The Union Pacific Railroad began service there in 1924 before it was decommissioned in 1939.
• In 1939, Union Station commenced operations as a replacement for both Central Station and La Grande Station.

Related topics

• Sonoratown, Los Angeles
• Old Chinatown, Los Angeles

Additional resources

• Collection of photographs from Los Angeles in the 1880s and 1890s at Calisphere (University of California’s multi-library photo archive)
• Blog on Los Angeles Theatres featuring extensive details about cinemas, surrounding streets, and adjacent structures
• "Early cityscapes of Los Angeles," Water and Power Associates
• "Exploring Old Los Angeles," supported by CSULB
• Victorian-era Downtown Los Angeles (blog)