Frank, Grey & Co.

Downtown Los Angeles Business District (1880–1950s)

Company type	Historic district
Industry	Commercial business district
Founded	1880
Defunct	1950s (demolition phase)
Fate	Demolished and redeveloped into Civic Center and Historic Core
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Area served	Downtown Los Angeles, California

This article is about the district that served as the main commercial hub in the 1880s and 1890s. For the neighborhoods known for Victorian-style homes, see Angelino Heights, Los Angeles and Bunker Hill, Los Angeles.

Illustration from 1894 by Bruce Wellington Pierce showing the area from Third Street (bottom left) to the Plaza (top right). The Red Sandstone Courthouse with its clock tower dominates the center. At the upper right is Los Angeles High School situated on Fort Moore Hill.

During the late Victorian-era, around 1880, Downtown Los Angeles was primarily concentrated at the southern edge of the Los Angeles Plaza. Over the following twenty years, this commercial core 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 been lost, with remnants preserved mainly within the Plaza vicinity or just south of Second Street. Most other buildings were cleared to establish the Civic Center area, which now hosts City Hall, multiple courthouses, and a range of municipal, county, state, and federal offices, in addition to Times Mirror Square. This article focuses on that specific zone—bounded by the Plaza, Third Street, Los Angeles Street, and Broadway—during the years 1880 up until its demolition phase spanning from the 1920s through the 1950s.

Between 1880 and the early 1900s, this locale was commonly identified as the business center, business section, or business district. By 1910, it had become known as the "North End" of a business district that had extended further south into what is currently recognized as the Historic Core, encompassing Broadway, Spring, and Main Streets roughly between Third and Ninth Streets.

Location

Baist's 1910 map illustrating the district. Highlighted in blue are subsequent modifications to Spring and Temple streets, the current route of US-101, along with many of the major buildings that remain today.

During the mid-1890s, the intersection of First and Spring streets served as the core of the commercial district; the Bradbury Building, which opened in 1893 at Third and Broadway, still stands today. By 1910, the business district’s northern boundary was recognized as being north of Fourth Street, often referred to as the "North End." At this time, concerns were already emerging about its decline, as commercial activity shifted toward what is now identified as the Historic Core, spanning from Third to Ninth streets.

Map

This map depicts the street layout as it appeared in 1910 and marks with blue three significant road realignments implemented between the 1920s and 1950s:

• The northward realignment of Spring Street above First Street to run parallel alongside Main Street
• The eastward extension of Temple Street beyond Main Street
• The establishment of the US-101 Freeway along with its accompanying service roads named Arcadia and Aliso streets, though these do not precisely match the original locations of the former Arcadia and Aliso streets

Overview of the area

A panoramic photograph by William Henry Jackson capturing Los Angeles’ business district circa 1900-1902. The view extends from the Bullard Block just south of Temple and Spring streets (bottom left) to the Burdick Block at Second and Spring streets (right). Parts of Main Street and Los Angeles Street are visible in the background. Most structures seen here have since been demolished. Presently, roughly half this area is occupied by City Hall and its grounds, while much of the remainder comprises buildings within the Civic Center district.

Transportation

• 
  An 1880 lithograph depicting the Baker Block alongside a horse-drawn streetcar circa 1890
• 
  A cable car operated by the Temple Street Cable Railway in 1890 at Fort (Broadway) and Temple streets, facing northwest
• 
  "Red car" from Pacific Electric
• 
  Electric streetcar belonging to Los Angeles Railway, dated 1891
• 
  Electric streetcar from Main Street & Agricultural Park Railroad around 1896
• 
  A Los Angeles Railway electric trolley car circa early 1900s

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 final horsecar lines had been converted to electric streetcars.

Cable cars (1885–1902)

Main article: Cable cars in Los Angeles

The introduction of cable car railways took place on Bunker Hill in 1885. Throughout the period until 1902, three different companies operated these lines. Eventually, these cable car routes were replaced by electric streetcars following electrification of the system. The network covered approximately 25 miles, linking the intersection of 1st and Main streets in the Los Angeles Central Business District with 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 lines emerged, which over time were consolidated into two major systems:

• In 1901, Henry Huntington acquired several electric streetcar companies primarily serving the City of Los Angeles proper (excluding the San Fernando Valley, Harbor region, and Westside). He merged these into the Los Angeles Railway, known for its distinctive "yellow cars."
• The following year, Huntington partnered with banker Isaias W. Hellman to establish the Pacific Electric Railway. This company expanded by acquiring additional railroads and provided extensive interurban service connecting surrounding towns across what is present-day Greater Los Angeles—including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties—as well as new suburban developments. The Pacific Electric Building, featuring an underground station, opened at 6th and Main Street in 1905.

Funiculars

The funicular railway systems Angel's Flight and Court Flight operated routes ascending from Broadway to the summit of Bunker Hill.

Railroad depots

• 
  Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad Depot located at the southwest corner of Alameda and Commercial streets, circa 1880
• 
  Los Angeles and Independence Railroad Depot 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
• 
  Central Station of the Southern Pacific Railroad, located at Central and 5th streets around 1918
• 
  La Grande Station of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, positioned at Santa Fe and 2nd streets circa 1915

• The Los Angeles & San Pedro Railroad Depot was located at the southwest corner of Alameda and Commercial streets.
• The Los Angeles and Independence Railroad Depot stood at San Pedro and 5th streets on the southeastern edge of the business district.
• The Arcade Depot served the Southern Pacific Railroad on Alameda Street between 5th and 6th streets; it opened in 1888 and closed in 1914.
• La Grande Station, belonging to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, was situated at Santa Fe Avenue and 2nd Street east of downtown; it opened in 1893 and ceased operations in 1939.
• Central Station, operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad, was located 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 abandoned in 1939.
• Union Station commenced operations in 1939 as a replacement for both Central Station and La Grande Station.

Related articles

• Sonoratown, Los Angeles
• Old Chinatown, Los Angeles

Additional resources

• Visual archives of Los Angeles from the 1880s and 1890s at Calisphere (University of California's photo collection spanning several libraries)
• Los Angeles Theatres (a blog offering comprehensive details about historic cinemas in Los Angeles, including streetscapes and adjacent buildings)
• "Historical city views of early Los Angeles", Water and Power Associates
• "Exploring Old Los Angeles", supported by CSULB
• Victorian Downtown Los Angeles (blog)