Leopold H. Harris opened his first haberdashery in the Plaza area of Los Angeles in 1856 before partnering with Herman W. Frank. In 1925 Harris & Frank moved into its handsome new building at 635-639 S. Hill St. In 1926 the pioneer retailer was to an eastern syndicate. Continue reading
His birth in Castellaneta, Italy in 1895 may have gone unremarked upon. But movie idol Rudolph Valentino’s death, 89 years ago today, on August 23, 1926 at age 31 devastated his millions of brokenhearted fans and many Hollywood friends, and left behind a string of lovers, ex-lovers, and debts. Continue reading
Henry Ford introduced his model T passenger car, in 1908 the same year that 26-year old Walter Dix Dunham arrived in Los Angeles. In 1916 Dunham became one of the first Authorized Ford dealers. In the fall of 1925 he moved to a new larger home where the Angel City got its first look at the new and improved 1926 model T in colors other than black. Dunham sold the first one to a local dance hall operator who paid for it in pennies. Continue reading
Depending on when you arrived in Los Angeles in 1926, the main branch of the public library would be found in one of two locations: in rented quarters in the Metropolitan Building at Fifth & Broadway until July, then in the spectacular new library we know today. Continue reading
In the increasingly fast-paced and chaotic world of the 1920s, The Victor Hugo restaurant in downtown Los Angeles was a refuge, free from modern distractions like jazz and sleek chrome and glass décor, harkening back to a simpler time- the French Revolution. Continue reading
I spotted a postcard similar to the one above with the description: “Los Angeles Baseball Park/Wrigley Field? Mistake?” It was no mistake. L.A. did indeed have its own Wrigley Field. In fact, it was the first ballpark to use that name. Continue reading
Newcomers to Los Angeles in 1926 might have wondered why the letter carved in the terra cotta corbels around the May Company’s entrance looked more like an “H” than an “M.” Residents who had been around longer were still getting used to calling the big white department store at Eighth & Broadway “The May Company” instead of “Hamburger’s.” Continue reading
This structure on the northwest corner of First & Broadway. was the home of the Los Angeles Times newspaper in 1926. Continue reading
She was a media celebrity, founder of her own church, author and pioneer radio evangelist. But an incident that occurred in the summer of 1926 overshadowed all of her other accomplishments and kept Los Angeles in the national headlines for months- but not the kind city boosters hoped for. Continue reading
It didn’t have a flashing rooftop sign. In fact it didn’t have a sign at all. The distinctive Beaux Arts/Spanish-Italian Renaissance building by architects Schultz & Weaver spoke for itself- and it said: “Hello, East coast- Los Angeles has arrived!” Continue reading
J. H. Graham 