Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of a view of the Angels Flight with the cars (left of the tower), the tower (center) and surrounding buildings, including the William Ferguson building, on the corner of Third Street and Hill Street, Los Angeles, ca.1910. The surrounding buildings flank the Angels Flight transportation facility. A set of stairs (to the right of the railway car) allows people to walk up to the top of the hill instead of taking the incline railway car. A tall tower, with a platform and a booth, stands at the top of the flight. Picture file card reads: "The architect of the Ferguson building was George H. Wyman, who also designed the Bradbury building." Legible signs include: "ladies tailor", "301, Marsden Drug Co., drugs, cigars", "Common Sense Beauty Shop", "D. Curl C.S., Christian science [...]", "Dr. W.K. Chambers, dentist", "Champ Clark for president", "The Hulburt apartments", "Angels Flight, B.P.O.E.", "S. Hill St.", "Notice $100 fine, for riding, driving or propelling any vehicle faster than 8 miles per hour in this tunnel, see ordinance no. 15775", "take other walk, going west", "Vegetarian Cafeteria", "furnished rooms", "Young Woman's [...] Christian Association building", "power off", "409, The Glen Vil[la], furnished rooms", "Hotel Hillcrest", "Rose, McCoy", "sanitarium", "257, The Guiles [furnish]ed rooms, week or month, prices reasonable". "The original Angels Flight, originally known as the 'Los Angeles Incline Railway,' was built in 1901 by Col. J.W. Eddy to connect the original Downtown shopping district below with the posh residential district of Bunker Hill, with its Victorian frame houses. Then located at the corner of 3rd and Hill streets, Angels Flight was known (and is still known) as 'The World's Shortest Railway,' with its two counterbalanced passenger cars, Sinai and Olivet ascending up and descending down the hill for all Angelenos, all for a nickel. During the post-World War II era, the growth of Los Angeles boomed, and the once-upper-class area of Bunker Hill had turned into a slum. The Victorian homes were gradually razed, and those that remained were converted to boarding houses. Bunker Hill became an urban renewal project under the California Redevelopment Act, and in the late 1960s, everything was demolished to make room for office buildings and a senior citizen's condominium complex, called the Angelus Plaza. Angels Flight, however, was not demolished but dismantled, by the City, who promised to move and re-build the Los Angeles landmark 'in a couple of years.'" -- unknown author.
Type
image
Format
4 photographs : glass photonegative, photonegatives, photoprint, b&w 21 x 26 cm., 11 x 13 cm. glass plate negatives negatives (photographic) photographic prints photographs
Transportation--Rail--Street Railroads--Incline Transportation Building William Ferguson building General Subjects--Transportation--Street Railways Transportation features
Time Period
circa 1910
Place
California Los Angeles Third Street Hill Street USA
Source
5542 [Accession number] CHS-5542 [Call number] California Historical Society [Contributing entity]
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