The folks gathered in this 1915 photograph were passengers on the LA Pacific Railway’s 8-hour “Balloon Route” which covered 101 miles for $1. One stop was at the Old Soldier’s Home in Sawtelle—maybe for its expansive patio, perfect for a group photo souvenir of the day’s outing.

I was recently lucky enough to attend a lecture put on by the Art Deco Society of LA in the space what was once home to Oviatt's haberdashery, a jewel in LA's Art Deco crown. And guess what? I took some pictures!

Actress (and Hearst paramour) Marion Davies founded and funded this children’s clinic in the late 1920s by buying a full city block in Sawtelle and building this sprawling Spanish Colonial facility which served low-income kids from the surrounding neighborhoods. ("now" photo October 2025.)

May 9, 1901 would have been a big day for Sawtelle, south of the Westwood in LA when the local citizens welcomed President William McKinley to their area. This photo was taken at the intersection of Sawtelle & Santa Monica Blvds where I assume McKinley arrived on that streetcar.

The neon-lit tower of the Warner Bros. Theatre, 9404 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills must have been striking in person. This cinema opened May 19, 1931 with a George Arliss picture called “The Millionaire" and the hyped-up slogan — “Show world’s most brilliant opening tonight." ("now" photo Aug 2022)

There is so much detail to see in this 1961 photograph of Disneyland, that at first glance, I completely missed the LA Airways helicopter. LA Airways started as a helicopter mail service Oct 1947. They added passenger services Nov 1954, including a LAX-to-Disneyland service.

On the night of Feb 13, 1983 the Lasky-DeMille Barn (where Cecil B. DeMille shot “The Squaw Man,” the first feature-length film filmed entirely in Hollywood) was moved from near the Capital Records building to opposite the Hollywood Bowl where it is home to Hollywood Heritage. (now photo Sept 2025)

Very few photos taken during premieres at Grauman’s Chinese show us what’s happening on the south side of Hollywood Blvd. This one was taken on August 15, 1939, the night of the premiere of “The Wizard of Oz.” Look at the massive crowds sitting in bleachers on the south side. ("now" photo July 2024)

My new book is currently neighbors with "A Gentleman in Moscow" on the Amazon "Best Sellers in U.S. Historical Fiction" list, which mean Ludlow Sinclair is keeping very good company, if you ask me.

This April 28, 1939 photo at the Universal City Club annual dinner dance gives us an idea of the vastness of the Biltmore Bowl nightclub at the Biltmore Hotel. when it opened in the late 1920s it was called the Sala de Oro, which means “Room of Gold” and was quite lavish.

The final chapter of 1939 Hollywood has arrived! Ludlow Sinclair's secrets come to light as "Gone with the Wind" races toward its premiere and Luddie must outwit dangerous forces in a town built on illusion. All the links on my website: wp.me/pgZAgz-cPe

This photo's caption describes it as being taken on a newly opened stretch of the San Diego Freeway in 1958. I have to wonder if “newly opened” actually meant “opened 3½ minutes ago” because there are only four vehicles in sight!

Actress Sally O’Neil helps prepare a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer #MGM float for participation in a Shriner's parade on the MGM lot, #CulverCity. The fact that MGM would build a float for a Shriner's parade indicates how big of a deal it was back in the 1930s.

Herbert’s Drive-in restaurant on the southeast corner of Fairfax Ave and Beverly Blvd. I have no date but I believe Herbert's came down early 50s to make way for CBS TV City. In the background, we can see Gilmore Field baseball park, home to the Hollywood Stars (1939 to 1957.) ("now" photo Dec 2023)

This is a photo I took of a photo during a tour of CBS Television City at Fairfax & Beverly of the circa 1950s viewing room. It’s hard to imagine TV executives sitting around watching a new show on such a small screen. But it’s only small to us, but for them was normal.

Don’t you pity every single one of these motorists as they crawled along the Pasadena Freeway past #DTLA in 1958? It’s little wonder Disney lampooned this sort of thing in Goofy shorts like “Motor Mania” (1950). I wonder how long it took these poor drivers to get home that night.

Looking north toward RKO Hillstreet Theatre at 801 S. Hill St #DLTA. This photo was taken in 1939, when the studio was having a banner year, with “Gunga Din”, “Love Affair”, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Then again, in 1939, all the studios were having a banner year.

This Van de Kamp's at Fletcher Dr. and San Fernando Rd, Atwater had it all: bakery, coffee shop, and drive-in, along with signs for Knudsen's buttermilk cottage cheese, Carnation ice cream, and fried chicken. A circa 1945 one-stop shop! ("now" photo May 2025)

Color photo looking south down Broadway at 7th St, toward the State Theatre, #DTLA, March 1963. Playing at the State was “First Spaceship on Venus” (1962) a 1960 East German/Polish color sci-fi film—and I can't imagine there were too many of them around. ("now" photo October 2025)

Zep Diner, 515 W. Florence Ave, Los Angeles, circa mid-1930s, inspired from the 1929 visit to LA of the Graf Zeppelin. Apparently it was known as the “Home of the Hinden-Burger.” It’s a clever name for a menu item but not, presumably, after 1937, when the Hindenburg crashed. ("now" photo June 2025)

Looking north up Fairfax Ave from Beverly Blvd, circa 1937, which means Gilmore Stadium was behind the photographer. Across the street, we can see the Fairfax Theatre (“40 cents General Admission”) which had opened in 1930, "built for proper talking picture acoustics." ("now" September 2025)

This photo sends us all the back to around 1880 when this Cahuenga Valley Railroad was on Hollywood Blvd at Wilcox Ave. We know where this photo was taken because that Victoria mansion behind them is the Hurd residence, which stood on the NW corner of Hollywood and Wilcox. ("now" photo July 2024)

And the prize for Los Angeles’s Most Dramatic Ralphs Supermarket goes to this striking gem that once stood on the southwest corner of Buena Vista St and Victory Blvd in Burbank. This photo is circa 1963, when the Mid-Century aesthetic was in full flight. ("now" photo June 2025)

Someone in the Inglewood area of LA thought the law would be more efficient if an on-call judge could rush to the scene of the crime when an over-enthusiastic speed demon went over the limit and justice could be dispensed on the spot. This photo is from July 1926.

A Union Pacific train awaits passengers at its station at 5480 Ferguson Dr. in Commerce, 1950. This was UP’s final stop before completing the last five miles into DLTA, which explains why it looks to be a very nice station with impressively detail decoration over the door. ("now" photo May 2025)

Postcard showing the premiere of “Windjammer” at Grauman’s Chinese ahead of an astounding 37-week run in 1958. It was presented in an widescreen process called “Cinemiracle” which was a competitor to Cinerama. Does anybody remember seeing a movie in Cinemiracle?

Circa 1898 view of Mt Lowe Observatory (1894-1928) and Echo Mountain House hotel (1894-1900) atop Echo Mountain above Altadena, CA. As we can see, the 360° vistas from up there must have been remarkable.

Aerial view looking east across UCLA while the campus was under construction, Westwood, 1929. Only 5 buildings so far: Royce Hall, Powell Library, Haines Hall, Kinsey Hall, and the Bridge. But look at all that empty land. It must have been like driving thru the countryside. (now photo January 2024)

As the caption says, this is a photo of "Summer shacks on the beach - Santa Monica, Cal." I don’t have a specific date on it, but that large mansion on top of the hill is the Villa de Léon which was built in 1926, so I’m going to ballpark this as circa early 1920s? ("now" photo September 2025)

Atmospheric night shot of Tiny Naylor’s first drive-in restaurant on the northwest corner of Sunset Blvd and La Brea Ave, Hollywood, 1949. There were around 8 Tiny Naylor drive-ins. Can’t you almost smell the burgers, coffee, cigarettes, and fries in this one? ("now" photo September 2025)

In 1938, Judy Garland filmed "The Wizard of Oz" at MGM and also bought a plot of land at 1231 Stone Canyon Road, Bel Air, and hired famed architect Wallace Neff to design her home in which she would live with her family. And she was only 16 years old. (Vintage photo 1940, now photo Feb 2016)

Last night, I was watching RKO’s “Murder, My Sweet” (1944) and paused it at this early scene when Dick Powell gets out of his car because that amazing grill caught my eye. I wonder if it was made just for that shot in the movie? Or has anyone seeing this seen it on a real car?

Looking north up Western Ave toward Griffith Park, Oct 20, 1924. Considering there are no lines on the road, traffic seems fairly orderly. I’m not sure what that object on the pole is in the middle of the intersection. I guess it’s some sort of device to control traffic?

When the Janss Investment Co built its Janss Dome building at 1099 Westwood Blvd. A strikingly tall tower topped it, which lasted until either 1969 to 1977 (I found two dates.) I’d imagine it was quite a process to unbolt it from the building and lift it off with that crane. ("now" photo May 2024)

Nobody in this photo looks like they were going anywhere fast. Mind you, this image is circa 1886 when the pace of life was far more gentle than it is now. If the signage is anything to go by, they were on Vermont Ave and heading for the corner of Ninth St and Spring St #DTLA.

Looking west along Hollywood Blvd from east of Argyle Ave. The blade sign of the Pantages Theatre is hard to miss, and past that, the blade sign for the Equitable building on the corner of Hollywood & Vine. This photo is mid-1930s, when the Pantages was still a movie house. ("now" photo June 2024)

Looking north up La Brea from Sunset, Hollywood, circa 1930s. That stretch of La Brea Ave is now commercial (strip malls, mostly), so I’m glad we have photos like this that remind us how neighborly it used to be. I also love that double-lamp streetlight (aka an electrolier.) ("now" photo July 2024)

In 1940, Hollywood Palladium opened its vast dance floor at 6215 Sunset. This photo is 1941 when jazz band leader Stan Kenton was appearing. I'm guessing the “No Blackouts Inside” refers to the post-Pearl Harbor blackouts but all that neon lighting defeats the purpose. (now photo Sept 2025)

Looking northeast at the corner of Vine St and Selma Ave, Hollywood, circa 1940s. I do like seeing the Brown Derby restaurant sign, and below it, Hiram Walker Canadian Club whiskey. The large billboard is for a whiskey brand I’d not heard of before: Old Sunny Brook. ("now" September 2025)

Looking up Olive St #DTLA toward Philharmonic Auditorium (aka Clune’s) with Pershing Square on the right, which reminds us how shady the square used to be. In 1923 the buildings on the left were replaced by the Biltmore Hotel, so this photo had to be taken at least before then. (now photo June 2024)

White horse and rider in a parade on Wilshire Blvd outside the Town House Hotel, LA, 1940. That building on the left is the Town House Hotel at Commonwealth Ave. Those tress in the background line Lafayette Park, which is not nearly famous as its neighbor: MacArthur Park. ("now" photo July 2022)

A slice of unfolding LA history: workers removing old Pacific Electric Railway tracks along Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood in 1965. Those wooden planks underneath the tracks do look worn out, but I’m assuming it took more than 3 guys in a pickup truck to remove them! (now photo September 2025)

These days you’d be lucky to find a square foot of undeveloped land in Hollywood, but back in 1939, there was still sizeable swaths of empty land. In this photo, we’re looking northwest from Selma Ave at roughly Argyle Ave toward the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. ("now" photo June 2024)

Studio City Theater, 12136 Ventura Blvd, Studio City. What a glorious use of neon lighting. The photo was taken in 1946, when they were showing “The Killers” - the movie that made Ava Gardner a star, and was Burt Lancaster’s debut film role, at the age of 33. ("now" photo May 2024)

This is such a 1940s LA photo, isn’t it? The chap in the foreground is standing on the northwest corner of Figueroa St. and Sunset Blvd at the northern end of downtown Los Angeles. I love the old-fashioned SUNSET BLVD street sign, but I love semaphore traffic signal even more. ("now" photo May 2024)

In 1948, when Irv Robbins merged his Snowbird Ice Cream with Burt Baskin's Burton's Ice Cream Shop, the result was Baskin-Robbins Store #1 at 1130 S. Adams St, Glendale in a striking red-and-white striped triangular building and heavily promoted its menu of 31 flavors. ("now" photo May 2025)

The Fox Theater in Pomona, California was very excited to tell its customers that it was “Cooled By Refrigeration” during the summer of 1932 that they even had spare tire covers made to publicize it. I bet the locals were happy, too - especially over the summer. ("now" photo December 2023)

Starting in 1928, Wilshire Special streetlights were installed along 6 miles of Wilshire Blvd from near DLTA to along the Miracle Mile. The detailing was amazing, considering these things were 20 feet tall so it wasn’t like passing pedestrians and motorists could easily see it. Now photo August 2025

LA International Airport welcomed "the Jet Age" on June 25, 1961 when it opened new satellite terminals 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, thus That elliptical shaped building is one of the satellite terminals, which passengers reached by underground tunnels and then walked across the tarmac. (now photo Jan 2024)

And from the “I Never Knew It Existed Until I Found This Undated Photo” file comes the Starlight Bowl at 1249 Lockheed View Dr, Burbank. It opened on June 17, 1951, at a cost of about $175,000 with an original capacity of roughly 2,500 people. ("now" photo December 2023)