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Los Angeles, Biltmore, Pershing Square showing Philharmonic Auditorium and California Club, Los Angeles, Calif.

 
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Title
Los Angeles, Biltmore, Pershing Square showing Philharmonic Auditorium and California Club, Los Angeles, Calif.
Creator
Sohmer, Theo
Description
Bird's-eye view of path running through the center of Pershing Square; central fountain; trees and lawn; people strolling; park is bordered by buildings;a flagpole with the American flag rises above the trees; to the left of the park on Olive Street is the Biltmore Hotel; across from the park on Fifth Street is the Philharmonic Auditorium, and next to the Auditorium is the California Club; foothills can be seen in the distance.
Physical description
1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Subject
Parks--California--Los Angeles; Fountains--California--Los Angeles; Public art--California--Los Angeles; Hotels--California--Los Angeles
Note
Pershing Square is bounded by 5th and 6th, Hill and Olive. The oldest park in Los Angeles, it was originally known as La Plaza Abaja, the lower plaza and was renamed Central Park in the early 1890s. In 1900, the 7th Regiment Monument was erected at the corner of 6th and Hill as a memorial to soldiers of the Spanish-American War. The park was redesigned by John Parkinson in 1911 in a classical style with a central fountain. In 1918, at the end of WWI, it was renamed Pershing Square in honor of General John J. Pershing. A statue of a WWI Doughboy was erected in 1924. The park became a popular site for orators and rallies. A parking garage was installed under the park in 1954. The Biltmore was the largest hotel in the West when it was built in 1923. It consists of three towers of reddish brick, cream-colored stone and a terra cotta roof. It has been visited by many presidents. The Democratic Convention nominated John F. Kennedy for president there in 1960. It was restored in 1988. In the 1880s and 1890s, the corner of Fifth and Olive was the site of the 4,000 seat Hazards Pavilion, an auditorium that was shared by the Temple Baptist Church and the city, which used it for opera, theater, civic and sporting events. In the early 1900s, the church, in partnership with downtown businesses replaced it with the 2700-seat Temple Auditorium. From 1920 to 1965, it was the home of the L.A. Philharmonic. It was demolished in 1985 and is now the site of a parking lot. The prestigious California Club, a five story Italian Renaissance building designed by John Parkinson, was located at Fifth and Hill from 1904 to 1930 where it had a view of the park from the Club's rooftop garden. The club moved to Sixth and Flower in part to accommodate the need for parking space.
Collection Location
Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection
Type
Geographic Location
Pershing Square (Los Angeles, Calif.); Los Angeles (Calif.)
Language
eng
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