Los Angeles in the 1920s
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The 1920s were a prosperous era for
Extensive modernization took place in the 1920s, characterized by a dramatic increase in automobile usage, vast
Overview
In 1919, the community living in the downtown area formed 50% of the population of
A dramatic change took place over the decade, and in 1929, with the
Propelled by the boom in 1920s, it became the fifth largest city in the US. Petroleum became a major industry with extractions planned from the large reserves of Huntington Beach, Long Beach and Santa Fe Springs. Manufacturing industries boomed and it became the aviation capital of the US and occupied the ninth position among the industrial cities of the country. Eight major Hollywood studios produced 90% of all major movies ,controlled all movie halls and held full film distribution rights.[7] The city also got the nickname of "Emerald City of Los Angeles".[8] Los Angeles Port became the second busiest deep -ater port and the banking sector became very large. As the emergent economy, fueled by oil and Hollywood real estate ,boomed, though with a growth fluctuation during 1924–25, one third of the homes in Los Angeles were privately owned by home owners, unlike other major cities in the US where the housing was largely rented.[9]
During the process of development of the city, the largest fossil area was found in North America, with prehistoric animals skeletons buried in
Jewish people prospered in Los Angeles.[11] Emigrants from the New York theatre world came to dominate the film industry.[12][13]
Chinatown declined in population but remained a gambling den and a red-light area. In contrast, the Japanese presence increased, with recorded population of 35,000 Japanese in Los Angeles County by 1930. The
The famous Hollywood Boulevard was the main road of the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. Sunset Boulevard added to the glamorous age of the Hollywood from the 1920s (continues to this day) and the Hollywood Hills in the backdrop, became the residential complex of the rich and famous of the Hollywood film industry.[15]
1920–1923
In 1920, the Architectural Digest started its publications which published pictures of the picturesque gardens that were developed by wealthy settlers. It was also the period when women of Los Angeles took up the study and practice of landscape architecture.[16]
The iconic amphitheater, the Hollywood Bowl was formally opened in 1921 next to the location of the future Hollywood Freeway. [17] It was the venue of music concerts, university graduation ceremonies, and other events of the community. It came to be formally known as the Bowl after 27 March 1921 when its first formal event was the Los Angeles Philharmonic performance, an Easter sunrise service attended by some 800. The first official summer season of the Philharmonic was held here in 1922.[18]
In 1922, as per a referendum, a site was identified for locating the Civic Center in the precincts of an area surrounded by the streets of the Main, Broadway, First and Temple in Downtown Los Angeles and for building the Civic Hall, bonds worth $7.5 million were also approved to be issued.[19]
In the 1920s, the Hollywood residential complex, which has the iconic big sign “Hollywood”, was created by the Harry Chandler, the news baron of the Los Angeles Times. [20] The sign was erected in 1923, originally with the name as a billboard of "Hollywood Land Development". In a storm in 1943 most of the board was knocked out and subsequently only the word "Hollywood" was restored.[20]
On January 1, 1923, widely popular evangelist
1924–1927
1924-25 witnessed the beautification of street lights with ornamental lights, funds for which were approved by the municipal Art Commission and later further approved in 1927–1928. Torrance, considered a model "industrial suburb", was incorporated into Los Angeles.[22]
In 1924 Jack Doyle was instrumental in building the
At the time professional boxing was very popular with events held every day except Sundays. From the beginning of 1925, boxing events were held every alternate week at this venue. The first heavyweight card was held on 13 January 1925, the 10 round was between Jimmy McLarnin and Fidel LaBarba.[23][24]
The Hollywood film
In 1926, famous exotic lover and silent film star Rudolph Valentino died at the age of 31. He is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, previously called Hollywood Memorial Park. Since then, on the anniversary of his death, a mysterious "Lady in Black" comes to mourn at his grave. [27]
1928–1929
During the 1928 premiere of the
In 1928, the construction of City Hall was completed, which had been authorized in 1922 to replace the old 1888 Romanesque City Hall. This building is a skyscraper built over a colonnaded base, to project a sense of power and prestige on the hall.[19]
In 1928, the
Gallery
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Rose Bowl stadium (built 1921–1922)
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Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (built 1921–1923)
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Watts Towers (construction started 1921)
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Automobile Club of Southern California (built 1922)
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Richfield Tower (built 1928–29, demolished 1969)
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Bullocks Wilshire (built 1929)
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Construction of the Hall of Records, c. 1920
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Jardinette Apartments, (built 1927–28)
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Exterior view of theSouthern Pacific Depot, ca.1918
References
- ISBN 978-0-520-24000-1.
- ISBN 978-0-292-78771-1.
- ^ SittonDeverell 2001, p. 2.
- ^ SittonDeverell 2001, pp. 1–2.
- ^ Starr 1991, p. 68-69.
- ^ SittonDeverell 2001, p. 66.
- ^ SittonDeverell 2001, pp. 2–3.
- ^ Starr 1991.
- ^ Starr 1991, p. 70.
- ^ Starr 1991, p. 76.
- ^ Max Vorspan and Lloyd P. Gartner, History of the Jews of Los Angeles (Huntington Library, 1970).
- ^ Paul Buhle, From the Lower East Side to Hollywood: Jews in American Popular Culture (Verso, 2004).
- ^ Neal Gabler, An empire of their own: How the Jews invented Hollywood (2010).
- ^ Starr 1991, pp. 145–148.
- ^ Dickey 2011, p. 79.
- ^ Gebhard & Winter 2003, p. 37.
- ^ Dickey 2011, p. 98.
- ^ "From Daisy Dell to the Hollywood Bowl, a Little Musical History for Summer". Kcet.org. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ a b Starr 1991, p. 112.
- ^ a b Dickey 2011, p. 96.
- ^ Angelus Temple: Los Angeles, California. The National Park Service website. Accessed 28 February 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-226-58301-3. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4269-9064-9. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Olympic Auditorium History". Los Angeles times. March 4, 1994. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ a b MacCann 1996, p. 28.
- ^ MacCann 1996, p. 31.
- ^ Dickey 2011, p. 94.
- ^ Dickey 2011, p. 91.
- ^ Verrier, Richard (January 11, 2013). "China firm buys naming rights to Grauman's Chinese Theatre". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "LAX Early History". Los Angeles World Airports. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "LAX – Airport Information – General Description – Just the Facts". Los Angeles World Airports. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
Bibliography
- Dickey, Jeff (April 1, 2011). The Rough Guide to Los Angeles & Southern California. Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-4053-8281-6.
- Gebhard, David; Winter, Robert (2003) [1985 (as Architecture in Los Angeles: A Complete Guide]. An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles (Revised and updated ed.). Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 1-58685-308-2.
- MacCann, Richard Dyer (January 1, 1996). Films of the 1920s. Scarecrow Press Inc. pp. 60–. ISBN 978-0-8108-3256-5.
- Sitton, Tom; Deverell, William Francis (2001). Metropolis in the Making: Los Angeles in the 1920s. University of California Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-520-22627-2.
- Starr, Kevin (October 1991). Material Dreams: Southern California Through the 1920s. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507260-0.
External links
- Media related to Los Angeles in the 1920s at Wikimedia Commons