The Bradbury Building in L.A. near Angels Flight

The Bradbury Building, built in 1893, is the oldest commercial building remaining in the central city and one of Los Angeles’ unique treasures.  Behind its modest, mildly Romanesque exterior lies a magical light-filled Victorian court that rises almost 50 feet as a five-story atrium with open-cage elevators, marble stairs and ornate iron railings.


The identity of the building’s final architect is a subject of debate. Lewis Bradbury, a mining and real estate millionaire, commissioned Sumner Hunt to create a spectacular office building.  Hunt turned in completed designs, but he was replaced soon after by George H. Wyman, who supervised construction. 


According to Wyman's daughters, he was asked to take over because Bradbury felt that Wyman could understand his own vision for the building better than Hunt, although there is no evidence that Wyman changed the design. Wyman later designed other buildings in the Los Angeles area, but the Bradbury Building (if indeed it was designed by Wyman) was to be his only work of lasting significance, whereas Sumner Hunt went on to design many other notable buildings. The structure was featured in the film "Blade Runner."


The Grand Central Market


Nowhere else in Los Angeles today can you taste the richness of yesterday. The landmark dates back to 1917, when wealthy Angelenos rode the Angels Flight Railway for a penny down to the best open-air shopping in town. At the Market, they could find an entire world of treats for all the senses and all the family. 

Today, you still can. Step back over 80 years as you explore aisle after aisle of exciting sights, scents, flavors, historic neon signs - and values. The Grand Central Market is located in the ground floor of the stately Homer Laughlin Building, which once housed an office for American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, forming the centerpiece of L.A.'s Historic Core District.

Through the years Grand Central Market has undergone many interior cosmetic changes, mostly as a means of keeping up with the mode of the day. The exterior facade, however, has remained true to its heritage and is still a prime example of the architecture of a bygone era.



Angels Flight

Angels Flight, the "Shortest Railway in the World," opened in 1901 and quickly became a city landmark. Col. James Ward Eddy was the visionary who convinced City Hall to grant him a 30-year franchise to construct and operate an inclined railway.

The funicular system of two counterbalanced cars moving up and down parallel tracks was an efficient means of transporting passengers along the steep grade between Third and Hill Streets and fashionable Bunker Hill. The ride lasted one minute and cost one cent.

Over the years operations were transferred to other powers, tracks were relaid, and the station house redesigned. However, the single-trip fare rose only once, in 1914, to five cents.
To fully experience the charms of the city's favorite angel you may visit her daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., at Fourth and Hill Streets. The one-way fare is 25 cents.