For Then and Now, we hunt through the archives of amazing vintage photographs of Los Angeles to find historic images—and then do our best to go out and recreate those same photographs today. We’re curious about how far we've come and what’s stayed the same in this constantly-changing city we love.
Photograph: Courtesy Dick Whittington Studio
Broadway between 6th and 7th Streets, 1939
Downtown’s historic commercial center greeted streetcar riders and department-store–bound pedestrians for decades. But Broadway would famously leave its mark on L.A. through the many theaters that sprouted up when vaudeville and silent cinema reigned supreme. By 1931, the street had the highest concentration of movie palaces anywhere in the world and routinely hosted lavish premieres. This saturation of glitz and glam wouldn’t be permanent, though: As Angelenos put down roots in the suburbs post-WWII, the district slipped into decline.
Photograph: Michael Juliano
Broadway between 6th and 7th Streets, 2017
Broadway’s historic structures would have crumbled had it not been for the Spanish-language movies and variety shows that sprouted up in the late ’70s. Over the past decade, Councilmember José Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway initiative (which includes Night on Broadway) sought to revitalize the street’s storefronts and facades along with its entertainment roots. Though still a work in progress, the marquees on the dozen surviving theaters have been relit, and semi-regular music and movie programming has returned to some like the Palace Theatre—the oldest remaining theater in the country from the Orpheum vaudeville circuit.