Los Angeles in the 1930s was a rapidly growing metropolis, with a population that increased from just over 1 million in 1930 to almost 1.5 million by 1940. The city was undergoing significant changes during this time, as it emerged as a major center for the motion picture industry and experienced significant growth in manufacturing and oil production.
The Great Depression hit Los Angeles hard, with unemployment rates reaching as high as 30% in some areas. Many residents struggled to make ends meet, and the number of homeless people living on the streets increased significantly. Despite the economic hardships, the city’s residents remained resilient, and the decade saw the rise of several important social and cultural movements, including the labor movement and the Civil Rights Movement.
The 1930s also saw the development of many iconic Los Angeles landmarks, including the Griffith Observatory, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the Hollywood Sign. The decade was also marked by several significant natural disasters, including a powerful earthquake in 1933 that caused widespread damage and loss of life.
The city’s cultural scene was also thriving in the 1930s, with the opening of the famous Hollywood Palladium and the growth of the film industry. Many of the most famous movies of all time were made during this decade, and the city became a mecca for aspiring actors and actresses. The decade also saw the rise of jazz music, with many jazz clubs opening in the city, particularly in the Central Avenue area.
These amazing historical pictures capture famous streets, roads, and everyday life of Los Angeles in the 1930s. Vote your favorites, and don’t forget to share.
#1 Traffic at Seventh and Spring, 1930
#2 Girl waiting for bus on Beverly Boulevard, interesection at Van Ness, July 17, 1931
#3 Crowds at Broadway and 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1930
#4 Caliente Golf Park, 4th Street and Vermont Avenue, 1931
#5 6th and Olive Streets, 1930
#6 Crowds watching an American football match at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 1930.
#7 Culver City boosterism, 1930
#8 Looking north on Broadway at 7th Street, 1931
#9 Looking south on Broadway from 4th Street, 1931
#10 Traffic on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, 1931
#11 Intersection West Temple Street and North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 1932
#12 W. 8th Street and S. Broadway, 1931
#13 Looking northeast on Figueroa from tunnel no. 1, 1935
#14 Crowds at Broadway and 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1930
#15 Los Angeles City Hall, Los Angeles, California, with the third Los Angeles Times Building on the right, 1930
#16 An exterior shot of Joan Fontaine’s house in Hollywood, signed to RKO, 1930.
#17 Female Competition in the Dust Sweeping, 1930
#18 Crowds at Broadway and 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1930
#19 Crowds at Broadway and 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1930
#20 Crowds at Broadway and 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1930
#21 Crowds at Broadway and 7th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 1930
#22 May Company Department Store golden jubilee, 8th Street and Broadway, 1931
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# 15 .has wrong info , This Street is Wilshire Blvd facing west bound. on bottom right corner with palm trees is, La fayett park. Tall building in background is the Bullock’s Dept,Store
#23 Traffic on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, 1931
#24 Traffic on Wilshire Blvd., 1932
#25 Intersection West Temple Street and North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 1932
#26 Intersection West Temple Street and North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 1932
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This info is wrong. The Morgan Hotel is at 629 W. 8th Street. this is 8 Blocks away from Temple Street. this photo is no were near Temple St or Broadway
#27 Morgan Hotel shown at 629 W. 8th Street, 1932
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This information is wrong. the building on the left side is The County Hall of Justice Building, which is the same building that is in Photo #23
#28 Intersection West Temple Street and North Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 1932
#29 Looking south on Flower Street at 4th, 1933
#30 Looking west on Apablasa from Juan Street, 1933
#31 Looking west on Apablasa Street from Juan Street, 1933
#32 Looking west on east 7th at Mateo Street, 1933
#33 Window-shoppers at J.W. Robinson’s, 1933
#34 Looking east on 1st Street from Broadway, 1934
#35 Looking east on Wilshire Boulevard at Vermont Avenue, 1934
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Compare this photo with #15 you shall see the same tall building in the back ground and on the same Street . this time looking East bound.
#36 Bankers Building on Hill Street, 1935
#37 Looking south on Broadway at 8th Street, 1935
#38 Looking west on 7th Street at Broadway, 1935
#39 Clifton’s Brookdale at 648 S. Broadway, 1936
#40 Looking east on Wilshire Boulevard at Berendo Street, 1936
#41 On the Boulevard, Los Angeles, 1936
#42 3rd Street tunnel, 1937
#43 7th and Olive Streets, 1937
#44 A young gentleman headed south on Grand Avenue across from the Mayflower Hotel, 1937
#45 Biltmore Florists, Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 1937
#46 Broadway south at Seventh, 1937
#47 Clifton’s Brookdale at 648 S. Broadway, 1937
#48 Hill near 3rd Street, 1937
#49 Looking west on 7th Street at Hill, 1937
#50 Main at 9th Street, 1937
#51 The Hotel Latour, Hill Street, 1937
#52 Twelfth east at Main, 1937
#53 Union Pacific building, Hill and 6th streets, 1937
#54 Waiting for trains at La Grande Station, 1937
#55 Walking between the Figueroa Street tunnels, 1937
#56 Walking between the Figueroa Street tunnels, 1937
#57 Looking east on 5th Street across Olive, 1938
#58 Looking east on W 43rd Place at Garthwaite Avenue, 1938
#59 Looking north on Hill Street at 4th, 1938
#60 Looking north on Spring Street from 5th, 1938
#61 Looking west on Hollywood Boulevard at Cahuenga, 1938
#62 Warner Brothers Downtown, 7th and Hill Streets, 1938
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Wrong photo! but its the right location for The Warner Bros Theater, [ check photo #35 ]
#63 Coulter’s, Wilshire Boulevard, 1939
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oh ! I get now! Somebody is switching the photos, this should be # 59. And #59 should be # 60 When will it stop!
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You must be a fellow redhead. I am living in King County, Washington.
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