Angels Flight, 1901-1969

This is the earliest shot of Angel's Flight that I've seen.  Thank you to Historic Los Angeles for this photo.  It's not dated.  But this pic was posted on November 27, 2023.

I remember Dad talking affectionately and nostalgically about Angel's Flight and what it was.  His basic answer to a kid was: it's a trolley.  But I had no sense of the geography of things in downtown Los Angeles as a kid. 

The history of Angel's Flight is a kind of veneer on the history of Bunker Hill.  Wikipedia gets that started here,

Historically, Bunker Hill was a large hill that separated the Victorian-era Downtown from the western end of the city. The hill was tunneled through at Second Street in 1924, and at Third and Fourth Streets. In the late 20th century, the hill was lowered in elevation, and the entire area was redeveloped to supplant old frame and concrete buildings with modern high-rises and other structures for residences, commerce, entertainment, and education.

Bunker Hill is bordered on the west by Figueroa and bordered on the east by Main Street.  But that makes no sense.  Actually, this map below has Bunker Hill outlined in a perforated red line, and that seems accurate to me.

basically the Civic Center, the Walt Disney Music Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, the Moss Courthouse at First and Hill, the Water and Power Building, and the Broad Modern Art Museum.  So the 

There are lots of great shots of Angel's Flight and appearances of it in movies, like the one starring Lon Chaney, The Indestructible Man, 1956.  It appears here at the 40:39 mark.  This scene caught Chuck's eye and so he told me about this film.  It's a good one.

Wikipedia explains that, 

The funicular has operated on two different sites, using the same cars and station elements. The original Angels Flight location, with trackage along the side of Third Street Tunnel and connecting Hill Street and Olive Street, operated from 1901 until it was closed in 1969, when its site was cleared for redevelopment. 

At the 7-minute mark in this 1965 movie, Angel's Flight, a woman boards Angels Flight to go up to Bunker Hill. 

The charm of Angel's Flight is that it lifted you up to Bunker Hill.  What was so great about Bunker Hill, you ask?  

It shows up in the 1952 film noir, The Turning Point, starring William Holden, at the 18:09 mark.  Lots of other great Downtown Los Angeles landmarks to check out too.

The movie, BTW, was inspired by the Kefauver Committee's hearings, 1950-1951, dealing with organized crime which were of enormous public interest in 1950 and 1951, and which inspired quite a few film noir moments, as it happened. 

Several locations of historical interest in Downtown Los Angeles can be seen in this film. The original Angel's Flight funicular railway is part of one scene. The Hotel Belmont can also be seen. Neither of these landmarks remains. Other buildings that can be seen are the San Fernando Building in the Bank District and a Metropolitan Water District building at 3rd and Broadway.

View of Angels Flight as it passes over Clay Street in 1955.

Thank you to the LA Public Library Photo Collection.

Looking up Angels Flight tracks, 1962.  Note the demolition of the apartment buildings to the south of Angel's Flight. 

Angel's Flight, 1962.  Thank you to LAist.  

The demolition of the buildings around Angels Flight, 1962.  Thanks to Wikipedia.  While the hotels south of Angel's Flight were demolished in 1962, Angel's Flight itself was torn down in 1969 and relocated in 1996 further south to connect Hill with the California Plaza.

1963, LA, CA.  Angels Flight railway after surrounding buildings had been torn down for Bunker Hill redevelopment.  Thanks to Mel-v VC.  And to Dan Walgenbach.

[1965] Angels Flight, 3rd Street tunnel and Bunker Hill. (Milton Martinez - Herald Examiner Collection) https://buff.ly/3v3L8ZV. 

Angels Flight, August 14, 1945. Source: AP Photo. Thank you to Los Angeles Relics.
Posted Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Well, no date is given for this shot, but it's a good one. The description reads, "From the station at the top, a view straight down the track with both cars at the midway point. Beyond is 3rd Street with cars and pedestrians." Exciting eh?
Note how color strips the scene of its noir charm.

[1957] The intersection of 3rd and Hill streets, the location of the lower terminus of Angels Flight. (L. Mildred Harris Slide Collection). https://buff.ly/3QjzvFZ.

Thank you to the great Jack Feldon.

1958 - Photo from LA Times article titled: ‘Blanket of Smog Obscures View of City from Top of Angels Flight’

https://waterandpower.org/.../Smog_in_Early_Los_Angeles.html