Philharmonic Auditorium, 1906

1906, of the Philharmonic Auditorium, located at 5th and Olive Street, showing Central Park, later Pershing Square, in the foreground.  Gorgeous.  

1915, Looking west on 5th Street toward Olive Street, with Central Park (later named Pershing Square) on the left. The famous Spanish-American War Soldier’s Monument stands at the lower-left corner of the park. This area was one of Los Angeles’ cultural and social hubs in the early 1900s. Several prominent buildings stand out, especially the Gothic-style Temple Auditorium (known at the time as Clune's Auditorium), located on the northeast corner of 5th and Olive Street, with its oversized rooftop neon sign, and the California Club with its distinctive awnings, seen on the right on the northwest corner of 5th and Hill Street.

The ornate theater, initially named Temple Auditorium, opened on November 7, 1906, with a performance of "Aida." Designed by Charles E. Whittlesey, it was the world's largest reinforced concrete structure at the time, featuring an Art Nouveau interior, a Spanish Gothic exterior, 2,700 seats, and the largest stage in the western U.S. In 1914, impresario William "Billy" Clune leased and transformed it into Clune's Auditorium, a pioneering movie palace known for elaborate prologues with music and dancers. Notably, it hosted the premiere of D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation," with a full orchestra.

Note: The Spanish-American War Soldier's Monument is still located in Pershing Square today. The monument, also known as the 7th Regiment Monument, remains the oldest piece of public art in the city and has been designated as Cultural-Heritage Monument No. 480 by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission. Thanks to Jack Feldman.