These Before And After Pics Of Hollywood Boulevard In Southern California Show Just How Much It Has Changed
By Natasha Kayes|Published April 26, 2023
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Natasha Kayes
Author
I was born and raised in sunny Southern California and will never tire of the West Coast, although I spent several years living in Southeast Asia, about as far from California as you can get. Wherever I am in the world, I love straying from the beaten path, experiencing local life, and discovering hidden gems - camera in hand. The beach is my happy place and when I am not there (or writing), you will usually find me baking, watching movies, and cuddling my pugs. I have traveled around the country and around the world, and it never, ever gets old. Being able to combine my passion for travel and my love of writing is nothing short of a dream.
Many would say that Hollywood is the very epicenter of Southern California. Easily one of the most popular tourist destinations, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the historic center of the film industry. Since the early 1900s, Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California has been the place to see and be seen, and though that is still true in some ways, the area has changed considerably.
Whether your view of Hollywood is shaped by what you see on television or what you have seen walking down Hollywood Boulevard yourself, you may be surprised to see just how much different it used to be.
The Hollywood sign now graces the mountain in the background and this corner of Hollywood and Highland is now the site of the iconic center of tourism, the Hollywood and Highland Complex.
The Hollywood branch of the Los Angeles First National Trust and Savings Bank, in early construction here, was completed in 1927 at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
The historic First National Bank building still occupies this corner, though the scene is very different now. There are no longer streetcar tracks through the intersection and no more horse-drawn carriages to be seen.
The famous Hollywood Hotel, opened in 1902 and pictured here in 1905, was a popular venue for Hollywood society at the time. One side of the hotel fronted on an unpaved road called Prospect Avenue, which was renamed Hollywood Boulevard in 1910.
Filling the block of Hollywood Boulevard where the original Hollywood Hotel once stood is a huge development of shops, restaurants, and theaters - including the famous TCL Chinese Theatre formerly Mann Chinese Theatre) - and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The photo above was taken in 1907, looking up Vine Street to the north from Hollywood Boulevard, showing residences, trees, and orchards in the distance.
The same view up Vine Street is typical of the city, which has gone from homes and crops to commercial structures such as the famous Capitol Records building, public parking, and almost constant traffic.
This photo in front of the historic Taft building at Hollywood and Vine shows a typical Hollywood street scene in 1940, with pedestrians in formal attire - men in suits and fedoras, women in dresses and heels.
The Taft building still stands with Starbucks on the ground floor where Owl Drugs was before. Cars are modern and suits and dresses have given way to leggings, tennis shoes, and ball caps. And of course, the sidewalk is now full of stars.
Although Hollywood Boulevard has clearly undergone massive changes in the past century, its popularity and pieces of its history remain intact. If you live in SoCal, what do you think about how much Hollywood has changed over the years? If you are out of state, have you been to Hollywood? Check out this beloved, historic restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard.
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