Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles on When It Was is 45 addresses and the 63 businesses that have occupied them, the oldest from 1880. 26 are still open today; 37 are gone, and 15 of the buildings themselves have been demolished. Every entry below opens a page with the full history of that address, and the map lets you slide the year and watch the city change.

Start here

Angels Flight

350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071 · 1901–present

Two funicular cars named Olivet and Sinai share one cable over 298 feet of track, which a 1952 plaque called the world's shortest incorporat…

Bradbury Building

304 S Broadway · 1893–present

A mining millionaire passed over his architect and gave the design of this 1893 building to George Wyman, one of the architect's draftsmen.

Griffith Observatory

2800 E Observatory Road · 1935–present

Griffith J. Griffith's will paid for the observatory, and admission has been free since it opened on May 14, 1935, as his will required.

Bullock's Wilshire

4101 Wilshire Boulevard · 1929–1993 · 3 businesses here

The Frolic Room

6925 Hollywood Boulevard · 1934–present · 4 businesses here

The Viper Room

8852 Sunset Boulevard · 1993–present · 10 businesses here

Petersen Automotive Museum (Tupac Last Seen)

6060 Wilshire Boulevard · 1994–present · 2 businesses here

Tupac Shakur left a party at this museum on September 7, 1996. Twenty minutes later, he was shot at a red light. He died six days later.

Philippe the Original

1001 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 · 1908–present

Philippe Mathieu opened his first restaurant in 1908, and its claim to inventing the French dip is still disputed by Cole's, which claims th…

Los Angeles, decade by decade

• 1880s
  2 opened — Los Angeles Old Chinatown, Old Chinatown (Los Angeles)See the map in 1885 →
• 1890s
  2 opened — Bradbury Building, Garnier BuildingSee the map in 1895 →
• 1900s
  6 opened — Italian Hall (IAMLA), Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet, King Eddy Saloon at the King Edward Hotel, Hollywood Hotel, and 2 moreSee the map in 1905 →
• 1910s
  2 opened — Musso & Frank Grill, San Antonio WinerySee the map in 1915 →
• 1920s
  15 opened — Pacific Dining Car, Garden of Allah Hotel, Bullock's Wilshire, Ambassador Hotel, and 11 moreSee the map in 1925 →
• 1930s
  17 opened — Helms Bakery, Earl Carroll Theatre, Schwab's Pharmacy, Cafe Trocadero, and 13 moreSee the map in 1935 →
• 1940s
  7 opened — Hollywood Palladium, Mocambo, Ciro's, Romanoff's, and 3 moreSee the map in 1945 →
• 1950s
  2 opened — Highland Gardens Hotel (formerly Landmark Motor Hotel), Pacific Ocean Park (P.O.P.)See the map in 1955 →
• 1960s
  3 opened — Whisky a Go Go, Black Cat Tavern, Cielo Drive (Sharon Tate / Manson Murders Site)See the map in 1965 →
• 1970s
  1 opened — The MasqueSee the map in 1975 →
• 1990s
  4 opened — The Viper Room, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman Murder Site, Petersen Automotive Museum (Tupac Last Seen), Notorious B.I.G. Murder SiteSee the map in 1995 →

Still here, and gone

By kind of place

Restaurant (15)

Pacific Dining Car · Perino's · Musso & Frank Grill · Brown Derby (Hollywood) · Chasen's Restaurant · Romanoff's · Barney's Beanery · Formosa Cafe · and 7 more

Theater (7)

Earl Carroll Theatre · Hollywood Pantages Theatre · Grauman's Chinese Theatre · Los Angeles Theatre · El Rey Theatre · Pico Drive-In · Carthay Circle Theatre

Hotel (6)

Garden of Allah Hotel · Ambassador Hotel · Highland Gardens Hotel (formerly Landmark Motor Hotel) · The Biltmore Los Angeles Gold Room · The Biltmore Los Angeles · Hollywood Hotel

Nightclub (5)

The Viper Room · Whisky a Go Go · Mocambo · Ciro's · Cafe Trocadero

Bar (4)

Black Cat Tavern · The Frolic Room · The Masque · King Eddy Saloon at the King Edward Hotel

True Crime (3)

Black Dahlia Murder Discovery Site · Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman Murder Site · Cielo Drive (Sharon Tate / Manson Murders Site)

Filming Location (2)

Bradbury Building · Griffith Observatory

Private Residence (2)

Marvin Gaye Death House · Holmby Hills Mansion (Michael Jackson Death House)

Every place in Los Angeles (45)

• Angels Flight 350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071 · 1901–present
• Barney's Beanery 8447 Santa Monica Boulevard · 1927–present · 2 businesses
• Black Dahlia Murder Discovery Site 3825 South Norton Avenue · 1947–1947
• Bradbury Building 304 S Broadway · 1893–present
• Brown Derby (Hollywood) 1628 North Vine Street · 1929–1985
• Bullock's Wilshire 4101 Wilshire Boulevard · 1929–1993 · 3 businesses
• Canter's Deli 419 North Fairfax Avenue · 1931–present
• Carthay Circle Theatre 6316 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 · 1926–1969
• Chasen's 9039 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 · 1936–1995
• Chasen's Restaurant 9039 Beverly Boulevard · 1936–1995
• Cielo Drive (Sharon Tate / Manson Murders Site) 10066 Cielo Drive · 1969–1969
• Clifton's Cafeteria (Brookdale) 648 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014 · 1935–present
• Cocoanut Grove (Ambassador Hotel) 3400 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 · 1921–1989
• Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet 118 East 6th Street · 1908–2026
• Garnier Building 419 North Los Angeles Street · 1890–1953
• Griffith Observatory 2800 E Observatory Road · 1935–present
• Helms Bakery 8758 Venice Boulevard · 1931–1969
• Highland Gardens Hotel (formerly Landmark Motor Hotel) 7047 Franklin Avenue · 1955–present
• Hollywood Canteen Site 1451 North Cahuenga Boulevard · 1942–1945
• Hollywood Hotel Hollywood Blvd & Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028 · 1902–1956
• Holmby Hills Mansion (Michael Jackson Death House) 100 North Carolwood Drive
• Italian Hall (IAMLA) 644 North Main Street · 1908–present
• King Eddy Saloon at the King Edward Hotel 131 East 5th Street · 1906–2020
• Los Angeles Old Chinatown 800 North Alameda Street · 1880–1933
• Los Angeles Theatre 648 South Broadway · 1931–present · 2 businesses
• Marilyn Monroe Death House 12305 Fifth Helena Drive · 1929–1962
• Marvin Gaye Death House 2101 South Gramercy Place
• Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman Murder Site 879 South Bundy Drive · 1994–1994
• Notorious B.I.G. Murder Site 6250 Wilshire Boulevard · 1997–present
• Old Chinatown (Los Angeles) 800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 · 1880–1933
• Pacific Dining Car 1310 West 6th Street · 1921–2020
• Pacific Ocean Park (P.O.P.) 2800 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90405 · 1958–1967
• Pan-Pacific Auditorium 7600 W Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 · 1935–1989
• Petersen Automotive Museum (Tupac Last Seen) 6060 Wilshire Boulevard · 1994–present · 2 businesses
• Philippe the Original 1001 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 · 1908–present
• Pico Drive-In 10860 West Pico Boulevard · 1934–1944
• Richfield Tower 555 South Flower Street · 1929–1969
• Romanoff's 326 North Rodeo Drive · 1940–1962
• San Antonio Winery 737 Lamar Street · 1917–present
• Tail o' the Pup 329 North San Vicente Boulevard · 1946–2005
• The Biltmore Los Angeles Gold Room 506 South Grand Avenue · 1923–present · 2 businesses
• The Brown Derby (Wilshire / original hat-shaped) 3427 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 · 1926–1980
• The Frolic Room 6925 Hollywood Boulevard · 1934–present · 4 businesses
• The Masque 1655 North Cherokee Avenue · 1977–1978
• The Viper Room 8852 Sunset Boulevard · 1993–present · 10 businesses