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If I had the power, I would fly Martin Schall to Los Angeles and present him a key to the city. Herr Schall, as LA Observed long-timers know, is the mysterious resident of Stuttgart who visits here, takes photos of buildings and goes home to post the most detailed website about Los Angeles architecture that I know. This week his you-are-here.com adds a new feature: a photographic tour of the historic Broadway corridor from 2nd Street to the Herald-Examiner. Did I mention he includes more than a hundred locales on Broadway alone? From 1920s movie palaces and cultural landmarks to the Tacos Mexico stand. Nice touch to capture the interior of the 1893 Bradbury Building in black and white.
He's a Stuttgarter of few words:
Today Broadway is a hispanic shopping street. The downtown workforce strolls around until, after sunset, the streets become empty. My favourite time to have a coffee and some cakes at Clifton's Cafeteria. The theatres are long gone, now jewelry shops and clothing stores occupy the theater lobbys. To an European like me it feels almost like home here - no air-conditioning, people talking to each other and the buildings, well, look very familiar.
Schall is apologetic in his email about not unveiling the Broadway collection sooner: "I was a little busy with my day job." (He's an engineer in the oil and gas industry.) You want to say to him, dude, you've given us a major treasure, with hundreds of images from all over city. Take all the time you need. Schall says he'll be back in town in February to take more photos.
Previously:
He was here — again
He is here
Great L.A. photo site