Inventing LA (and downtown)

MB and I watched a great documentary last night: Inventing LA: The Chandlers and Their Lives. It's about the family who founded the LA Times and owned it until it was sold to the Tribune Company in 2000. The Chandlers didn't just run a newspaper--they also played a huge role in the land acquisitions and water rights shenanigans that shaped modern LA. (John Huston's character in Chinatown was based on Harry Chandler). As a downtowner, it was very cool to see photos and footage of downtown from the late 19th Century to today. Downtown LA was amazingly crowded and vital all the way into the 50s. It's kind of sad to see the old photos and films and compare it to downtown today. Even though the neighborhood is taking off, the streets are really empty in comparison.

You can watch the documentary online here. Also check out the great photo galleries with pics of downtown and Hollywood.

ETA: The segment covering the 1910 bombing of the LA Times building on 1st and Broadway.