Description
This collection consists of 705 Kodachrome slides taken by Palmer Conner (1900-1975) depicting downtown Los Angeles between
1954 and 1972. The bulk of the images in this
collection were taken during the years of the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project that began in 1955 and reflect the demolition
of Bunker Hill and the reconstruction of the Civic Center area. As such,
the images provide an important visual record of the rapidly changing urban core of Los Angeles over a period of nearly two
decades. Images chiefly consist of views of commercial and residential
building exteriors taken from the street, including images of both new construction and older buildings in the process of
being demolished.
Background
Edmund Palmer Conner (1900-1975) was born in Norfolk, Virginia on January 1, 1900. He was one of three children of Charles
S. Conner, a lawyer,
and Theodosia Brown Conner. The family migrated west in 1901 and settled in San Diego, California, where Conner attended elementary
school,
later moving to Pasadena where he attended Pasadena High School.The Bunker Hill neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles, bounded by Temple, Figueroa, 6th, and Hill Streets, was once an opulent
subdivision created exclusively for Los Angeles's upper class in the
late 19th century. The neighborhood began to decline after World War I as its population surged and wealthy residents headed
for more suburban
enclaves. Mansions were subdivided and occupied by renters, and eventually blight set in. In the 1950s, the city of Los Angeles
began to redevelop
the Bunker Hill area through the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project, which not only included the demolition of Bunker Hill
and its Victorian
mansions, but the reconstruction of the Civic Center area.
Extent
705 photographs in 4 slides boxes within 1 box : color transparencies (35 mm Kodachrome slides)
Restrictions
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Availability
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.