Walking down New High Street, you may ask yourself, “So where’s Old High Street?” That one’s easy: It doesn’t exist. The original High Street became Ord Street in 1890. As for New High Street, it actually predated the death of High Street. While it doesn’t appear on an 1857 map of the city, it’s mentioned in an 1860 issue of the Los Angeles Star (L.A.’s first newspaper), so we can guess at its birth year. New High was carved out between Main and Eternity Street (today’s Broadway) to create more real estate in the densifying town. It used to be several blocks longer than it is now, terminating in Temple Square (today’s Grand Park). When Temple Square was torn down in 1926 to make way for L.A.’s iconic Art Deco City Hall, New High was pruned back by Spring Street‘s messy realignment.
Find it on the map:
