The Potomac Block was a commercial building with a historical role in the retail history of Los Angeles, at 213–223 S.

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

, on the west side of Broadway between 2nd and 3rd streets. It was developed by lumberyard and mill owner J. M. Griffith, designed in 1888 by

Block, Curlett and Eisen William F. Curlett (County Down, Ireland, March 3, 1846 – January 21, 1914, San Francisco) and Alexander Edward Curlett (called Aleck) (San Francisco, February 6, 1881 – September 5, 1942) were a father-and-son pair of architects. They w ...

Romanesque architectural style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

"Potomac Block", Digital Collections of the Los Angeles Public Library
/ref> and opened on July 17, 1890. Tenants included

Ville de Paris (department store) Ville de Paris may refer to: * Paris * French ship Ville de Paris, French ship ''Ville de Paris'', several ships * HMS Ville de Paris, HMS ''Ville de Paris'' * La Ville de Paris (airship), ''La Ville de Paris'' (airship) * Ville de Paris (departme ...

, and City of London Dry Goods Co. It was the first time major retail stores opened on South Broadway, in what would be a shift of the shopping district from 1890-1905, from the 1880s-1890s central business district around Spring, Main, First and Temple streets to S. Broadway, and ever further south along Broadway. In 1904

Coulter's Coulter's was a department store that originated in Downtown Los Angeles and later moved to the Miracle Mile shopping district in that same city. History Coulter's was founded by B. F. Coulter, a minister and entrepreneur from Kentucky, wh ...

bought the building and combined it with a building to the south and at the back (facing Hill St.), renovated and combined them into one, opening it as a new store in June 1905. The building was demolished in 1953 and is still the site of a parking lot."Potomac Block and Bicknell Block", Tour of Romaneque Los Angeles, Pocketsights
/ref>

External link

Image of Potomac Block shortly after its 1890 opening

References

{{Coord, 34, 3, 7.5, N, 118, 14, 51, W, region:US-CA, display=title Commercial buildings in Los Angeles Demolished buildings and structures in Los Angeles Romanesque Revival architecture in California Broadway (Los Angeles) Buildings and structures demolished in 1953