Herman W. Hellman building on Spring Street and 4th Street, Los Angeles, 1908

Photograph of the Herman W. Hellman building on Spring Street and 4th Street, Los Angeles, 1908. The building stands about eight-stories tall. The roof is lined with thorny battlements. Over a dozen windows have striped awnings made of cloth. The streets are filled with people. Early cars and carriages can be seen traveling down the dirt road laced with streetcar tracks. Many bicycles are parked next to the curb in front of the building. Legible signs include: "fine furs, fur rugs, game [...]eads", ..."theatre, 344 S. Spring", "Owl Cigar, [...] cents, M.A. Gunst Cigar Co., pac[ific] coast distr[ibutor]", ..."life size wax figures, New York", "billiards, casino, parlors", "Hotchkiss", "The Examiner", "casino caf?quot;, "Gilbert & Fischer real estate", "Dr. Cook, Dr. Loomis", "Prudential Insurance Company of America, home office Newark, [NJ]", "Columbian National Life", "Southwestern Securities Company", "Central Oil Co. of Los Angeles, W.W. Neuer, President, Robt N. Bulla, Atty and Secy", "Commonwealth Mining and Milling Company", "Cal. Home Seekers Co.", "S.[H.] Johnson, real estate", "Melville Sheldon Contractor", "R.A. Rowan & Co., real estate", "Security Savings Bank, [...] surplus [...], safe deposit vaults", "Spring St., Fourth St.". Additional information: The buildings visible in this photo include, from main structure (center) to right: H. W. Hellman Building (built in 1903; north-east corner of Spring Street and 4th Street); Van Nuys Hotel (built in 1897; north-west corner of Main Street and 4th Street; presently (November 2015) the Hotel Barclay); Westminster Hotel (1888-1960; on the north-east corner of Main Street and 4th Street); Hibernian Building (built in 1903; later the Braly Building, then Continental Building; south-east corner of Spring Street and 4th Street).