1917 view of Lafayette Park, looking to the northwest toward Hollywood. Wilshire Boulevard is visible on the extreme left.

Part of the Title Insurance and Trust, and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection in the USC Digital Library.

Wilshire Boulevard near Westwood, 1928.

Part of the Dick Whittington Photography Collection in the USC Digital Library.

Westwood Village in 1939, looking north up Glendon Ave. from Wilshire Blvd.

Part of the Dick Whittington Photography Collection in the USC Digital Library.

L.A.’s Miracle Mile, looking east from Wilshire and Fairfax circa 1929.

Part of the Title Insurance and Trust, and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection in the USC Digital Library.

Circa 1924 view of the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Western Ave., looking north up Western. The traffic signal device in the middle of the intersection is a remnant of a failed experiment to introduce traffic circles in L.A.’s busiest intersections. 

Part of the Title Insurance and Trust / C.C. Pierce Photography Collection in the USC Digital Library.

Intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Vermont Ave., circa 1936

Aerial view of Wilshire Boulevard at night on March 28, 1928. The original Brown Derby restaurant is visible on the right.

1922 aerial view of the intersection of Wilshire and San Vicente boulevards, near Beverly Hills

Aerial view of Wilshire Boulevard in 1932

Aerial view of the intersection of Wilshire & Western in 1936. The Wiltern Theater is at the bottom-right corner.

(From the USC Digital Library’s Automobile Club of Southern California Collection)