The Stanley Hotel and Apartments stand above the tunnel on Bunker Hill. (1950s) *^^ - View looking east toward the west end of the 2nd Street Tunnel. The tunnel did not open for nearly three years. 22, 1921, Los Angeles Times with story claiming the tunnel would be finished in less than a year. The above photo was published in the Aug. The multi-story building at upper-right is the Stanley Hotel and Apartments. (1921) *^ – View showing the 2nd Street Tunnel construction site before the boring of the tunnel, from the Figueroa Street side (Western Portal). (2020) ^.^ – Eastern portal of the Second Street Tunnel. (2017) * – Google street view showing the eastern portal of the 2nd Street Tunnel as seen from Hill Street. (1950s) ** – View looking at the eastern portal of the 2nd Street Tunnel showing a line of cars heading toward the civic center. The Hill would soon be scraped clean to make way for “redevelopment”. The last days of Bunker Hill: this view from the Second Street tunnel clearly shows the deterioration of the neighborhood’s boarding houses and residential hotels. (1950s) *^^ - Close-up view of the east end of the 2nd Street Tunnel showing the deterioration of the neighborhood’s boarding houses and residential hotels. 1940) * - View looking west on 2nd Street from Hill Street. (1940s) * - View looking toward the 2nd Street Tunnel from Hill Street. (1930s)^ – Noir image showing a man wearing a hat walking through the 2nd Street Tunnel. The distinctive white tiles, which give the tunnel its glow, came from Germany, which caused controversy at the time due to the legacy of World War I and protectionist feelings. A procession of dignitaries await the start of the parade while police on horseback maintain crowd control.Ĭonstruction of the 2nd Street Tunnel began in 1916, and wasn't completed until 1924, with its formal opening on July 25 of that year. (1924) * - Grand opening of the 2nd Street Tunnel on July 25, 1924. But by July 25, 1924, workers had finally bored 1,502 feet through Bunker Hill’s shale and sandstone. High rise buildings and an inclined street can be seen in the background.įor a time, it seemed the tunnel would never open it became the laughingstock of the city. Two men in suits stands amidst the building materials at the right side of the ditch. A small workman's shack has been erected to the left, and scaffolding lines the street on the bridge above and the road leading up to it on the left side. A ditch filled with lumber stands in the foreground, quickly meeting an archway under which an automobile can be seen parked. 1921) ^^ - Hill Street entrance to the 2nd Street tunnel under construction. Steam shovels didn't begin tearing into the hillside until April 11, 1921. Construction actually began in 1916 but was stalled for five years by litigation. The 2nd Street Tunnel was built to relieve congestion on the earlier 3rd Street Tunnel. They are digging out Bunker Hill to construct the 2nd Street Tunnel. Another man operates the levers that dumps a mouthful of dirt into a dump truck. One man holds onto the rope that leads to the pulleys. (1921) ^ - Two men seated in the cabin of a Bucyrus backhoe operate the machine as steam rises from the top.

Underpass downtown la