27 Photos of Los Angeles Then and Now

All Travel Vintage Photos May 2, 2025

Last Updated on May 2, 2025 by Matt Staff

Los Angeles never sits still. Orange groves became freeways, ranch houses gave way to glass condos, and movie sets grew into neighborhoods. The 27 before-and-after photos below line up L.A.’s past and present—from a barren 1908 Sunset Boulevard (#21) to today’s traffic-clogged artery, and from Chavez Ravine shacks to Dodger Stadium’s parking sea (page 3). Scroll on to see a city that keeps rewriting its own script.

1. Los Angeles Skyline

Two images compare the Los Angeles skyline: the top from 2008 with hazier air, and the bottom from 2023, showing clearer skies and more visible buildings, with the Griffith Observatory in the foreground.
LiveaWestLife

Then: 2008

Now: 2023

2. Hollywood Sign

Historic view of the Hollywood Sign in the 1920s reading "HOLLYWOODLAND" (top) and a modern view of the sign reading "HOLLYWOOD" (bottom), both on the same hillside in Los Angeles.
TodgerNodger

Then: 1920s

Now: 2020s

3. Wilshire Boulevard

Side-by-side images show the same Los Angeles street: the left is an old, black-and-white photo with vintage cars and few buildings; the right is a modern, color photo with tall buildings and busy traffic.
Devi8tor

Then: 1928

Now: 2022

4. Los Angeles street

A split image compares the same intersection in two eras: the top shows a modern street with cars and businesses, while the bottom shows a historic streetcar, vintage car, and old houses.

Then: 1928

Now: 2010

5. Downtown

A split image: the top half shows a sparsely developed, hilly landscape with a few small buildings; the bottom half shows the same location as a dense, modern city with tall skyscrapers and mountains in the background.
chazwazzle

Then: Late 1800s

Now: 2001

6. Farmers and Merchants Bank

Two images of the same neoclassical bank building: the top, a black-and-white historic photo; the bottom, a modern color photo with nearby trees, street signs, and updated surroundings.

Then: 1908

Now: 2015

7. 1820 Industrial Street

Split image: on the left, a yellow train engine on curved tracks between tall brick walls; on the right, people gather at night in a courtyard decorated with string lights and greenery.
Just_Another_AL

Then: 1960s

Now: 2020s

8. LA River near Boyle Heights

A side-by-side comparison shows a railway and retaining wall in two different times: the top image is older with minimal graffiti, while the bottom image shows the same wall now covered in colorful graffiti.
Tito_Grande

Then: 1988

Now: 2023

9. Hollywood High School

Two photos of the same white, modernist building with tall palm trees in front. The top image is older, with vintage cars and people; the bottom image shows recent cars and some changes in landscaping.
UserDeleted

Then: 1988

Now: 2023

10. 101 Freeway, Cahuenga Pass

Split image of a highway: left side shows a black-and-white scene with sparse cars from decades ago; right side shows the same highway in color, crowded with modern cars and heavy traffic under a cloudy sky.
LLover6

Then: 1940s

Now: 2022

11. Intersection of Third and HIll Streets

A black-and-white photo of a horse-drawn carriage on a residential street lined with Victorian houses and a church (top), contrasted with a modern color photo of the same street now surrounded by tall buildings, cars, and parking lots (bottom).
JankCranky

Then: 1898

Now: 2010s

12. Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana, Mission Hills

A split image shows a historic mission building: the top half is an old black-and-white photo with horses and people, while the bottom half is a modern color photo of the same building with trees and street signs.
Sperko818

Then: Late 1800s

Now: Early 2020s

13. Lake Street

Two images of the same street: the top is a modern color photo with cars parked along tree-lined sidewalks and houses; the bottom is an old black-and-white photo showing dirt roads, palm trees, and early 20th-century homes.
Tito_Grande

Then: 1907

Now: 2022

14. Bunker Hill

A split image showing the same Los Angeles street: the top half is modern with cars, buildings, and traffic signs; the bottom half is a historic black-and-white photo with streetcar tracks, old houses, and vintage storefronts.

Then: 1894

Now: 2023

15. Los Angeles Coliseum

Two aerial photos of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: the top is a black-and-white image from the early years showing sparse surroundings; the bottom is a modern color image showing a developed cityscape and skyline.

Then: 1923

Now: 2022

16. Intersection of Beaufait and Darby Avenues, Porter Ranch. From a scene in E.T.

Two photos of the same street intersection. The top shows four kids riding bikes, re-creating a scene from "E.T." The bottom shows the intersection years later with more greenery and houses.

Then: 1982

Now: 2022

17. Griffith Park Observatory

Two images of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles: the top in black and white, showing sparse surroundings; the bottom in color, featuring the observatory with the dense city skyline in the background.

Then: 1930s

Now: 2019

18. Southwest corner of Grand Avenue and 1st Street

Two photos of the same street corner decades apart: the first shows old houses and a hotel; the second shows the modern Walt Disney Concert Hall with its curved, metallic exterior.
JankCranky

Then: 1954

Now: 2022

19. Church on Exposition Blvd

Two photos show the same street corner years apart. The top image has a dirt lot, a man by a white car, and a wooden house frame. The bottom image shows paved roads, grown trees, and completed houses with fences.
boojix

Then: 1978

Now: 2023

20. Van Nuys Blvd and Delano st.

A split image shows the same street in 1926 and 2020. The 1926 photo has vintage cars, utility poles, and old buildings. The 2020 photo has modern buildings, palm trees, and a wider, emptier street.

Then: 1926

Now: 2020

21. Home in LA (Possibly Koreatown)

Side-by-side comparison of a house: the top image shows the house in black and white with an old car parked outside, while the bottom shows the same house in color, modernized, with trees and a different car.
Longjumping-Ad9665

Then: 1925

Now: 2020s

22. The before is one of the first aerial photos ever taken of Los Angeles

Aerial comparison of Los Angeles: the top black-and-white image shows a sparse, early 20th-century city layout with open land, while the bottom color image shows the dense, modern cityscape with many buildings and highways.
mr_Wolficorn

Then: 1887

Now: 2024

23. Spring & 2nd, Temple & Main

Side-by-side images showing an old ornate building on a busy street corner (left, black and white) and a modern cityscape with skyscrapers and trees (right, color), both taken from the same location.
Psychological_Pop670

Then:

Now:

24. Chavez Ravine before and after the construction of Dodger Stadium in 1962

Split image: Top (1937) shows a hillside neighborhood with houses and greenery near Solano Reservoir and Palo Verde Elementary. Bottom (2020) shows the same area replaced by Dodger Stadium parking lots.
TheSandPeople

Then: 1937

Now: 2020

25. Looking east on Airdrome Street from Bedford Avenue

Split image comparison: Top, a black-and-white photo of an empty, unpaved road lined with power poles and sparse houses. Bottom, the same road now paved, lined with parked cars, trees, and fenced homes in a suburban setting.
Col_Croissant

Then: 1935

Now: 2021

6. Aliso Street in Downtown LA

Side-by-side photos of LA City Hall from Aliso Street in 1948 and the same spot in 2024, showing changes: a train crash near a wall in 1948, and a freeway with new buildings, including a federal prison, in 2024.

Then: 1948

Now: 2024

27. Sunset Boulevard looking west from Wilcox near Edgemont

Split image showing the same street: the top half is a historic black-and-white photo of a tree-lined dirt road, and the bottom half is a modern color photo with paved road, cars, palm trees, and buildings.

Then: 1883

Now: 2023

Love tracking how places evolve? Take a coast-to-coast time warp with 40 Photos That Show the Way We Were in the Forties, glimpse New York’s gritty past in 45 Photos of America Then and Now, or rewind to boomtown days with 30 Vintage Photos Showing Life on the American Frontier (1860–1920).

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