This week's edition of Throwback Thursday highlights nearly fifty years of change in Downtown Los Angeles.

The before image, captured by an unknown photographer sometime in 1959 or 1960, shows a view of Downtown from just west of the Harbor Freeway - which was at the time just a few years old.  The Central City, famously devoid of high-rise buildings until the lifting of height restrictions in the 1950s, still retained its relatively low-slung character.  Several landmark buildings that are no longer with us - including the old Statler Hilton (later renamed the Wilshire Grand) and the iconic Richfield Tower - are clearly visible, as well as other landmarks such as Superior Oil Building - now the Standard Hotel.

In January 2018, a photo by Hunter Kerhart from the same location shows a vastly different landscape, dominated by modern high-rise buildings.  The Statler Hilton and the Richfield Tower have made way for the Wilshire Grand and City National Plaza, respectively.  The lone holdover from the before image - 1010 Wilshire - appears towards the right-hand side of the image.