Eternal Spring Street: Los Angeles Architectural Reincarnation: The Reinvention of Downtown Los Angeles (American and European Architecture)

“Eternal Spring Street: Los Angeles’ Architectural Reincarnation“ is a celebratory pictorial edition recounting the evolution and transformation of one of downtown Los Angeles’ primary boulevards. The edition features photographs of buildings and architectural details that line the blocks of North and South Spring Street. The book traces colorful legends, anecdotes and landmarks that preceded current standing constructions.

The once modest dirt highway was originally called the Old Brea Road, servicing as a major commercial artery originating from the Los Angeles’ El Pueblo settlement and separating in the direction of the LaBrea Tar Pits and the Cahuenga Pass (present day Hollywood). Spring Street officially derived its name from Trinidad Primavera Ortega, the girlfriend of Lieutenant Edward Ord who drafted the city’s initial survey map in 1849 that included street naming rights. Primavera is the Spanish name for Spring and Ord designated the honor to Ortega (the nickname he called her). She was also the granddaughter of Spanish explorer Jose Francisco Ortega.

The El Pueblo settlement was established in the mid-18th century along the then fertile banks of the Los Angeles River. The colony’s terrain was agriculturally cultivated for vineyards, cattle ranching and later citrus groves before an encroaching urban environment altered the complexion of city towards the close of the 19th century.

Drawing from varied archival documentation and narratives, Vickers traces the four stages of evolution of Spring’s transformation including: 1) retail center, 2) cradle of Silent Film movie production offices, 3) bank and financial institution headquarters and 4) contemporary retail, office and residential mixed-use developments. The most current Spring Street reinvention followed a prolonged period of four-decade stagnation following World War II.

“Eternal Spring Street” further documents numerous colorful and influential contributors to the local opulent history. Among the profiled personalities include John Temple, William Wolfskill, Jean-Luis Vignes, Abel and Arcadia Sterns, Pio Pico, Isaias Hellman, Joaquin Murrieta (his severed and pickled head), Ozro Childs, John C. Fremont, John Parkinson, Prudent Beaudry, George Lehman, Biddy Mason, Remi Nadeau, Sarah Bernhardt (her severed leg), James J. Jeffries, George Ralphs and many others.

The book profiles each distinctive building’s architectural lineage and unique legacy that have been often historically overlooked. The buildings photographed include: the Los Angeles City Hall Complex, United States Court House, Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Los Angeles Times, Douglas Building, Washington Building, Ronald Reagan Building, Hellman Annex and Banco Popular Building, Title Insurance Building, Crocker Citizen National Bank, The Braly/Continental Building, El Dorado/Stowell Hotel, Rowan & Chester Building, Alexandria Hotel, Spring Arcade Building, Pacific Southwest Bank, Security Building, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Merchant & Lloyd’s Bank, Hotel Hayward, E. F. Hutton, California Canadian Bank, Barclays Bank, A. G. Bartlett Building, United California Bank, Los Angeles Stock Exchange, Mortgage Guaranty Building, Banks & Huntley Building, Bank of America, I. N. Van Nuys Building, Lane Mortgage, William May Garland Building. Marsh & Strong Building, Financial Center Building, Renco Films, Great Republic Life Building and National City Tower.

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers re-established his northern California art and creative operations following a five-year residence in southern France between 2005-2009. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986 (MarquesV.com). Born in 1957, Vickers grew up in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Executive Director of the Burbank, California Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He later served as Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood, California between 1984-86. Following a brief residence in Dijon, France, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987 until 2004 in northern California. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations and fine wine brokering. In 2005, he relocated to southern France where he refurbished and flipped two different 19th century stone village houses. Returning in 2009, he began the Marquis Gallery (ArtsInAmerica.com) and (InsiderSeriesBooks.com) focused on reselling rare books, collectibles, fine art and wine through online marketplace stores and barter trade exchanges. In 2015, he sold his northern California residence to concentrate exclusively on his writings and artwork and began a Ulysses’ modeled odyssey seeking his ultimate homeward destination at his own pace. He has published numerous e-book and paperback works on the fine arts and auction industry, Southern France, notorious murder crime sites, wine, architecture, his poetry and short stories, phobias and obsessions, photography themed editions and photojournalism projects. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.