From the Archives: Newspaper ads overlook 1903 cornerstone ceremony
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A crowd gathered March 28, 1903, for ceremonies as the cornerstone was laid for the Chamber of Commerce building on Broadway in Los Angeles.
The crowd of 8,000 closed Broadway between 1st and 2nd Streets. Before the ceremonies, 800 Masons from all over Southern California took part in a parade from the Masonic Temple on Hill Street to the Chamber of Commerce site.
Advertisements, including a Los Angeles Times ad, partially cover the building in the background of the photo. The bottom line — partially obscured — reads, “A full grown newspaper but no ‘organ.’”
But the Los Angeles Herald had better ad placement with “The Herald Always on Top.” The Herald had one big advantage — their offices were in the building.
The Chamber of Commerce building was at 130 S. Broadway, opposite the current Times-Mirror complex.
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