From the Archives: 1912 Los Angeles Times composing room

In October 1912, the Los Angeles Times occupied its third building at the corner of Broadway and First Street.

The building was described in a Jan. 1, 1913, Los Angeles Times article:

The massive and beautiful structure has been erected on the spot occupied by the original Times Building, destroyed through the wicked agencies of conspiracy, dynamite and fire, October 1, 1910; rebuilt 1911-1912 and reoccupied October 1, 1912.

The aim of the builders has been to make the building as nearly fireproof, earthquake-proof and dynamite-proof as is humanly possible, and also to make it exactly suited to the practical and exacting requirements of the expanded and expanding business. ...

The story continued with descriptions of each floor of the new building. For composing, the story reported:

FOURTH FLOOR: Linotype machine and hand-composition room, 6000 square feet. Foreman's desk, throne and observatory; thirty-two linotype machines, make-up trucks and tables, imposing stones, metal stands, cabinets and racks, type cases, type-casting machines, proof-press, etc.

On the same floor was the Proof-readers' Room of 500 square feet and the Stereotype Room of 3700 square feet…

The newsroom was on the third floor. Photography was exiled to the roof. The above article ended with:

Photograph and Photo-engraving Establishment – 3200 square feet: brilliantly lighted from twenty-two windows and three skylights: divided into suitable sub-departments, all fully equipped with the best modern devices.

This post was originally published on July 23, 2014.