Facts of the matter

As a geographer and a docent who gives regular downtown tours, which include the building mentioned in “The Spirit Lives On� (Oct. 23), I would like to point out a few errors. No. 1 and foremost, the building in question is the Million Dollar Theater. There just happens to be office space above the theater, which was common practice in the construction of theaters at that time. They were originally built to be studios but were never used for that purpose. The MWD was not the first to use the offices. Southern California Edison occupied the building until 1931, when it moved to Bunker Hill. MWD was in this building until the 1960s! OK, and now for the geography part ... L.A. is not a desert, it is a Mediterranean climate! Some call it semiarid or semidesert, but it is not desert, same as Rome, Greece, etc. While it is very dry compared with wet climates on the East Coast and in the Northwest, it is nothing like the true desert, such as Las Vegas, which averages 4 inches of rain a year and is very harsh. Other than that, I very much enjoyed the article, especially since it will make more Angelenos aware of downtown’s treasures!

Paul Polacek

Los Angeles