Al's Bar Los Angeles 1973 Baseball T-Shirt

The Hewitt Street storefronts at the American Hotel housed many Los Angeles businesses over the years — the Golden West, Tony's Café and Joe Pirrone's to name a few. In 1973, Alfonso Vasquez opened a bar there, rather uncreatively calling it Al's Bar. Al's began as a hangout for local truck drivers and factory workers that would stop by after a long day for a cold beer and a game of pool. A shift in neighborhood demographics led to a change in the bar's clientele in the '80s. The hotel became a haven for artists in need of cheap live-in studio space, and Al's was happy to serve these free spirited souls, eventually adding a small stage and hosting bands. Al's quickly became known more as an intimate music venue than a dive bar.