Some time ago y'all might remember a whole lot of talk and query about the Louise, and if/how it became the Cortez, and how it morphed from 439 to 375 Columbia.

The whole address business is still a mystery, but I did unearth a postcard of the Louise, postmarked March 1928:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1561/...dfa1f476_o.jpg
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1448/...e0d8c2fc_o.jpg

A later card:

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1475/...83992d2b_b.jpg

The permit is granted in October of '24; the owner is Louise Chatt, the architect, Charles B. Martin. The exterior is of brick, stucco, and "art stone." 439 still comes up as an address there under permits as late as 1930 (there's one there for an awning) but by 1935 it comes up as 375. There's a 1935 permit pulled to do some re-stucco work including "removing disintegrated portions of ornam." So it appears the "art stone" didn't survive a decade. Those sculpted figures don't seem to be there in the second postcard.

It's quite a structure. I confess I haven't the first idea who Charles Martin was or what he else did. There was a contemporary CBM up in Portland, who designed an industrial school for the deaf there about that time, but that's all I could dig up.

Lookee here! There's even a remnant of the Louise over the door! Per the latest GSV.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1661/...986a7f59_c.jpg

Did anyone notice that with just a liiiitle readjustment the logo on the front of the bus, under the window, is a swastika?

No, but I have seen it modified with the addition of a snails head. :)

Cheers,
Jack

Green paint is obviously popular along Echo Park Avenue - this house is on the corner of Baxter Street, just a block north of the house above. Initially I thought it had a porte-cochère, but when I got closer, I realized that there isn't an entrance on the side of the house. I'm guessing that they just extended it over the driveway to maintain access to the rear. I have to admit, that 'boattail' Riviera also caught my eye :).

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...e.jpg~original
GSV

Looks more like the insignia on the Crocker bank sign

Thanks for identifying the Hotel Shoreham in yesterday's Shulman pictures, GW. I had planned to look for those towers myself, but forgot!


----------------


Today's Julius Shulman photoset shows the 1955 Transport Indemnity Building at 3670 Wilshire Boulevard. A realtor by the name of Paul Mintz is to the right Transport Indemnity Building, and the block is completed by a Standard Oil station at Serrano. This is "Job 2218: Transport Indemnity Building Offices (Los Angeles, Calif.),1956".
NB. I've omitted the second picture in the set because it duplicates the first from further away, and only adds dark vegetation.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...2.jpg~original

Both from Getty Research Institute

GW mentions the Transport Indemnity Building in a detailed post about 651 South Hobart Boulevard on his Wilshire Boulevard Houses Blog. The building was apparently demolished in 2005 to make way for a redevelopment which is still yet to happen! Here it is on a 2004 aerial view - the 2005 image was taken after the site was cleared.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...3.jpg~original
Historic Aerials

The site is currently being used as a parking lot.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...4.jpg~original
GSV

:previous:

Visible at far right in the top shot is Berl Berry Lincoln-Mercury at 3700 Wilshire, which we've seen here before. (Note the beginning of the Lincoln script above the arch....)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K...terrev.bmp.jpg Julius Shulman/from NLA post 16762


Here's another post on it:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=16757

I'm not sure if this resource, a perspective map of Los Angeles from 1894, had been referenced yet. This is from the Library of Congress:

http://www.loc.gov/resource/g4364l.pm000280/

You have sharp eyes, GW. Here's an enlargement from the original. They're advertising the new '56 Mercury for $1999. It also includes a better look at the Standard Oil station and Paul Mintz and Associates.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...5.jpg~original
Detail of image from Getty Research Institute

I just located the earlier post that shows the mystery market on Echo Part Avenue. (the other arrow is pointing to the green house)

'mystery' location

The negative for this photograph was on eBay a couple months ago.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...911/qUA99n.jpg

If I remember correctly, the seller mentioned Glendale (as well as Los Angeles)

It looks like there might be a diagonal track crossing the two parallel tracks.
__

:previous:

I seem to remember that out on San Fernando Rd, south of the confluence of the Arroyo Seco and the River, but it's been a long time since I was out that way.

I'll have to check out that area. -thanks t2




A cozy bar interior. (1940s?)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...905/djj4o8.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bob-Daltons-...-/151879331525

Bob Dalton's Elbow Room, 1056 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles CA




And here's the dining area. (Charcoal Broiler)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...910/ytkevk.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bob-Daltons-...-/151879331525

I'm gonna go out on a limb here.

First, I want to believe that this is shot at the intersection of San Fernando Road and Doran St looking SSE, just past the 134 Ventura Freeway overpass. I used to shop at an industrial supply place on Doran around there in the 1980's, and I think the Levitz sign was at that location, even though the Levitz building was further south.

Second, along the lines of Levitz and the diagonal spur, this could also be at a crossing that no longer exists, further SSE from Doran, where Cutter St meets W San Fernando Road on the west side of the tracks, and where W California Ave meets San Fernando road on the east side of the tracks.

The Levitz may have been where Cutter and Exchange come together, where Cinelease stands. The Cinelease roof sign kinda has a Levitz feel to it, though the size and shape aren't completely true.

Or, I might just be having a stoke.

The Elbow Room was going by late 1944 for sure. It had a fire in Jan. 1945 and had to move out temporarily to Pico & La Cienega. It was back at 1056 a few months later as planned.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...alton-fire.jpg LAT 1-1945

1956 S. La Cienega had become the Devonshire Inn by 1952.

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...belle/1952.jpg

Then it was the Frascatti Inn in the Frascati mini-chain as of 1954.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...belle/1956.jpg 1956 LAT.

Interior as Frascatti Inn:
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/k...cati%20inn.jpg ebay.

I've been in touch with John Bengtson about What—No Beer?-- he emailed me what he knows about the barrel scene: "I know that the grocery store at the bottom of the hill, that the truck crashes through, was a set, built in the intersection." (Now I see that the store set was actually built in the intersection. This would also explain the appearance of the billboard for another MGM film, Grand Hotel, released the year before.) He notes that while there is a street sign visible, it isn't clear enough to read in available prints.

It looks like twin-lamp streetlights are at the top of the hill--they look to me as though they could be the type once found on Hollywood Boulevard, and, I believe Franklin--but following those streets and others I haven't found any street alignments or topography that might be possibilities. Someone here will find it though.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t...hollylamps.jpgLAPL

No. LOL. We're talking about the same place. And I just found this still lurking on the web:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X...7%252520AM.jpg
losangeles.com

I cannot recall now why I used to go out that way. Bleak.

There may well have been one of those Levitz Furniture signs at Doran Street (the number of ways to cross the railroad tracks is limited), but I think we're looking south at the intersection of W San Fernando Road and Brazil Street. Here's the view in July 2014 when the crossing was temporarily blocked. The signs on the east side of the tracks at this time indicated that access to Brazil Street was via a diversion to Doran Street.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original
GSV

Just a few months earlier, in February 2014, the spur tracks were still visible where they crossed W San Fernando Road.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...2.jpg~original
GSV

Going back to August 2011, the crossing was much more open, and the small shed just over the fence was yet to be built.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...3.jpg~original
GSV

Across the tracks, Brazil Street becomes W Broadway. I think that the building on the far left of e_r's picture is still there. It's currently Frank's Burgers at 740 W Broadway.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...4.jpg~original
GSV

I found the image below on a blog called Atwater Village Newbie. It confirms the location of Levitz Furniture at Cutter and Exchange. Looking at Historic Aerials, I'd say that Cinelease is in the same building.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original
Atwater Village Newbie on flickr

"The store was actually built in the intersection." This had never occurred to me! Good sleuthing GaylordWilshire.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...633/7dKUrs.jpg

& thanks for contacting John Bengtson.
__

"You'll Love It at Levitz"
 

Thanks Hoss

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K...1%252520AM.jpg
google maps