WOW! Great photo so-cal-bear!!!

That Ford must have been barrelling along in order to uproot and move that lampost. Usually, the lampost won and totalled the car. Here, nuttin won:yuck:

~F3

Fantastic Photos
 

Just spent a couple hours going through those photos on LAPL. There are some fantastic shots!!! I copied several that I will post on the thread as time permits.

Thanks for the heads-up so-cal-bear:cheers:

Early Depression-Era Pasadena.

Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, 1930, looking north. Look at those traffic signals.
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/6872/picture2ju.png
Huntington Library Collection

Looking east on Colorado Boulevard from Fair Oaks Avenue.
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/2604/picture1ci.png
Huntington Library Collection

1948: Fifth Church of Christ Scientist.

Hangin's too good for whoever gave the green light on that remodel.

It's not that the updated version is horrible. It has a certain appeal, in its own Jetsonian way.

It's what they ruined to achieve that effect.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5...3%252520AM.jpgLADOT

Santa Monica Blvd and La Brea, late '20s: The banjo-shaped signal was seen in the county in several towns, and at least once in Los Angeles--it was made by the Waterhouse Co. in Alhambra.

some 1875 images of the old high school building i don't recall seeing before.

poundcake hill was quite the prominent promontory. the old high school certainly stood head and shoulders over the rest of downtown!

looking west on court street across spring street

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068496.jpg
Source: LAPL


looking north west across 1st and main

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics09/00014075.jpg
Source: LAPL

Simply amazing...........................

Wow!
 

Incredible photos gsjansen! Thank you for posting them!!! In the second photo, is there anything, besides the hills way in the background, that survives??? I'm assuming not......but always hopeful:dunno:

~F3

:previous:

nope, not a thing survives................................(sigh)

nor does anything in this 1950 photograph looking south on flower between 2nd and 3rd...............a tiny bit of the marcella is visible at the far right

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics34/00051542.jpg
Source: LAPL

full view of the marcella entry

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics14/00026808.jpg
Source: LAPL

whatever happened to the magnificent corinthian columned marcella?

(better question is whatever happend to the 200 block of flower)

why of course it became the swinging singles hang out pool of fabulous bunker hill towers

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/...24cd60ff_o.gif
Source: On Bunker Hill

speaking of no longer there kinda stuff..........(pay no attention to the jonathon club, as for some reason, is still exists)

a great 1939 view of the richfield and our old friend the snow, (southland hotel), from 7th and flower . (once again, a photograph i do not recall seeing previosly)

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics18/00018954.jpg
Source: LAPL


a great photograph ofthe california club under construction at 6th and flower 1929. the richfield had just, or is nearing completion
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics26/00047669.jpg
Source: LAPL

image of the foundation work for the california club while the richfield is under construction

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics26/00047668.jpg
Source: LAPL

Blah
 

Oh just wonderful!

An absolutely stunning building like the Marcella gives way to Mr. Kotter, Steve Austin and Kelly & Sabrina frollicking in the pool of those fugly towers.:hell:

.

i know it was this past weekend, but this is soooo cool, i had to post it anyway................................................

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lp...lzjoo1_500.gif
Source: And She's Hooked to the Silver Screen

Map of Rancho land-grants in L.A. county in 1898
 

This is a fun map. It shows the lands of the former ranchos around Los Angeles in 1898.


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/599729...1a23d663_b.jpg
Link to full-res version at calisphere.


And here is its eastern extension. (The San Gabriel and Walnut valleys.)


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/599671...fb7b2af4_b.jpg
Link to full-res version at calisphere.


I refer to these maps over and over again, and I have literally spent hours looking at them. I hope you enjoy them, too!

-Scott

Post on my blog here.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E...7%252520PM.jpgYoutube

Just saw one of those TCM "Travetalks" about Los Angeles in the late '30s. It seems that what's on TCM isn't usually available on Youtube, and this was no exception. But I was led to a very interesting and very early color film about Olvera Street. I didn't see a date on the title card--the Youtube notation for it says "1937"--but judging by the cars and the early '30s hats, I'd say it was filmed at least 6 years earlier than that. Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Dni...3FC1845A0A8589


Here's that old swastika again:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z...2520PM.bmp.jpgYoutube


PS: Scott--what a great map. Makes an excellent screensaver.

Wow GW...what an amazing short film! I think you're right about it dating from the early thirties. And I'm really fascinated with the narration, some of which is silly, charming and slightly surreal all at once:

"Truly a street of memories. Soft speaking olive-skinned guides, languid in business. 'You buy, or you don't buy. What does it matter?' Happiness is his when humming an old love song. And he is lost without the inevitable guitar."

I would probably watch more travel documentaries if they were written with that much poetic license.

a few images along temple street i don't recall seeing previously before


1955 view looking west on temple street from main street. the image shows street widening to temple street shortly after the demolition of the international bank building was completed.

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068420.jpg
Source: LAPL

1929 view looking east on temple from spring street past the international bank building

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics26/00032553.jpg
Source: LAPL

installing blackout cones on an acme semaphore at the intersection of alvarado street and teple street 1941

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics50/00044600.jpg
Source: LAPL

interesting view looking south towards the intersection of 1st and spring from city hall while it's under construction. spring street still has it's bit of a kink still left. you can see where it used to run, right through the south west corner of city hall

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics09/00014203.jpg
Source: LAPL

almost nothing else says los angeles noir quite like a desoto deluxe yellow taxi cab!

http://jpg1.lapl.org/00088/00088777.jpg
Source: LAPL

The Yellow Cab Company was located at the South East corner of 3rd street and lucas avenue. here's a then, (1948), and now, (googlemaps streetview).

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6090/...8a33c3df_b.jpg
Source: (of the then image)........LAPL


http://jpg1.lapl.org/00088/00088779.jpg
Source: LAPL

you know you've arrived in style when it's a yellow cab......just call MAdison 1234!.....dispatchers are standing by

http://jpg1.lapl.org/00088/00088761.jpg
Source: LAPL

Ahhh DeSotos....
 

Very noir

http://www.imcdb.org/i239165.jpgIMCDB
In Postman Always Rings Twice, the D.A.'s '42, with one-year-only hideaway headlights


A second '42 appeared as Garfield and Turner were leaving the hash house, before she decided to go back
http://www.imcdb.org/i239169.jpgIMCDB


The repo men in Sunset Boulevard drove a '48 coupe:
http://imcdb.org/images/060/848.jpgIMCDB


And of course in
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nf_PEiRYbH...n+shooting.gif,


Bert's '36:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r8fFJtF20P...+airstream.jpgIMCDB

Veda gif: Glamamor

DeSoto Heaven
 

Love me some DeSotos!!!

All years, but I am partial to 1957-58 :tup:

'58 Adventurer Convertible from "A Monster on Campus"
http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/4415/firesweep.jpg

and a screencap of a '57 Firedome (brain fart on where from)
http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/3563/firedome.jpg

Yup, I admit it I'm an old LA fanatic AND a complete gearhead:D

Personal collection

and speaking of cars....
 

Found this postcard on e-bay today.

America's first car wash (1927) the "El Patio Auto Laundry"! Turns out it was connected to the El Patio Ballroom which, as has been discussed on the thread before, eventually became the Palomar Ballroom. Notice the towers top left.
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/1...carlaundry.jpg
e-bay

The Palomar
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2...arballroom.jpg

^^^Excellent find Fab_Fifties_Fan!

I was fascinated by that photo of the El Patio Auto Laundry (what a great name!) and went searching for more info. I stumbled across this group of additional photos.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/a...3&d=1305235033
[source: jalopyjournal.com]

Also came across these early-1930s photos of Royal Coach Auto Body Works on Santa Monica Blvd. I assume the man in the white coat is the proprietor.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/a...6&d=1305234718
[source: jalopyjournal.com]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/a...7&d=1305234718
[source: jalopyjournal.com]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/a...8&d=1305234718
[source: jalopyjournal.com]

Found it!
 

I've been looking for a better-quality version of this image for a long time! (Sorry for the horizontal width, but it's worth the side-scrolling.)

Civic Center, Los Angeles, March 11, 1946.

http://otters.net/img/lapast/6037717...a480dfba_o.jpg
Library of Congress.

Here's a link to the full-resolution TIFF file.

Enjoy!
-Scott

...........

Speaking of car washes...
 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z...AWashclose.jpgjalopyjournal


Even Morgan, Walls & Clements designed one. It was at 920 S. Western Ave. Not visible here, but just to the right is a lot offering free parking for patrons of the Fox Uptown Theatre down the street. Good pictures of the car wash online are elusive--it took me forever to find this fuzzy copy of one taken by Dick Whittington in 1927. I couldn't find it among all the Dick Whittington pics in the usual libraries. (If you happen to see a copy of Richard Longstreth's [incredible] book The Drive-In, the Supermarket, and the Transformation of Commercial Space in Los Angeles, 1914-1941, there's a much sharper print of this shot in it.)

Greetings, gents. It's been a while. Here are a coupla things I picked up lately.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/...ce180e87_o.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/...f6c4308e_o.jpg

Your standard shot down Main across the Plaza church, 1957. Not that much has changed...street lamps, trolley wires...note the demo of the Citizens Bank to the north.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XRrU8-3Nmi...the+Past+4.JPGnostalgialeague
Don't know when it was built or when it came down. The Google "now" version shows the Vickrey-Bruswig and Plaza House during their restoration.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6130/...05b30c08_o.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/...b9e07f2a_o.jpg

Looking up First across Main toward Spring, 5/27/56. Lots of haze, admit it, it's smog, adding a nice sfumato effect; the Courthouse lurks, mid-construction, at Hill. Check out how the City Hall trees have grown. The State Building is, of course, a skate park. Nice that we've retained the old combo streetlight/trolley pole illumination.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/...a60b6ce1_o.jpghttp://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/...eab4ecee_o.jpg

Ok, this is the one that tore me from my sabbatical to post again in the first place (what can I say, always get excited about the gas holders). Looking down Sunset across Grand, 7/55. The Croyden Apts was at 620 Sunset. Behind the Croyden a panel truck turns onto Hill St, which curved around Ft Moore. Note that in the now picture the crosswalk has been moved closer to the foreground by about twenty feet; used to be where the blue mailbox is in the 1955 shot. Noticeable lack of protesters in the older image, too. Dig the bay window in the rearview mirror!

Great work on everything of late, y'all!

Great post Beaudry! I especially love the last photo.
Your description really brings the scene to life (the topper was the mysterious bay window in the rear view mirror).

Ah Beaudry, I concur with ethereal, that last photo you posted is really a great one! I'd like to think that possibly that panel truck was an LA County Coroner's vehicle on its way to the Hall of Justice.

I thought this was an interesting article from the LA Times from last year. It shows that Angelenos were so in love with their cars from the very beginning that even the City Council didn't want people to have to pay for parking on city streets.


L.A. THEN AND NOW
The city that loves the car was slow to pay for parking

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7015/picture3kz.png
LA Times

By Steve Harvey


Los Angeles lays claim to being the birthplace of such phenomena as drive-in church services (Emmanuel Lutheran, North Hollywood, 1949), hang-gliding (Dockweiler State Beach, about 1960) and the Cobb salad (the Brown Derby, 1937).

But the city was no pacesetter in the category of parking meters. Oklahoma City was the first to install the coin confiscators in 1935, and more than 60 other municipalities followed before Los Angeles joined the crowd in 1949. Even Fairbanks, Alaska, beat L.A.

Three times -- in 1940, 1942 and 1946 -- the City Council rejected the notion, much to the delight of The Times, which scoffed that it would be "just as fair to install turnstiles for sidewalk pedestrians."

When a nickel-an-hour rate was first talked about in 1936, The Times warned ominously that "the autoist using the space for only a few minutes would have to pay as much as he who uses it for the full period."

The newspaper also asserted that the number of parking spaces would be reduced because they "must all be long enough for cars with the largest wheelbase."

And what of the technological challenge facing autoists?

"Can a stranger, or even a forgetful homebody, be mulcted for a fine if he doesn't know how to work the contraption?" asked Times columnist Chapin Hall in 1940. "Even the mechanics of dropping a nickel in a slot is a major problem for some."

But others pushed for the gadgets, including council members searching for new sources of revenue, lobbyists for the meter manufacturers and merchants who wanted to eliminate that early 20th century villain known as the "parking hog."

Finally, in 1949, the City Council gave in and installed 400 of the 5-cents-an-hour devices on an experimental basis on Lankershim Boulevard near the present site of the Metro Red Line station in North Hollywood.

[...]

Read the rest by clicking on THIS.

Dedication of the State Building, circa 1932.


http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/5...d2hugeebay.jpg
ebay


above: This building was a lot larger than I had remembered. Notice the people along the roof line.




below: The State Building facing the Los Angeles Times Building lower left.

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/9...oundationb.jpg






below: The foundation is still visible.
If I remember correctly sopas_ej posted close-up photos of the foundation earlier in the thread.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/618...oundationc.jpg
google street view

So why was this particular building torn down?

_____________

Palm being moved to Central & 5th for depot, 1889.

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7...ghttocentr.jpg
usc digital library


I love the Wolfskill shanty.

____________

Great pics, ethereal, I really like the one of the dedication.

Yes, I did post close-ups of the foundation and the still-visible leftover floor tiles of the State Building, but I don't remember what page of the thread those are on.

The State Building was torn down after sustaining structural damage caused by the 1971 Sylmar Earthquake.

I wonder why the State Building suffered structural damage and not City Hall which was constructed several years earlier.

Sopas_ej, I searched for your earlier photos of the State Building's foundation/tiles to no avail.
This thread is HUGE now......and that's a GOOD thing. :)

Hey Ethereal!

I noticed that postcard is missing one particular item........

THE INTERNATIONAL BANK BUILDING!

(Some air-brushing perhaps? Surely the 1907-era IBB didn't square with the whole "Civic Center" vibe.)

Wasn't torn down until 1954 - and that post card/air photo surely pre-dates '54.

Do I get a cookie? LOL LOL LOL

http://blogdowntown.com/2010/05/5382...etime-neighbor

:previous:

also in that postcard, automobiles are shown driving up and down, and being parked on court street between broadway and hill!!

I'd pay good money to see that happen!

below: An aerial view from 1931 showing the State Building under construction. This is the exact same angle as the postcard above.


http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/361...erial1931u.jpg
usc digital archive


I didn't realize the old Los Angeles Times building was still standing as the State Building was rising. They look like they're mere feet from each other.
If you look closely you can see the two funicular 'cars' going up and down Court Flight.

Does anyone have any information on that slightly curved 'alley' in the lower right hand corner?
It seems to abruptly dead end behind one of the building facing Los Angeles Street.


___________

Here is an interesting snapshot from ebay.

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/7007/64839938.jpg


The seller says it is a view of Spring Street near 2nd Street. (Higgins Building in the distance)
The back of the photo is annotated in pencil "Levy's-Spring Street side".

Another dedication photo, this time it is a cornerstone laying ceremony for an Acute unit at Los Angeles County Hospital in 1930.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/1...nel2larger.jpg
ebay


I am always astonished by the sheer size of the county hospital. I believe it's one of the most impressive art deco buildings in the world.
_________

State building shrapnel1
 

Hi etheral_reality and sopas_ej here are a couple of shots from the old posts

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/4903/floortiles.jpg

Court Flight
 

I came across this picture of Court Flight that I don't recall seeing on here (can't guarantee that, after all the 70's were very very good to me :dissy:).

I really like this shot because you can see just how steep it was. Also, this blurb that I was reading said that some huge railway memorabilia collector in Woodland Hills has both cars and several of the signs in his private collection! I'd love to see those:D

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/8...ghtrailway.jpg

SDPL

Franklin Garden Apartments
 

I found this photo on another thread with the caption "Franklin Garden Apartments 2000". I'm not completely sure, but I think that is them behind the wall and hedge.

Looking on Google street view at the corner of Orchid and Franklin today, the wall, hedge and Magic Castle sign are still there but nothing except a really big parking lot behind them.

http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/7...ardenapart.jpg

It is absolutely amazing to me that finding good pictures of an apartment complex that was there for over 80 years is so dang difficult. It's like trying to find a headshot of Sasquatch!!!

Photo credit : Jesus Salgado

Here's the alley -- Jackson -- running from San Pedro to Los Angeles St. It doesn't dead end, kind of an optical illusion, but it does "pinch out" a bit:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6186/...9d2c2bed_o.jpg

Here is a bunch of good stuff about the Times and State bldgs sharing quarters!

Thank you Beaudry for the information and link.

Check out these pics: http://zev.lacounty.gov/news/public-...-by-flashlight

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/liv...10-JUSTICE.jpgPasadena Star-News

http://zev.lacounty.gov/wp-content/g...ustice-008.jpgZev Yaroslavsky

Can't wait for it to come back--I read that it will have a public restaurant of some sort.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...CHS-44575?v=hrUSCDL

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...87BC54298?v=hrUSCDL

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/hoj1.jpgLACurbed

On November 5, 1963, a Times story had it that mice in the building were getting high on marijuana stored in the county clerk's narcotics locker. "Those mice are addicts," complained Peter J. Talmachoff, chief criminal division deputy. "They run riot all night, then stagger off to their nest leaving the floor littered with marijuana."


Sheriff's department employees--the future occupants--will apparently have a running track on the roof where prisoners once stretched and bartered cigs etc.... Some art left there by them:

http://zev.lacounty.gov/wp-content/g...ustice-050.jpgZev Yaroslavsky

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/...0a0081a2_o.jpg
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6088/...c6a078f2_o.jpg

Driving down Third from Beaudry toward Fig, 7/55; the Fourth St exit from the Harbor curves over in the bg.

Reminds me of this 'un...

Does anyone know the history of this impressive building at Pico Blvd. and Norton Avenue?

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/7...bldgatpico.jpg
google street view




http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/786...bldgatpico.jpg
google street view




below: Looking south on Norton Avenue toward Pico Boulevard.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/2...bldgpicoat.jpg
google street view

A former treasure
 

That incredible building was originally The Pico Forum Theatre, built in 1924.

I am happy, at the very least, that the impressive edifice still exists, but.....

Here is a link to the theatre's history from one of my other online browsing obsessions "Cinema Treasures".
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/492

In its heydey
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/7...umtheatre2.jpg

and then
http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/2...umtheatre1.jpg

I know I have several more images in my own files and will post them as soon as I can dig them up.

Photos:cinematreasures.org

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M...orumthext2.jpgWest Adams

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l...forumthint.jpgWest Adams

Great photos Gaylord Wilshire!!! Here are three more that were taken during the same time frame.

Front Foyer
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/1641/forumlobby.jpg

Inner Foyer
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/7...innerfoyer.jpg

Auditorium
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4...auditorium.jpg

Photos:Architectural Record

Music to Browse By?
 

What music should be playing while anyone is browsing through all the interesting images and stories in this thread?

There is at least one common slow bluesy/jazzy instrumental I frequently hear when some broadcaster wants to say "noir" but I don't know its name. So what pieces would be good? Maybe that common one will be included, as well as others tunes.