I worked in the Edison Building (One Bunker Hill Bldg at the time) at Fifth and Grand in the early and mid-'70s. The street in question was Upper Fifth Street. If I were walking from the parking lot on the west side of the Engstrum Apartments and wanted to get to Fifth Street down below, I would take those stairs. It wasn't nearly as scary as you might think because, at the time, Bunker Hill was barren, the Sunkist Building was gone and there was not a lot of foot traffic. At that time, homelessness was practically nil. The parking entrance to the underground Edison Building was on Fifth Street. A short tunnel led the drivers into the Edison basement parking area. --- Don Ray (sorry if I'm posting to the wrong places --- I'm dumb!

Wow. Sometimes they're just so striking and beautiful they simply must be posted.
 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7240/7...c5a282df70.jpg
muse-1940

The Muse of Music 1940

image from hollywoodbowl.com

Hearst Newspaper Collection, Special Collections, University of Southern California Library

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8148/7...b5654ab9_z.jpg
muse-2-1940

image from hollywoodbowl.com
Music Center Archives/Otto Rothschild Collection

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/4424/00071905.jpgLAPL

A shot we've most likely seen before, but I believe it's appropriately noirish as well as mournful, considering that the
end is nigh. No one brings the old place alive like Steve Vaught has over at Paradise Leased. I really regret never
having explored it. (David...care to breach the chain-link fence?)

http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/5437/00036831.jpgLAPL

I'm sure we've seen this shot too, but since it's from the roof of the Statler.... an atomic dawn, March 7, 1955.
Below... the soon-to-be-gone Statler roof and just about the only thing left in the 1955 view, besides City Hall
and the mountains--the Jonathan Club. The LAPL has dozens of pictures of the club, from construction (when it was the skyscraper) to many
views of its interior.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1...aerialredo.jpgGoogle Satellite

I don't recall seeing this photo: Opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct,
November 5, 1913
California Historical Society

http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archive...s/aqueduct.jpgUSC

Note four men opening the valves. Anyone know where this spillway is located?

North portal, Elizabeth Tunnel. 1908

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb7q2nb4f6/FID3.jpgUC Riverside, Water Resources Collections and Archives

North portal, Elizabeth Tunnel. 1911

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb9f59p2b1/FID3.jpgUC Riverside, Water Resources Collections and Archives



Workers standing in front of tunnel entrance in the Los Angeles-Owens Valley Aqueduct, c. 1908
http://www.colapublib.org/history/gi...access/109.jpgAntelope Valley

The completed Fairmont Tunnel (aka the 'Elizabeth Tunnel') of the Los Angeles-Owens Valley Aqueduct, c. 1920s

http://www.colapublib.org/history/gi...access/108.jpgAntelope Valley

Students at Ivanhoe School act as water drops going through the Elizabeth Tunnel following completion, which occurred during construction of the LA Aqueduct in the first part of the 20th Century. Depicting William Mulholland on the right side is David Guerra of the Theatre of Will.
https://www.ladwp.com/cs/idcplg?IdcS...LatestReleasedLADWP

Some different pictures of Angel's Flight.

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...x9/d3e5079.jpg

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...0p/d3e5233.jpg

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...d3/d3e5155.jpg

Court Flight.

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...w7/d3e5309.jpg

All from Loyola Marymount University, Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library

If these have been show before my apologies, nice to have several in one place.

http://www.donaldlaird.com/landmarks...0-699/653p.jpg
www.donaldlaird.com
"The Cascades"
This is the terminus of the Los Angeles - Owens River Aqueduct, bringing water 338 miles from the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada to the city of Los Angeles. Begun in 1905, the great aqueduct was completed November 5, 1913. The Mono Craters Project, completed in 1940 extended the system 27 miles to its present northernmost intake near Tioga Pass.
http://www.donaldlaird.com/landmarks...0-699/653.html

:previous:

The spillways are just north of the 5 Freeway, near Balboa Blvd. The original spillway seen in the B&W photo, the one dedicated by William Mulholland ("There it is. Take it.") is the shorter one on the left. The larger spillway on the right was built later. The ill fated St. Francis Dam was nearby.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Spillway.jpg
www.google.com

St. Francis dam disaster, more than 600 souls lost, 12 March 1928...eminent engineer disgraced, falling from public view. Very Noire like!

http://www.scvhistory.com/gif/wf2801.jpgSanta Clarita Valley History


http://media.morristechnology.com/me...ncisDam_02.jpgThe Santa Clarita Signal

http://todayshistorylesson.files.wor...pg?w=320&h=213Todays History Lesson

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqYOKoc...UER6Q~~0_3.JPGEbay

http://www.scvhistory.com/gif/ap2333a.jpgSanta Clarita Valley History

http://geology.cnsm.ad.csulb.edu/VIR...ages/Fig12.gifCSULB Geology

William Mulholland (September 11, 1855 – July 22, 1935) was the head of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, in Los Angeles. He was responsible for building the water aqueducts and dams that allowed the city to grow into one of the largest in the world. His methods of obtaining water for the city led to disputes collectively known as the California Water Wars. In 1928, his career ended in ignominy when the St. Francis Dam failed just hours after he had given it a personal safety inspection.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nd-in-1924.jpgWikipedia

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/3...hcompletea.jpg
American Carpenter and Builder, July 1, 1916

Clarifying the history of the Dutch Chocolate Shoppe
 

Thanks for the wonderful report and photos from the Dutch Chocolate Shoppe, David. As one of the people who organized an earlier tour and historic lecture in the space, I just wanted to correct a few of the details of the building's interesting history and current status.

After Finney's Cafeteria left, the building was purchased by members of the Aslan family, and they turned the ground floor into small shops. The Aslans still own the building. A younger relative, Charles Aslan, is the individual behind the current move to reveal and clean the tiles and transform the space back into a chocolate shop.

Until earlier this year, the space was broken up into built-out bays with a variety of small shops represented. These included the phone store whose sign is on the exterior, and a hat vendor with really nice vintage-style inventory. It was not a single business (phone store or an office for Charles Aslan). Even with the built-out bays and roll-down security grates in place, a great deal of tile and various figural elements have always been visible to the naked eye.

So this is not a case of a surprise revelation when a piece of tile was found behind a wall, but of something that was clear to anyone who went into the space, and well known to the property owners.

It's really amazing to see the space opening up and how excited people are to learn about the Chocolate Shoppe. Beyond the beauty and potential of the Batchelder-designed space, this place represents an incredible opportunity for educating people about preservation laws and advocacy.

We have been taking people into this space for years on our Esotouric tours and talking about it as a poster child for why the city needs to strengthen its historic preservation guidelines with a interior landmarking ordinance. Although this space is an Historic-Cultural Monument specifically for its interior, the city currently has no power to enforce any protections of the interior, and if the property owner decided to turn it back into a flea market tomorrow, there would be nothing that could be done about it.

The proposed changes to the landmarking ordinance have apparently been stuck in City Council committee or in the City Attorney's office since summer 2009, and the story of the Dutch Chocolate Shoppe makes it crystal clear how important it is to pass the updated ordinance.

The updated ordinance is opposed by a powerful business lobbying group on the west side of Downtown (CCA, the Central City Association), representing property owners who do not want anyone telling them what they can do to their historic buildings.

The CCA, whose offices are currently being picketed by OccupyLA over privatization of public space issues, even drafted a private agreement with the Los Angeles Conservancy to try make the ordinance toothless, but this attempt failed. It's a big concern to me that the most prominent preservation group in the city would attempt to lend its support to a new law that endangers historic interiors, but happily, the Art Deco Society and other preservationists saw what was happening and spoke out against it. Ultimately, however, no changes to the interior portion of the ordinance were recommended.

Long live the Dutch Chocolate Shoppe!

Indeed, so noirish that it made it into one of the all time great noirs (and my favorite movie)--Chinatown. As a matter of fact, it was precisely because of the fictionalized "Van Der Lip" dam giving way that chief engineer Hollis Mulray's fate was sealed. (also note his name is an anagram of Mulholland's)

**

I read on the Vintage Los Angeles facebook page that the Pan Pacific Auditorium appeared in promotional material for the 1983 Super Bowl, which of course got me googling around and I came across this gallery of Super Bowl programs. Since lots of SBs have been hosted in Pasadena, lots of programs had heavy LA-flavored artwork and I thought I'd share them:

1977
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/582...70109super.png

1980
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/6...00120super.png

1983
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1...30130super.png
Alas, the Pan Pacific is represented here in a highly stylized, barely recognizable
form, but the artwork comes closest to a noir vibe...it has that 1930s "heroic" look down pat!

1987
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/6...70125super.png

1993
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3...30121super.png

Dystopian? LOL....That's a bit much.....

I don't know how you get "all cities are doomed" from my original post. Some....many.....are doing fairly well.

But a "full swing" recovery in DTLA? The entertainment district around Staples is nice. And some of the loft redevelopments have been successful. When you throw enough money at something your are bound to get some results. But don't expect any new office buildings for.........a very long time. Grand Avenue is dead.

DTLA is doing better than 20 years ago, true. But it will never be a commanding downtown in the sense of a Midtown Manhattan or San Francisco or Chicago - or even attain the status it once held, pre-war. Those days are over. The LA Basin has too many other options. Not the least of which is Hollywood, where a lot of new money is being funneled. And speaking of money.....that's being squeezed. The CRA well is running dry.

DTLA will do OK. A destination for events. (As I write this a friend and her mother are en route to Disney from Fullerton for a concert.) And a home for a relatively small - but stable - percentage of LA's workforce. (Impressive skyline notwithstanding, DTLA houses a smaller percentage of the total metropolitan workforce than most other top-tier U.S. cities - and about on par with a Dallas, or Houston, or Phoenix.) Which makes sense, considering all came of age in the Automobile Era. And it's not a new development, by any means. The trend reaches back to the 50s and 60s.

But let's be honest: Venture a mile or two outside DTLA and you ARE in Plisskin-ville.

G-W, my bad. I was pretty sure we had seen and speculated on those poles before but, alas, this is what I was remembering.posted by E-R on feb 5, 2011, post no. 2744

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7...b1482eb0_z.jpg
la1231outdoorcoffeestan

Here is an enigmatic photo I found on ebay of an outdoor coffee stand in Los Angeles, ca. 1910

ebay

Notice the numerous stanchions made out of wood behind the coffee stand.
I can't quite figure out what is going on. Is it perhaps the beginning of a new building?

Can anyone here guess the location?

Welcome to the thread Don Ray!
If you have any other memories of your time working downtown let us know.... little 'snippets' like the one you posted above are truly cherished.
___

If anyone wonders why I disappear 3 or 4 days in a row....it's because my elderly father is battling bone cancer in Illinois
so I try to be there for him and my mom.

You can't imagine how wonderful it is for me to return to my computer here in Lafayette
and find all these amazing posts on 'noirish Los Angeles'. Thank you everyone!

___

Yes, you've made the same point many, many times. Have it your way.

Hi Michael:

This photograph is very enigmatic indeed.
I posted this same snapshot a while back with almost the same questions that you have asked. At that time no one was able
to come up with an answer. It almost looks like they're setting up for a circus, but the stanchions differ from tent poles.
Gee, if only I could remember my years as a carny. ;)

Hopefully this time, the image will jolt someone's memory.

___

LOL, E-R, I'm sorry I thought I made it obvious that IS your post. Not only your picture but your words as well! I didn't think I could improve on them. I was saying to Gaylord-Wilshire that I thought I'd seen those stancions (in his post on the Fageol Safety Coach) in the thread before but it turned out it was your earlier post I was remembering.

:previous: Now that's funny! I didn't even recognize my own words. Duh.

All my best to you and your parents, e_r.

To add another distraction for you, this blog post about the "100 GREATEST MOVIE POSTERS of FILM NOIR" came up in my Facebook News Feed tonight. It's actually a year old, so apologies if it's been posted before, but I figured a re-post wouldn't hurt. Here's the link: http://wheredangerlives.blogspot.com...film-noir.html

And the FB page that posted the link is Decaying Hollywood Mansions, which those of you on FB might like to check out: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Decayi...11378268883521

Full story here: http://losangeleshistory.blogspot.co...histories.html


http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/240/solar1and2.jpghttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D...2520PM.bmp.jpgGoogleSV
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5173/solar3and4.jpgAmerican Carpenter and Builder, March 1, 1914

There's nothing new under the sun (pun intended)... I went looking for Frederick D. Butterfield's house--it was at 1625 Fair Oaks in South Pasadena--but all that seems to be left is his wall, as seen in the Google view between the two parts of the article. Butterfield, btw, was president of the L.A. Oliver Growers Association.

"LOL....That's a bit much....."


any particular direction?

OK. I am a certified nerd because I really got excited by this wall remnant. :)

:previous:
Sorry to hear about your father, ethereal. Sending positive thoughts your way.

I've been busy with a lot of other things going on in my life right now, which is why I've only been checking this thread sporadically and not really contributing as much as I used to. But what excellent posts I have seen so far (I really need to catch up on the last several pages.

Gaylord, I love your last post. I don't live far from that section of Fair Oaks Ave. in South Pas; well, I don't live far from anywhere in South Pas, really, being that South Pas is only a little less than 3.5 square miles in area, but anyway, I've always wondered what type of houses existed on that stretch of Fair Oaks, being that there are now lots of 1950s-era apartments there, with the older river rock retaining walls; I've always imagined them to be grand houses, and apparently some of them were.

I think all of us that were involved in this 'spat' deeply regret that it ever happened.

Scott contributed priceless posts to the early days of this thread.
His knowledge of Los Angeles past was so encompassing that it left me breathless at times.

Scott's blog can be viewed at
http://losangelespast.blogspot.com/

____

Trying to get a handle on the parking situation in downtown Los Angeles circa 1952.


below: The parking garage beneath Pershing Square.


http://imageshack.us/a/img833/9366/a...gfillingup.jpg
upi/ebay





below: Information on reverse side of photo.

http://imageshack.us/a/img38/348/aap...ingup1952r.jpg

____

A fine snapshot of a Los Angeles motorcycle policeman (no date/no details).

http://imageshack.us/a/img13/6278/aa...policemans.jpg
found on ebay

Los Angeles Flappers with Chocolates
 

Flappers with Chocolates, by L.A. photographer Harry Wegner. Found on ebay, no other information available.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Flappers.jpg

www.ebay.com

E-R, closed it up and went to bed before I really read the last page thoroughly. Just now really focused on your post. Best thoughts going out to you and your family from Houston. Hang in there. The thread will take care of itself.

:previous: Thanks Michael. :)

___


http://imageshack.us/a/img259/4929/a...s1910annie.jpg
ebay

I wish I had the street address. I'd like to see if this charming little bungalow still exists.

:previous:

Is that an address # above the porch? I'm thinking maybe it says 2001 or 2004. I did a quick look at the corresponding blocks on Google Street View, but didn't spot a house with a similar layout. Admittedly I don't know what all constitutes Boyle Heights (not an area I've explored much), so I maybe should have extended my search a few more blocks.

Okay, had another thought as I was posting that...check for Annie McCorkell in the 1910 Census. She, and her family, lived at 1955 Michigan Avenue. You can see from the page that a neighbor did live at 2004 New Jersey St., but the house there doesn't look like the one you posted, e_r. Narrows down the search area a bit, though. ;)

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/u...eMcCorkell.jpg

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/u...eMcCorkell.jpg
* From Ancestry.com

You are not alone.
Walls sometimes have ears but they also tell stories.

:previous:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b...2520PM.bmp.jpg
GoogleSV

More of the Butterfield wall....

Full story here: http://losangeleshistory.blogspot.co...histories.html

What a beautiful wall. I wonder if the present occupants appreciate what a treasure their retaining wall is. I'm sure they can see the beauty.

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/854/mccorkell644.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-t...2520PM.bmp.jpg
GoogleSV


I think this could be the house that Annie McCorkell is posing in front of--2001 New Jersey Street, home of Henrietta Myers in 1910, just a block up North Cummings Street from Michigan. Stucco has replaced some of the weatherboards, but there's the little Corinthian capital, the slightly upturned eaves, the attic vent. A lot of very similar houses (of varying styles) were built in these tracts, and I didn't go looking all over the neighborhood, but I think this might be the one. Boyle Heights is fascinating. I love the seemingly untouched neighborhoods of L.A.--real life in them is no doubt something else, and it's easy to romanticize them when cruising around in Google Street View. But only in less prosperous areas is preservation real (if that makes any sense).

Gaylord - as always, you bring something special to the conversation. Suburbia: (shudder!) God save us all from Mayberry.

About that house on South Lucerne Avenue: I've met the current owners (they've had it somewhere around 7 years now) & understand they've done quite a bit of interior restoration. No, they aren't elderly (best guess in their early-to-mid-40s) & seem to be taking their time on the work. That would help to explain the wild-garden look of the grounds.

:previous:

My imagining an elderly crone living in the house since it was built is purely my own fantasy, spawned by this house. I'm glad to hear that your friends are restoring 629. I'm hoping they will keep the lawn exactly as it is--a real lawn, not overdone, original-looking. Just my preference. Maybe you can find out if those are the same lions.

Isn't that the tower atop the Baker Block building in the far background - left?
It might be possible with an old city map to approximate the location. The stanchions look temporary to me. Like a Circus, festival or fair site being erected.

http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/v...00086914-1.jpghttp://losangelespast.blogspot.com/

Interesting research going on this afternoon.
I didn't expect anyone to find the cyanotype house (to be honest, I hadn't noticed the street number above the porch),
and yet Moxie was able to offer some leads and G_W eventually found the house. Pretty cool!

Here is a nice kodachrome slide of the Richfield Building & tower standing guard over the L.A. Public Library.

http://imageshack.us/a/img594/4867/2...hfield1954.jpg
found on ebay

The building with the two visible chimneys (there are four) and 'porthole' windows is the famous California Club.

http://www.californiaclub.org/about/about_club.aspx

___

http://imageshack.us/a/img13/334/aab...ejuveniles.jpg
ebay


Beeman refers to the sign on the side of the building, "Beeman & Hendee Infant and Juvenile Wear,Toys".

This is an odd little snapshot what with the glare and the position of the man. But what is that on the street that looks as wide as a boxcar....or am I seeing things?

___

Cool indeed!
That's the stuff that makes this thread extra-excellent.

I think that's LA City Hall getting off the ground.

Teamwork, that's what that is. ;)

As a follow-up on Annie McCorkell, she was born on Dec. 8, 1893 in Upper Sandusky, Ohio (a town that always makes me think of Doris Day in That Touch of Mink -- "If that's what you think, you don't know the girls in Upper Sandusky!"). Her middle name was Elsie and her parents were both from Greenock, Scotland (which is on the Firth of Clyde, just west of Glasgow). I'm sure they had a very interesting journey to California, with stops in Ohio and Illinois, having 4 kids along the way. There are some additional records for the family post 1910 (like Ronald's WWI Draft Card), but not as many as there could be. Since the 1940 Census is not yet searchable for California, I may check back on that later to see if I can find out what happened to Annie.

Info courtesy of the Ohio, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1962 via Ancestry.com.

I think you're correct fhammon that the building in the coffee stand snapshot is the old Baker Block building.

I have the sense it may be a large wagon just coming out onto the street from the right and making a sharp turn to the right to continue on up the street away from the camera. I think you can make out the hooves of a team just under it and the front carraige is stressed all the way around to the right so it looks like the left front wheel is on the short side of the wagon when it is actually over on that side because of the sharpness of the turn. anyway that's my take.

Beautiful. Walked past several in the older hill section just north of Downtown Fullerton this past weekend...I'll take pics next time.

Cobblestones were once a pretty common building material, especially for chimneys.....after all, the price was right, so long as one was willing to pick 'em up and load 'em into a truck. Main problem is that cobblestones and earthquakes do not mix.

Where is it now?
 

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1...beingmoved.jpg


Just ran across this shot from the Times of July 25, 1926. Having always been a fan of John Parkinson, and fascinated by the '20s boom in house moving, I did a double-take. Here is the architect's own house, which wasn't demolished after all. Seems it was moved. But to where? It's a long haul to Windsor Square/Hancock Park along 6th Street. It's possible, I suppose, but if it still stands, it's probably somewhere along the 6th Street corridor but closer than WS/HP.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X...2520PM.bmp.jpg
USCDL x2

I wrote about this house a while back in post #6942. Since then I've learned that Parkinson was living at 600 St. Paul Ave by 1901; he was at 688 Wilshire Place by 1915 (later a house that would be in the shadow of his Bullock's-Wilshire) and in Santa Monica by 1921. (Could he have taken his St. Paul house to Wilshire Place?--the picture above maybe be older than the date of the paper it appeared in.) Anyway... I'll be optimistic that it might still stand. Dinner at Romanoff's on me for you and a hundred of your closest friends to the first person who can find it... dead or alive. A couple of other notes--if Parkinson didn't take it with him, 600 became the Liberty Club in 1918, apparently for servicemen. Or maybe something else went up, something multi-unit, say.... another mystery: What was on the lot between Parkinson's house (whenever it was moved off of St. Paul) and the Westinghouse building? Forgive me for thinking out loud here....

EDIT: The house was found, but it's gone again, this time for good: http://losangeleshistory.blogspot.co...tories_12.html

I believe that would be the Federal Building on Main Street.
Remind me to post some stills from the norish film T-Men.
I think it's still available to view on Youtube.

That one on the right needs no further information ....;)