two rare snapshots


"1941 B&W Photo Snapshots "Red Car" Pacific Electric Track Removal Long Beach Ca."

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...537/1Tv5CW.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1941-B-W-PHO...item35cdc1fa29



http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...910/yQJZNT.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1941-B-W-PHO...item35cdc1fa29

Written on the back. "Carl, Marie, Chuck and Fancher (Francher) June 1941. Built this machine for pulling street car rails."

(The original photographs are clearer than the enlargements I created)

__

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-I...ectparkmap.jpg

It's been a while since we've seen Prospect Park. ER appears to have been the first to come across it a while back: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...75#post5260475

1956 - Motel "66," Monrovia
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compo...d/3985/rec/774

http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compo.../id/3839/rec/7

A second look?

Gwinn's, where the Waffles are tasty.
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...les&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compo...d/3227/rec/809





Living large at Eaton's in Arcadia (From the description, you could walk in Lucky's footsteps.)

http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compo...d/4003/rec/840



Eaton's 1958 (Later edition)
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compo...d/4006/rec/855



The Westerner. 161 Colorado Place. (Gary Cooper's favorite place to Honeymoon?)

http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compo...d/4012/rec/879



The Westerner pt. deux
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/utils/aja...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/compo...d/4009/rec/868

Wow, had no idea about the Throop-Batchelder connection - thanks for the info.

Tovangar....its so hard to imagine that not too long ago most all of the LA area was barren farm land.

Here's my brother and myself somewhere in the San Fernando valley. The place was a large ranch with fields and rabbits in cages. This is where my mom placed us in hiding for a few months. They had tractors and plows.
The lady in the background we called Aunt Sammy. I wish I had the address....maybe I can find it. I was so shocked that there were streets but no curbs....so primitive for City Boy me. Breakfast was hot cereal and that very bitter post wartime canned grapefruit juice.

Right photo is front of the house. Tom, myself and mom. The dog: Poochie. This is how we dressed on Sunday when she was dating Mr. H, the attorney who got her a divorce and she later married. He bought us those HATS..... OMG!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pserdiwaf7.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psjf378fqa.jpg

Not sure about the Equator's neighbor but I do know that the Equator itself has been around a long time - think it opened in the 80's. Back then, Old Town was known as Pasadena's "Skid Row" but it was also an area full of old hippies, artists, and bohemians and there was a ton of cool stuff going on there artistically, from punk bands to avant-garde . I was a bit too young to remember many exact details but I just asked a friend whose dad was a big part of that scene what was going on at the Equator back then. A few blocks over there was also the E-Bar which operated out of the Vandervort Building at 34 S. Raymond which was another hub for the creative types in the neighborhood. That also reminds me of Hotel Carver/Doty Block, where many of those same folks lived during the 70's and 80's (I could swear we've covered on NLA but I couldn't find anything). The Wikipedia article on the Hotel Carver is a pretty interesting read. It was also, incidentally, designed by Frederick L. Roerhig, whom we mentioned recently in regards to his Rindge House in LA.

Late 1800's:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6...yblock1887.jpghttp://socalarchhistory.blogspot.com...architect.html

1983:

http://www.mlopezcounselingservicesf...43/7806964.jpghttp://www.mlopezcounselingservicesf...806964.jpg?330

http://hometown-pasadena.com/wp-cont...er-cropped.jpgHometown-Pasadena.com

Present-day-ish:

http://www.mlopezcounselingservicesf...18926_orig.jpghttp://www.mlopezcounselingservicesf...18926_orig.jpg

As a child, I remember the esoteric words painted on the north wall of the building quite well:

http://www.mlopezcounselingservicesf...833867.jpg?322http://www.mlopezcounselingservicesf...833867.jpg?322

It reads, "“’My people are the people of the dessert,’” said T.E. Lawrence picking up his fork.”

Part of the wall collapsed in the 1987 Whitter quake, and that spelled the end of that (pun intended), though the building was fortunately rehabbed. I've got a photo that I took myself (somewhere) of the words when I was a kid - I need to dig it up. Someone even took the time to track down the guy who painted the mural - article here.

:previous: Excellent details! Thanks so much Tetsu.
_

Edwin Mills
 

:previous:

I've been looking all over for a photo of the "China Palace" mentioned in that link I posted, but so far no luck.

"Built in 1894, the site of Edwin Mills, by Equator, began as the China Palace. Its storied past includes housing a thriving marketplace, a stable, a mechanic shop, a storage space, and, ultimately, in 1993, Equator Café. Under the creative guidance of Teddy B. and his commitment to the community, Equator has steadily matured from a popular coffee shop to Old Pasadena’s first hookah bar, an internet café and finally, to this hidden-gem-of-a-landmark, restaurant and bar."
pasadena independent

I'm not even sure what China Palace was (?)

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

Your childhood photos are priceless CBD. You and your brother are wearing those hats with such aplomb!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pserdiwaf7.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psjf378fqa.jpg

(Nice pile of rocks. I hope you checked it for dinosaur eggs.)

I do remember big swathes of the Valley being very rural. Even inland from Hermosa Beach there were still orange orchards (I remembered the smell of smudge pots just typing that) and at least one flower farm (for seed). I couldn't even place them now. All my reference points are gone. My own kids thought our 1980s-90s trips to SFV's Pierce College at Victory and DeSoto were way out in the country (cows and horses seemed exotic to them). They were shocked when the huge strip mall got built out there. It made it seem so ordinary.

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

Thx HossC for the 1966 panorama. It was neat to see a corner of the "village" atop the HOJ and I somehow never noticed the ritzy landscaped terraces on the Hall of Records penthouse level.

This is the Regent Apartments at 2401 W 6th Street in 1931. The first two images below are from the same USC photoset where Tourmaline found the Tu-way Market in post #27344. I've kept the pictures quite big to show more of the details.

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

The signs in the left first floor windows appear to advertise the Westjoy Dance Studio, although I couldn't find it in the CDs. The one on the right is for a three day health treatment by Dr E W Riley. The middle word says "Super ...ation", but I can't read the whole word.

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

I found the advert below in the June 14, 1914 edition of the Bisbee Daily Review. If the Regent Apartments were "second to only one if the city in furnishings", I'm trying work out what was number one.

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

I'm not exactly sure how long the Regent Apartments survived. Although it's not mentioned by name, the listing in the 1973 CD has at least one resident that was in the same apartment back in the 1956 CD (when it appeared as the "Regent Apt Hotel"). Here's what you'd find if you went looking for 2401 W 6th Street today.

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

I found this slide on ebay....it wasn't listed under 'Los Angeles', which makes me think there's a good possibility it hasn't been seen on NLA.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...661/qX1G34.jpg
eBay

My question is:
Even though the ground appears to be level, why is one street-car so much larger than the other? I thought they were all pretty much uniform in size.
__

CBD, that photo of you and brother wearing hats is wonderful. I like how your brother is holding your hand. It's so sweet.
__

This was posted on Vintage Los Angeles / facebook...with the following comment.

"A Market Basket in 1967!"
"Can anyone identify this location?"

..................................................................................................................................................................color adjusted by Guillermo Mendiola
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...540/hN1XVw.jpghttp://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...911/5WTgpU.jpg
https://www.facebook.com/VintageLosA...390211384366:0

Some thought it may be Culver City, but I'm not sure.

__




https://www.facebook.com/VintageLosA...390211384366:0

The hats were high fashion. That is a great picture.

As to the streetcars, the one on the right is a "blimp" interurban which sat higher off the ground than the other. They were also longer. There is another picture online of PE 311 head on, passing through the Santa Ana junction in Watts.

The other car was built in 1922 by the Saint Louis Car Company. It was rebuilt a couple of times and in 1950 it was numbered as 5112. That car is still around as Car #637 and can be seen at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris.

It appears that your picture was taken in Watts at the Watts Station, a corner of which is seen in background to the right of the cars. That station is still standing and is located at 103rd and Graham in Watts, although somewhat remodeled. It is now a Metro stop

[QUOTE=ethereal_reality;6971966]I found this slide on ebay....it wasn't listed under 'Los Angeles', which makes me think there's a good possibility it hasn't been seen on NLA.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...661/qX1G34.jpg
eBay

My question is:
Even though the ground appears to be level, why is one street-car so much larger than the other? I thought they were all pretty much uniform in size.
__

ER, the car on the left was built for city/suburban service. This style was initially used on the PE's Western District including Hollywood Boulevard and the whole class became known generically as "Hollywood Cars". The type had both end and center entrance doors. Also note the large front windows and the destination sign on the roof. Eventually used system wide, they ended their days on the LAMTA Watts LIne in 1958.

The car on the right is a "Blimp". The Blimps were the largest cars on the PE System, hence the name. They were built strictly for interurban service on SP's Bay area operations and came to the PE via the U.S. Maritime Commission during WWII to move workers from LA to the wartime shipbuilding plants in San Pedro and Terminal Island. These were the last PE cars to serve Los Angeles, being withdrawn from service on April 9, 1961 See my missive on these cars in post #26856.

Cheers,
Jack

Culver Center 1955. Said to be Southern California's first shopping mall (both Culver Center and Westside Pavilion were built in 1949)
It's diagonally across the W Washington/Overland Ave intersection from Sony Studios:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z...02216%2BAM.jpg
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/hist...oad-school.htm

Set-dressed as a 1940s southern town for MGM's "Ada" (1961) starring Dean Martin and Susan Hayward:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-w...03329%2BAM.jpg
http://www.culvercityhistoricalsocie...back-to-1940s/

Culver Center, 2014:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q...04026%2BAM.jpg
gsv


More info here

View of Culver Center from the Producers' Building:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j...21152%2BPM.jpg
gsv

There used to be a Ships restaurant at the corner of Culver Center facing on Overland.
I bet you used to eat there e_r. I did.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q...21843%2BPM.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K...22820%2BPM.jpg
http://ellenbloom.blogspot.com/2014/...friday_30.html

The sign says "never closes", but they all did.

Thanks for all the postcards, Tourmaline! A number of these will be appreciated over at the Route 66 Los Angeles Facebook group, so I'm going to nick them. :haha:

The Olympic Auto Hotel is the most interesting of the bunch to me. The corner of Lincoln & Olympic was the official end point of Route 66 from 1936 (when it was extended from downtown LA) to 1964 (when it was cut back to Pasadena). So that makes the Olympic Auto Hotel the very last motel on Route 66. Despite the "RT66" notation on the Hotel Windermere postcard, no part of Ocean Ave. was ever part of 66.

Hotel Windermere may have pre-dated Route 66 by a handful of years and most likely predated the Olympic AH. Judging from contemporary photos, one can only guess the Windermere's R66 connection was because it stood as a must-not-miss landmark. It may also be noteworthy that AutoClub maps from the mid-late '20s gave the Windermere an "official" endorsement. In fact, in the few maps I looked at, the Windermere was the only Santa Monica hotel listed. (BTW, the notes on the Olympic Auto Hotel card seem like a written report from a competitor or someone looking to remodel the place.)


http://digitalcollections.lmu.edu/ut...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.lmu.edu/ut...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://digitalcollections.lmu.edu/ut...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.lmu.edu/ut...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.lmu.edu/cd...chgface/id/862


From December '61, Evening Outlook.



Undated, Windermere standing watch over the bluffs.
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/19879/rec/6



http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0

1920s (?)
http://digital.smpl.org/utils/ajaxhe...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digital.smpl.org/utils/ajaxhe...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digital.smpl.org/cdm/singleit.../id/1771/rec/2



January '62. Sad
http://digital.smpl.org/utils/ajaxhe...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digital.smpl.org/utils/ajaxhe...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.smpl.org/utils/ajaxhe...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digital.smpl.org/utils/ajaxhe...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://digital.smpl.org/cdm/singleit.../id/3547/rec/2


Excerpt from Nov '23 trip map
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...ere&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../id/116/rec/11

Tourmaline;6972350]Hotel Windermere may have pre-dated Route 66 by a handful of years and most likely predated the Olympic AH. Judging from contemporary photos, one can only guess the Windermere's R66 connection was because it stood as a must-not-miss landmark. It may also be noteworthy that AutoClub maps from the mid-late '20s gave the Windermere an "official" endorsement. In fact, in the few maps I looked at, the Windermere was the only Santa Monica hotel listed. (BTW, the notes on the Olympic Auto Hotel card seem like a written report from a competitor or someone looking to remodel the place.)


Route 66 California.... 1955 map.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps3smt6wnm.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pskdghaj3l.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps2vikcoeq.jpg
theroadwanderer

I was employed at a place on Jefferson Blvd. and I ate here almost every work day for five years! Were there more than three SHIPS in the area? I always only knew of three. This one, the one on La Cienega and the one in Westwood, where one lady was named the worst waitress in Los Angeles one year by the L.A. Weekly. (Apparently she was quite mean and people actually went there to have her wait on them.)

I was sad when these all closed. The food was high quality. My favorites were the beef brisket sandwich, the Bouillabaisse and on Fridays, their clam chowder which seemed to be a combinaton of white and red with a mexican influence. A recipe that I wish I could uncover cause there was nothing like it.

It was known for having toasters at every table that you could toast your own bread in. Occasionally this would provide merriment when someone would leave it in too long and it would catch on fire, or pranksters that would adjust the spring so the bread would pop out two feet in the air.

I haven't verified these things, but the Westwood location appears in a Dennis Christopher film called Fade to Black and I believe a film with Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis had a scene or two filmed in the one on La Cienega. It was called Into the Night.

I was thinking it reads like a report from a salesman of some sort in the gas industry, like he's on a research trip inspecting different setups.

Fascinating glimpse of a family's Santa Monica visit Source approximates dates 1905-20, all part of the same collection.


"Harry M. Rhoads with Julia Rhoads"
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm...id/17672/rec/9






"Mrs. Harry M. (Julia) Rhoads in Santa Monica"
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm...id/17679/rec/3






"The [same] Mrs. Julia Rhoads (Knapp) in wheelchair, Santa Monica"
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm...id/17551/rec/1



http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0








http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0


Mrs. Julia (Knapp) Rhoads in Santa Monica
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm...id/21148/rec/4





Ocean Park 1905 - 1910
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm...id/18446/rec/2




http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0http://digital.denverlibrary.org/uti...ica&DMROTATE=0

Ships restaurants
 

That's right. Emmett Shipman built the three (Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria?) over about 10 years in the 50s-60s. They all closed in the 80s or 90s.

Martin Stern, Jr. (1917-2001), known for his Las Vegas casino designs and googie-style coffee shops was the architect

Do you remember this? Shipman's son reopened the Culver City restaurant, but I don't know how long it lasted:
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-10-..._1_culver-city

The Douglas Company produced the Dauntless SDB (Scout/Dive Bomber) from '40 through '44.

Exact location unknown, but those oil derricks and those peaks offer plenty of clues. Source only mentions "Santa Monica." Route 66 is probably in the mix too.



http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0 http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/424/rec/10





Hollywood sign?
http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0
http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0http://cdm16038.contentdm.oclc.org/u...ica&DMROTATE=0



http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/706/ex7g.jpghttp://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=19246

Aerial views
 

This is not particularly close to Santa Monica.

The key is the rows of tanks above the bottom plane's left wing. They are roughly bounded by Avalon (W), 120th (N), Central (E) and El Segundo (S). This is today Willowbrook Park.

The N-S street making a slight bend in the center of the picture to the east is San Pedro, as it connects with Avalon and Olive St (now Alondra).

Modesty Rules and Regulations
 

Its hard to imagine but in those days it was against city regulations for men to have bare chests at the beach. Beach Cops patrolled all beaches and issued citations and fines for such brazen naughty behavior.

:previous: Thanks LorenDr




http://cdn.archinect.net/images/1200...1tcw3udsoj.jpghttp://cdn.archinect.net/images/1200...1tcw3udsoj.jpg



See: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=5633




Auld. Lang Syne for the Ambassador



November 19, 1926 - H. L. Mencken with friends in courtyard of Ambassador Hotel (Because Prohibition was in effect, no alcohol was consumed - while the photo was taken :no:)


http://collections.digitalmaryland.o...ken&DMROTATE=0http://collections.digitalmaryland.o...ken&DMROTATE=0
http://collections.digitalmaryland.o...ken&DMROTATE=0http://collections.digitalmaryland.o...ken&DMROTATE=0





Guy Lombardo (marquee) was known for ringing in the New Year from New York's Roosevelt Grill. 1935 was one notable exception with one George Raft breaking an ankle. https://news.google.com/newspapers?n...,7723453&hl=en I'm sure Guy played the Cocoanut Grove on many other occasions though.


http://alienistscompendium.com/wp-co...rdo8A_crop.jpghttp://alienistscompendium.com/wp-co...rdo8A_crop.jpg



http://nowandthengeoclass.weebly.com...78996_orig.jpghttp://nowandthengeoclass.weebly.com...78996_orig.jpg



Al, Marilyn and Salvador
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/...jpg?1370380170https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/...jpg?1370380170

Lucretia Garfield's First Lady tenure: 4 March, 1881 - 19 September, 1881







1001 Buena Vista Street, Pasadena. Former First Lady's picturesque abode.
http://www.family-images.com/ca/CA%2...ld%20Color.jpghttp://www.family-images.com/ca/CA%2...ld%20Color.jpg



1853 - "Lucretia Rudolph (second from left) sat beside James Garfield (left corner) with fellow students in Greek class"
http://www.firstladies.org/images/bi...rfield%205.jpghttp://www.firstladies.org/images/bi...rfield%205.jpg



http://www.firstladies.org/images/bi...field%2026.jpghttp://www.firstladies.org/images/bi...field%2026.jpg

Ambassador Hotel
 

The two-story site of the Coconut Grove wasn't an addition, it was original. The main hotel entrance was on the west (Mariposa Ave) side:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-C...75657%2BPM.jpg
charles champlin

(notice there's no pool in this view)

The configuration is echoed in the school now on the site. It contains the auditorium:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y...80239%2BPM.jpg
wiki

I knew the hotel best after it had all but ceased operations in the early 80s, but still operated the Play Deck pool area as a private club. A friend was a member. We went often.

The last time I was there was during the demo. A gate on 8th street had been left unattended and open, so I drove in. It was awful. The Play Deck, once so glamorous, was rubble. I got as far as about the back of the main building before a security guard stopped me. I said I was looking for Wilshire Blvd and he gave me directions out.

My brother-in-law and his wife lived at the Embassy Apartments on the Ambassador block, a nice, generous building. Lovely rooms.

Hey, Kevin. I know this post is old, but my grandparents used to live on 87th St. right near Visitation Catholic Church! This photo brought back many memories! I'll never forget those odd curbs.

More on Throop and Batchelder
 

Thanks, ethereal_reality and Tetsu, for your kind remarks. I did some research on this matter as part of my research concerning the Wilson family, who occupied our home from 1902 to 1997. We in fact purchased the home from the grandson of the woman who bought it from the builder and original owner.

You can read more about Throop (pronounced "Troop", by the way) and Batchelder in a post I wrote for my blog at http://ocriblecoblis.blogspot.com/20...an-wilson.html. It's a biographical sketch of Lucian Wilson, who attended Throop and was one of Batchelder's students who went on to be his partner in the tile business.

Only a memory.....
 

The Casa Del Mar in 1943 when it was one of the clubs and hotels taken over by the army "for returning heroes".

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...asaDelMar1.jpg
http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...asaDelMar2.jpg
eBay

A similar view today.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...asaDelMar3.jpg
GSV

The caption about the commandeered clubs and hotels also mentions the Grand Hotel. After a quick search, I found this picture in 'Early Santa Monica' by Louise B. Gabriel, Santa Monica Historical Society Museum.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...SeaCastle1.jpg
books.google.com

The Sea Castle Apartments at 1725 Ocean Front Walk.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...SeaCastle2.jpg
Google Maps

The Ambassador will live forever in films.
8 1/2 minute clip compilation:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I...12633%2BAM.jpg
https://vimeo.com/68418553
www.after68.com
(first posted here by dragonsky)

Pretty good analysis of what's wrong with what happened at the Ambassador site: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul...hools-20100718

I remain grateful that the Wilshire frontage wasn't sold off for retail, as that was LAUSD's plan at one time.

Thank you for those links and your posts. The Times article is definitely on the mark regarding the Ambassador's successor. It also seems applicable to so many other replacements mentioned in recent posts. Homages are rarely better than the originals. When it comes to preserved facades, it's hard to beat Chasen's. :shrug:

Re, the video, did I notice a mixup with the Polo Lounge at approximately 3:29? I do not recall that wall paper at the Ambassador, but that was possibly due to having sand in my eyes after a visit to the Lido. :cool:


1949 - Beverly Hills Hotel
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics31/00050283.jpg http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics31/00050283.jpg

1955 - Virginia Hill Hauser (a known "associate" of Benjamin Segal)
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00106/00106507.jpghttp://jpg1.lapl.org/00106/00106507.jpg

Johnny Mercer's (Hooray for H'Wood) home at 8218 De Longpre Avenue,


June '41
http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...leitem/rec/205



Renovation time.
http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...d/1021/rec/201





after renovations.
http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...id/914/rec/196


http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...id/913/rec/195



http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...id/915/rec/197


http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...age&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...id/917/rec/199


1950s - Mercer's son Jeff
http://digitalcollections.library.gs...cer&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...cer&DMROTATE=0http://digitalcollections.library.gs...id/1277/rec/10



1963 - Mancini and Mercer, understandably happy in Santa Monica.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00115/00115039.jpghttp://jpg1.lapl.org/00115/00115039.jpg




Current occupant of 8218 De Longpre
http://www.frankelpublishing.com/Fro...evBldg2012.jpghttp://www.frankelpublishing.com/Fro...evBldg2012.jpg

Scroll right, me brothers, scroll right...
 

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7635/...a0b457a6_o.jpgCounty Courthouse panorama, ca.1898

Stitched together three images from William Henry Jackson (1843-1942) from
about 1898. I'm guessing the date here based on the fact the Broadway
tunnel is still missing but the road grade for California Street has been
lowered. I'm thinking the tunnel is a year or two away. It opened for business
in 1901. Starting on the far left, we have the Poundcake Hill High School
building (medium greyish with the single belfry) resting now just off of
California Street west of Hill Street. It has been here since 1882 when it was
moved to make way for the 1888 County Courthouse upon which Mr. Jackson
has perched with his camera. These images predate the more widely known
C.C. Pierce photographs which are so similar. The missing tunnel is the tell-
tale difference. To the right of the Poundcake schoolhouse is the second Los
Angeles High School building on Hill Street with it's four stories and clock
tower. An additional wing of the high school will be built to the right (or north
side) of this building but that hasn't happened yet either, so we have a clear
view of the J.W. Robinson Mansion above Sunset (likely still Bellevue here)
Boulevard. Now we can come down here to the lower left corner of the image
and find the WCTU building on the NW corner of Broadway and Temple Street.
It stretches to it's full five stories but will ultimately give up the top three
floors to the tightening earthquake regulations and finally be torn down in
1956 or '57. At the head of lower Broadway is the unimproved shale face of
what will soon become the south portal of the Broadway tunnel carrying the
roadbed through Fort Moore Hill to Sunset Boulevard. Above this shale face is
the upper Broadway roadbed with Hancock Banning's house on the right with
the lone horse in the corral. The center of the image is dominated by Buena
Vista (or Justicia) running from Temple Street (out-of-frame at the bottom) to
it's crest at Fort Moore Place before it goes out-of-sight over and around the
shoulder of Fort Moore Hill to Sunset Boulevard. In the distance we can see
the San Fernando Hotel at Ord and N. Spring Street although the Sunset
Hotel, it's neighbor, is hidden by tree branches. Temple Street emerges on the
right running diagonally across the lower right corner of the image past New
High Street, a hard-to-see Spring Street and finally to Main Street. Aliso
Street runs directly away from the camera in the upper right quadrant and on
Main Street we can pick out the Baker Block, the Masonic Lodge, the Merced
Theater and the Pico House. The Hip roof and three cupolas of the Lugo House
face a still largely empty Plaza.

Denver Public Library digital collections

I lived just off Overland in the 1980's and ate at this Ships all the time.
I'll never forget the time when I went there one morning with my friend after
a hard night of partying. Ships had toasters on the tables and would give
you baskets of bread to toast yourself. My friend and I were so hungover,
we burned at least six pieces of toast before we got it right.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q...21843%2BPM.jpg


I was crushed when this place was remodeled into a Starbucks...

:previous:

LOL, Kevin!

I vaguely remember that it reopened and we went a time or two after that, but, obviously, it was just not the same.

There is, currently, a SHIP's website:

SHIP'S Coffee Shop - The Official Website
http://www.shipscoffeeshop.com/

I had to laugh at this line from the article, though.

...the park includes a series of quotations from Kennedy, who was shot and killed inside the hotel on a June night in 1968, and a few others.

Good old Virginia Hill. Outsmarted them all, crooks and cops alike, until something became too much for her and she took her own life in Switzerland at age 49. The First Lady of Noir.

Cheers,

Earl

Well, of course, I dunno for sure Tourmaline, but, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998) heavily set-dressed the Ambassador as the Beverly Hills Hotel, using the Martinique wallpaper and other elements. That might explain "Must Love Dogs" (2005) @3:29 and "Bobby" (2006) @0:30, but not "That Thing You Do" (1996) @5:14. I think it's the Ambassador, maybe just b/c films are there to fool us :-)

The Martinique / "Banana Leaf" wallpaper, designed in 1942 by Don Loper for the BHH, is still in production, btw, if you want some: http://martiniquewallpaper.com/collections.html:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g...44903%2BPM.jpg
martinique

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

Thank you MichaelRyerson for the gorgeous panorama. I'll have to check again, does this mean we have a full 360 from the Courthouse? Finally scrolling all the way to the right, after enjoying everything in the view, it was fun to find a tiny slice of the Temple Block on the right margin.

Just passed by here last weekend on a little "see what I haven't seen in a while drive." The Longley house next door to the east, at 1005 Buena Vista Street in South Pasadena, is also a Greene & Greene and dates from 1897, when the Greenes were still experimenting with late Victorian/Classical styling. You can see a little of at left in the postcard above.

http://hometown-pasadena.com/wp-cont...ngleyHouse.jpgHometown-Pasadena

I remember there was a low-budget remake of the film Toolbox Murders in 2004 that utilized the Ambassador as an apartment building. It was really clever actually - they used the narrow side facade and cast it as the front facade. The way they shot it, it looked very convincing (and there were also a bunch of great shots of the interior as well). Here's the DVD cover that gives you some idea of how they did it:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...boxMurders.jpgWikipedia

Also, thank you Michael Ryerson for that amazing picture-stitch panorama!

here you go...


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7588/...902983c9_o.pngLooking east from the County Courthouse, ca.1898


Another Jackson glass negative. Temple Block left middle distance. A sign on the Temple Block reads: "Putnam, Commercial Photographer." Other signs read: "J.J. O'Brien & Co. Dry Goods & Notions" "Free Dental Clinic" "Cooperative Tailor Shop" "Plumbing, Steam & Irrigating Supplies" and "M.A. Newmark & Co. El Palencia Cigars." Beyond the Temple Block we are looking directly down Requena Street (soon to become Market Street) with the Amestoy Building on the left and the United States Hotel on the right. To the immediate right of the Temple Block is the free-standing, trapezoidal J.A. Bullard Building. L.A. Orphanage on the horizon

DPLdc

:previous: Thank you again MichaelRyerson. Now we're just missing the slice between the Hopperstead residence on Court Street at Hill and the WCTU Temple on Temple and Broadway.

It's great to see the Temple Block rooftops and how those buildings fitted together.

I dunno what Templeito was smoking when he approved the design for the new, front Temple Block building, but I can't help liking it:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-C...21400%2BPM.jpg
lapl (detail)

The skinny, two-story Dye Works building in the lower-left corner of the panorama above, seems to have remained undisturbed when the International Bank Building/Bank of Italy Building was built abutting it. The Dye Works was saved along with its larger neighbor and, I believe, lasted until 1955.

That building was apparently both the orphanage and the poorhouse. Sarah Bixby Smith, whose family fortunes were tied to the weather because of their livestock interests, remembers the effect the building had on her as a child in "Adobe Days" (1931):

"Beyond the river and up the hill on the other side stood, stark and lonely, the 'Poor House', the first unit of the present General Hospital. Many a time when the skies forbore to rain I had it pointed out to me as my probable ultimate destination....So, if the sun shone too constantly and the year wore on to Christmas without a storm the ominous words, 'a dry year' were heard and the bare building across the river loomed menacingly."

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


I know that short clip compilation was far from exhaustive Tetsu, so it's nice to know of another Ambassador film. And we've hardly touched on the Ambassador's TV appearances.

Toolbox Murders (2004):
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8...82323%2BPM.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F...82128%2BPM.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USnuqsQObvM

The after68.com website has a list of films, TV shows and music videos filmed at the Ambassador, probably also not exhaustive: http://after68.com/ambassador-hotel-...geles-history/


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

October 2012:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z...03455%2BPM.jpg

January 2015:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w...03239%2BPM.jpg

gsv

181 S La Brea location serviced cars for 30+ years. Starting out as "Motor Tires, Inc., becoming a Goodyear affiliate and later becoming Parkhouse Motors and Jagsville USA through 1960. Utter Pontiac was at 200 S. La Brea.



181 S La Brea - Contemporary
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...11411414_o.jpghttps://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...11411414_o.jpg




1931 - 181 South La Brea Avenue, Motor Tires, Inc.
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/65330/rec/1




Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon?
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0





181
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0






La Brea and W Second Street
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0








Free Air
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0



Used Car Censorship
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0




http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/65330/rec/1



Bye Bye Exide
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0



http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0




http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/utils/...car&DMROTATE=0

1917 - Chaplin Studios under construction.
http://amstudios.net/htdoc/Media/Cha...tructionSM.jpghttp://amstudios.net/htdoc/Media/Cha...tructionSM.jpg




1917 - La Brea Ave looking north
http://amstudios.net/htdoc/Media/LaBreaDelongSM.jpghttp://amstudios.net/htdoc/Media/LaBreaDelongSM.jpg

Another lost gem?


1937 - "L. E. Kent and Company (6022 Wilshire Boulevard) and Majestic Upholstery (6026 Wilshire Boulevard)."
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00098/00098003.jpghttp://jpg1.lapl.org/00098/00098003.jpg