Nearly complete
 

http://jpg1.lapl.org/00075/00075030.jpgLAPL

It must have been a shock to find out that your cozy suburban South Kenmore Avenue house was soon be in the shadow of a skyscraper. Here's another "nearly-complete" shot of another multi-unit structure, also still standing, this one a few miles to the west, but older:

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics20/00019519.jpgLAPL
The Beverly Hills Hotel, ca. 1912

Palm beards
 

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics30/00064873.jpgLAPL

Who's up on his horticulture? Are the long hula skirts on these palms something they sprout annually, and then shed? Sounds pretty messy. (I find it hard to believe that the city trims all the palms on a regular basis.) Btw, if I lived on this block (9th west of Normandie), I would have the exterminator spray daily. Those are some serious rats' nests.

Love these shots of all the old cars!

I'm not up on my horticulture, but my understanding is that as these types of palm trees grow (I think these particular kind are called Mexican fan palms but I could be wrong), the fronds will die as new ones sprout, and the dead fronds will form a sort of skirt. They eventually fall off (they definitely do in high winds, along with some of the live fronds) but they also do get trimmed off by tree trimmers.

1952, Judy Garland opening at the Philharmonic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. This is a few years before "The Man That Got Away," but she'll probably do "Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart."

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/609...nicauditor.jpg
USC Archive

George and Gracie, and Jack Benny and Mary Livingston, going to see Judy:
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/898...graciephil.jpg
USC Archive

Mommy Dearest herself, going to see Judy:
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/496...fordandjud.jpg
USC Archive

Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Stewart, going to see Judy:
http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/7...stewart195.jpg
USC Archive

Here's another photo of the quite massive Gaylord.
I'm curious, has anyone here been inside it?
Due to it's bulk I would think it would have to have an atrium for light & ventilation.

I just answered my own question..... in the aerial photograph gsjansen posted earlier.
I was under the impression the Gaylord was a cube, but the building is L-shaped.
Hence no need for an atrium/skylight.


http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/7...onwilshire.jpg
usc






Below: A view of the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1920.


http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/6...hillszoo19.jpg
usc

I thought this story about a 1959 murder in Los Feliz was interesting (and very noir).


http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5...bygenaromo.jpg
Genaro Molina



http://blog.allanellenberger.com/boo...ery/#more-5848

One of the readers comments in the above article mentioned
the Spanish Kitchen Restaurant mystery on Melrose.

This brought me way back.
I remember looking in the windows of the extremely spooky Spanish Kitchen.
Everything was just as it was in the 1930s or 1940s (plates on the tables..coats on hooks..old newspapers.. etc).

Does anyone here remember this place?
It was in the vicinity of El Coyote.....but on the north side of the street.

Greyhound Bus Station
Notice the hole in the wall bar.


http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3...ndfrankbai.jpg
Frank Bailey





below: Here'a a close up of 'The Corral' cocktail lounge.


http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5...ndcorralfr.jpg
Frank Bailey

-note the neon 'rope' in the window.
__

The Chapman Park Hotel and Bungalows.



http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/462...3chapmanpc.jpg
ebay






http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/416...parkhotel1.jpg
calisphere




http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/420...anpark1962.jpg
calisphere




http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8...park1962ze.jpg
calisphere



http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5...park19621a.jpg
calisphere

Another view of the VERY cool Zephyr Room.



http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/874...park1962ze.jpg
calisphere




below: Interior of the Zephyr Room.


http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/1...zephyrloun.jpg
calisphere




below: The Chapman Park Hotel pool


http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9...anparkpool.jpg
calisphere





below: Last but not least, one of the Chapman Park Bungalows


http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/6...parkbungal.jpg
calisphere

:previous:
Very cool pics of the Chapman Park Hotel, I've never seen those before. I like the Zephyr Room pics too.


Very interesting murder-suicide story. I'd never heard of it before; I wonder if the house is still vacant, or if it even still exists.

I do remember the Original Spanish Kitchen, on Beverly. I remember reading about it and the urban legend in the LA Times too, when I was a teen. It's now a beauty salon or something, with the sign altered to say "SPA." I think it opened in the late 1990s, but I could be wrong. There's now another restaurant on La Cienega with a replica "Original Spanish Kitchen" sign on it.

South of Downtown Panoramas
 

Sorry for the photo dump but I'm a bit swamped at the moment so its hard to keep up with all the interesting stuff you all are digging up! Here are some panoramas looking north towards downtown. These provide glimpses of the area is now known as "South Park." The area south of downtown seem to have always been transitional in nature, with residences rubbing up against industry and the tail end of Broadway (with the Mayan and the Belasco representing that thoroughfare's furthest reach). There are a number of hotels (Morrison, Bristol, Casa Loma, Figueroa, Young Apts.) and attendant entertainment like theaters and dance halls. But still, the areas character remains heterogeneous and elusive. Which is probably why I'm so fascinated by it.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/...6c78c3ee26.jpg
From the USC Digital Archives - Panoramic view of downtown Los Angeles, looking east with the 8th Street and Olive Street intersection in view, ca.1910-1913

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/...570b38a95e.jpg
From the USC Digital Archives - "View looking north on Spring Street or Main Street from an industrial district toward downtown Los Angeles" (View north from Mode O'Day Building from Washington between Broadway and Hill)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/...3e9ac176d0.jpg
From the USC Digital Archives - Looking north towards downtown from Jefferson and S. Grand

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1024/...14bafb3609.jpg
From the USC Digital Archives - Panoramic view of Los Angeles looking west from the Howard Huntington Building (1060 S. Broadway @ Eleventh Street), November 21, 1931

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/...10964b74f8.jpg
From the USC Digital Archives - Panoramic view of Downtown Los Angeles from 9th St. showing Broadway, Spring St. & Main St. intersecting 9th St., 1917

And speaking of the Morrison Hotel...

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...risonHotel.jpg

and of course, you can't have one without the other..............

http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/ima...caleFactor=1.2
UCLA Digital Collections

I don't remember if I ever posted this pic on this thread, but I recently posted this on another thread talking about freeways:



Confusing freeway route signs, 1960
http://www.gbcnet.com/ushighways/us_..._sign_1960.jpg
gbcnet.com

In 1964 Caltrans decided to simplify the route numbers so that there wouldn't be redundant signage, which became more complicated when the Interstate System routing numbers came into use. Example, what is now I-5 from LA to San Diego used to be US-101. I think at one time, it was co-signed as both US-101 and I-5. Now, of course, the US-101 designation ends a little southeast of downtown LA.

http://idisk.mac.com/mrl54//Public/300 E 5th LA.png

Google Maps




the doors hard rock cafe today

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics39/00069374.jpgLAPL

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics39/00069375.jpgLAPL

When I ran across the shots above I naturally thought of Chris Burden's
Urban Light at LACMA:

http://www.soenyun.com/Blog/wp-conte...m-the-west.jpgsoenyun

The older shots are dated 1920s. I'm guessing that they're new standards on the manufacturer's lot. Or perhaps they're in city maintenance yards awaiting installation along Los Angeles streets, where some remain--and, who knows?--some may now be part of Urban Light.

very illuminating photos GW ;)

here's an image i don't think has been posted before.....(but as usual, i could be wrong.......)

it's undated, but i would venture a guess of 1890 or so

looking west on 4th from spring. the circle represents the SW corner of 4th and broadway. It is an amazing image that shows in great detail the 3 great 4th street painted ladies..........the rose mansion, (SE corner of 4th and grand), the brunson mansion, (NW corner of 4th and Grand), with the hildreth house of sorrows, (NW corner 4th and hope) in the background. the lesser but still magnificent hershey residence is visible on the ne corner of 4th and grand to the left of the brunson

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...14-3-ISLA?v=hr
USC Digital Archives


here is what 4th from grand to hope looked like in 1982

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/...dd0ef2db_b.jpg
LAPL

the KPMG Tower sits right where the saltbox and castle used to reside on long gone bunker hill avenue. the former sites of all 4 of the buildings mentioned above are contained in this image......amazing what changes occurred in 90 years

a great view of the melrose and the richlieu taken in 1881

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics15/00007463.jpg
LAPL

you can see the old city hall peeking out just to the left of the melrose

view looking south on grand across 2nd street from in front of the richlieu 1886.jpg

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068182.jpg
LAPL

a great view of the rose mansion at the se corner of 4th and grand 1888

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061549.jpg
LAPL

directly across grand on the ne corner of 4th and grand sat the hershey residence. the Rose is visible across grand

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061893.jpg
LAPL

and of course just across the street to the west of the hershey residence on grand avenue sat the magnificent brunson

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics14/00026550.jpg
LAPL

a great 1886 view of the olive street entrance of the crocker mansion looking east on 3rd from grand

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061843.jpg
LAPL

I don't remember if this was ever posted before, but here's a picture of Spring and 1st Streets, looking south, in downtown LA, circa late 1890s:
http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/8...eyedulate1.jpg
sunsite.berkeley.edu

So fascinating...

S_EJ what a great image, i have not ever seen this image looking south before! wow!

lately i've been interested in the extension of broadway south of tenth. prior to the construction of the examiner building in 1914, broadway ended at tenth and veered eastward to hook up with main

here's an image looking south on broadway in 1904. broadway ends by veering off to the east to link up with main street

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/...05110980_b.jpg
USC Digital Archives

this 1890 image looking north from tenth street shows how broadway veers west from main between 10th and 11th

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/...22c6090f_b.jpg
USC Digital Archives

this 1914 image of the nearly completed L.A Examiner building shows how broadway has yet to be extended south of 1oth street

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/...c0e525af_o.jpg
LAPL

Continually amazed by these fascinating photos. Love the pictures of Chapman Park bungalows and hotel. Are others here familiar with a superb panoramic aerial shot of what looks like East Hollywood, probably taken around 1945-47 (judging by the cars) that appeared in a July 5, 1948 photo essay by Lionel Feininger in Life magazine? Maybe someone here knows how to post the photo (I don't know how.) There is also a panoramic shot of the Cahuenga Pass Highway/Freeway from the same period.
http://books.google.com/books?id=ekY...page&q&f=false
I found it by googling the photo caption: "A familiar pattern fits over a new setting in Los Angeles..Life magazine."

:previous:
Great photos, but I didn't couldn't find a way to link those or save them onto my computer to link them...







_______________________________________

Late 1930s (?), Carl's restaurant. The caption doesn't say where this was located.
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1...ntlate1930.jpg
USC Archive

Fire at the St. George Hotel in 1952.

http://imageshack.us/a/img191/5969/a...ntownstgeo.jpg
http://esotouric.com/mainhotel





Below: Much to my surprise, the St. George Hotel still stands.

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4...ehotelneed.jpg
willowscottage.blogspot



http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/6...ebysaturni.jpg
saturnine




http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7...eflickrbye.jpg
Gabor Ekecs





More info on the St. George Hotel.

http://www.housingfinance.com/ahf/ar...6_AHF_12-3.htm

The very 'noir' Rex Apartments (no address given).



http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2...tmentscali.jpg
calisphere


I imagine it inhabited by aging taxi-dancers.
And perhaps a few peroxide-blonde waitresses waiting by the phone for a bit part in the next Monogram feature.




http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6...625rexsign.jpg
detail





below: Notice the small boy walking down the street.


http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/5...tleboyfarr.jpg
detail

Wilshire before widening.....looking east from Kip Street in 1931.




http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2...ebeforewid.jpg
Dick Whittington

More 'Wilshire before widening' photos.
As the caption says...looking west from Figueroa in 1931.



http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2...ebeforewid.jpg
Dick Whittington






below: Looking west on Wilshire from Bonnie Brae in 1931.


http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/2...ebeforewid.jpg
Dick Whittington





below: See caption.


http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2...ebeforewid.jpg
Dick Whittington

http://www.gonegraphics.com/uglyangel/canoga_park.jpggonegraphics

Canoga Park Noir--complete with classic bathtub Chrysler, and, no doubt, knife-wielding housewives studying the backs of their husbands' necks.



Ethereal-- I love your "Wilshire Before Widening" pics--

and now:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=...0.07,,0,-13.89

^^^ It's remarkable that the two large (and beautiful) buildings in the 1931 photo are still standing.

Anyone know the names and history of these two building?

A 1931 view of Wilshire looking east to Figueroa, before Wilshire was extended.



http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7...ilshireloo.jpg
Dick Whittington






below: Same view from a higher angle. Figueroa before the extension of Wilshire, 1931.


http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/6...igueroaatw.jpg
Dick Whittington

In the L.A. Times today there was an article about Warner's releasing a new DVD of rarely seen film noirs.
I was especially intrigued by 'Armored Car Robbery' (1952) because the article says it was filmed on location in Los Angeles.

I've never heard of this movie. Has anyone here seen this film before?


Here's a link to the article.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...,7268769.story

Oh yes, I saw it several years ago, either on AMC (when they showed mostly RKO films) or TCM. Don't remember much about it except that Charles McGraw ("The Narrow Margin") and William Talman (sp?) (Hamilton Berger from "Perry Mason") were in it. I vaguely recall scenes around Signal Hill or some such oil well area, unless I'm confusing it with another film.
There was also "Bunco Squad," (1950) another campy RKO programmer (about phony psychics) shown on AMC, featuring shots around L.A., particularly a gothic/tudor house in Beverly Hills that was used constantly as a location in the 40's in such films as "Night and Day," "The Falcon and the Co-Eds," and "My Name is Julia Ross," where it was supposed to be an English seaside mansion.

I haven't seen this film, but here is some more info on it... I can't wait to get a copy of this.

http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2008/10...bery-1950.html

Wilshire Boulevard post widening looking east from kip street 1934

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...CHS-42202?v=hr
USC Digital Archives


not only was wilshire widened going west of figueroa, it needed to be slammed through figueroa.

View of Wilshire Boulevard, looking east from a point 150 feet west of Figueroa Street, 1931

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...CHS-42211?v=hr
USC Digital Archives

View of Wilshire Boulevard at Kip Street, looking east toward downtown, showing road widening and improvement, December 1934

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...CHS-31229?v=hr
USC Digital Archives

if you think the front of the Rex looks Noirish, the rear certainly confirms it's pure noir status

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics28/00033582.jpg
LAPL

and just to make sure that it's noirish stature is complete, here's the caption from the Los Angeles Public Library site;

Exterior view of the rear of the Rex Apartments. Building is identified by a sign at the front of the building, and is owned by Lawrence Young. It is 4 floors plus a penthouse, with 12 units on each floor for a total of 49 units. There are 3 toilets and 2 baths per floor except the third floor which has only 2 toilets and one bath. 40 units (1 room plus kitchen) rent for $20 per month, 4 units rent for $22, and 4 units (2 rooms plus kitchen) rent for $34. Total income per month is approximately $1059. Electricity is included in the rent but not gas. No hot water.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/...3369c871_b.jpg

i did a print screen of the linked page, then cropped the image with photoshop

(JD, this is the particular photo you were referencing in your post.....right?)

O'Conner Electro-Plating Explosion
 

At 9:45am on February 20, 1947, Downtown was rocked by a blast the L.A. Times called the worst in the city's history. The explosion leveled the O'Conner Electro-Plating Corporation's building at 926 E. Pico, killing 15 people, injuring 151 and demolishing nearby houses.

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics24/00046678.jpg
LAPL

The force of the explosion sent debris hurtling through the air and created a sound that could be heard miles away. 116 buildings in the area suffered damage.

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics24/00046687.jpg
LAPL

Investigators blamed the devastation on a tank of perchloric acid that the plant's chief chemist, Robert M. Magee, had been tending at the time of the blast. The bodies of Magee and his assistant, Miss Alice Iba, were never found and were believed "blown to bits."

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics24/00046686.jpg
LAPL

The O'Connor Electro-Plating Co. had been in business in the same one-story brick building for almost 20 years. The plant was managed by Robert J. O'Connor, son of the company's founder. O'Connor knew little about chemistry, so he had hired Robert M. Magee, 35, who presented impressive credentials. But in truth, Magee had been working as a foreman at a local dairy and was only an aspiring chemist without even a high school diploma.

For almost a year, Magee worked on a revolutionary process for polishing aluminum, anxiously waiting to get it patented. He was using a mixture of 140 gallons of acetic anhydride, nearly as volatile as nitroglycerin.

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics24/00046660.jpg
LAPL

At an inquest held in March, prosecutors alleged that Magee, who claimed to have a PhD from M.I.T., had manufactured his credentials and had in fact never graduated from high school. The jury found that his mixing of acids and oxidizing materials led to the blast.

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics24/00046685.jpg
LAPL

http://assets.blogdowntown.com/images/misc/oconnor1.jpg
UCLA Digital Library

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics24/00046664.jpg
LAPL

for further reading about the blast, go here

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...854621,00.html

:previous:
Very fascinating. I'm surprised no movie has ever been made about this incident, or even a movie inspired by this incident.

Good job gsjansen......VERY interesting post.

Corner of N. Main St. and Elmyra St. in 1952.



http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/4...lmyra1952a.jpg
calisphere






below: A close-up of the store front.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/1...lmyra1952b.jpg
detail

Here's the same view WITH the street sign.




http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6...elmyra1952.jpg
calisphere

410 Crocker Street


http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3...ckerstreet.jpg
calisphere






below: Front entrance of 410 Crocker Street.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/9...kerstreet1.jpg
calisphere

327 N. Beaudry




http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/6...udryformer.jpg
calisphere






http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/9...27nbeaudry.jpg
calisphere

looking north on figueroa and 1st circa 1929, (or so.....)

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...46B57B9FF?v=hr
USC Digital Archives

Looking nw at the NW corner of Grand and 4th 1890. The Brunsom Mansion is the large structure at the right

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets.../CHS-2909?v=hr
USC Digital Archives

I don't know if this one has been posted before, (it probably has....), but it is a great shot of angels flight. The original upper station pavilion is in it's full beauty before the north end got lopped off. everything is nice, neat and manicured. no hint of the noir future that this area would become.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets.../CHS-5542?v=hr
USC Digital Archives

Great pictures! I'd place that first picture in 1935 or '36, based on the cars.

Interesting to see that "Vegetarian Restaurant" next to Angels Flight. I think a lot of younger folks would be surprised to see something like that so long ago.

A vegetarian cafeteria from that time period is mind-boggling.

The photo with the Vegetarian Cafeteria is from 1910 according to this site: http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtow...oa/angels.html , and according to the L.A. Times the concept of a "cafeteria" started in L.A. and that is the world's first vegetarian cafeteria. http://articles.latimes.com/2003/nov...o-cafeteria5/6. Hmm? According to wiki, cafeterias started elsewhere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeteria

:previous:
I figured it was 1910 because of the woman crossing the street in her very trendy hobble skirt, which was a fad that only lasted from 1910-1911. I guess the other women in the far left didn't catch the hobble skirt bug, though their skirt lengths are correct for 1910.

Yep, the bottom picture definitely looks like 1910. I was referring to the top picture which looks like 1936 or so, based on the cars.

Outpost Estates
 

Outpost Estates is a canyon neighborhood of Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills in the central region of the City of Los Angeles, California.

It is located directly east of Runyon Canyon Park and centered around Outpost Drive. Outpost Estates is bordered by Mulholland Drive to the north, Franklin Canyon to the south, Runyon Canyon to the west and Cahuenga Boulevard to the east. Developed by Charles E. Toberman, it is one of the original 1920s Hollywood luxury residential neighborhoods in the heart of Old Hollywood. Most of the original houses have been preserved, and Lower Outpost looks much like it did in the 1920s.

The origin of the name "Outpost" derives from an early building on the site. General Harrison Grey Otis, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, acquired the estate from Don Tómas Urquidez through legal wrangling associated with California's scession to the United States. Otis converted the adobe into a clubhouse for entertaining which he called The Outpost

In the 1920s, Outpost Estates once had a sign not unlike the Hollywoodland sign (which later became the Hollywood sign). The OUTPOST sign is still there, buried in the weeds. It was one of the largest neon signs in the world. Even the original foundation and electrical junction boxes survive.

The Outpost Estates development was one of the first neighborhoods in the country to offer all-underground utilities.

A 1927 view of the sign

http://outpostestates.com/files/outpostsign72dpi.jpg
outpostestates.com

a 1927 closeup view of the sign

http://outpostestates.com/files/outp...oseup72dpi.jpg
Outpostestates.com

view of the sign from the Chinese Theater

http://laist.com/attachments/la_jacy...t-Bison001.jpg
Bison Archives

a recent view of the Outpost sign remains looking across towards the hollywood sign

http://www.digitalartform.com/archiv...tpostSign1.jpg
Digitalartform.com

A 1905 image of the Don Tómas Urquidez adobe, the 1st house in Hollywood, located at the northwest corner of Franklin and Sycamore

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets.../CHS-6349?v=hr
USC Digital Archives

a 1928 image of Cahuenga Pass with a billboard on the left for Outpost Estates

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics53/00076095.jpg
LAPL

Actress Delores Del Rio in front of her Outpost Estates Mansion, corner of Outpost Drive and Hillside, circa 1928. The house is still there, preserved, with much original detail.

http://outpostestates.com/files/Deloresfront.jpg
Outpostestates.com

Here's a closeup of a outpost estates billboard

http://www.outpostestates.com/files/billboard72dpi.jpg
Outpostestates.com