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Lorendoc Aug 25, 2013 7:06 AM

Laurel Canyon
 
Thank you Tourmaline for your comments, and also for your photos. I am not sure I know enough right now to answer your questions.
Regarding prohibition, I have gleaned from this thread that enforcement was, at best, irregular, even in the populated areas. I do not know who might have had jurisdiction over the Laurel area...
Until 1923, the area was in the Sheriff's jurisdiction. Then the LAPD took over. I think you are right in suggesting the Sheriff had a more tolerant attitude than the LAPD.
You observed that most myths may contain a grain of truth. The Laurel Canyon Association's history of the area says: "A popular myth is that the grounds around the Inn were stocked with exotic animals for hunting, but this has not been verified. The Inn burned down in the 1923, and the site was rebuilt with a home for actor Lew Ayres - the original Dr. Kildare." http://laurelcanyonassoc.com/EarlyHist.html Forgetting about the unconfirmed lions and tigers hiding in the area, and what might have been a second secret fire (1918 vs 1923), is there any possibility that the Lew Ayres' "spread" was large enough to include the same or similar location as the Lookout MI, even though the two places might have been treated as separate parcels?
The fire that destroyed the Inn was on October 27, 1918, not in 1923. Lew Ayres built or bought a house that was on the same site as the burned inn. (I don't know which, pending another trip to the Assessor's Map Archive). The address in 1940 for his house was 2355 Sunset Plaza. He was there at least through 1946, when he hosted the wedding of a fellow actor who had been in the 1930 anti-war movie "All Quiet on the Western Front" with him. Ayres was a conscientious objector during WWII.

The real estate section of the LAT had a listing for the house for just under a million in 1979. It was described as a "Monterey style" that was a fixer-upper. In 1983, it was again listed for less money, and more emphasis on the "fixer-upper" aspect. When I moved into my Appian Way house in 1988, there was no house up there at 2355 Sunset Plaza. I remember taking dates up there, climbing over the fence, and being amazed at the night-time views.

You seem to have debunked the notion that Lookout M Inn was at 8782 Appian Way, and instead located at 2355 Sunset Plaza Drive, but I am wondering is it possible that Ayres or another owner of the property upon which Ayres' estate was built also owned the property you have identified as the former Lookout Inn?
The Inn was at 2355 Sunset Plaza. I will check out the transactions the next time I am in the Map Archive, which will tell us when Lew Ayres bought or built the house. The 8782 Appian Way house was built in the mid-20s for Chet Crank who was an advertising executive. It had nothing to do with the Inn. 8782 was bought in 1945 by Rudolph Friml, a well-known Czech composer of light musicals such as Rose-Marie (1924) and The Vagabond King (1925). Friml's widow (his *much* younger fourth wife) sold a mini-park she owned across the street from her 8782 house in 2001, which resulted in the unfortunate trio of spec houses at the hairpin turn of Appian Way a few houses down from mine. I was fortunate enough to be a guest several times in the 8782 house when it was owned by Billy Hipple. He sold it a couple of years ago, saying it needed more work than he was willing to put into it.
Looking at the surveyor's marker, did the one pictured below possibly replace an earlier marker? Or mismarker? As reliable as surveyors may be, wonder what might have happened if the prior surveyor got things wrong? (If you don't believe mistakes can happen, just ask Mayor Shaw. :naughty: ) I also wonder if certain well-heeled property owners couldn't have made significant improvements that they neglected to report. After all, the area has been called "Wonderland"?
I've seen that survey marker above the intersection of Cole Crest and Blue Heights. The view across the city from that point is quite wonderful. The date is 1952, and it is a first-order control point, which is the most precise type there is. I doubt it is misplaced :)
I've read that Doheny's Franklin Canyon reservoir supplied the DWP with water. I assume it was also supplying electricity to Charley Mann's 1913 Trackless Trolley? And, how do we know this was the first Trackless Trolley in America?
Good questions.
It has also been said that those street cars only ran for 5 years to a tavern on Lookout Mountain Avenue. Because this would have been prior to the date of the fire, it makes me wonder if the there weren't several unaccounted for makeshift taverns or inns, or one or two being confused with each other. This might also include confusing an Inn with a Tavern, or even a stand. I am aware that the same tavern on Lookout M Ave., was either rebuilt or transformed into Tom Mix's Rancho d'logs, but I can't help think that some of the stories will never be fully known. I say this, having reread the 1946 newspaper article that mentions prior owners, Actress Bessie Love and C.J. Milliron. Curiously there is no mention of Mix. And, while you probably can't judge a book by its cover, or a department store owner by the design of his Fifth Street Store, it is hard to picture CK Milliron homesteading in a rustic log cabin. Of course, there are log cabins and there are log cabins that go by the name of Ponderosa. :blink:
I agree that there is confusion about the early tavernage in Laurel Canyon. I have not done much research on it, but as I pointed out to e_r, the Laurel Tavern was associated with the Laurelwood subdivision, which was located on the east side of the canyon from Kirkwood almost up to Lookout Mountain. The Laurel Tavern was most likely located where the Canyon Country Store is now, or else quite nearby. The terminus of the Trackless Trolley was another half-mile further up the canyon past the Laurel Tavern at the corner of Lookout Mountain. And that was the location of the "other" tavern. The end of trolley service in 1918 was no doubt related to the burning down of the Inn. The fire involved both the Kirkwood bowl and Lookout Mountain Park, so the powerlines and other infrastructure were probably destroyed along with the Inn.

Lorendoc Aug 25, 2013 7:12 AM

ProphetM's observation
 
I agree that purely congratulatory posts may not move our knowledge of Los Angeles forward very much, but posters who have contributed new stuff might be more disposed to keep at it, with the stimulus of a few kind words. That said, 3940dxer's recent photos of the river district are very well done :)

ethereal_reality Aug 25, 2013 3:28 PM

:previous: -well said Lorendoc, I couldn't agree more.

I'm sure some people are sick and tired of all my 'thank you' posts. But hey, the thread is still going strong after four years.
__

ethereal_reality Aug 25, 2013 4:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6181547)
this interesting 1959 slide.
http://imageshack.us/a/img835/2716/pvzo.jpg
ebay

The seller of the previously posted slide (above) just listed this companion slide of Germain's.

1959, the same day. -notice the PLANTS sign says SEEDS on the reverse side.
http://imageshack.us/a/img19/3070/6uuh.jpg
ebay

The same woman appears in both slides looking up and down the street. I think she's patiently waiting for a ride. (or perhaps a lunch date)
__



For an earlier view of Germains go here.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=15392

ethereal_reality Aug 25, 2013 5:10 PM

David, I really enjoyed the photographs from your recent bike-'safari' down Santa Fe Avenue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3940dxer (Post 6243539)
"The Pickle Works Building is a rare, surviving example of Victorian-era brick industrial buildings in Los Angeles. The Pickle Works Building was built in 1888 for the California Vinegar & Pickle Company, later known as the James K. Hill & Sons Company."

In this shot we look south towards the west side of the Pickle Works building, with its old window casements and loading docks.
http://dkse.net/david/SF.Ave/DSCN2954.JPG
photograph by David/3940dxer

:previous: I haven't seen this side of the building before. Despite the boarded up 2nd story windows, they kept the little shutters and window boxes.


from artdock
http://imageshack.us/a/img855/6295/k2fo.jpg
Here's an interesting article on saving the Pickle Works. (dated Feb. 2012)
http://artdock.net/time/

Tourmaline Aug 25, 2013 5:26 PM

Lorendoc, thank you for your thoughtful responses to my scatter shot musings.

It has been said that when the legend becomes fact, the media and adoring public prefer the legend. Laurel Canyon is no exception to this "saying." I am particularly fond of secret rooms, and hidden key clubs, despite the fact that the dates and personalities could not possibly match up. And - to a certain realtor out there, a dumb waiter is not necessarily illegal. Nor is it secret just because few pay attention to it or understand its purpose.

I mentioned the surveryors marker, because of "stories" involving the placement of a permanent bronze marker only to find an older one at a different location. (Insert explanation here: ;)

More trackless trolley topography . Is that a ghost Stutz with George Washington or Harry Houdini behind the wheel? :no:
http://catalog.library.ca.gov/exlibr...YV9GG4PGMX.jpg http://catalog.library.ca.gov/exlibr...YV9GG4PGMX.jpg

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...1hb/hi-res.jpghttp://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...1hb/hi-res.jpg

Tourmaline Aug 25, 2013 5:33 PM

Lankershim Ranch - Land & Water Co. 1887 (No posted speed limits?)

http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_im...mpany_1887.pnghttp://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_im...mpany_1887.png




http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0


http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0
http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0http://hdl.huntington.org/utils/ajax...XT=&DMROTATE=0

Difficulty viewing? Go here: http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single.../id/1558/rec/2

MrPoe Aug 25, 2013 6:20 PM

These are a few shots from the city where I grew up; Huntington Park. I took these in 2011.

http://i40.tinypic.com/2el5qft.jpg

This is one of the oldest buildings that still survive. It's on the corner of Florence Ave and Seville Ave. I haven't found any information about this building's past.

http://i44.tinypic.com/i6kneu.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/r9o5d0.jpg

A couple shots of the now boarded up Warner Theater on Pacific Blvd. The architect B. Marcus Priteca, and a twin of this Warner Theater is in in San Pedro.

http://i39.tinypic.com/16h944n.jpg

A picture farther down the blvd of the old green clock tower. Below is a photo from 1955, and the clock tower canbe seen in the distance.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2459/3...711b3288_o.jpg
ozfan22

http://i40.tinypic.com/29lztcy.jpg

A shot of the "Tiki Motel", which was featured in "The Terminator" It's as seedy as it looks.

http://i39.tinypic.com/255um1z.jpg

A still-surviving sign from an older era.

ethereal_reality Aug 25, 2013 6:32 PM

:previous: Interesting photographs MrPoe! Is the interior of the Warner Theater still intact?
-and I especially like the old green clock tower. (it took me awhile to find the glowing clock-face in that old black & white)
__




http://imageshack.us/a/img32/5347/e0wy.jpg
Here's the link to the article.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...and-Drive.html





I didn't realize Mulholland Drive was 55 miles long.
http://imageshack.us/a/img15/2173/4zxi.jpg
__



found on ebay
http://imageshack.us/a/img823/7867/x6p5.jpg

Mulholland Drive flooding 1952.
__

MrPoe Aug 25, 2013 7:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6244095)
:previous: Interesting photographs MrPoe! Is the interior of the Warner Theater still intact?
-and I especially like the old green clock tower. (it took me awhile to find the glowing clock-face in that old black & white)

According to the Wikipedia article, the interior has been extensively altered, unfortunately. The building looks like its locked up securely, and has been since at least 1996.

Lwize Aug 25, 2013 7:44 PM

Blanket "Thank You" everyone. :tup:

Jeff Clark Aug 25, 2013 8:00 PM

I think it's pretty funny that in the storefront scene in post ID #16306 above there is a neon sign advertising "cordless hearing aids". It sounds like you plug other hearing aids into the wall. I guess it means you don't have something the size of an old transistor radio in your pocket with wires up to a headset.

ethereal_reality Aug 25, 2013 8:43 PM

:previous: You sir, have excellent eye sight...I couldn't come close to reading that sign.
__

ethereal_reality Aug 25, 2013 10:13 PM

http://imageshack.us/a/img855/2991/x528.jpg
ebay




http://imageshack.us/a/img46/8312/ophc.jpg
ebay

I've been trying to locate a photograph of this restaurant & lounge (The Bird of Paradise Room sounds so exotic and noirish).
It would have been on the southwest corner of Sunset and N. Cahuenga Boulevard just west of fabled Sunset and Vine.
__



Apparently, there was another Travaglini's located in Encino.
http://imageshack.us/a/img94/9613/fi8c.jpg
ebay





17500 Ventura Boulevard is still an Italian restaurant.
http://imageshack.us/a/img839/7448/bf1e.jpg
GSV
__

Lwize Aug 25, 2013 10:44 PM

http://larry.wizegallery.com/VWV/buca.jpg
GSV

This building always had me scratching my head. I used to work down the street, and had fun walking passed it. If you look closely at the corner of the building -- and this is not an optical illusion -- it goes through the sidewalk and handicapped ramp. Somewhere between property lines, zoning and street improvements, somebody screwed up. ;)

ethereal_reality Aug 25, 2013 11:31 PM

:previous: -yep, someone fucked up.


This photograph from ebay reminded me of some previously posted images of the Hollywoodland tract.
http://imageshack.us/a/img600/9318/4tsh.jpg
ebay

I used the Skyscraperpage search feature for 'Hollywoodland', and it came up with NO MATCHES (twice). How ridiculous is that?!?!
Next, I decided to google 'noirish Hollywoodland', and this lead me to some of the earlier posts.

As far as I can tell, the house in the center of the photograph was identified by ProphetM back in December of 2012.
I'm 98% sure it's the same house. -check it out here.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=10926
__

Blaster Aug 26, 2013 12:04 AM

A lookout tower atop the Villa Sir Francis Drake Apartments at 841 S. Serrano. (Presumably so Sir Francis could see enemy ships coming.)

http://imageshack.com/scaled/large/38/p9wr.jpg

ethereal_reality Aug 26, 2013 12:28 AM

:previous: I want to climb up there....now! :)
(be sure to include the source of your photograph) -thx buddy.
__


OK, I am pretty much excited. I believe I located this original Hollywoodland house as well.
http://imageshack.us/a/img834/4152/05o0.jpg
ebay




-the fireplace/chimney at 3072 Beldon.
http://imageshack.us/a/img849/154/r5l5.jpg
GSV




the attached garage, and a view down the side of the house.
http://imageshack.us/a/img209/6276/vaqe.jpg
GSV

I want to see the interior of this house soooooo bad.

Flyingwedge Aug 26, 2013 3:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6244327)
http://imageshack.us/a/img209/6276/vaqe.jpg
GSV

I want to see the interior of this house soooooo bad.

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...psf719614b.jpg
prothemls.com

Above photo of 3072 Belden, plus others -- most of them blurry -- here: http://pro.themls.com/All_Searches_P...roperty_type=0

Beaudry Aug 26, 2013 7:50 AM

New images over at the Huntington have brought the number of Conner slides up from 50 to 82. Lots of interesting stuff, including this here of the Court House tunnel being demolished; we talked about it fairly recently.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5517/9...292b54eb_o.gif hunt

The tunnel, or at least its entrance, remained after the Court House demo for about 25 years -- this is 20 July 1961. The Criminal Court Bldg, designed by Adrian Wilson, would be ok'd for the site in three years.

Looks like the Neutra/Alexander Hall of Records, which wouldn't open till the Spring, hasn't had its louvers installed yet.


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