:previous:
Yes, and yes.

The Bonaventure is a nostalgic place for me; in high school, my friends and I would go to the revolving lounge (The Top of 5) and order virgin drinks. I still go there occasionally for the cheesiness and schlock, but orientation be damned in that building. I still get disoriented trying to walk around the upper levels of the lobby.

The elevators are great, too. If you pay attention at night, you may see some people having sex in their rooms. That hotel is a total exhibitionist's wet dream.

And of course, whenever I cross the pedestrian walkways that go over the street, this song goes through my head:

• Video Link

I actually haven't been to the Bonaventure in about a year; last year, they supposedly started a major renovation/remodeling of the inside. I'm not sure what it's supposed to look like after they're done.

Thanks for the info sopas_ej.

The Bonaventure is the only place I've ever been in a revolving lounge. It was great.
As you know revolving lounges were fairly common in the 1970s and 1980s.
Didn't the old Holiday Inn in Hollywood have a revolving lounge at one time? Perhaps it's still there and revolving as we speak.
I can't recall the new name of the hotel in Hollywood...I'll have to do me some googlin'. :)


below: Here you can see one of the elevators at the Bonaventure.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1...elevators1.jpg
unknown


http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/4...jonesfalls.jpg

Didn't the Sheraton @Macys Plaza on 7th have a rotating lounge too?? I always wondered about that round top on top of the Sheraton.

I found this list of revolving lounges/restaurants in California on wikipedia

California
BonaVista Lounge, Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California
Revolving Restaurant, Renaissance Hotel Hollywood (closed)
Equinox, Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, California - No longer rotating.
Revolving Restaurant, Sheraton Hotel, Macy's Plaza, Los Angeles (closed)
Top of the Harbor Restaurant, Crowne Plaza, Ventura (closed)


From the looks of this list only the Bonaventure's lounge is still revolving.

:previous:
Hmm, I guess it was the stationary "fine dining" restaurant at the very top of the Bonaventure that was called the Top of 5; according to the Bonaventure website, that place is now called LA Prime. The revolving Bona Vista Lounge is actually a level below the restaurant now called LA Prime.

I'll show you some signs. ;)

I've posted this pic here before, but it's a pretty good shot of Pasadena street signs in 1954. I'm not sure how long these were in use.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics41/00055293.jpg
LAPL


I took the following pictures today right after I got home from work.

I believe these Pasadena street signs were used from the mid/late 1980s until the early 2000s. This is the only surviving one that I know of:
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/724/p1170015.jpg
Photo by me

I like that they're white lettering on a black background, and real heavy-duty metal signs. But notice the upper/lower case of the lettering; supposedly, LA's trapezoidal street signs introduced in the mid-1980s were the first in the nation to feature lower-case lettering (Correction: I guess it was the post-shotgun signs that were the first to feature lower-case lettering on a street sign in the US, the ones that date from the late 1960s to early 1970s). Notice the black plate placed under the "ST". My guess is, it's because this sign, though a Pasadena sign, is actually on the South Pasadena side of the street; South Pasadena is a separate city (many people think it's part of the City of Pasadena, to the chagrin of many South Pasadenans, ahem, including myself :P), and it also has its own street numbering system. Anyway, my guess is that it had the incorrect block number on it (the Pasadena block number instead of the South Pasadena block number).
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/3047/p1170017.jpg
Photo by me

I'll assume that the Pasadena public works left this alone because it was outside of their jurisdiction (but for some reason was installed by them years ago). And for some reason, the South Pasadena public works department hasn't removed it.

Anyway, the current style of Pasadena street sign are these generic-looking green reflective ones, installed around the city from around 2004-2006:
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/192/p1170018o.jpg
Photo by me

Though I'm used to them, I still don't care for them. So generic, and no character to them.

Here's what South Pasadena street signs look like:
http://img860.imageshack.us/img860/5144/p1170020.jpg
Photo by me

They're a little more old-school looking, with their shape and all-cap font. Even the new replacement signs look like this. South Pas hasn't gone that thin aluminum, all reflective rectangular route-- at least not yet. They even say "SO. PASADENA" on them. How can anyone mistake South Pas for being part of Pasadena? Looking at old photos of South Pasadena, I believe this style of street sign dates from the early 1970s, or maybe late 1960s. Prior to these, South Pasadena street signs had black lettering on a white background, and the signs themselves were pretty much shaped like these too.


Ah, the Midwick Country Club, funny you should mention that, because I fairly recently learned about that place, which was in the southwestern part of Alhambra. In the late 1940s it was turned into a housing development. I believe it's now referred to as the Midwick Tract.

I somehow don't believe that there's now a federal mandate for a more standard type of sign. The ritzy LA suburb called Palos Verdes Estates apparently has had the same type of street sign since that city was created in the 1920s, and they're basically made out of wood, with decorative metal curlicues:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5845/28479585.jpg
maureenmegowan.com

A bad image but you get the idea, from Google Street View:
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/2442/picture2xg.png

A better image:
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4...festylecom.jpg
palosverdeslifestyle.com

Incidentally, the Palos Verdes Peninsula is where the Chadwick School is located, as in where Mommie Dearest sent Christina Crawford to school.

this one is for scott -

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/...c5005852_o.jpg
Source: LAPL

the photograph is dated 1926.

what is absolutely amazing, is that temple block is still standing this far into the superstructure erection. you can see exactly where spring street once cut through the city hall site.

for goodness sakes, they left the international bank (bank of italy) building, stand for so long at the north west corner of the site, you would think that they would have left a true historic treasure, such as temple block remain on the north east corner.......sheeeesh

Wow, nice! Thanks! I have a version of this pic scanned from the old Security Trust and Savings Bank historical tome "La Reina - Los Angeles in Three Centuries," but that's a halftone reproduction and not nearly as sharp as this image. *snags it* :tup:

I agree - it was a real shame to've lost the Temple Block. It could have been put to good use as a living museum of Los Angeles history. But what did history mean to those who were in charge of L.A. back then? Nada, obviously. History was something to be eradicated, as the next 30+ years of downtown devastation proved...

-Scott

those folks over at the Los Angeles Public Library are at it again...........i know for sure, i would have remembered this aerial showing the Stuart K. Oliver house from above taken from a blimp!

photograph is dated 1965

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics27/00033431.jpg
Source: LAPL
(of course i could be wrong, and this photograph has been already posted, after all, a few posts ago we ascertained that i am indeed gettin' old)

and speaking of blimps...........................

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics32/00050664.jpg
Source: LAPL
(the international bank, (Bank of Italy) building is directly under the blimp)

same blimp a minute or two later

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics27/00048355.jpg
Source: LAPL

we had discussed the O'Conner Electro-Plating Corp explosion some months ago, here is what the disaster scene looked like from a blimp

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

goodyear lends the newsboys a hand with delivering the examiner

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics48/00073778.jpg
Source: LAPL

navy blimp bombs downtown with war bond drive leaflets 1945

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5106/...24849484_b.jpg
Source: LAPL

view looking south at figueroa and west adams from a blimp. the harbor freeway is under construction next to flower street - 1955

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...429-001~2?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive

looking east across 1st and figueroa on a smoggy day from a blimp - 1955

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...429-001~4?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive

looking west across bunker hill from a blimp - 1955

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...429-001~3?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive

looking south from temple and figueroa from a blimp - 1955

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...429-001~5?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive

looking north across 3rd street and flower from a blimp - 1955 (i don't know about you, but this is the only image i have ever seen clearly showing cinnabar street and sack alley in their intact state.....at the same time!)

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...29-001~21?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive

awwwwwww how cute, a momma and her baby.............................graf zeppelin and goodyear blimp side by side at mines field, (future site of LAX)

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...42FA0CD3C?v=hr
Source: USC Digital Archive

and after all that blimpin' around, you head over to florence and figueroa and catch a bite to eat here

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics38/00068628.jpg
Source: LAPL

OMG, there's the Longstreet Palms at lower left! And the Holton Arms Apartments are still there at the intersection of Adams and Palm Drive, too. Fantastic! :banana:

Great blimp photos gsjansen.

Scott, I clicked on your link to the Longstreet Palms. You do a wonderful job on your blog!

Fantastic blimp aerials.

And the street signs.

Sadly the homogenization of America continues.

Unique street signs are going the way of the semaphore.


I wonder how long these hold out......



[IMG]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/...de265bb2b6.jpg[/IMG]



[IMG]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fd84fk2EuN...08+%288%29.jpg[/IMG]

Thank you so much! These are incredible. And this thread is the biggest reason I've not gotten anything done in the last four days. And my dreams have all been about the Los Angeles of yesteryear.

Thanks for the great photos of old and new street name signs. Not too wild about the new ones! I have an LA Shotgun, Chase Av, and the Shotgun and Santa Barbara ones are really the most interesting.

This is off topic, but the Town of Atherton, in Northern California, still has old concrete street name signs in use. I need one of these, would look great in my sign yard.

http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/...l_Cblock03.jpg

:previous:
I've driven through Atherton, and I've seen those. Thanks for posting it, I otherwise wouldn't have remembered.

I somehow don't believe that there's now a federal mandate for a more standard type of sign. The ritzy LA suburb called Palos Verdes Estates apparently has had the same type of street sign since that city was created in the 1920s, and they're basically made out of wood, with decorative metal curlicues:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/5845/28479585.jpg
maureenmegowan.com

A bad image but you get the idea, from Google Street View:
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/2442/picture2xg.png

A better image:
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/4...festylecom.jpg
palosverdeslifestyle.com

Incidentally, the Palos Verdes Peninsula is where the Chadwick School is located, as in where Mommie Dearest sent Christina Crawford to school.[/QUOTE]

You guys are not going to believe this, but my uncle designed the city logo seen on all the street signs in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Sorry I don't know how to post a Google Map picture but here is a link. The picture isn't too good, it seems the Google mappers went thru early morning and there is a lot of glare.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...43.39,,0,-10.8

Car crashes into the Monarch Hotel bar, circa 1957.

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6...ar1957fift.jpg
usc digital archive


below: The Monarch Hotel at the corner of Fifth & Figueroa.

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/6...narchhotel.jpg
usc digital archive

To conjure up memories of my time in Los Angeles, I have been traversing the streets of L.A. via google street views.
Every once in awhile I'll come across a building that is so perfectly 'noirish' that it stops me in my tracks.


I came across this 'pinkish' columned apartment building on Alvarado Street south of 11th Street.
This view shows the north side of the building.


http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5011/poncek.jpg
google street view


http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9...varadopink.jpg
google street view



http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8...aradopink2.jpg
google street view




below: Here is a close-up of the pediment. It seems to spell out 'Ponce de Leon'.

http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/1...nkponcedel.jpg
google street view

Does anyone have any information about this intriguing apartment building?

Scott, I have this cabinet card image in my file without any information. Is this (are these) the Longstreet Palms?


http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/919/la1231confed2.jpg
ebay

Considering how short the palms are....this must be a VERY early photograph.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4190/shome1a.jpg
ebay

Yes, that's the Longstreet mansion alright! That is by far the earliest photo of the house and the palms that I've ever seen. What a treasure!