The newly redesigned Theme Building at LAX
 

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2175/2...ce5aab9c_o.jpg
M.V. Jantzen

I suppose we'll get used to the new Mayan-Igloo design, the four glass-enclosed staircases, and the glass-atrium dome observation deck under the intersection of the arches, but I think the black snakelike sculptures are in questionable taste.

You can try 1600x1200.

http://imageshack.us/a/img27/3376/aaims.jpg

That said, the details on the two giant photos are amazing. If you change it to 21" screen you could still post details from this larger scan as well (like the hotel and other points of interests) by cropping and then posting them along with the complete photo at 1600x1200.

Hope that made sense. :)

More Monrovia
 

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-J...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L...034%2520PM.jpg
LAPL/GoogleSV


The Mosher House got me interested in Old Monrovia... I hadn't realized that Upton Sinclair (whose book The Jungle is a sure cure for nostalgia) lived in the pretty old burg, in a house similar to the Moshers' and just up the street at 464 N. Myrtle Ave. Its architect is documented as Frederick Wallis-- it seems likely that given the similarities and proximity of the two houses, he might have designed both.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6...2df1087970b-piLos Angeles Times 9-16-1923

Sinclair bought the house in 1943 and lived in it for about 25 years.

And still more Monrovia...
 

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-A...2520PM.bmp.jpgLAPL
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q...2520PM.bmp.jpgCarnegie Libraries of California
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a...negiecolor.jpgCarnegie Libraries of California


Sorry, I'm on a roll.... Myrtle Avenue in Monrovia appears to be a treasure trove--I wish I could say that the library above still stands, but it was replaced in 1956. I've always loved Carnegie libraries, especially after seeing the one (also demolished) in Santa Rosa in my one of my favorite movies--even if not set in L.A.--Shadow of a Doubt. I can almost smell the inside of this place. Btw, Los Angeles City had a number of Carnegies, and three still exist, including the Vermont Square library at 48th and Budlong:

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics26/00032568.jpgLAPL

:previous: I love the Vermont Square Library. It reminds me of a Louis Sullivan design.


So what are they doing in this recent photo? At first I thought they were retrofitting, but the more I look at the photo the more the metal pipes resemble...dare I say....gutters!? Would they really place them like that...as opposed to the corners where gutters are usually placed?


http://imageshack.us/a/img534/1294/a...montsquare.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ve...os_Angeles.JPG




below: The detailed entrance.

http://imageshack.us/a/img12/1374/aa...ontsq1jodi.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jodisum...0844/lightbox/

____

:previous:

I did read somewhere that the Vermont Square branch was recently renovated... perhaps it was discovered that a lack of gutters (it doesn't seem to have had any originally) contributed to deterioration of the walls, as it often does (even in Southern California, I guess, where I'd like to imagine it never rains).

They do mar the building's looks to a degree... and you're right about the Sullivan look. I hadn't paid enough attention to the detailing. Thanks for pointing that out, e_r.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f...llytaft469.jpghttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y...ralphs469a.jpghttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r...2520PM.bmp.jpg


We've covered the many architecturally significant Ralphs here before... I was intrigued by the top left photo, unidentified by the library.... Where was this Ralphs, I wondered? Well, it turns out that just to the right would have been one of the chain's famous Morgan, Walls churrigueresque designs, seen top right. I knew that the lamp looked like the later Hollywood Boulevard design (taller, on the same base), but I was thinking of the store at 5711 Hollywood Blvd as being on a corner... well, piecing that and other things together, such as details of the palms and phone poles, I realize that that Ralphs was in the middle of the block, between Taft and Wilton. The Google view north on Taft doesn't reveal the height of the hills as seen in the ca. 1956 photo, which confused me, but I realize that camera perspectives are tricky. Anyway, a quick cruise up Taft, and eureka... there are those houses, still there on the west side of Taft. Apparently Ralphs took over and tore down the building closer to its Taft corner at some point to make for more for all those beautiful midfifties Chevys and Pontiacs and Buicks....

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics44/00071527.jpg
The low building to the west of Ralphs wasn't there originally, and it seems to have been demolished at some point to
provide parking for the grocery store, which Pier 1 and its parking lot now occupy. I'm not sure when the
Morgan, Walls building was demolished.

Two pics at top, one at bottom: LAPL; others, Google SV

Ah, Monrovia. It has much more character than neighboring Duarte (where Glenn Miller supposedly once lived). I used to go into Monrovia regularly, being that I had a friend who lived there, but he doesn't live there anymore--he moved out 8 years ago, so there's really no reason for me to go there anymore. My partner and I would joke with him about Monrovia being very "provincial," to put it politely; my partner had a professor who said that in the San Gabriel Valley, civilization ends east of Pasadena, and we once told our friend that, to his chagrin.

Monrovia is home, of course, to the Aztec Hotel, built in 1925, I believe, and was once on the alignment of Route 66.

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics05/00022473.jpg
LAPL

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics05/00022474.jpg
LAPL

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics05/00022476.jpg
LAPL

And the 1956 library, that replaced the earlier Carnegie? It too has been replaced, by a much larger library, in 2009.

:previous: Great sleuthing Gaylord_Wilshire. Nice post sopas_ej (the Aztec Hotel is otherworldly).

I see no problem in venturing out to Monrovia G_W. I think anywhere in Los Angeles County fits the criteria of the thread.

___

Donut Hole
 

I like the pictures but I don't know if I'd want to stay at the Aztec Hotel - spooky, thinking about pyramids and sacrifices!

And another odd-shaped fast-food outlet:
https://i.imgur.com/YUCQq11.jpg
The Donut Hole
Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Date not specified. '90s, 2000s?

Beverly Hills Independence Hall
 

One elegant Deco building preserved after being threatened with destruction:

The Waterworks Building, completed in 1927. It tapped water from Beverly Hills wells and enabled the wealthy little city to separate its water supply from that of Los Angeles. As a result, the building was humorously referred to as "Beverly Hills Independence Hall." Later it became the library and archives building of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.


https://i.imgur.com/P6T8La0.jpg



Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.



Public utility buildings built today sure look utilitarian. I wonder how the city officials could justify the extra cost of such grand buildings back in the 20s, 30s and 40s?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-N...2520PM.bmp.jpgLAPL


So would the pyramid now be filled with the gold mined in the past 80 years?

why is it so hard to delete a post?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f...2520PM.bmp.jpg

Otto the Tailor, circa 1920, and the building today--6741 Hollywood Blvd. I'll trade some sidewalk stars to bring back some of the building's detail... and the car.


Left: The Bruce Torrence Hollywood Photograph Collection; right: Google SV

[QUOTE=GaylordWilshire;5641933]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2175/2...ce5aab9c_o.jpg
M.V. Jantzen

Out with the old...and in with the UGLY!

I think that once upon a time, no justification was necessary. Back in the day there was public will (and willingness to pay) for more than the utilitarian, which wouldn't have been tolerated as an affront to aesthetics--utilitarian wouldn't even have occurred to the citizenry. They wanted something to look at and be proud of. Also, back then there were still craftsmen with "old world" experience who were willing to work for relatively little; resources didn't have to be reallocated from exteriors to internal systems such as climate control, parking, and earthquake readiness; there was more imagination and classical education among architects and developers, and there wasn't the disinterest of the latter beyond their bottom lines--all these contributed to the lack of banality of most public and private buildings before WWII....


:previous:
I realize that I probably should have waited until Sunday to post that....

[QUOTE=rbpjr;5643391]I think that what you're seeing is the framing in place until the concrete hardens - at least I hope it is.

[QUOTE=rbpjr;5643391]
You guys DO realize that that photo was taken while the Theme Building was undergoing restoration, right? It now looks like it's always looked on the outside; I was just at LAX last month, incidentally. Its restoration was completed a while ago.

http://imageshack.us/a/img714/7088/b...ater2ladai.jpg



I read somewhere the tower was built so the smell of hydrogen sulfide would be released high above the populace.

http://imageshack.us/a/img29/8955/be...aterworksb.jpg
http://www.lapl.org/


http://imageshack.us/a/img210/328/be...aterworksa.jpg
google street view


Here is a link to the Academy's Fairbanks Center for Motion Pictures Studies now located in the old Beverly Hills waterworks.

http://www.oscars.org/academy/buildings/fairbanks.html

A joke gone awry? In attempt to clear things up...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a...2520PM.bmp.jpgKABC-TV
LAX webcam shot taken a few minutes ago...


Was this really that convincing?

The Fuller Paint Warehouse on San Fernando Road in Lincoln Heights.

http://imageshack.us/a/img11/3868/al...ullerpaint.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=50565




below: The Fuller Paint Co. Warehouse by Morgan, Walls & Clements 1925

http://imageshack.us/a/img29/417/alt...ernandoroa.jpg
http://www.you-are-here.com/building/fuller_paint.html






The Fuller Paint Co. Warehouse reinvented as Alta Lofts. My mouth dropped open when I saw this make-over. At first I thought it was photoshopped.. but it isn't.

http://imageshack.us/a/img829/3831/altatryagain.jpg
http://www.livealta.com/blog/tag/alt...s-now-selling/

____

Here is a nice companion piece to the 1946 35mm film of downtown Los Angeles (link above).
It is an amateur video filmed in 1988 with music...so be sure and have your speakers turned up.

http://imageshack.us/a/img545/3598/a...be1988dla1.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img191/6320/aayoutube1988dla.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR03EX20cDw


I wonder if Ridley Scott filmed something akin to this before filming 'Blade Runner'?
Add some mist & rain and people scurrying with neon lit umbrellas and you pretty much come close to his remarkable vision
of Los Angeles in the near future*.

*note at 2:14 Asian music from the street blends in with the jazz...this truly gave me a 'Blade Runner' moment.

____

Symmetry is for pussies!

.

Obscure Paul Revere Williams architecture, part 3
 

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-w...2520PM.bmp.jpg

I just became aware of Paul Revere Williams's design for Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, a four-bedroom, four-bath house at 1196 West 36th Place.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0...bojangles1.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u...2520PM.bmp.jpghttp://archiveamericana.com/wp-conte...ngles-1935.jpg

Sadly, Bojangles only got to live in his new house for a short time after he moved in with his wife in 1943--six months later, Mrs. Bojangles kicked him out and kept the house after the divorce. Robinson died broke in 1949. Full story here.


Color: Google Street View; all others except last: Maynard Parker/Paul R. Williams Project; last: Archive Americana

...from paradise to sketchy neighborhood. :(

originally posted by Gaylord_Wilshire
http://imageshack.us/a/img836/3574/bojanglesssp.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img15/9874/bojanglestd.jpg


The anti-theft fence speak volumes about the neighborhood.
I'm actually amazed this home has survived at all...it looks to be surrounded by apartment buildings.

I know we've covered film actress Barbara Payton previously....but here are photos that I've found recently that haven't appear in the noirish Los Angeles thread.



Barbara Payton died in 1967 at age 39 after years of alcoholism, drug abuse and prostitution.


http://imageshack.us/a/img521/6539/b...paytonbea1.jpg
http://lisaburks.typepad.com/home/20...ography_c.html



http://imageshack.us/a/img42/1933/ba...on1480x600.jpg
http://www.nndb.com/people/430/000043301/


I thought I would start off with these dazzling studio portraits. Now for scenes from her real 'noirish' life in Los Angeles.


http://imageshack.us/a/img35/6854/ba...testifylap.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...Number=5049680

above: Ms. Payton preparing to testify in the Franchot Tone vs Tom Neal fight affair in 1951.
Franchot was her fiancee at the time and Tom Neal was her lover. This is one of her statements. "It was like this Mr. D.A., I turned around just in time to see Franchot flying through the air." Mr. Tone was in a 18 hour coma.






below: Barbara Payton arrives at the hospital to visit Franchot Tone circa 1951. (this is my favorite photo of the bunch)
I wonder if that's a script in her hand?

http://imageshack.us/a/img11/5760/ba...larrivesat.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/



below: The year is still 1951 and Ms. Payton is now preparing to testify in the murder trial of a narcotics peddler.
She testified about the alibi of the suspected murderer Stanley Adams

http://imageshack.us/a/img402/1806/b...fferenttri.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...Number=5049681

Notice the flashbulbs littering the floor.





below: Franchot Tone and Barbara Payton.

http://imageshack.us/a/img577/5088/barbaratone1952.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/




below: Ms. Payton is beginning to look a little 'rough' in 1952. Here she is in divorce court (her marriage to Mr. Tone lasted 53 days...at that point she walked out and took up with Tom Neal again)

http://imageshack.us/a/img9/8422/bar...yroughlook.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/




below: Ms. Payton's hard drinking begins to take a noticeable toll. Here she is with her attorney in 1955.

http://imageshack.us/a/img862/4678/b...thattorney.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/




below: Ms. Payton sans makeup and wearing a fur coat 1955. I'm not sure why she's in court again...the caption at LAPL says something about having her purse stolen.

http://imageshack.us/a/img812/5551/barbarapuffy1955.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...Number=5049682




below: Barbara is looking better in 1958. Here she is preparing to testify in divorce court. She is divorcing her fourth husband George aka 'Tony' Provas. I would love to have that map behind her.


http://imageshack.us/a/img338/3904/b...lesfordivo.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/





below: In 1962 Ms. Payton walked into Hollywood Station with bruises and scars.

http://imageshack.us/a/img714/8676/b...laislarger.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/





http://imageshack.us/a/img23/1843/bar1in1962a.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/

Barbara Payton will be dead in five years.



These two photographs are almost always labeled as booking photos. They're not.
So I'm including this excerpt from UCLA.

http://imageshack.us/a/img259/8960/bar1in1962d.jpg
http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/
____



Here is the link to Jon Paul's excellent post on Barbara Payton.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=5112

____

Yes, I was saddened if not surprised by the aesthetic decline of the neighborhood, which includes what you'd see parked on the streets. Not that you would have seen a 1935 chauffeur-driven Duesenberg in the area very often even in its prime.... As it turns out, Bill Robinson's Duesy, seen in front of his house in the vintage shot, still exists. It's a part of the Petersen collection:

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4151/5...7244498b_b.jpgKansas Sebastian

Wow, Barbara Payton is as noirishly trashy and tragic as they come...


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w...861/payton.jpghttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K...30/payton2.jpgSilver Screen Oasis

Just a note, that is not Franchot Tone in those photos.. Just an FYI.

It's Tom Neal...says so in the newspaper headline, but who is the dark hair woman boarding the airplane with him?

____

That is definitely not Mr. Tone... as for the woman on the boarding ramp--well, she's identified in the pic info as Babs, but she doesn't really look like her, I'll agree--

That dress... I guess I was averting my eyes when I noticed over her right shoulder, through the window...


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6...843a802970d-pi Los Angeles Times

:previous: I caught that too...I was still looking for a Earl Scheib sign to post. You're TOO fast for me G_W. :)

___



I searched early photos of Ms. Payton to see if she ever resembled the lady boarding the plane.
I didn't find any that resembled the lady at the airport but I found this great photograph of Ms. Payton in 1949.

http://imageshack.us/a/img513/6282/barbaraonice.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img339/4007/barbaraonice1.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=38442

____

http://imageshack.us/a/img818/8744/b...scheibsign.jpg
http://blogs.hotrod.com/earl-scheib-...tions-347.html

____

I can't get enough of Barbara Payton...or is it Tom Neal?

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics32/00035668.jpgLAPL
After the famous fight: I don't think that was Franchot's dumbbell. Speaking of
Franchot...it seems he had a thing for tough Texas babes. Remember Joan?


http://www.hollywoodstarletbarbarapa...rapayton48.jpghttp://img1.bdbphotos.com/images/ori...skjbt4vrs2.jpgHSBP
Nip slips?


http://www.hollywoodstarletbarbarapa...rapayton43.jpgHSBP
There's that trampy dress again...

http://www.hollywoodstarletbarbarapa...rapayton32.jpghttp://www.hollywoodstarletbarbarapa...rapayton29.jpgHSBP

___________________
e_r: Upon further inspection, I think maybe that is Barbara on the boarding ramp--could that be some sort of odd hat?

I just wanted to thank everyone for contributing to this beyond-awesome thread. It's been keeping me entertained during my long night shifts for the past few months, and I'm almost sad to finally be caught up!

Although I'm a canuck, I spent some time growing up in the LA area (Sunset Mesa neighbourhood in Malibu, to be exact), and I have many fond memories of it. I'll be returning for the first time in almost 20 years this July for my honeymoon. I can't wait! :)

I got very excited when I saw this poster:

When I was a kid someone gave me this on a t-shirt, and I remember being in love with it. Of course, I had no idea that it was an actual burger place at the time, I just thought it was a really edgy t-shirt. :haha:

___________________
e_r: Upon further inspection, I think maybe that is Barbara on the boarding ramp--could that be some sort of odd hat?[/QUOTE]

I think that it is her wearing a hat/scarf combo; you can see some blond hair peeking out on the right.

Welcome to the thread midge! It's cool you chose L.A. for your honeymoon.

Residence at 347 Van Ness Avenue.

http://imageshack.us/a/img24/1871/aa...venuerepea.jpg
ebay




It's always fun when you find out a vintage home is still there (and this one's being repaired!)

http://imageshack.us/a/img59/7991/aa...nesstoday2.jpg
google street view

I recently found two more photos of the Lewis House 1425 Miramar Street.


http://imageshack.us/a/img19/4975/aa...ymarch2012.jpg
ebay





below: This is the first time that I've seen the back of the house. I'm surprised by the huge round window overlooking the backyard.


http://imageshack.us/a/img801/3245/a...aysideview.jpg
ebay




below: The photos are mislabeled on ebay. It even says the house is demolished. It isn't.

http://imageshack.us/a/img513/424/aa...ywronginfo.jpg



Here is the link to an earlier post on the Lewis House.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=6958

____

http://imageshack.us/a/img208/8796/barbtrapped.jpg
http://wheredangerlives.blogspot.com...oir-30-21.html



below: A great noir publicity still featuring Lloyd Bridges & Barbara Payton.

http://imageshack.us/a/img820/2530/b...trappedllo.jpg

More Miramar
 

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics14/00026770.jpgLAPL

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


The City View apartments at 1207 Miramar, on the easternmost fragment of the street. It's much bigger than I first realized:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8...2520PM.bmp.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4...2520PM.bmp.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8...2520PM.bmp.jpg


e_r: The rooftop sign is gone, but the framework remains.


Color images: Google Street View

Hey guys...if we could go back to "This Gun For Hire" for a sec...I only saw it for the first time the other day as I mentioned, but I along with the railroad yard and the walking bridge, I also remember there were some shots of them by some large water tanks, and a factory of some kind? The big looming water tanks (I guess that's what they were) looked foreboding and fit the mood well...just wondered if the tanks were still there? Anyone know?

Thanks
Tom

Ah, the Huntley!
http://www.csulb.edu/~odinthor/Huntley.jpg(visit to old los angeles)
Built in 1913. And it's shaped like an H!

Aha! 1040 Westlake, I presume!

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6240/7...fa74d314_o.jpgestately

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6060/7...efbfb228_b.jpggooglestreetview

I went to see Stimson House a few weeks ago, here are a few photos, taken through the fence. It's quite an amazing place.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Stimson/100_6471b.1200.jpg

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Stimson/100_6473.1200.jpg

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Stimson/100_6475.1200.jpg

BTW, sorry for being so quiet here lately. All my spare time has been devoted to preparations for a talk and slideshow I'm giving on L.A. history...with much material liberally stolen from this thread. ;)

The Huntley
 

Opened 100 years ago this month, then addressed as 1207 West Third. Thanks for identifying it, Beaudry.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9...ylatnewpic.jpghttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2...2520AM.bmp.jpg Los Angeles Times, 3-12-1912


And what's an old downtown apartment building without some noir ingredients like carbolic acid and fire?


Only a few months after it opened...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a...2520AM.bmp.jpghttps://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X...2520AM.bmp.jpghttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D...2520AM.bmp.jpg Los Angeles Times, 6-14-1912


And, "flash forwarding" to a less glamorous Huntley...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q...827%2520AM.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r...2520AM.bmp.jpgLos Angeles Times, 5-8-1978


After this fire, we're lucky that the Huntley still stands... even more true, considering what happened to a building of similar vintage around the corner in 1941:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-O...lapsewhole.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-A...2520AM.bmp.jpghttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-E...2520AM.bmp.jpg Los Angeles Times, 2-24-1941

The Francis House, Westchester County, New York
 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a...2520AM.bmp.jpgAMC
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w...2520AM.bmp.jpgAMC


Great to see up-to-the-minute shots of the Stimson house, David. The super-high-quality, on-the-ground, "user-generated" shots we sometimes see here on the thread are always a treat. Yours reminded me to see if I could capture the Stimson as it appeared in Sunday night's season opener of Mad Men, where it briefly portrayed Betty and her new husband's house, probably meant to be somewhere in Westchester County. As I recall, Mr. Francis was supposed to be from a rich family, so I guess it makes sense that he would live in what was once L.A.'s finest house (and probably the most photographed). In the screenshots above, Don is dropping the kids off at home after a weekend visit to his new apartment in the city. ("Now, what kind of father drops his kids off down on Figueroa Street at night...?"). The Stimson is the kind of house all kids should get to grow up in--every kid should have a bedroom in a turret.