Quote:
Originally Posted by sopas ej
Hehe! Well, I've seen LA street signs in that style from old photos that date from the late 1920s, so, your sign could be as old as that.
Here's an undated photo from the LAPL, of street signs in that same style:
USC digital archive, photo from 1959
Notice the finial on top of the pole. Some of those still exist here and there in LA.
USC digital archive |
These are all great pics.
Out in the unincorporated areas near Covina, where I grew up, all of our local street name signs were these stark black and white porcelain steel 2x4s. They had pointed finials on their pole tops, too. I remember after I acquired my Scott Ave. sign, I tried to steal one of those points to go with it. Not so easy!
Incidentally, I didn't steal my sign off of a street pole. I actually found it amongst thousands of other identical-type street name signs that were being used as terrace supports to shore up steep mountain slopes in San Gabriel River Canyon back in 1970. I went to these places lots of times searching for neat old street name signs. I found a very nice one of Florence Ave., a sign for the street right next to the one I grew up on, and one essentially flawless sign whose street name I forget now. Alas, all three of those signs ended up in the trashcan when I cleaned out my parents' house. There was nothing like eBay in those days, unfortunately. Today, I'm sure those discarded signs would sell for at least $100-200 apiece; that almost-perfect one for maybe even more...
-Scott