noirish Los Angeles

[stanklem]

I, too, searched a broader area to the south, west, and east. No luck. Could be that images of the church do not exist on Google Images. Where did LA have traffic signals hung out over the middle of intersections as shown in the photos? Looking closely you can see the cables that support then from power/telephone posts at the four corners of intertsections. Note how high they are relative to the street.

Am wondering if this is near the USC Health Sciences campus north of downtown. When was that developed?

Originally Posted by Bristolian

The description of each slide on eBay reads simply: Subject: Flooded street scene near USC and gives a date of 1955 - 1958 which is probably just an estimate.
Sometimes these descriptions are off but this seller sells tons of photos on eBay and from my experience is pretty accurate with descriptions.
Interestingly, the photo with the Chevy sold for $75 and the other one for just $5.
I haven't given up on this one yet. One other observation is for the date of the photos, those palm trees are pretty tall. I would have to think they are some of the oldest in the area. Assuming that, I also looked further south around 56th street, west of the 110 which is known for those but came up empty there too.

[Bristolian]

Yeah, good catch on the traffic signals. I remember seeing them around Denver in the '80s and thinking I'd never seen anything like them anywhere around L.A.
I did look on YouTube at some of those colorized films of L.A. in the '50s. and all the signals I saw were on poles on the sidewalks. I don't know if they were ever used here.
There was a mystery photo of someone on a motorcycle here on NLA within the last year or so that was described as being in L.A. but turned out to be San Diego - Correction, Austin, TX
The specific location of USC seems to lend credibility but could too be incorrect.

Adding another thought: Looking at the second photo where you can see the light a little better, maybe it's not a signal and could be a suspended light. The shape is a little off for a traffic signal and they are suspended awfully high.

Updated again: Looking at e_r's enlargement below, it really appears to be a lamp and there's a stop sign visible so there would not be a signal.

[ethereal_reality]

What's frustrating is that I'm pretty sure I've seen the church before but for the life of me I can't find it.


detail

Perhaps the extraordinarily tall palms tree could be a clue??




I also thought this might help. . .

Link churches-near-usc


. . .still looking.



To see the two original street flood photographs in full go Here

[odinthor]

A search of the Los Angeles Times on "streets flooded" in the 1950s yields (order as found in the articles):

1/25/1952: Streets flooded: Jefferson at Centinela, Sepulveda at Centinela, Roscoe Blvd. between Reseda Blvd and Vanalden Avenue, Sunset at Sunset Plaza.

12/21/52: Streets in the heart of Downey, Tyrone Avenue at Victory in Van Nuys.

1/13/57: Nordhoff near Woodbury in Van Nuys, area of Slauson and Sepulveda, and Overland and Venice.

3/1/57: 14th and Pine, and Flourney and Valley Drive, in Manhattan Beach,

2/20/58: Flower between 5th and 6th, numerous places in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Bellflower, Hermosa Beach, Hawthorne, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Lynwood, Downey, Gardena, Inglewood; Wilshire evidently in an area served by drains at 6th and Alexandria, Mariposa from Wilshire to 6th. In San Pedro, Gaffey at Cabinet Dr. and from Battery to Channel St. Flooding in the area of Eastern and Slauson, area of Manchester and 92nd; Atlantic from Olympic to Washington; Beverly Glen from Valley Vista to Mulholland; areas in La Puente; Arlington from 36th to 39th; Exposition from Gramercy Pl. to 11th Avenue; 7th and Anderson; 3rd and Catalina; Crenshaw between Exposition and Santa Barbara; Airport from Flight to 74th. N. Orange Dr. in West Covina; 6th and Figueroa; 7th and Grand.

2/9/59: Aviation Blvd, in El Segundo between El Segundo and Rosecrans;14th and Pine in Manhattan Beach; Slauson at the 101; Slauson at Sepulveda.

[Bristolian]

Unrelated to my continued attempt to solve the USC? flood mystery, I came across this photo of a pretty extreme, by Southern California standards, situation on Artesia Boulevard in Gardena in 1962.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/35526399659...3Avlp_homepage

Caption:


Looking at old aerials and hearing about Artesia between Normandie & Vermont prior to the late '70s, it was basically a natural swamp. This 1941 shot shows that it probably became a large wetlands after heavy rain. Artesia runs from left to right about a third of the way down and appears go completely under water and then end at Normandie. The oval pattern in the lower right is Roosevelt Cemetery which sits between Normandie & Vermont.


https://mil.library.ucsb.edu/ap_indexes/FrameFinder/

[Bristolian]

I also came across this 1915 postcard of a delightful Gardena/Moneta home with its own water tank and windmill.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/40467383545...3Avlp_homepage

Reverse



You have to love the penmanship

[stanklem]

Apparently LA did have this type of street lighting in the 1920s
and 1930s. Scroll down for several photographs. Where did they remain in the 1950s???

https://waterandpower.org/museum/Ear...eetlights.html

Originally Posted by Bristolian

Yeah, good catch on the traffic signals. I remember seeing them around Denver in the '80s and thinking I'd never seen anything like them anywhere around L.A.
I did look on YouTube at some of those colorized films of L.A. in the '50s. and all the signals I saw were on poles on the sidewalks. I don't know if they were ever used here.
There was a mystery photo of someone on a motorcycle here on NLA within the last year or so that was described as being in L.A. but turned out to be San Diego
The fact specific location of USC seems to lend credibility but could too be incorrect.

Adding another thought: Looking at the second photo where you can see the light a little better, maybe it's not a signal and could be a suspended light. The shape is a little off for a traffic signal and they are suspended awfully high.

Updated again: Looking at e_r's enlargement below, it really appears to be a lamp and there's a stop sign visible so there would not be a signal.

[Bristolian]

Well, now that we have transitioned to street lights rather than traffic lights, there are some real knowledgeable folks here on that subject. Hopefully they can help.

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by odinthor

A search of the Los Angeles Times on "streets flooded" in the 1950s yields (order as found in the articles):

1/25/1952: Streets flooded: Jefferson at Centinela, Sepulveda at Centinela, Roscoe Blvd. between Reseda Blvd and Vanalden Avenue, Sunset at Sunset Plaza.

12/21/52: Streets in the heart of Downey, Tyrone Avenue at Victory in Van Nuys.

1/13/57: Nordhoff near Woodbury in Van Nuys, area of Slauson and Sepulveda, and Overland and Venice.

3/1/57: 14th and Pine, and Flourney and Valley Drive, in Manhattan Beach,

2/20/58: Flower between 5th and 6th, numerous places in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Bellflower, Hermosa Beach, Hawthorne, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Lynwood, Downey, Gardena, Inglewood; Wilshire evidently in an area served by drains at 6th and Alexandria, Mariposa from Wilshire to 6th. In San Pedro, Gaffey at Cabinet Dr. and from Battery to Channel St. Flooding in the area of Eastern and Slauson, area of Manchester and 92nd; Atlantic from Olympic to Washington; Beverly Glen from Valley Vista to Mulholland; areas in La Puente; Arlington from 36th to 39th; Exposition from Gramercy Pl. to 11th Avenue; 7th and Anderson; 3rd and Catalina; Crenshaw between Exposition and Santa Barbara; Airport from Flight to 74th. N. Orange Dr. in West Covina; 6th and Figueroa; 7th and Grand.

2/9/59: Aviation Blvd, in El Segundo between El Segundo and Rosecrans;14th and Pine in Manhattan Beach; Slauson at the 101; Slauson at Sepulveda.

As far as I can determine, MGAs didn’t arrive in this country until 1955 at the earliest.

Cheers,

Earl

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Bristolian

I also came across this 1915 postcard of a delightful Gardena/Moneta home with its own water tank and windmill.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/40467383545...3Avlp_homepage

Reverse

I found Owen and Nannie living on Union Avenue - but without a street number.



After S. Union Ave. diverges with Hoover I pretty much lost the trail. . .and I don't see a Union Ave. in the Gardena area.



Thanks for the list of all the street floods that occurred in the 1950s, odinthor. That took a lot of work - and it's much appreciated.

[ethereal_reality]

.

A snapshot of "4th and Main, Los Angeles"

What's happening in the middle of the street? ...*scratches head*


eBay. (still listed)




Let's take a closer look.


detail

It looks like someone get their foot caught under the rail tracks. ...This is the first time I've seen it captured on camera.

.

[Bristolian]

Street takeover, 1920s style?

[ethereal_reality]

.
I'd say the photo is a bit earlier, say, 1915 to 1917?

In other words, Bolsheviks!


.

[ethereal_reality]

,

The plot thickens.



.......................................................................................................................What's this?



.

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.

A snapshot of "4th and Main, Los Angeles"

What's happening in the middle of the street? ...*scratches head*


eBay. (still listed)

[...]

.

Going by the shadows, we seem to be looking north. If that's 4th and Main, on the northeast corner we should be seeing the Westminster Hotel; but what we see in the photo is not the Westminster Hotel:


odinthor collection

Even less does it match any of the other corners of 4th and Main (San Fernando Bldg., Farmer's and Merchant's Bank, Hotel Van Nuys).

Does anyone recognize this corner in the photo?

[ethereal_reality]

.
Good eye, odinthor.

4th & Main is what's written on the back. I should have questioned it.




.

[stanklem]

The wet in the middle of the photo is now called The Willows and it is preserved wetlands for birds, little critters, plants, etc.
There is a small visitors center at the northeast corner. Along Artesia is a shopping area separated from the Willows by a CMU wall.
https://www.gardenawillows.org/

The original name for the larger area was Nigger Slough because one of the settlers of the area was an African American man. For obvious reasons it is no longer called that.
Much of the area is now paved over with the 110 and 91 freeways and access areas.

Originally Posted by Bristolian

Unrelated to my continued attempt to solve the USC? flood mystery, I came across this photo of a pretty extreme, by Southern California standards, situation on Artesia Boulevard in Gardena in 1962.



https://www.ebay.com/itm/35526399659...3Avlp_homepage

Caption:


Looking at old aerials and hearing about Artesia between Normandie & Vermont prior to the late '70s, it was basically a natural swamp. This 1941 shot shows that it probably became a large wetlands after heavy rain. Artesia runs from left to right about a third of the way down and appears go completely under water and then end at Normandie. The oval pattern in the lower right is Roosevelt Cemetery which sits between Normandie & Vermont.


https://mil.library.ucsb.edu/ap_indexes/FrameFinder/

[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by stanklem

The original name for the larger area was Nigger Slough because one of the settlers of the area was an African American man. For obvious reasons it is no longer called that.

I know that the way epithets are perceived changes over time, and what sounds horrible today may have sounded less horrible back then, but still.

Imagine being this aforementioned settler and thinking “my name will go down in history!”

Then, forty years later:

“NIGGER SLOUGH!”

[ethereal_reality]

.
I mentioned the slough in the early days of the thread and spelled it Ni**er Slough... Someone accused me of trying to "change history".


.

[ethereal_reality]

.
What's going on with the palm trees? (odinthor?)

"c1910's (or 1920s) Busch Gardens Street View Pasadena California CA Vintage Photo"


eBay

The dirt(?) roads are unnamed but they're (supposedly) along the perimeter of the old Busch Gardens in Pasadena.


As a reminder:

"Pasadena’s Busch Gardens, opened in 1906. The gardens were built by flamboyant brewer Adolphus Busch on 38 acres of land he assembled near his winter home on Orange Grove Avenue, just east of the Arroyo Seco.

Busch was soon busily landscaping his new pleasure park, eventually creating 14 miles of paths through extensive gardens which held 100,000 plants and featured fairy-tale tableaux of painted statues. The attraction became so popular that the Pacific Electric Railway ran a street car line to the ticket office, which admitted over 1,000,000 visitors over the lifetime of the park.
Hollywood loved the park, too: Gone with the Wind, Robin Hood, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all feature scenes shot in Busch Gardens."


The mention of Gone with the Wind made me think of this home movie that was found in IOWA, of all places..
• Video Link

Is this Busch Gardens?.. It is! The man mentions Busch Gardens at 2:35.

The film is mesmerizing.

Katie Couric is fiesty.
.