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  #21281  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 12:46 AM
Trucker Trucker is offline
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Union Station

Here is Pacific Crane and Rigging planting the palm trees around Union Station. If I was a kid in 1930..I would be the one on the bike.

Personal collection
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  #21282  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 12:53 AM
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HossC HossC is offline
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This picture of Hollywood/Cherokee must've been taken around the same time as those posted by Martin Pal. USC dates it at circa 1936/1958. The same picture can be found at hollywoodphotographs.com where it's dated 1937.


USC Digital Library

Here's a close-up of the box on the roof. It appears to have a ladder and hatch at the rear, but otherwise I'm none the wiser. The sign on the corner of the building states that the "owner will erect new building".


Detail of picture above.
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  #21283  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 12:55 AM
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Laying pipe

The Belyea Truck Co. on the job laying pipe on the Gorham Ranch. Does the Gorham Ranch sound familiar to anyone?

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Cheers,Pat
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  #21284  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 3:39 AM
BDiH BDiH is offline
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Last edited by BDiH; May 5, 2014 at 3:45 AM. Reason: no photo
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  #21285  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 3:47 AM
BDiH BDiH is offline
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Wallich's Music City

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  #21286  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 3:48 AM
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  #21287  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 5:33 AM
esotouric esotouric is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug View Post
"When Did You Write To Mother?"

Images: LAPL

Looks like you've found our In SRO Land blog and the Union Rescue Mission history section, CityBoyDoug, since you're quoting from this post in yours.

We discovered the 120 year old archive of the Mission a few years back and have been working with the URM to explore and share its extraordinary history on Main Street, through the blog, free walking tours, and screenings of the remarkable short color film shot at 2nd and Main in the 1940s, Of Scrap and Steel. Do dig deeper in the links if downtown rescue mission history interests you--it's a different side of the neighborhood than is typically shown, and we've learned a lot from the URM's documentation.
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  #21288  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 6:54 AM
Lorendoc Lorendoc is offline
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Ghost Signage Mystery

Here is a puzzle, perhaps you can solve it. (Apologies if this building has already been discussed - I could not find it using the search function or Google.)

Yesterday I did some work in the central library and then took a bus to Little Tokyo for dinner. As I was waiting for the #30 at Broadway and 6th, I noticed a gem of a building on the west side of the street. Although the street level was hidden by scaffolding, the upper floors were gleaming with art deco accents.

I took a picture:


When I got home, I googled the address and found a better view:

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/17671...os-Angeles-CA/

The county assessor's map site indicates that 537-539-541 South Broadway was built in 1931. So I found the 1906 Sanborn map:

LAPL

This showed a 3 story hotel above street level shops, with a 5 story building next door at 535, which dated from 1903 according to the assessor.

On February 22, 1931 we learn from the LA Times the following:


The F&W Grand-Silver company was a lesser competitor of Woolworth's Five & Dime. It is surprising that they would build a big store in the midst of the Depression. It didn't last too long, because on September 8, 1934 the Times tells us there is to be a new tenant:


The Times did not mention that the National Dollar Store company, which had stores from Salt Lake City to Honolulu, was founded by Joe Shoong, a Chinese-American businessman from the Bay Area. Mr. Shoong, proud of his ethnicity, hired college-educated Chinese-Americans to manage each of his stores, as you can learn here:
Video Link
.

The 537 building became a Richman Brothers clothes outlet in 1950, and later was a Hartfield's department store (corporate parent of Zody's).

So where is the mystery?

The ghost sign here:


...is on the north side of the 537 building. But this building had a 5 story neighbor at 535 since the former's construction in 1931, which must have hidden any sign. Obviously 535 was leveled off some time later. How much later? Well it had to have been after 1950, because on the Sanborn map of that year, we see 535 is still 5 stories high:

LAPL

Looking at street directories, we find 535 was a Gallenkamp's Shoe Store until 1965:

LA Times

The directory notes Gallenkamp's occupied "four floors" of this building. But by 1967, no more Gallenkamp's. Evidently they decamped, as it were, for greener suburban pastures far from downtown. In that year, 535 is occupied only by something called "Broadway Sundries" - I wonder if this is indirect evidence 535 was lowered around then.

So my guess is that, for it to have been visible, the ghost sign has to date from after 1965-ish. BUT, the font used in the lettering looks much older. Does it say "[m]antels and [gr]ates"? And who is this J.W.? The only J.W. that comes to mind is J.W. Robinson which was at 7th and Grand, not 5th and Broadway.

Any thoughts?

Last edited by Lorendoc; May 6, 2014 at 6:13 AM.
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  #21289  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 11:13 AM
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HossC HossC is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lorendoc View Post


http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/17671...os-Angeles-CA/

The F&W Grand-Silver company was a lesser competitor of Woolworth's Five & Dime. It is surprising that they would build a big store in the midst of the Depression. It didn't last too long, because on September 8, 1934 the Times tells us there is to be a new occupant.
I haven't found anything on the ghost sign, but here's the grand opening of the F & W Grand-Silver Stores in 1931.


USC Digital Library

This 1939 picture has 537 S Broadway on the left, and shows some of the building next door.
NB. I've lightened the original image to reveal more detail.


USC Digital Library


There's a good collection of recent photos of 537 S Broadway here:

http://downtownfilming.com/537broadway.html
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  #21290  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 1:39 PM
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GaylordWilshire GaylordWilshire is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lorendoc View Post
Here is a puzzle, perhaps you can solve it.
So where is the mystery?

The ghost sign here:

So my guess is that, for it to have been visible, the ghost sign has to date from after 1965-ish. BUT, the font used in the lettering looks much older. Does it say "[m]antels and [gr]ates"? And who is this J.W.? The only J.W. that comes to mind is J.W. Robinson which was at 7th and Grand, not 5th and Broadway.

Any thoughts?

J. W. Frey—mantels and grates—was at 537 S Broadway from at least the turn of the century to late 1906, when he moved to 1150 S. Los Angeles. His CD listing disappears after about 1911... He is seen in the 1886 CD as a "woodcarver" at 446 S Los Angeles; in 1894 he was at 700 N Main dealing in mantel and grates and "Moorish fretwork."


LAPL

The Mackie-Fredericks Furniture Co is at left, followed by the predecessor to the dime store.

Last edited by GaylordWilshire; May 5, 2014 at 2:30 PM.
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  #21291  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 3:09 PM
Lorendoc Lorendoc is offline
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Ghost Signage Mystery



Thanks HossC and GW for the quick (and interesting) responses. I am still trying to get my head around how that sign came to be visible to us in 2014.

I think what must have happened is this: the ad for J.W. Frey was painted sometime before 1903 on the north exterior of the Milton Hotel, formerly 537 S. Broadway. Then the 5 story commercial structure at 535 was built in 1903, and covered up the sign. When the hotel at 537 was demolished in 1931, for some reason the new store was built *inside* the shell [why??] of the old hotel, at least on its north side. The former exterior of the Milton Hotel (just a sliver, as you can see in the picture) was preserved and separated the new art deco building at 537 from the old commercial building at 535. And when the latter was scalped in the 1960s, the old exterior of the Milton was revealed. How cool that such a thing survived 100+ years.

Last edited by Lorendoc; May 6, 2014 at 6:08 AM.
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  #21292  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 3:30 PM
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Hollywood Graham Hollywood Graham is offline
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Cord Headlights

Quote:
Originally Posted by Albany NY View Post
Looks like the Virginia had some class. I spotted a rare 1936 Cord Winchester trying to hide around the corner.


conceptcars.com

The Cord was a sales failure when new, but is now considered an all-time classic. Maybe the backside wasn't so pretty, but it sported a very unique front.

velocityjournal.com

There was at least one other Cord in Los Angeles. This 1937 photo is from the corner of Highland and Sunset, and shows Curries Ice Cream, which was at 6775 Sunset Blvd. (according to the info linked with the photo.) Notice that the "hidden" headlights are exposed on this car. The lights were raised and lowered by a crank in the interior.

pinterest
Not surprising to see the headlights still up. They were hand cranked individually. The Cord is referred to as a Coffin Nose Cord, kind of obvious.
Too many innovations for 1936 and 7 hurt sales. Supercharged model available, electric shift, retractable headlights and front wheel drive, all high tech stuff compared to all other production cars.
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  #21293  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 4:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post

LAPL

The Mackie-Fredericks Furniture Co is at left, followed by the predecessor to the dime store.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lorendoc View Post

I think what must have happened is this: the ad for J.W. Frey was painted sometime before 1903 on the north exterior of the Milton Hotel, formerly 537 S. Broadway. Then the 5 story commercial structure at 535 was built in 1903, and covered up the sign. When the hotel was demolished in 1931, for some reason the new store was built *inside* the frame [why??] of the old hotel, at least on its north side. The former exterior of the Milton Hotel (just a sliver, as you can see in the picture) was preserved and separated the new deco building from 535. And when the latter was scalped in the 1960s, the old exterior of the Milton was revealed. How cool that such a thing survived 100+ years.
USC has a zoomable version of the LAPL picture. The 1909 CD lists the Canfield Hardware Co. at 537-539 S Broadway. The picture also shows the sign for the Milton Hotel.


Detail of picture at USC Digital Library

"The Milton"/"The Milton Hotel" appears on the Baist maps. The ones below are from 1910 and 1921


www.historicmapworks.com


www.historicmapworks.com
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  #21294  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 5:12 PM
Martin Pal Martin Pal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HossC View Post
Could this be the Virginia Apartments at 6629 1⁄2 Hollywood Boulevard where John Ford once lived? The extract below is from a book called 'Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford' by Scott Eyman.


books.google.com

To be honest, I only included the quote about the Murphy Bed because it's the closest I could get to a "noirish man".
LOL, HossC! And thanks for the info, I didn't think "apartments" when I was wondering what it was. Maybe the "box" thing on the roof was a studio apt., heh!

G-W wonders if that box was advertising something and I was wondering, too, since it’s angled like other roof-top signs for oncoming traffic. I don’t even know where to begin to search this question.
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  #21295  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 5:57 PM
Martin Pal Martin Pal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post
As for Bradley's across Cherokee...the building started out as a bank, then, before the five-and-dime, "'...something strange' was going on at Bradley's, something involving queers"...


From The Story of Hollywood by Gregory Paul Williams
That's funny -- "after visiting the bar 40 or so times" -- LOL!
Apparently John Kingsley and the Hollywood Citizen didn't agree with Bradley's slogan:


eBay

I don't know when Bradley's closed, but in the 60's this location was a popular hangout called M'Goo's. (photo dated 1969)

H.P./Torrence

The Jade Restaurant and The Virginia location were a Love's restaurant in 1972:

H.P./Torrence

A fire closed down M'Goo's sometime in the early 70's. Love's was there until the 90's at least, maybe longer. Now I believe it's partly a check cashing place.
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  #21296  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 6:30 PM
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GaylordWilshire GaylordWilshire is offline
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That is funny... "after visiting 40 times"... I'll have to read things more closely, or at least not so early, before having coffee. I also thought until now that it actually was a 5&10-cent store called Bradleys--that the signage might have been repurposed.


Well, I see one woman...and Truman Capote. Case closed.


LAPL


LAPL


Vintage Matches

Looks like it was a chain...

Last edited by GaylordWilshire; May 5, 2014 at 8:18 PM.
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  #21297  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 8:40 PM
Martin Pal Martin Pal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post
Well, I see one woman...and Truman Capote. Case closed.
LOL!, and maybe Cesar Romero on the end!

Great interior photos, thanks!

Internet sources say [the Hollywood] Bradley’s closed in 1948 and for a short while it became an outlet for Kaiser Dishwashers.

After that it was Chuck’s Hofbrau. (photo dated 1955)

H.P./Torrence

Lots of glimpses of other places in the photo: after Chuck’s we see The Hollywood Barber Shop, a Chop Suey restaurant, Musso & Frank’s (still there), the Vogue Theater showing “This Island Earth” (still there, but not showing films) and off in the distance we see the shady outlines of the Bank Building on the NE corner of Hollywood and Highland (still there) and a bit of the Hollywood Hotel on the NW corner.

M’Goo’s opened in 1959 and the fire that closed it was in 1975.
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  #21298  
Old Posted May 5, 2014, 8:56 PM
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GaylordWilshire GaylordWilshire is offline
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Don't think we've met sweet little Lola Titus before....


Black Dahlia in Hollywood




LAT July 16, 1949
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  #21299  
Old Posted May 6, 2014, 12:49 AM
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Way back on page 96 ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post

Delaware Hotel, later the Dalton Theater, on Broadway in 1896.


USC Digital Archive
Ten years later, and here's a larger version of the Broadway picture posted by GW earlier today.


USC Digital Library

Behind Mercantile Place, the Delaware Hotel now has much closer neighbors.


Detail of picture above.

The Delaware Hotel still appears on the 1910 Baist map (posted earlier), even though the first Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles was built on the site that year. The theater, later known as the Arcade Theater, closed in the late-80s, and is now used for retail.


Previous posts on Mercantile Place/Spring Street Arcade:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=10539

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=10540
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  #21300  
Old Posted May 6, 2014, 3:10 AM
CityBoyDoug CityBoyDoug is offline
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Mysterious....most mysterious...

Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post
Don't think we've met sweet little Lola Titus before....


Black Dahlia in Hollywood




LAT July 16, 1949
I wonder why she would call her ex-boyfriend a ''cop lover''. Was it because the cops gave him vice protection?

Mark Hansen....the ''boyfriend'' she shot in the back. Handsome? Not really by Hollywood standards of that era. I would add that Lola was no raving beauty queen either. Her method was that ''you love me or I kill you''. Ahhh...such a healthy noir romance.


LATimes

Last edited by CityBoyDoug; May 6, 2014 at 3:27 AM.
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