noirish Los Angeles

[MichaelRyerson]

Originally Posted by HossC

There are only two photos in this Julius Shulman set, both showing the interior of an unnamed branch of Coffee Dan's. These pictures date from five years after yesterday's Wilshire Boulevard set, and the design is quite different. This is "Job 2013: Douglas Honnold and John Rex, Coffee Dan's (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1955".





The only clue to the location is these buildings visible through the window.



All from Getty Research Institute

A bit of Googling led me back to a stretch of Sherman Way in Reseda that we've visited a few times recently through Julius Shulman's photos. The most obvious sign in the detail above is for Greene's Mens Wear. Next to that is a ladies' fashion shop called Garlands. Finally, next to Garlands is part of sign for Leslie's Youth Fashions. They were at 18315, 18317 and 18319 Sherman Way respectively. The clipping below is from the September 27, 1956 edition of Valley News.


www.newspapers.com

Here's how those stores look today.


GSV

The mid-60s newspapers I found simply give the location of Coffee Dan's as the corner of Sherman Way and Etiwanda Avenue, but a couple of earlier references list the address as 18300 Sherman Way. That's now the address of Shoe City.


GSV

Ate at this Coffee Dan's many times, Reseda being my post childhood home (having lived in Hollywood until my 9-10th birthday). Although if truth be told, I was more likely found down the street at Biff's. Coffee Dan's was more upscale, Biff's made more sense for us rowdies. BTW, yes SW corner. Also, when I reached an age to buy my own clothes Greene's was my joint.

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks unihikid, Tourmaline, HossC and HenryHuntington for locating the bus stop & posting pics.



Here's a much more difficult location.


eBay

I imagine what we see along the roadside is long gone.

I am especially intrigued by the little brown shack that's virtually on top of that bold retaining wall. (it actually appears to over-hang it)


detail

...and on the right is a small white building above an old crumbling retaining wall of stone.



and the bus (I can't make out the destination) -404 SOUTH something.


detail / eBay
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[ethereal_reality]

This is such a great looking place. I'd love to have a beer there. What fun!


Prelinger Archive

"The Eastside Dog House, offering drinks on tap" [undated] -no address given.


Found at
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...13-column.html

[ethereal_reality]

Billboard advertising bomb shelters along Wilshire Boulevard.


Prelinger Archives

What is $795.00 in today's money? The "Food Center" appears to big on the site of Johnnie's Coffee Shop.

This image is from
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...13-column.html

but I've watched this film many months ago and saved additional screen-grabs (including this one)
I'll have to go through my files and find them.
__

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Billboard advertising bomb shelters along Wilshire Boulevard.


Prelinger Archives

What is $795.00 in today's money? The "Food Center" appears to big on the site of Johnnie's Coffee Shop.

This image is from
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...13-column.html

but I've watched this film many months ago and saved additional screen-grabs (including this one)
I'll have to go through my files and find them.
__

That $795 is now around $8,000 in 2015 dollars.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's a much more difficult location.


eBay

I imagine what we see along the roadside is long gone.

I can't find the same sheds (they're probably long gone), but I think we're looking at the western approach to the stop we saw yesterday. Here's a 45-degree view showing the area just west of the N State Street bridge over the El Monte Busway. The road layout, road markings, railroad tracks and backyards all look right.


Google Maps

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This is such a great looking place. I'd love to have a beer there. What fun!


Prelinger Archive

"The Eastside Dog House, offering drinks on tap" [undated] -no address given.


Found at
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...13-column.html

The Dog House on Alvarado:

Wm Reagh (1979) lapl


Familiar building that, next door:


gsv


BTW, that sign on the first photo actually says,
"Drink Eastside on Tap at the Dog House"


__

[HossC]

Thanks to tovangar2, CityBoyDoug, Noircitydame and Mendotaman for your extra information and memories of Coffee Dan's in Azusa. It looks like I had the correct intersection, but was looking on the wrong corner.

There's no mystery about the location of today's Julius Shulman pictures. The American City Bank was at 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City. It's "Job 5843: Welton Becket and Associates, American City Bank (Los Angeles, Calif.),1980". I'd really like to see a color picture of this building, but, unfortunately, the only color shot in the photoset shows a different location.







All from Getty Research Institute

The American City Bank didn't last long after the photos above were taken. It failed, and was taken over, in early 1983. The clipping below is from the February 28, 1983 edition of the Toledo Blade.
NB. I've balanced the columns to make the article more screen-friendly.


news.google.com

USC date this image as "circa 1959-05-03". The text below comes from an Examiner article on the back of the photograph. For search purposes it says: "Construction will start this month on the first unit of Century City, a $2,500,000 office building containing headquarters for Welton Becket and Associates, architects and engineers for the project at Santa Monica boulevard and Moreno drive in Los Angeles. The structure keynotes development of the $400,000,000 Century City, master-planned by the firm for Webb and Knapp, owner and developer". USC have another copy of this image with a note on the back which says "Ground-breaking ceremonies took place May 25 ..."


USC Digital Library

Finding the building gone, I checked Historic Aerials. It's still visible on the 2005 view, but gone by the first GSV image in 2007. Here's how the site looked last year, just before construction on the new building started.


GSV

This is a rendering of the new building that I found at bellomag.com.


www.bellomag.com


There's more on the new building at:

skyscraperpage.com

la.curbed.com

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Billboard advertising bomb shelters along Wilshire Boulevard.


Prelinger Archives

This image is from
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...13-column.html
__

"Beautiful Mary Lou Miner suns herself atop a new West Los Angeles bomb shelter at 10333 Santa Monica Boulevard, dreamed up by John Vale and executed by Arthur Lowe. Photo dated: Apr. 7, 1951":

lapl

[ethereal_reality]

I thought that was Ava Gardner at first glance.
I checked out an aerial of 10333 Santa Monica Blvd. hoping to find a round foundation somewhere on the lot. -without success


Here are the screenshots I mentioned earlier from that same video. https://archive.org/details/prelinge...wnloads&page=2


In sequential order: -traveling west on Wilshire from Fairfax.

#1

old file

I was wrong. The Royal Food Center was not on the site of Johnnie's Coffee Shop.



#2

old file


#3

old file


#4

old file



#5

old file


#6

old file

Rather serene for Wilshire Blvd.


_

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by HossC

Thanks to tovangar2, CityBoyDoug, Noircitydame and Mendotaman for your extra information and memories of Coffee Dan's in Azusa. It looks like I had the correct intersection, but was looking on the wrong corner.

There's no mystery about the location of today's Julius Shulman pictures. The American City Bank was at 10000 Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City. It's "Job 5843: Welton Becket and Associates, American City Bank (Los Angeles, Calif.),1980". I'd really like to see a color picture of this building, but, unfortunately, the only color shot in the photoset shows a different location.

]

The American City Bank building is gone and thankfully forgotten!

[ethereal_reality]

re: bomb shelter

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

That $795 is now around $8,000 in 2015 dollars.

Thanks for figuring that out CBD.
I just noticed on the Bomb Shelter billboard that it's also advertised as an"Utility Room"

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

I can't find the same sheds (they're probably long gone), but I think we're looking at the western approach to the stop we saw yesterday. Here's a 45-degree view showing the area just west of the N State Street bridge over the El Monte Busway. The road layout, road markings, railroad tracks and backyards all look right.


Google Maps

I think you're probably correct Hoss, but I thought the extra-thick retaining wall (under the brown shack) would still be in place.


detail
__

Thanks for correction on the "Drink Eastside on Tap at the Dog House" tovanger2.
I was looking for the incorrect "Eastside Dog House." No wonder I didn't find anything (like an address).

_

[BarSnake]

The top picture showing the shed on the retaining wall is near the bus stop entry lane. The overhead picture is closer to the bus stop exit. So I would look more to the left in the overhead picture.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I think you're probably correct Hoss, but I thought the extra-thick retaining wall (under the brown shack) would still be in place.


detail

I agree with BarSnake - I think it's probably to the left of the picture I originally posted. Here's a view from the Golden State Freeway on-ramp. Could it be one of these graffiti-covered walls, some of which are hidden by trees. The large building on the left didn't exist in 1980, and a couple of the other plots were empty, so the wall may have been replaced.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

#6

old file

Rather serene for Wilshire Blvd.

Those stucco apartment buildings are still there. That block of Orange remains quite an attractive street (from the front):

gsv

And, Mmmm, I love landscaped billboards. Look at those lawns!

What was that little jewelbox building on the Johnnie's site?

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

What was that little jewelbox building on the Johnnie's site?

I was wondering the same thing t2.


"jewelbox" detail


There's a pole sign out front and lettering above the entrance, but both are too blurry to read.
__

[tovangar2]

Here's the permit for Simon's Drive-In (?):



ladbs



There was a real estate office on the site previously. It was moved around the corner to 547 S Fairfax and is now gone.

Johnie's went up in 1956 as Ram's Restaurant (per the permit) or maybe it was just owned by Ram Restaurant.

"Johnie's opened in 1956 as Romeo's Times Square. Romeo's was in business a few years, becoming Ram's in the early 1960s, and Johnie's shortly thereafter"
-per wiki

...here's the link from wiki re the quoted LAT article: http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul...surroundings15


PS


franklin ave (detail) <--- more pix at the link


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[ethereal_reality]

I could use some help in deciphering the messy fountain pen writing on this snapshot.

The X on the second story (left) window could possibly mark the apartment of one, or both, of the women.


eBay

described on eBay as:

"1920s Photo California Long Beach Apartment Building Mrs. Satrang Automobile"

I am pretty sure the shield/cartouche on the entrance marquee has a G in the middle of it (below)


detail

-you can see the photograph on eBay here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1920s-Photo-...QAAOSwhcJWOAGy

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Here's the permit for Simon's Drive-In (?):



ladbs

The '36 permit lists Beverly Wilshire Catering Co. as owner and the owner's business location is the Transamerica building. The '37 permit for the nearby 5171 (Sycamore) Wilshire drive-in is listed as Simon's Lunch Rooms Ltd., also located at the Transamerica Building. Interesting (to me) that the familiar structure located at 649 S Olive (known to many as Giannini Place, the Bank of Italy or America building, was also known as the Transamerica Building. Curious about William Simon's possible association with the Beverly Wilshire.



649 S Olive
http://waterandpower.org/Historical_...ly_ca1920s.jpg