noirish Los Angeles

[Noircitydame]

Originally Posted by HossC

Thanks for all the memories of Ralphs.


----------------


If, like me, you're not familiar with the Steeves House, the architect behind the building in today's Julius Shulman photoset may surprise you. All of those straight lines, and generally not looking like it melted when someone left too close to the fire, it's a long way from Frank Gehry's more recent designs. This is "Job 2915: Frank O. Gehry, Steeves House (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1960".

I hadn't heard of the Steeves house before.

It reminded me a little of Frank Sinatra's 2666 Bowmont Dr. house from a few years earlier, 1956, Paul Williams architect.

Tourmaline posted a side view and a close up of the doorbell from 1962 back on post #16658

These are from a set of 12 in the CSL dated 1956. The photographer is listed only as Mott / Merge Studios.





Detail of the interesting mix of exterior facade materials. I hope that isn't the blood of someone who rang the doorbell who shouldn't have.



Some of that Flintstonian rock on the interior too


Bar, tv, phonograph, radio


close up

[MichaelRyerson]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

:

But I did come across this shoo-fly that was initially posted on NLA back in 2012 by unihikid.


Robert T. McVay photograph http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=11295

"A shoo-fly under construction on Sunset Boulevard in preparation for a bridge to be built to enable the 101 Freeway to connect with the Pasadena Freeway."

Even with the description I'm having trouble figuring out the exact location of this pic. (which gas-o-meter tank is that?)

I know the three tanks along the Los Angeles River, but this is only one tank.....and the nearest solitary tank was in east Hollywood. -right?

Here's the Sunset Boulevard shoo-fly. Although overall it somehow seems wrong, I think the houses on the north side of the street and
the large east facing billboard seem to match...

Hollywood Freeway-Arroyo Seco Parkway Interchange construction, 1948

Great detailed image of the initial excavation for the four-level interchange. Figueroa/Flower crosses left to right lower, and Temple Street runs up away from the camera at the left.
Best late image of Court Circle I've seen. All houses appear intact. Court Street leading into the circle from Fremont and out of the circle to cross Beaudry is still intact.
Custer Street School is at center/left on Temple between Beaudry and Custer. Sunset Boulevard is at the right edge, a shoo-fly (detour) has been built to allow for the construction
of an overpass. Shout out to Roy Harrell for his efforts to return the archived image at UCLA to its correct orientation and for his courtesy in letting me use his copy here.

February 16, 1948

Shot from the Goodyear blimp. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company [Photographer]

University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections

Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

[odinthor]

I've scratched my head about this one for a number of years, with benefit to neither my head nor to my knowledge. (I obtained it on eBay.) It quite kindly gives us an address number, but not a street; the ad for pants shows an address on Spring St., to what degree of significance to the site of this building, I don't know. To me, it has a vibe of being either in Sonoratown or in some stray corner of Bunker Hill; but . . . I can't make any progress with it. Any ideas? The whole scene is pretty noirish! What couldn't happen in that dingy little upstairs room?

[Beaudry]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' building.



Does anyone recognize this rather run-down 'norish' looking building?


bing images (now I can't find it again, sorry)

It was accompanied with this description: "A very interesting multi-level building in Echo Park, near the lake."__

Of course! This is an inside-looking-out shot of the Victor Segno institute—



In earlier days:


1904, GE Voelkel, arch. Belmont and Kane, replaced by a 1973 condo complex. Read the full lurid, noirish tale



as the final comment at the end of this post.

[ethereal_reality]

I thought the faux-sepia looking photo I found on bing was contemporary, so I've been searching for it on google_earth

So it's been gone since 1973!? I'll have to read the link you supplied for the lo-down.

-thanks Beaudry

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Noircitydame

This made me think of Mike Hammer's apartment in 'Kiss Me Deadly' [1955]



screen-grab by me

The state-of-the-art answering machine embedded in the wall.


__

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by HossC

Thanks to e_r's picture in post #300, I know that this Julius Shulman subject is the Ralphs at 3rd and Vermont. It's "Job 242: Stiles Oliver Clements, Ralphs Market (Los Angeles, Calif.),1948". I think we're looking through to Bullocks on Wilshire on the right of the first shot. NB. I've left out three exterior views which only showed slightly different angles.




Although there's still a Ralphs at 3rd and Vermont, the building seen in the Shulman pictures was replaced sometime between 1972 and 1980 (looking at Historic Aerials).


GSV

Thank you HossC for your continued work with these Shulman posts.

FWIW, I recall hearing stories (from someone who played with his friends in that area) about the difficulty of building this structure due to the nearby Bimini "springs" aka the Sacatella/Sacatela Creek. Evidently, the building and immediate surrounds required a very substantial undertaking since more than "the usual" pilings and foundation was required before construction. One suspects this effort was documented photographically.

Across the street, to the north, is another large grocery store, but I doubt it has the lengthy history of the subject Ralphs.

Previous discussion of the area=> http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=20582

[HossC]

We've seen this building many times before, so, just for a change, I thought I'd tease you with today's Julius Shulman photoset. See how quickly you can guess the subject.



The tiling under this entrance is similar to what we saw at the main entrance in post #33886 (although the tiles here aren't at 45 degrees).



Here's a full side view.



This shot from an entrance to the Richfield Building might give it away.



On the left, the Southland and Gates Hotels.



Did you guess? It's the former Superior Oil Building, seen here in 1965 as the Bank of California. This is "Job 3959: Claud Beelman, Bank of California Building (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1965".



All from Getty Research Institute

I posted a 1957 color picture of this building by Julius Shulman in post #33131. It's now the Standard Hotel.

[ethereal_reality]

I really like that 'prismatic' texture on the under-side of the entrance awning.


'mystery' location.


I could be wrong, but I don't believe we've seen this on NLA.


had this in an old file / ebay

Does anyone recognize this area? (is the curve going around a gully?)


below: I am not sure what this is on the horizon, but I thought it could possibly be a good clue.


detail

they look roundish.........like tanks. (and green) -that girl makes me think of Dorothy (in the Wizard of Oz), looks like the same gingham dress.

__

[ethereal_reality]

As Beaudry let us know last night, the mystery photo (below) was of the defunct Victor Segno Institute in Echo Park.


bing images /

The photographer cut off the large globe of the earth that was atop the center cupola (you can see it in the newspaper article below)

edit: the whole place looks a bit worse for wear in this pic, so with all fairness to the photographer, perhaps the globe had already fallen off
and rolled into Echo Park Lake.






Beaudry's onbunkerhill


Hoss, do you think you can work your magic and find the institute in one of your vintage aerials for us?

__

[HossC]

It's not very clear on Historic Aerials - I looked yesterday. Here's the building roughly in the center of images from 1948 (left) and 1964 (right). By 1972, the new condos are under construction.


Historic Aerials

BTW e_r, I think the source for your original picture is panoramio.com.

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks for the aerials Hoss. I really appreciate it.

also for finding the source.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/31690126

I'm guessing the photograph was taken shortly before the whole complex was demolished.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

As Beaudry let us know last night, the mystery photo (below) was of the defunct Victor Segno Institute in Echo Park.


The photographer cut off the large globe of the earth that was atop the center cupola (you can see it in the newspaper article below)

edit: the whole place looks a bit worse for wear in this pic, so with all fairness to the photographer, perhaps the globe had already fallen off
and rolled into Echo Park Lake.






Beaudry's onbunkerhill


Hoss, do you think you can work your magic and find the institute in one of your vintage aerials for us?

__

Here's Victor Segno founder of the ''Success" Club. If you send him a dollar a month he says you will have success. How this happens I have no idea.
Maybe I'll send him a dollar and see what happens. His paper says that he can '' harmonize'' all of the members after they send their dollar.
Read more here:

http://ehbritten.blogspot.com/2016/0...?view=magazine


Out of nowhere

[ethereal_reality]

That's a great photograph CBD! You don't see a head of hair like that every day.

Originally Posted by oldstuff

I drive by there every day. The medallion says "BABB" The assessor's office says "Babb" was built in 1929.

Thanks for the information oldstuff and Moses H. Sherman.

Here's a photograph by Michael Locke that's an improvement on my generic gsv view.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/michae...n/photostream/

"A decorative crest over the entrance with the letters 'BABB' is a real curiosity. Any idea what it might stand for?" -Michael Locke

It seems no one knows who this BABB was. Did the assessors form have any additional information oldstuff?

Originally Posted by Moses H. Sherman

This building would have been right in the middle of the early movie studios that lined Allesandro Blvd. (today Glendale Blvd.) in what was then known as Edendale.
According to the wiki page on Edendale, 1807 Allesandro (ie. Glendale) Blvd was the Pathé West Coast Film Company:

I've looked everywhere for a photograph of the Pathe West Coast Film Company building that pre-dates the BABB at 1807 Allesandro. -so far I've come up empty.

__

[ethereal_reality]

I just found this on eBay.

It shows a BBQ place and an extraordinary long bus.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/1924-OrGNL-L...4AAOSwr7ZW8eKO

So where are all the passengers.....eating Barbeque?


here's what was written on the reverse


"Sightseeing bus, L.A. County, 1924"
__

[ethereal_reality]

[no date]

http://www.delmarwatsonphotos.com/index.html

"Delmar Watson (back to camera) looks out over downtown Los Angeles."

At first glance, I thought this was two photographs spliced together.

Is he sitting on top of one of the old gasometers?
__

[HenryHuntington]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I really like that 'prismatic' texture on the under-side of the entrance awning.


'mystery' location.


I could be wrong, but I don't believe we've seen this on NLA.


had this in an old file / ebay

Does anyone recognize this area? (is the curve going around a gully?)


below: I am not sure what this is on the horizon, but I thought it could possibly be a good clue.


detail

they look roundish.........like tanks. (and green) -that girl makes me think of Dorothy (in the Wizard of Oz), looks like the same gingham dress.

__

We're looking northeast on City Terrace Drive between Ditman and Townsend Aves. I don't know what that was on the horizon, either. A quick trip in the Googlemobile suggests that it isn't there now. As a sucker for epilogues, I hope the lady in the gingham dress led a happy life. I always wonder about the people in these photos, at least the non-celebs. Each one has a story.

[Beaudry]

Christina Rice, author of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel and senior photo librarian/archivist for the LAPL (whence come so many images to Noirish!) just put up a great post on her blog about Ann and the book, over at anndvorak.com (click the underlined for link).

It should be of particular interest here as it tells the tale of a giant Victorian mansion, the girls school it becomes, its demolition (and then how it becomes a Googie supermarket, ironically itself recently demo'd and reborn in faux-craftsman)—but part of the story is also about vintage LA photography, especially the hunt for and discovery thereof.

Go check it out!

[sdmichael]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

No to be confused with the hill from.....


"What, No Beer?" (1933)



my screengrabs



Thanks for trying Hoss.
I was sure John Bengtson at 'silentlocations' would have covered this particular location....but as far as I can tell, he hasn't.

The area at the bottom of the 'mystery' hill is a bit unusual with the two parallel streets (in front and behind the grocery store)
It's interesting that the back street is a good deal higher than the street that runs in front of the store.

Again, thanks for trying.
__

How about Effie St at Echo Park? There is parallel street and the house at the corner seems to match.

[HossC]

Dino's Lodge Restaurant got a couple more mentions about a week ago, but here's a noirish tale of a Ferrari Dino that I found during the week. The story is covered by numerous websites, but what seems to be the definitive 2012 version, including the conclusion, can be found here and here at jalopnik.com.

The story starts in late 1974 when Rosendo Cruz of Alhambra bought a dark metallic green Ferrari Dino 246 GTS for his wife's birthday. Only a matter of weeks later, the car was stolen while the couple were eating at the Brown Derby on Wilshire. The police quickly exhausted their leads, the insurance company paid out, and everything went quiet for a few years.

Skip forward to February 1978 when the car was discovered buried in the garden of 1137 W 119th Street in the West Athens section of Los Angeles. Several sources say that the car was found by kids digging in the yard, but the police say they got a tip-off. Here are a couple of pictures of the car being exhumed.





Both from jalopnik.com

It seems that the car was probably stolen for an insurance scam. The theory is that the thieves were supposed to destroy the car, but couldn't bring themselves to chop it up, so they covered it with rugs and buried it in a disused swimming pool. Accounts of the uncovered Ferrari's condition vary widely from "like new" to "freckled" with rust. The good news is that Brad Howard saved and restored the Dino, and, as of 2012, still owns it. He even gave the car the vanity plate "DUG UP".


www.luishernandezjr.com

You can see interviews with several people involved in th story in the video below:

• Video Link

I was going to post a "now" picture of 1137 W 119th Street, but I can't find it! The marker on Jalopnik's Google aerial view appears to be outside 1117 W 119th Street, and the last house before Budlong Avenue is 1133. So, have the houses been renumbered since 1978, or is the address wrong?