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  #22121  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2014, 3:53 PM
Engine54 Engine54 is offline
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Originally Posted by Noircitydame View Post
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics43/00041028.jpg

Sept 29, 1957: The LA Junior Chamber of Commerce held a mock funeral for “Smokey Joe” the backyard incinerator. City leaders had been after him for years as a scapegoat for the smog problem. Oh sure, they knew it wasn’t entirely his fault, but unlike the other suspects, cars for example, Smokey Joe was short, concrete, slow-moving.

LAT 10-1-57

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics21/00030222.jpg

They’d already written his obituary, back in ’55. But Smokey Joe refused to go quietly. He told anybody who would listen that he was being set up by a powerful combustible-garbage collection racketeering syndicate. Over the next two years came allegations of corruption, bribery, blackjacking, guns, dire threats, mysterious witnesses who disappeared or were too scared to testify.

LAT 5-26-55

LAT 6-12-55

Mayor Poulson and the Board of Supervisors clashed over Smokey Joe. The Mayor didn’t like smog either, but he figures, maybe Smokey could just clean up his act a little. He accused one especially anti-Smokey supervisor, Herbert Legg, of trying to “blackjack” cities into killing off Smokey Joe in favor of trash collection systems pushed by Legg. Legg denied the charges.

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics21/00060244.jpg
(Police Chief Parker, testifying at Mayor Poulson’s “investigation into alleged rubbish collection racketeering,” June 20, 1955).

But……in October 1955, garbage dump proprietor Andrew V. Hohn testified before the grand jury that he’d paid Legg’s field deputy George Turner two $5k bribes in exchange for 5 county garbage contracts, and that Legg later thanked him for the “package.” Turner, along with “refuse operator” Theodore Hamlin, was indicted on bribery charges. While Legg “admitted the existence of a vicious and ruthless monopoly in the garbage disposal business,” he denied any knowledge of bribery. In early 1956 Legg was brought up on perjury charges for lying to the grand jury. George Turner, who was to have been the prosecution’s key witness, eluded the process servers, and Legg was ultimately acquitted.

LAT 1-31-56

Turner and Hamlin came up for trial in March 1956, but the star witness for that case, Andrew V. Hohn, refused to testify, telling told the court gunman had broken into his house and threatened his family with death if he did. Without his testimony, the case collapsed.

LAT 3-19-56

Then there was the Assembly “Interim Committee on Governmental Efficiency & Economy,” who in May 1956 conducted a week-long probe into corruption in the Southland’s “garbage, rubbish and trash” industry. There were more allegations of bribes paid and citizens threatened, but nothing came of it except people who had been using the words “garbage,” “rubbish” and “trash” interchangeably learned that they were, in fact, three different things.

LAT 5-10-56

With Smokey Joe out of the way, homeowners wondered what to do with the corpse. The City recommended it be “bashed into small pieces with a sledgehammer and dropped into a five gallon can That way the remains could be carted away by municipal collectors on regular trash days.” (LAT 10-1-57). “In other words, pay my enemies to haul me off.” Smokey Joe really smoldered over that one.

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics43/00041026.jpg

This guy had a better idea. Why not turn Smokey Joe into a barbeque? Haul out your breakfast nook table and a rubber air mattress, your newspaper and you’re living the California dream, smog-free, baby. Back in Ohio, they’re still shoveling snow off the ground…

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics43/00041029.jpg

Some dames, though, couldn’t get over ol’ Joe that easily.

“What are you gonna do? Arrest me for smoking?”

***
And while some at city hall may have been breathing easier, scandals and inquires went on. Some people were starting to question why an incinerator been buried, not cremated. Others wondered why trash pickup was going to cost the city almost $1.5 million more than originally estimated. Then too, not everybody was happy about the willy-nillyness of L.A.’s garbage cans.

LAT 11-13-57

11-13-57

Plus, there was still smog…. But they couldn’t pin it on Smokey Joe this time.

http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics27/00048416.jpg
1958
Wow, the question of what to do with rubbish seems to be as old as times themselves. I have the FOUNDATIONS of three incinerators in my own back yard. Until very recently, my neighbor had almost the entire unit in theirs. However, they had it "bashed into a million pieces" and carted off. Wished I had gotten a photo of one. Although, there is one, in prisine condition, in the yard right behind us. I might have to go over and get a pic.
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  #22122  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2014, 6:42 PM
sadykadie2 sadykadie2 is offline
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Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
Thanks for the additional information Tetsu. Why so few photos of his mansion with the ostentatious 'lighthouse'?



This is fun. (although it's a bit south of Los Angeles County)


ebay

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This is down the hill from Fashion Island in Newport Beach. I'm less than 10 minutes away.
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  #22123  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2014, 7:18 PM
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ethereal_reality ethereal_reality is offline
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A souvenir lighter, from an earlier era when the whole world seemed to smoke.


ebay



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  #22124  
Old Posted Jun 19, 2014, 9:03 PM
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More Pacific Military Academy

Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post



CHMA
The second location, above, is discussed here. The building was demolished in 1962.

So it seems that we've seen the site of the second PMA here before, just before it was built:

USCDL
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=16614
In the last photo in GW's post (from 1928), there is an L-shaped building in the distance behind some trees, between the oil derrick and the house on the right. It looks vaguely like the PMA, although it doesn't seem to be facing in the right direction. Plus, compared with other photos, the building seems too far away from homes to be the PMA. I wonder what building it was?

Here's a slightly zoomed view of a photo dated 1927, showing the same oil derrick and house in the foreground:

USCDL -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../74048/rec/113 (pic 3)

Here's a closer look at the 1928 photo (last in GW's post):

USCDL -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...d/9522/rec/190 (pic 13)

The shallow ravine behind the oil derrick in the wider 1927 and 1928 photos leads up to Circle Park, shown on the map below. The CHMA site (http://www.usshawkbill.com/dclark/chma/property.htm) says the PMA campus was bordered by Castle Heights, Beverly, Beverlywood, and Cattaragus, marked by the green rectangle below:

Google Maps

Here's a closeup from another 1928 shot from the same set as the last photo in GW's post. We can see the PMA from behind:

USCDL -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...d/9522/rec/190 (pic 1)

This is a closeup of a photo dated 1927:

USCDL -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../74048/rec/113 (pic 4)
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  #22125  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 2:57 AM
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BrysonWilshire BrysonWilshire is offline
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The Burlington

The August 1915 edition of the "Los Angeles Tourist" described itself as "a free guide book for the traveler and pleasure seeker"; the publication's release coincided with "The Painted Desert Exhibit" at the San Diego Exposition. Accommodations in Los Angeles packed the publication's pages, including a full page ad on page 38 for the Burlington Apartments, managed by the owner, Charles F. Kinnucan:



The Los Angeles Tourist, August 1915 - Page 38 (Internet Archive)

One building feature: a roof garden; many of the top floor apartments had cool window awnings:



There is more than one address for this location. The 1915 Los Angeles Tourist ad lists the address as "Ninth and Burlington." The 1915 Los Angeles City Directory lists it as "1723 W. 9th at Burlington":



Los Angeles City Directory, 1915 - Page 17 (Internet Archive)

Today, you can find this building at "1723 James M. Wood Boulevard" (notice the unique awnings are still intact):



Google Maps

That 1915 Los Angeles Tourist ad also mentioned an "immense lobby":



Here's that lobby, 2014:



LoopNet

Of course, being in Los Angeles means that there has to be a noirish side:



Los Angeles Herald, July 17, 1910 (California Digital Newspaper Collection)

C. G. Magill's jealous nature couldn't keep him from whacking his friend, E. J. Foote, over the head with a hammer; Mrs. Magill seems to have stirred deep emotions in Mr. Foote while lighting fires in her murderous husband. Luckily for the hubby there was a lack of evidence (what happened to the hammer?); ten days later:



Los Angeles Herald, July 27, 1910 (California Digital Newspaper Collection)

Today's description of the Burlington acknowledges the property's historical values as well as to the potential benefits of a restoration of the premises ("built in 1906"; "well-kept"; "minor renovation could have a dramatic effect"; "the entry lobby is dramatic with a very high ceiling with a historic Glass Ceiling Light Fixture that could be restored"):

LoopNet

One of the reasons why this building is still standing is because, in 1988, the property received a "tax credit allocation," was renovated and is an "affordable apartment community," a bit of history made available to lower income tenants.

Affordable Housing Online
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  #22126  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 4:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BrysonWilshire View Post
The August 1915 edition of the "Los Angeles Tourist" described itself as "a free guide book for the traveler and pleasure seeker"; the publication's release coincided with "The Painted Desert Exhibit" at the San Diego Exposition. Accommodations in Los Angeles packed the publication's pages, including a full page ad on page 38 for the Burlington Apartments, managed by the owner, Charles F. Kinnucan:
Besides the interest in the building itself, thanks also for bringing our attention to a useful guidebook of the era on Prelinger!
__________________
The new Wandering In L.A. post is published!

This Is Probably The Oldest Intact School Building In L.A.
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  #22127  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 6:14 AM
sadykadie2 sadykadie2 is offline
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Originally Posted by Albany NY View Post
Wow, Michael, you're a man after my own heart! (Did that sound creepy, at all?) Anyway, my biggest interest in all of the photos of old LA has always been the people. The long-since-gone faces of ordinary people who happened to, by simple chance, appear in photos of old buildings and neighborhoods in Los Angeles. I also wonder what happened to these blurry people. Some may have become famous (or infamous). Did any of these street scenes catch an image of the Black Dahlia's murderer? Or maybe a simple laborer whose grandchildren still live in LA? In these old photos, the "real" Los Angeles emerges....the very people who designed, built, envisioned, lived in, or were simply held captive by, the great expanding metropolis. And every single tiny, blurry image of every background person tells a story, unknown to us. Every single one of them had their own hopes and dreams and demons stalking their every waking hour....just like the rest of us. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Albany, I thought I was the only one. I'm forever searching out the not-so-famous in crowds and imagining the lives of these ordinary people
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  #22128  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 6:29 AM
sadykadie2 sadykadie2 is offline
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Originally Posted by Beaudry View Post
Am certain I'm not alone in saying Urban Diachrony is one of my all-time favorite blogs. Glad there's cross-pollination here!
Whoa Beaudry! That's a pretty cool site there!
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  #22129  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 2:17 PM
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MartinTurnbull MartinTurnbull is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Pal View Post
I first thought that the sailor in the photo was a woman.

On the other hand, on Martin Turnbull's site he lists all sorts of places mentioned in Los Angeles that he's come across in books.

On page 60 of Sheila Graham's book The Garden of Allah, 1970, she talks about The Waldorf as a Gay bar…on a seedy stretch of Main Street…near Harold’s…since their glamour days as early as the 1930s, both bars had grown shabby.

In the book George Cukor: Double Life by Patrick McGilligan, Harper Perennial, 1991, on page 11 is a note about The Waldorf that says And if you looked at the downtown bars like the Waldorf, the Cellar, the 326 – it was so goddamned open.

The last one indicates the Waldorf and Cellar might be two different places? Anyway, it's interesting.
From the reading I've done, the impression I got was that they were all different places. It's the Waldorf name that comes up the most frequently (including "Open Secret: Gay Hollywood, 1928-2000" by David Ehrenstein)
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  #22130  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 3:07 PM
esotouric esotouric is offline
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Originally Posted by Beaudry View Post
It is with a heavy heart I must report the loss of one of our children. The ModernCraft, RIP. 1930-2014...

Esotouric writes similarly on their Facebook page: "We believe there needs to be an organized mass effort by preservation groups like ADSLA to nominate landmarks. Teach-ins, editing sessions, etc. Enlightened individual property owners are doing the majority of the HCM applying, for single family homes, and paying professionals to help them. These are not the buildings we need to worry about. Let the loss of Mole-Richardson be a wake up call. HCM nomination is hard work to do alone--why not crowdsource and simplify it?"
Thanks for the shout out, Br'er Beaudry. The loss of such a prominent and fine building, and the complete failure of the organized preservation establishment to see the wrecking ball around the bend is heartbreaking.

But yes, this is an opportunity for folks who care, and there are plenty of them reading this, to organize to protect what is not yet lost. And we're putting our money where our mouth is by offering some swell prizes for community members who make the effort to landmark Los Angeles buildings. To wit: for every HCM nomination submitted to the Cultural Heritage Commission by a subscriber to our newsletter, we'll give you and up to three collaborators a free ticket on the Esotouric bus adventure of your choosing. For every successful landmark nomination, we'll feature you on our podcast, and buy you a beer. More here.
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  #22131  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 5:44 PM
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...and buy you a beer.[/URL].
What kind of beer?
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  #22132  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 6:08 PM
esotouric esotouric is offline
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Period appropriate to the building, wherever possible.
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What kind of beer?
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  #22133  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 7:16 PM
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unitedartists.com/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Pal View Post
In the book George Cukor: Double Life by Patrick McGilligan, Harper Perennial, 1991, on page 11 is a note about The Waldorf that says And if you looked at the downtown bars like the Waldorf, the Cellar, the 326 – it was so goddamned open.

The last one indicates the Waldorf and Cellar might be two different places? Anyway, it's interesting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinTurnbull View Post
From the reading I've done, the impression I got was that they were all different places. It's the Waldorf name that comes up the most frequently (including "Open Secret: Gay Hollywood, 1928-2000" by David Ehrenstein)

Looks like it started out as the Waldorf in the Waldorf Hotel, at 521 S Main, later becoming the Waldorf Cellar, as it was listed in the '56CD, and seen in the pic at top. Bohemian Los Angeles by Daniel Hurewitz--a good read, btw--mentions in a footnote that 'The official Waldorf liquor license was denied in 1936 on grounds that the business ran 'contrary to public welfare and morals.'"
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  #22134  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 10:26 PM
Earl Boebert Earl Boebert is online now
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http://bit.ly/1p0Gin8

Low quality scan, probably from a periodical, of model yacht sailing, attributed to the L.A. area. The "W" on one sail identifies the boat as being from the Wilmington CA club and the style of boats makes it likely that this undated picture is from pre-WWII.

I figured you guys would be able to identify the location from that roller coaster in the background.

Cheers,

Earl
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  #22135  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 10:33 PM
CityBoyDoug CityBoyDoug is offline
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May 1959 riot...

Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post
unitedartists.com/






Looks like it started out as the Waldorf in the Waldorf Hotel, at 521 S Main, later becoming the Waldorf Cellar, as it was listed in the '56CD, and seen in the pic at top. Bohemian Los Angeles by Daniel Hurewitz--a good read, btw--mentions in a footnote that 'The official Waldorf liquor license was denied in 1936 on grounds that the business ran 'contrary to public welfare and morals.'"
In May 1959 Los Angeles Police invaded Cooper Donuts, which was located between the Waldorf Bar and Harold's Bar 555 South Main St., and roughed up the patrons who were mostly transgenders, gays and hustlers.


CD

Last edited by CityBoyDoug; Jun 20, 2014 at 10:43 PM.
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  #22136  
Old Posted Jun 20, 2014, 11:32 PM
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[QUOTE=BrysonWilshire

That 1915 Los Angeles Tourist ad also mentioned an "immense lobby":



Here's that lobby, 2014:



LoopNet

Wow! The original flooring is still there after 100 years.
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  #22137  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2014, 1:10 AM
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MichaelRyerson MichaelRyerson is offline
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Originally Posted by esotouric View Post
Period appropriate to the building, wherever possible.
I'm in.
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  #22138  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2014, 4:02 AM
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HossC's great aerial photos from the Goodyear Blimp in 1955 have got me started on this area along the 110 Freeway again. We have chewed this over
a few times. Presently, the area is being developed into condos, or something.


Google Maps


A while back, I posted this image of the area. This is Foy's gas station at 211 N. Figueroa St. The photo is from 1931.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262


The area in question is behind Foy's gas station, up on N. Freemont Street. This is the area that is shown on the first photo.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../17705/rec/262


OK, so we go on to HossC's aerial photos from the Goodyear blimp in 1955. This is the same area along the 110 Freeway.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...oll44/id/55281


Now we go west of the 110 Freeway and we can see the remaining half of Court Circle.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...oll44/id/55281


This last aerial photo shows the whole area in 1955. We have Foy's gas station in the lower right. In the center of the photo are the houses east
of the 110 Freeway. At the top left, is the remaining half of Court Circle.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...oll44/id/55281

Last edited by FredH; Jun 21, 2014 at 5:14 AM.
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  #22139  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2014, 4:25 AM
BDiH BDiH is offline
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Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug View Post
In May 1959 Los Angeles Police invaded Cooper Donuts, which was located between the Waldorf Bar and Harold's Bar 555 South Main St., and roughed up the patrons who were mostly transgenders, gays and hustlers.


CD
Boy oh boy, do I miss Cooper Donuts. Many a pleasant hour spent there, especially at Santa Monica & Fairfax.
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  #22140  
Old Posted Jun 21, 2014, 6:10 AM
sadykadie2 sadykadie2 is offline
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Originally Posted by esotouric View Post
Thanks for the shout out, Br'er Beaudry. The loss of such a prominent and fine building, and the complete failure of the organized preservation establishment to see the wrecking ball around the bend is heartbreaking.

But yes, this is an opportunity for folks who care, and there are plenty of them reading this, to organize to protect what is not yet lost. And we're putting our money where our mouth is by offering some swell prizes for community members who make the effort to landmark Los Angeles buildings. To wit: for every HCM nomination submitted to the Cultural Heritage Commission by a subscriber to our newsletter, we'll give you and up to three collaborators a free ticket on the Esotouric bus adventure of your choosing. For every successful landmark nomination, we'll feature you on our podcast, and buy you a beer. More here.
Esotouric You're the bomb
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