noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

oops. double post







I'll deal with it tomorrow.

[Beaudry]

Let me add a bit about Angeles Abbey. The reason it looks so much like the awesome and aforementioned "63 Acres Done as Tunisian City" Expo is because they were both designed by Long Beach architect Hugh R Davies—that is, Davies designed the main mausoleum in Compton in '26, opens in '27, and fair organizers nabbed Davies therefrom to do the Pacific Southwest Expo of '28.

Angeles Abbey gets confusing because there are multiple minaret'd structures, yes. Here is the 1927 mausoleum by Davies. (Images mine unless otherwise noted.)




Although in terrible shape (and having a sketchy history involving murder, and burying people under roads) it is still pretty grand—



See in the above image the Judson Studios art glass window? That's of the Angelus:



Which is at once a painting of prayer and a funeral for a dead baby, depending whom you ask.

Once it was all alone in the cemetery, like so:

lapl

Then they added on this about 1930, which I presume is also by Davies:



And then in 1931 they added the "Abbey of the Flowers" mausoleum to the north, which is not by Davies, but by Clarence N Aldrich:

LA Times via Proquest

Which is why there are three Islamic-y mausolea there today, as such:

bingmaps

The main dome was once covered in Islamic tile.

calisphere/esotouric


The main mausoleum is chock full of Calco and Claycraft, mostly Calco, made in South Gate. The later mausoleum to the north is full of American Encaustic tile, made in Vernon. Some shots here.

Just an amazing place. Leaving aside it being consecrated ground and all, it deserves better.

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Wow, what a great opportunity for some Boston ivy (which I love almost as much as a challenge...not that anyone asked me). There's enough space to fit it in:


google maps

Boston ivy grows extremely quickly:

pinterest

It changes color in the autumn and drops it's leaves (keeping the compost fed and happy), leaving a pretty tracery on the wall:


pinterest

Boston Ivy isn't dormant long in Southern California. It greens right up again, often starting before the previous year's leaves have all dropped.


There's a somewhat similar missed opportunity near me:


gsv westwood and olympic


Jeepers creepers.


Does Boston ivy have any drawbacks odinthor?

I like it, same as you.

Critics would shake their heads and say, "Sigh, rats [climbing up the foliage, nesting in it]." Then they'd sigh again, and add, "And what about maintenance on the wall proper?" Then they'd frown and say, "And all those fallen leaves blowing around," as they'd walk away.

But the better sort like it!

[tovangar2]

Thank you e_r and Beaudry for all the info on Angelus Abbey. I don't think I've ever even heard of it before. Another welcome amazement from NLA.

It may be the dearth of big-name celebrity burials that's rendered Angelus Abbey so anonymous:


find a grave

Racially segregated through the 60s, Angelus Abbey has been African American owned since the 70s according to this from LAT.

Originally Posted by Beaudry

The main dome was once covered in Islamic tile.

calisphere/esotouric

Could the onion dome have just been painted? In this shot it looks faded, unlike the smaller dome which is tiled and remains bright to the present day:


beaudry (detail)


I love that Calco tile was used on this job, I'm a big fan of Rufus Keeler.


......................................................................


Thanks odinthor for the info on Boston ivy. I've never had a problem re rats with it. Mine, at least, never seemed to have enough mass to give them a purchase for a nest. My neighbors' English ivy, grown in a great mound over a high wire fence, was a different matter. They finally gave up and grubbed it out.

[rbpjr]

Originally Posted by AlvaroLegido

This is what I deplore and several of us have asked periodically our otherwise welcomed BRR to do... with no avail. It is better to resign, he will never change.

I'm Helms out...

[tovangar2]

For those who might be interested, Richard Neutra's under-threat Chuey Residence (2460 Sunset Plaza Drive), 1956, has been nominated for landmark status by the LA Conservancy

LA curbed on the home here (illustrated with some of Julius Shulman's 1960 photos)

Listing photos here


Also, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles' nomination to the have the Hollywood Reporter building (mentioned before on the thread) designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument was approved by the full City Council in November.

[ethereal_reality]

Beaudry, thanks so much for your post on the Angeles Abbey.

Since you mentioned "murder" I had to see what that was all about.

from your link: (for people who skip the links)

"But the death knell for Angeles Abbey tolled decisively in August 1976, when headlines blared the grim tale of the murder
of 76-year-old Martha Eddington of Rosemead, beaten and strangled as she visited the mezzanine-level crypts
of her daughter Margaret Brown and son-in-law Ralph Pejsa. It was initially reported that she had been killed over the weekend,
but not found until Monday afternoon, when an anonymous tip advised police to look behind a curtain.
The autopsy, less widely publicized, showed that she had been killed a few hours before she was found,
in a pool of blood, with a broken vase bearing the name of her dead daughter close by." esotouric

Now that's what I call a cold blooded murder. -poor lady

When you say 'mezzanine' you're referring to the original mausoleum and not the 'Abbey of the Flowers', right?
__



Earlier today I happened upon this tidbit:

Fans of the television series Westworld had been having a hard time figuring out where this scene (an orgy in the Mexican town of Pariah) was shot.



It was finally figured out that the scene was filmed in the mausoleum at Angeles Abbey! re:seeing stars

note the mezzanine level where Mrs. Eddington met her fate.
__

[ProphetM]

This photo is said to be downtown Los Angeles in 1920, taken from the Security Pacific National Bank collection. A friend of mine posted it to Facebook and I said I'd see if you guys could maybe figure out where it is. Any takers? The clearest sign I can see in the photo is for a place called Spear's.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

It may be the dearth of big-name celebrity burials that's rendered Angelus Abbey so anonymous:

I thought I'd check out this Drew guy.

One of the first things I discovered was that he played Felipe in the rediscovered 1928 film 'Ramona'.

starring Dolores Del Rio

scvhistory

This 'Ramona' was considered a lost film.



Here's Roland Drew in a scene with the lovely Dolores Del Rio.


scvhistory


HISTORY / REDISCOVERY

"The Nazis confiscated the copy (now the only copy) of "Ramona" in the former Czechoslovakia, which they occupied in 1939,
and brought it (and countless other films) to Berlin. Next, when the Soviet Union liberated Berlin,
"Ramona" was removed to the Soviet film archive, Gosfilmofond, outside of Moscow. Then, after the fall of the Soviet Union,
Czech archivist Myrtil Frida found it in Gosfilmofond (now the State Film Fund of the Russian Federation)
and carried "Ramona" back to the Czech National Film Archive (Národní filmový archiv) in Prague."

So the film survived WWII and the fall of the Soviet Union.
__________________________________________


Roland Drew [1900 - 1988]



R.I.P.

[Krell58]

I found this video of some clips from the 1975 movie "Aloha Bobby and Rose".
About 5 min in there's the seedy looking Studio City hotel, and next to it are the Jewish War Veterans, and the Iron Horse Steaks steakhouse. Any ideas on this location? I'm thinking it's on Ventura at this google street view. 11745 Ventura Blvd
https://goo.gl/maps/R2TemRtWpRo
A while later is an Earl Schibe paint joint near an old Wil Wright ice cream store.

• Video Link

[Lorendoc]

Browsing through more Calisphere-located photos, I found this one:


Calisphere.org

...which was titled "Unidentified Street," taken in 1966. The only clue is the "Tanner Gray Line" office, which according to the CDs was at 1207 W. 3rd Street. That would make the cross-street Boylston and has us looking west up 3rd Street. There seem to be apartments on the south side of 3rd.

The Sanborn 1921 map here:


sanborn via lapl


...shows a 3-story apartment (the "Altamont") down 3rd Street on the south side, and the large Tanner Gray Line office/bus dispatch building is on the right.

Here is a modern view from a little further back, highlighting another of Geoff Palmer's creations, this one called the Visconti, where the Tanner Gray Line building stood once upon a time...


GSV

[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

That photograph you took on your recent hike was amazing BillinGlendaleCA. Thanking for sharing it with us.



I think it's a good possibility Sycamore Shade Lodge was located in this canyon ScottyB.


I didn't know this:

"Sycamore Canyon was a private game preserve for the wealthy Doheny family, and locked gates once barred entry to the canyon." link

Have we discussed this on NLA?

& imagine being rich enough to block off a whole canyon. (I think it sucks)
_________________



The game preserve is also mentioned in this second passage.

"It was originally named Canon de Sicomoro and was part of the original Verdugo Land Grant from the King of Spain.
In the early nineteen hundreds, the canyon was a private game preserve
for the Doheny family and the last bear shot was in 1906."

Surely there's a photograph somewhere (online) of the Doheny's hunting on their private game preserve. (if there is....I couldn't find it)
___________________________________________________________




I'll end with this photograph of a young man posed on a Sycamore tree in the Verdugo Park area. (that's close to Sycamore Canyon, right?)


New York Public Library

__

Thanks, it was a special view. I could see 4 of the channel islands and Mt. Palomar. I figured it was about 100 mile visibility. I did see links to Sycamore Canyon in Glendale when I did a Google search, but thought that was too far from Mt. Wilson and Mt. Lowe.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

For those who might be interested, Richard Neutra's under-threat Chuey Residence (2460 Sunset Plaza Drive), 1956, has been nominated for landmark status by the LA Conservancy

LA curbed on the home here (illustrated with some of Julius Shulman's 1960 photos)

Listing photos here


Also, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles' nomination to the have the Hollywood Reporter building (mentioned before on the thread) designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument was approved by the full City Council in November.

Subject home....


https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ProphetM

This photo is said to be downtown Los Angeles in 1920, taken from the Security Pacific National Bank collection. A friend of mine posted it to Facebook and I said I'd see if you guys could maybe figure out where it is. Any takers? The clearest sign I can see in the photo is for a place called Spear's.

That's Broadway looking north from 2nd Street. Here's a wider view from about 10 years later. I didn't find Spear's, but the blade sign just to the right of the foreground pole is for Mason's Opera House. On the left is the Frost Building.


USC Digital Library

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

We sure miss you on the thread. How's your other project going?

Thanks, e_r. I'm likely to busy with various others projects until after Christmas, but I'm enjoying being a daily reader of NLA, and I'll post whenever I can.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by Lorendoc

Browsing through more Calisphere-located photos, I found this one:


Calisphere.org

...which was titled "Unidentified Street, taken in 1966. The only clue is the "Tanner Grey Lines" offices, which accoring to the CDs were at 1207 W. 3rd Street. That would give the cross-street as Boyleston and has us looking west up 3rd Street. There seems to be apartments on the south side of 3rd.

A shorter version of the view below was posted by e_r in post #30554. It shows the Tanner Gray Lines building in full, with the Harbor Freeway in the bottom corner. The image is part of the 1955 Goodyear blimp set.


Detail of image in USC Digital Library

[unihikid]

Originally Posted by Lorendoc

Browsing through more Calisphere-located photos, I found this one:


Calisphere.org

...which was titled "Unidentified Street, taken in 1966. The only clue is the "Tanner Grey Lines" offices, which accoring to the CDs were at 1207 W. 3rd Street. That would give the cross-street as Boyleston and has us looking west up 3rd Street. There seems to be apartments on the south side of 3rd.

The Sanborn 1921 map here:


sanborn via lapl


shows a 3 story apartment (the "Altamount") down 3rd street on the south side, and a large Tanner-Greyhound office building/bus dispatch office is on the right.

Here is a modern view from a little further back, highlighting another of Geoff Palmer's creation, this one called the Visconti, where the Tanner/Grey Lines were once upon a time.


GSV

As always with this board this is way too cool. I wait at this intersection daily on my way to the office. I would never thought that this is what it used to look like. As many of you know, this area is just filled with gems. Curbed just ran a story on the development of Westlake/ McArthur Park...I know this is way east of the area but still a great little read.

https://la.curbed.com/maps/westlake-...e-construction

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Krell58

I found this video of some clips from the 1975 movie "Aloha Bobby and Rose".
About 5 min in there's the seedy looking Studio City hotel, and next to it are the Jewish War Veterans, and the Iron Horse Steaks steakhouse. Any ideas on this location? I'm thinking it's on Ventura at this google street view. 11745 Ventura Blvd
https://goo.gl/maps/R2TemRtWpRo
A while later is an Earl Scheib paint joint near an old Wil Wright ice cream store.
• Video Link
_________________________________________________________________

I enjoyed this video Krell58. I used to live in Studio City and I vaguely remember the Iron Horse name, but not specifically where it was located.

The video also has some other interesting things...

You first see the Hollywood sign in daylight followed by Hollywood Blvd. at night at the beginning, looking east from just past the Pantages, which is showing Don't Look in the Basement aka The Forgotten and Last House on the Left. As the camera pans down the blvd. you see the numerous street lights (that we've talked about on NLA before) with the orange/red stars on them lit up like they're all in a line, as the movie title appears. (They're lit so brightly you can hardly see the "stars" on them.)

A bit after the Studio City segment mentioned above we see a baby blue Volkswagen convertible that drives down Sunset Plaza Drive to Sunset Blvd. (where the Trocadero used to be located) and makes a right turn onto Sunset Blvd., again at night.

There's a drive down Sunset Blvd. with looks at several of the famous, and sometimes fantastic, music related billboards that used to be a staple on the strip. In this trip you'll see billboards related to Ringo, Neil Young, Billy Preston, Marvin Gaye billboard at Horn Ave., Elton John, Al Green, Steven Cohn, Electric Light Orchestra, Bette Midler and The Rolling Stones, interspersed with a few locations: Tower Records, Brian Auger marquee at the Whiskey A-Go-Go, The Roxy and The Rainbow.

This is followed by a quick shot driving west down Hollywood Blvd. going past the Hollywood Inn and the Egyptian Theatre playing Hello, Dolly. (A re-release?)

Good stuff, thanks!

[Flyingwedge]

My May 2015 post on this residence has a partial street view and a couple aerials,
but I believe we're still looking for good street view photos of the house.

I haven't found any yet either, but I think the following represents new-to-NLA info
on 321 S. Alvarado:





This is the Alvarado side of the house. I wonder if the turret on the right was really shaped like that?



July 26, 1903, Los Angeles Times @ ProQuest via LAPL

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by BillinGlendaleCA

I did see links to Sycamore Canyon in Glendale when I did a Google search, but thought that was too far from Mt. Wilson and Mt. Lowe.

I went back and reread the seller's description BGC. I forgot how precise it was.

"This would be in Sycamore Canyon in the local San Gabriel Mountains just above Pasadena here in Los Angeles County
and the area was very popular with hunting lodge places and recreation hiking and camping with Mt Lowe and Mt Wilson
and so many other trails locations and such. These places came and went through the decades with some wiped out due to a fire
or flood or just being abandoned."

Do you think it's possible the seller placed Sycamore Canyon "above Pasadena" because of the photographer's stamp.


__

[tovangar2]

Dunno if this is appropriate here, but I find hysterical headlines from the NYT tiresome:

"California Fires Enter the Heart of Los Angeles"

At least they didn't cap it off with an exclamation point.