noirish Los Angeles

[belmont bob]

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

Thomas Starr King Middle School, 1929

Aerial view of King Junior High School from the southeast in November 1929.
King Middle School is a public school that has been educating students from the Franklin Hills, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Hollywood neighborhoods since 1926. In 1995, Thomas Starr King Junior High School reconfigured to a 6th through 8th middle school; it has approximately 2,854 students. In September of 1996, the school community established a strict dress code and uniform policy that states that the school uniform must be worn while attending school, intersession or during school-sponsored activities. It is a year-round school, which runs on three tracks. Tracks B and C start at the beginning of July, and Track A begins at the end of August. Thomas Starr King (1824-1864) was a Unitarian minister, orator, teacher, activist for social justice, and ardent patriot.

LAPL

Michael….bless you. I had a copy of this photo and lost it along with a handful of other memories in a computer crash a few years ago. There was also one or two shots from the front of the buildings. The only thing missing from this is the new gym that was built on the west side of Myra Ave. As near as I can tell along with that newer gym, the only part of the original school left standing is the cafeteria/home economics bldg on the lower right. The two story and single story appendage on the lower left side were not part of the original building, but followed soon after. For lack of a gym, a portion of the shop building to the upper right housed the locker rooms and all PE was held outside.
My father was a year too old to be amongst the initial class here and went to Belmont HS which was four year school then. My mother being a year younger did go to King. Among the teachers she had was a Miss Clark, who taught math as I recall. My older brother and I also had Miss Clark as we passed through the school. She was shall we say a little unconventional in her thought processes and she was one of those few unforgettable characters we come across during our lives who may not have been an influence, but rather an eccentricity that lives with us forever. Her span over mother to sons was from 1927 through to 1952. Does this make little old Miss Clark a noirism spirit?

Michael, I see on your Flickr page you have the street view during contruction. This appears to be taking place as the shop wing is being construted on the left and the two story extension is yet to exist.

[Mr.Swink]

Drove by Alvarado Terrace couldn't resist taking a few photos. I know the Terrace has been posted about before but more pics never hurt right?

I love the tower and porch...












Ok I feel like that is enough Alvarado Terrace Spam.

[GaylordWilshire]

GREAT shots, Mr. Swink.

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Wow, Thomas Starr King (1824-1864), "activist for social justice", must be spinning in his grave.
In my long association with LAUSD schools, I am continually amazed that staff, on occasion, think their prejudices and desire for control trump both State and Federal law plus official LAUSD policy. What exactly are they trying to teach the students in this instance? I'll send KMS and the District an email.

I'm not as sure as you are that Thomas Starr King would be spinning all that fast, tovangar. I think that if he were to return from the dead after nearly 150 years and get a load of the social conditions of today, particularly in terms of public education, he might not think uniforms were such a bad idea. I don't. I do wonder what he might have thought of separate boys' and girls' entrances and of the Indian statue on the grounds... is it still there?


LAPL

LAPL
Library caption: "Statue at Thomas Starr King Junior High School at 4201 Fountain Avenue. The figure, a composite of North American Indian types, expresses the sullen acceptance of the fate imposed by the white man. It was sculpted by Djey el Djey, sculptor, and placed in the summer of 1936. It is called 'The Vanquished Race.' Photo circa, 1937."

[belmont bob]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

GREAT shots, Mr. Swink.





I'm not as sure as you are that Thomas Starr King would be spinning all that fast, tovangar. I think that if he were to return from the dead after nearly 150 years and get a load of the social conditions of today, particularly in terms of public education, he might not think uniforms were such a bad idea. I don't. I do wonder what he might have thought of separate boys' and girls' entrances and of the Indian statue on the grounds... is it still there?


LAPL

LAPL
Library caption: "Statue at Thomas Starr King Junior High School at 4201 Fountain Avenue. The figure, a composite of North American Indian types, expresses the sullen acceptance of the fate imposed by the white man. It was sculpted by Djey el Djey, sculptor, and placed in the summer of 1936. It is called 'The Vanquished Race.' Photo circa, 1937."

That’s Chief Itchytoe! I think the gym is still there...the Chief??? no idea

[MichaelRyerson]

Thomas Starr King Junior High School

Exterior view of Thomas Starr King Junior High School, located at 4201 Fountain Avenue. Photo dated: September 11, 1926.

LAPL



Thomas Star King Junior High, Los Feliz, 1938, Herman J. Schultheis

View of the Spanish style Thomas Star King Junior High from Myra. Today the school buildings no longer have arched windows and tile roofs.

LAPL



Vanquished, 1938

Djey El Djey, whose real name was Djey Owens, sculpted the Native American in “The Vanquished Race” after it was commissioned in 1936. Djey also worked on the “Astronomers Monument” at Griffith Observatory. Those two projects were the largest projects he worked on in the WPA. “The Vanquished Race” is at the Thomas Starr King Middle School. The figure is six feet tall and is cast from concrete. Djey completed this project in 1938 and in 2000 the school was given ten thousand dollars in order to protect the sculpture. The Los Angeles Unified School District owns the sculpture. The sculpture is located at 4201 Fountain Avenue

The New Deal in Los Angeles

A closer inspection of the pose gives a hint of why the kids call him 'itchy toe'.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

GREAT shots, Mr. Swink.
I'm not as sure as you are that Thomas Starr King would be spinning all that fast, tovangar. I think that if he were to return from the dead after nearly 150 years and get a load of the social conditions of today, particularly in terms of public education, he might not think uniforms were such a bad idea. I don't.

It wasn't about the relative merits of school uniforms GW, but about peoples' rights under the law. KMS has the legal responsibility to inform students and parents of their rights re this subject, but they have instead chosen to keep knowledge of those rights hidden while simultaneously installing policies that deny those rights. An ugly business whenever it happens.

But, BTW, I'm not a fan of school uniforms. The District's dress policy covers everything reasonable. Children not being required to wear uniforms is not IMHO what's wrong with education.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by Mr.Swink

Thx for the great view of #1406, an old haunt of architect Irving Gill.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=11815

This 1902 house sold on 6 Feb, 2013 for $450K.

[Hollywood Graham]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

http://www.theblackdahliainhollywood.com/




matchbook/ebay



The same view today.


gsv


I didn't realize the Club Zarape/Elite Market building still stood.
Is it the green and orange nightmare in the middle? -help.


gsv
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OMG, They did a lot of remodeling it looks like, not for the best in my estimation. Glad I knew the place before. Thanks for the matchbook cover and update photo. I will go throw up now.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by belmont bob

That’s Chief Itchytoe!

LOL -now that's funny!




This wonderful photograph was taken at Wilshire Blvd. and Western Ave. in 1929.


ebay




Flyers 'Buzz' Harrison and Marjorie Crawford. (I'm trying to read the name on that billboard but the damn propeller is in the way)


detail






quite a cast of characters


detail




reverse




Excellent photographs of Alvarado Terrace Mr. Swink!!

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[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

LAPL
Library caption: "Statue at Thomas Starr King Junior High School at 4201 Fountain Avenue. The figure, a composite of North American Indian types, expresses the sullen acceptance of the fate imposed by the white man. It was sculpted by Djey el Djey, sculptor, and placed in the summer of 1936. It is called 'The Vanquished Race.' Photo circa, 1937."

As to the above, it seems like a "romantic" bit of Anglo wishful-thinking. Even Carey McWilliams, while pulling no punches when describing the horrific treatment meted out to the indigenous population, ended up calling them "eradicated". However, I doubt various government entities and developers who have run up against the Tongva's many successful legal challenges to their proposed activities would characterize them as "vanquished" or "eradicated", though they call them plenty of other things.

And anyway is celebrating the supposed vanquishing of a race a laudable thing to be doing, especially at a school and which, no doubt, has members of that race as students?

[Mr.Swink]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Thx for the great view of #1406, an old haunt of architect Irving Gill.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=11815

This 1902 house sold on 6 Feb, 2013 for $450K.

Thanks Tovangar, reading up on Irving Gill after reading your post. And catching up on the other Irving Gill posts on here... He sure didn't live in structures like the ones he designed.

$450K doesn't actually seems that bad for such a large house in a historic neighborhood in Los Angeles. But then again I wonder what it was built for in 1902?

And by coincidence I snapped a shot of that other house along Hoover, where Irving Jill had lived, that was mentioned in an earlier post.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Mr.Swink

Alvarado Terrace

I just had to share this with you Mr. Swink.


ebay

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[tovangar2]

Is there no way to make the present system of erosion impediment less unsightly? Could it be pierced and planted? One sees this all over town. Even scenic La Jolla has had it's famous cliffs disfigured with the stuff.


gsv

[Graybeard]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I didn't realize the Club Zarape/Elite Market building still stood.
Is it the green and orange nightmare in the middle? -help.


gsv

Has the hillside been painted? I can't tell what I'm looking at above the building.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by Mr.Swink

Thanks Tovangar, reading up on Irving Gill after reading your post. And catching up on the other Irving Gill posts on here... He sure didn't live in structures like the ones he designed.

$450K doesn't actually seem that bad for such a large house in a historic neighborhood in Los Angeles. But then again I wonder what it was built for in 1902?

And by coincidence I snapped a shot of that other house along Hoover, where Irving Gill had lived, that was mentioned in an earlier post.

GaylordWilshire corrected that second one for us. Gill actually lived in the house next door (now replaced by modern apartments) to the peach one.

1507 South Hoover (on the right margin), one-time residence of "Jack" Gill.

lapl (first posted here by GW)


I wouldn't want to be responsible for the maintenance on a large 100+-year-old frame building even if it was relatively inexpensive to buy.
I guess 1402 Alvarado Terrace was built as a single-family home. It has 7 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Gill was just a roomer. He never bought or built a house for himself.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by Graybeard

Has the hillside been painted? I can't tell what I'm looking at above the building.

No, it's some spray-on gunk (concrete?). I think they cover exposed hillsides in metal mesh first and then let loose with the sprayer. There's a lot of it about, all ugly.

[Graybeard]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

No, it's some spray-on gunk (concrete?). I think they cover exposed hillsides in metal mesh first and then let loose with the sprayer. There's a lot of it about, all ugly.

Gunite, yeah I can see that now. Thanks.

[Mr.Swink]

E.R., thanks for posting the old photo of 1345 Alvarado Terrace. After shooting the photos of Alvarado Terrace today, I couldn't help but walk around the neighborhood for an hour and two blocks to the west just past Hoover Street is Arapahoe Street with these homes...

[Graybeard]

This house is fantastic. It's good to see there are still bits of history so well preserved.

[ethereal_reality]

I agree, except for that unfortunate stone fence.
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I thought all the more 'famous' adobes were down in old Sonora Town (Los Angeles).Was this actually located in Hollywood or is this a typo?


ebay

I'll have to google the 'Treaty of Peace'.

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