noirish Los Angeles

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

The color in this Kodachrome slide from the 1940s is spectacular.


eBay

I feel like I should know where this is, but at the moment it escapes me.

It's hard to get the same perspective with GSV, but Packard Paint & Body Repair was at 110 Glendale Blvd....

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks GW.
..............................................................................................

http://ochistorical.blogspot.com/201...una-beach.html

Bob Baker Marionette's visiting Laguna Beach in 1964.
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[HenryHuntington]

It would be fun to figure out the location but I don't believe there are enough clues.

LATL's Division 3 Car House at Ave. 28 and Idell St.

It's hard to get the same perspective with GSV, but Packard Paint & Body Repair was at 110 Glendale Blvd....


For a bit more context, PE 5162 is leaving Toluca Yard at the mouth of the PE Subway (now referred to as the "Belmont Tunnel") and is entering Glendale Blvd. at W. 2nd St. Beverly Blvd. crosses over the intersection on the viaduct. The car is outbound to Beverly Hills, and the color saturation is indeed spectacular.

[Wig-Wag]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

It's hard to get the same perspective with GSV, but Packard Paint & Body Repair was at 110 Glendale Blvd....

GW, to ad a bit more to Henry Huntington's post above, here is a Google street view showing the overpass support column seen to the rear of the streetcar seen in the slide. Location is Toluca Ave. and West 2nd st. Your GSV shot is to the west at Glendale and Lucas Ave.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Be...653e28fc364c28

The railing seen in the foreground of the slide can be seen on this page (Behind the Fords and Blue Simca!) in a period view shot from the the Beverly Boulevard overpass:
http://www.pacificelectric.org/pacif...ck-ticks-away/

Cheers,
Jack

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

While we're in the area, I wanted to ask about a former Bank of America that's just a block or so south on Crenshaw.

Today it is a liquor store called 'The Liquor Bank'.

I know it was a B of A because if you look closely the Bank of America Clipper Ship is visible on the deco pylon (see below)


detail

Surely we've visited this former bank on NLA, but I haven't been able to find any previous posts.
Was it one of your Bank of America Shulman photos Hoss, and I just forgot?

Nice job spotting the clipper, e_r. I pretty sure we haven't covered this branch of Bank of America yet, and I'm yet to locate any photos. I didn't check the building records, but the Crenshaw-Stocker Branch of the Bank of America is listed at 3600 Stocker Street in the 1956 CD. This article from the LA Times says that it became a branch of Founders National Bank in 1993:

Founders National Bank has opened two new branches, bringing to fruition a deal it made last January when it bought two sites from Bank of America that were to be closed.

The branches, at Crenshaw Boulevard and Stocker Street and at Western Avenue and 43rd Street, bring the number of Founders branches to five. The other branches are in the Crenshaw district on King Boulevard, in Compton and Gardena.

The banks are equipped with automated teller machines, and will have a 24-hour customer service phone number by Friday that will provide information such as balances and transactions, said Jenkins.

Founders purchased the two branches from Bank of America in a deal that included the acquisition of $16 million in deposits and $2 million in loan assets from customers at the Crenshaw-Stocker branch. Founders acquired only the building at 43rd Street and Western Avenue. With refurbishing done, Founders President Carlton Jenkins said, the branch only needs customers.

[HossC]

I've been humming a certain Zager and Evans song since I saw that this was Julius Shulman's job 2525! The photoset actually contains two images of the Union Oil Company Building as it gets dark. On the left are the Monarch Hotel and the Hotel St Paul, with the Shell building in between. As I've already mentioned, this is "Job 2525: Pereira & Luckman, Union Oil Company Building (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1958".





All from Getty Research Institute

Usually I post black & white Julius Shulman images followed by a color "now" shot. This time the Shulman images are color, so I found a black & white image of the apartment building under the Hotel St Paul. It's the 1913 Walgrove Apartments at 427 S Figueroa, and the only previous mentions I can find are in e_r's post #31001 and Flyingwedge's post #32194. Unsurprisingly, the apartments didn't survive much longer after the images above were taken - the demo permit is dated 1963. Here's a shot from 1941.


USC Digital Library

[ethereal_reality]

Oh my, that first color Shulman photograph is now one of my all time favorites Hoss.
At first, I thought we were looking at the Department of Water and Power building. (instead of Union Oil)


I thought I'd have a little fun with the photograph and see how 'noirish' I could make it look.


apologies to Mr. Shulman.

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[austlar1]

Never knew about The Monarch. I imagine it has been discussed elsewhere on this forum, but here is a link with lots of information about this lost deco beauty. http://www.onbunkerhill.org/themonarch/

[ethereal_reality]

Here's a pretty good photo of the Monarch Hotel austlar1.

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

The Monarch Hotel at 5th & Figueroa, in 1928.


usc digital archive



matchbook/ebay

Yes, the Monarch was very cool.


eBay

A car crashed into that burnt umber/pink neon corner bar (shown above ) in 1957.


Here's the crash.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/94547/rec/1

[ethereal_reality]

1959 ORIGINAL slide, June 1959

I'm not entirely sure where this was taken.


found on ebay

it's narrow because I cropped off a large green watermark at the bottom.


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[GaylordWilshire]

This is in Long Beach-- I'm pretty sure we've tracked the Plaza Hotel down before, not that our dandy search feature is making things easy....


Here's the same PE car in an altercation with a 6-cylinder '55 Ford...

PERyHS

"A baby-blue 1955 Ford meets an untimely demise at the prow of northbound Metropolitan Transit Authority (ex-Pacific Electric) blimp interurban no. 1537 at the intersection of American Avenue and 16th Street in Long Beach on January 11, 1959, around 330PM."


PS
Found another view of another Red Car in the same place-- with full details:

Topix

"This photo shows a PE Red Car traveling westbound Ocean Blvd. approaching Golden Avenue. The Plaza Hotel/Apartments at 625 West Ocean Blvd can be seen to the rear of the carriage. Note the Fleet Locker Club building with its cafe at 601 West Ocean at the corner of Daisy Ave. Beyond, to the West of Magnolia Ave, can be seen the county courthouse building during its construction."

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

While we're in the area, I wanted to ask about a former Bank of America that's just a block or so south on Crenshaw.

Today it is a liquor store called 'The Liquor Bank'.

I know it was a B of A because if you look closely the Bank of America Clipper Ship is visible on the deco pylon (see below)


detail

Surely we've visited this former bank on NLA, but I haven't been able to find any previous posts.
Was it one of your Bank of America Shulman photos Hoss, and I just forgot?

Originally Posted by HossC

Nice job spotting the clipper, e_r. I pretty sure we haven't covered this branch of Bank of America yet, and I'm yet to locate any photos. I didn't check the building records, but the Crenshaw-Stocker Branch of the Bank of America is listed at 3600 Stocker Street in the 1956 CD. This article from the LA Times says that it became a branch of Founders National Bank in 1993:

Founders National Bank has opened two new branches, bringing to fruition a deal it made last January when it bought two sites from Bank of America that were to be closed.

The branches, at Crenshaw Boulevard and Stocker Street and at Western Avenue and 43rd Street, bring the number of Founders branches to five. The other branches are in the Crenshaw district on King Boulevard, in Compton and Gardena.

The banks are equipped with automated teller machines, and will have a 24-hour customer service phone number by Friday that will provide information such as balances and transactions, said Jenkins.

Founders purchased the two branches from Bank of America in a deal that included the acquisition of $16 million in deposits and $2 million in loan assets from customers at the Crenshaw-Stocker branch. Founders acquired only the building at 43rd Street and Western Avenue. With refurbishing done, Founders President Carlton Jenkins said, the branch only needs customers.

A couple of items illustrating the volatile '70s and the transition of the Crenshaw district:


LAT Nov 3, 1971


Los Angeles Sentinel Oct 13, 1977

[Noircitydame]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's a pretty good photo of the Monarch Hotel austlar1.



Yes, the Monarch was very cool.

More Monarch:

CSL has this similar view (1929, misdated 1928 there also), no umbrella on the upper roof. The newsboy is there but farther back from the corner and the vacant lot up the hill can be seen. The bar came later, after Repeal.
csl

Detail of the 5th St. entrance
csl


October 1929 ad for the Monarch. The 5 room "bungalow on the roof" was clearly the place to be.
lat

They had me at "Home in the sky." Just give me time to sell some stock so I can make the rent.
10-10-1929 lat

CSL dates this view, 5th & Fremont, to 1952:
csl

[HossC]

After yesterday's mention of the Monarch Hotel, I also went looking for more pictures. In the process, I stumbled across this set of 10 photos of the Harbor Freeway under construction in 1951. It seems to pre-date most of the construction photos we've seen, including a great 1952 set posted by e_r in post #2295. I originally planned to post a selection, but couldn't decide which ones to leave out!
NB. I adjusted the contrast of the background in several of these images to show more detail.

The building under construction in this first image must be the Statler Hotel.



The intersection with the Hollywood Freeway.



Here are several of the buildings from yestersday's Julius Shulman post.



Looking through to City Hall. That ladder near the bottom looks a little short!



The Lobban Apartments on the right were at 1030 W 8th Street. As far as I can tell, they survived the freeway construction.



This must be the 3rd Street bridge.



Another shot of the Statler with the Rex Arms in front.



This one shows LAPL and the Richfield Building amongst others.



At last, the Monarch Hotel I was looking for in the first place! It is actually visible in the shot above, but blends into the Richfield.



The final image also shows the Monarch. There's a wealth of familiar buildings in the background, which I'm sure I don't need to name.



All from USC Digital Library

[MichaelRyerson]

Originally Posted by HossC

After yesterday's mention of the Monarch Hotel, I also went looking for more pictures. In the process, I stumbled across this set of 10 photos of the Harbor Freeway under construction in 1951. It seems to pre-date most of the construction photos we've seen, including a great 1952 set posted by e_r in post #2295. I originally planned to post a selection, but couldn't decide which ones to leave out!
NB. I adjusted the contrast of the background in several of these images to show more detail.

The final image also shows the Monarch. There's a wealth of familiar buildings in the background, which I'm sure I don't need to name.



All from USC Digital Library

Your final image has a good angle on the Castle Tower Apartments. Enlargeable in the archive.


Castle Tower Apartments, 1951

[ethereal_reality]

Good eye Michael Ryerson. -note the laundry out on the line.

The 10 photo set from 1951 is a great find Hoss!
I happened across the photos as well but you beat me to the punch.


below: So what is this cliff with the hole? -where the man is standing. (also note the ghost-like City Hall looming in the distance) -so cool.




I don't understand why there is re-bar in it. What the heck was it?






& I couldn't help but notice this tattered broadside. (from the photo above)


detail

Does anyone recognize that mustache? (I believe that might be city hall behind his right shoulder)

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[HossC]

I also wondered about the re-bar. Could it have been part of a retaining wall?

The Castle Tower Apartments also appear in this 1952 view. It's a good job we're not still looking for the Hildreth's carriage house - it's just out of shot on both images! The Walgrove Apartments make another appearance just across the freeway on the right.


USC Digital Library

Here's roughly the same view in late 2014.


GSV

[ethereal_reality]

yeah, the re-bar has me flummoxed Hoss. At first I thought it was a natural mound they were leveling, then out popped the re-bar.



once more.

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

-- with full details:

"This photo shows a PE Red Car traveling westbound Ocean Blvd. approaching Golden Avenue. The Plaza Hotel/Apartments at 625 West Ocean Blvd can be seen to the rear of the carriage. Note the Fleet Locker Club building with its cafe at 601 West Ocean at the corner of Daisy Ave. Beyond, to the West of Magnolia Ave, can be seen the county courthouse building during its construction."

Thanks for the information GW.

Now-a-days neither Golden or Daisy Avenues reach Ocean Blvd.

I've been trying to see the Fleet Locker Club & Cafe mentioned in the description to no avail. (I guess it might be the turquoise building mid-way down the street)

...but I was able to find this matchbook.


eBay



here's the second photo posted by GW. (I've enlarged it a bit)


I hadn't noticed the Heliport sign before (far right)---->

so was this a public heliport

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[MichaelRyerson]

Yeah, my best guess is the rebar is an old building/retaining wall now gone in anticipation of the entire site being excavated for the coming freeway right-of-way. I think this guy is standing in the right lane of the northbound Harbor Fwy (although likely twenty feet or so above the freeway). The Hildreth carriage house is nearly as elusive as the Wilshire streamline moderne. Couple of unicorns.

[HossC]

You're My Everything may be in Technicolor, but we're back to black & white images from Julius Shulman. There was a link to this photoset of the Baldwin Hills Theatre posted by srk1941 (aka Steven Keylon) in post #31988, but I don't think we've ever seen the pictures on NLA. The description says that it was "Also known as Baldwin Village Theater." This is "Job 548: Lewis Eugene Wilson, Baldwin Hills Theater (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1949, 1950"



Here's a daytime shot taken on a different date.



Underneath the arches.



And finally, the auditorium.



All from Getty Research Institute

The theater was at 3741 S La Brea Avenue. A site called Los Angeles Movie Palaces has these pictures and more, plus a load of extra information and links. In the "Status" section it says:

"Closed as a theatre in 1994. A year later the Magic Johnson multiplex opened nearby. The auditorium remains, converted to office space. The front has been demolished and replaced by a branch bank."

Here's a recent picture showing the extant auditorium and Chase Bank which replaced the entrance. It would be interesting to see pictures of the office space.


GSV