noirish Los Angeles

[HossC]

Excellent post, FW.


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

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' location. [1950]


ebay

I wasn't able to find Maxwell's Cafe in any of the old directories.

We originally covered Maxwell's Cafe in September 2014. It was in the Currier Building at 214 West 3rd Street.

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I found this group of photographs of downtown Los Angeles several years ago on ebay. I just re-discovered them on an old CD of mine.
The seller didn't include dates or any other specific information. (which is why I hesitated to post them when I first found them)

#4

Here are a few follow-up posts, including some discussion about Out of Bounds/Off Limits places:

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/sho...ostcount=23793 - HossC

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/sho...ostcount=23801 - Lorendoc

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/sho...ostcount=23802 - FredH

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/sho...ostcount=23803 - MichaelRyerson

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/sho...ostcount=23805 - Lorendoc

https://forum.skyscraperpage.com/sho...ostcount=23806 - CityBoyDoug

[HossC]

I originally posted Julius Shulman pictures of the Sheats House in post #38154. That set was from 1963, this one is from 1980, and includes color images. It's "Job 5824: Sheats House (Beverly Hills, Calif.), 1980". I don't know what the wooden frame under the roof apex is - it's not on any of the other images



The second image in my original post shows a black & white version of this picture, so I think one of the 1980 shots must've got mixed in with those from 1963. The glass wall wasn't present when the house was first built.



Here's a closer look at the glass wall.



This area appears far more cluttered in 1980.



These colors aren't to my taste, but I like the hat selection.



Most of the black & white images duplicate the color ones, so I left them out. This one, however, shows a room which my original post showed from the other side. I'm including it because the skylight is open here. The furniture has changed since 1963.



All from Getty Research Institute

A follow-up to my original post by e_r showed the floor plan in post #38155.

This time I came across an interesting article about the house at theguardian.com.

[BifRayRock]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...74bfcb9348.jpg







Fingers and Dick Whittington point to the [mostly unpaved] roads of Beverly Hills Heights, circa 1925.
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/68955 ; http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...0coll2/id/4155 ; http://cdm16003.contentdm.oclc.org/c...0coll2/id/3914























http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/68955





WigWag says: "Be good to your mules!"














"Try the Best!" (Massey-Ferguson, Caterpillar and Allis-Chalmers are ok too!)



















A-Dobe












Impressive vista. If only some of it could remain.







P[acific] E[lectric] gas-powered bus.





http://waterandpower.org/7%20Histori...ve_1925(2).jpg






How many Santa Anas will the sign withstand?









I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.

[oldstuff]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's a rare family photograph I found a couple months ago on ancestry.com


"View of Edward I. McCray residence looking down Bronson Avenue in 1925."


ancestry.com

-note how Bronson becomes much narrower a bit farther south. (not sure if the McCray residence is still standing) -or any of the neighboring houses.

There's also a pretty large 'Tudor' style house in the upper right corner


I tried finding the photograph again, without success) I'm not a member of ancestry / & I can't recall how I accessed it. (I must have slipped thru a 'back door')

If I remember correctly, oldstuff is a member (of ancestry). Maybe she can check it out.

__

I did find that photo on Ancestry in a grouping of family photos. This particular house was probably built by Edward Ivor McCray, Sr. There are a long line of the same name, I find up to Edward Ivor McCray, V, at the present time. The response below your post says where it is located and that it is still there. Edward, Jr. was born in Australia in 1899 as his father had moved there to conduct his business. Edward, Sr came back to the US in around 1919 and Jr. who was in school in Australia, came back to the US around 1922, and it seems that the rest of the family came back as well around that time. The family appears at the house in the picture in around 1924. This was Edward, Sr., his wife, Edward, Jr. and his wife, and brother Ivar. They appear in the voter registrations for that year. By 1928 it appears that the elder Edward was there with sons Maurice, Robert and Alan.
Edward. Sr. died in 1930. Edward, Jr. and his wife appear to have moved back with the rest of the family after the death of his father. Edward, Jr. died in 1951. His mother outlived him, dying in 1954

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks so much for checking Ancestry oldstuff. I really appreciate it.

Bruce

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I think HossC is correct about 186 S. Alvarado.
The four second story windows in the garage line up perfectly with the later art deco version.

It was great to see this very nice lighted sign for the Barker Hotel on the side of the garage.
USC

In 1934, Clyde Porter was wrench'n on Packards and other motor vehicles at 1717 West 9th Street. This is would have been around the corner from Beacon Ave.

Has anyone offered a definitive explanation for the origin of the Beacon Ave name?

Originally Posted by Godzilla

Recent "Beacon" discussion beckons further inquiry. In San Pedro, the Beacon Street name is clearly derived from a (waterfront) navigational beacon. But what about further inland (e.g., Beacon Ave. near Olympic Blvd., close to MacArthur Park? Was there a "designated" "pre-Lindberg" beacon somewhere at or near Westlake or Bunker Hill? Guessing the Elks' 1925-Park Plaza Lodge had a beacon adorning its roof. Or, maybe there was a family named Beacon?



February 1927 - Beaux Arts Bldg. Eighth Street and Beacon [Ave] - 1709 W. 8th Street.




http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...oll44/id/91423

1926 West Eighth Street and Beacon Avenue





How many stars on the flag? Ans. below.





Look left.



Look right Hotel Dickinson - 743 S. Beacon Ave.




http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/73443









Later that same day . . . (?)
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/73443









A working window unit might be worth more than the price of gold.









GoogleSVU



GoogleSVU



Still Beacon Ave.


Structure located at 744 S. Beacon has been there since (at least) 1920.
GoogleSVU



Beacon Avenue Survivors.

800 Block
Google SVU



GoogleSVU



900 Block of Beacon Ave.


Rosemary Apts. 945 S Beacon Ave.



48 from 1912 (Az enters the Union) through 1959 (when Alaska becomes a State.) 49 for 1 year, until Hawaii becomes the 50th State. http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagfact.html

[ethereal_reality]

Can anyone tell me what's going on in front of the Biltmore Hotel? [3-13-43]


ebay

It's obviously some sort of demonstration.

-note the two people watching from their hotel room window at far left.



here's the stamp on the reverse

3-13-43 #271-H

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

Impressive vista. If only some of it could remain.



http://waterandpower.org/7%20Histori...ve_1925(2).jpg

Amazingly bucolic and open.


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...809af52329.jpg

[HossC]

A similar shot (enlarged slightly) from lighthouseantiques.net. The caption reads:

Breeches Buoy Demonstration, Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles c.1940's. Clear, close original 8” x 10” Official Coast Guard photo shows great detail as a young lady rides the breeches buoy during a Coast Guard demonstration while a large crowd including many military, looks on. Possibly done as part of a War Bond drive. Good view of the breeches buoy apparatus including hawser, crotch pole and more. Clear and close view. Dated March 13, 1943.

lighthouseantiques.net

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks Hoss!


www.maritime.org

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by oldstuff

I did find that photo on Ancestry in a grouping of family photos. This particular house was probably built by Edward Ivor McCray, Sr. There are a long line of the same name, I find up to Edward Ivor McCray, V, at the present time. The response below your post says where it is located and that it is still there. Edward, Jr. was born in Australia in 1899 as his father had moved there to conduct his business. Edward, Sr came back to the US in around 1919 and Jr. who was in school in Australia, came back to the US around 1922, and it seems that the rest of the family came back as well around that time. The family appears at the house in the picture in around 1924. This was Edward, Sr., his wife, Edward, Jr. and his wife, and brother Ivar. They appear in the voter registrations for that year. By 1928 it appears that the elder Edward was there with sons Maurice, Robert and Alan.
Edward. Sr. died in 1930. Edward, Jr. and his wife appear to have moved back with the rest of the family after the death of his father. Edward, Jr. died in 1951. His mother outlived him, dying in 1954

Thank you oldstuff. With your info, I found a photo of Mr McCray, Sr:

findagrave

His Find-A-Grave memorial mentions the family business was McCray Bros Oil and that he was one of the founders of El Segundo, but I can't confirm that at any other site.

His wife, Elizabeth Annie McCray was listed as the owner on a November 1939 permit to have work done at the family home:

"Change ornamental pillars under front porch by removing cracked plaster molds and replacing with straight stucco columns"


The MLS photos don't show the porch.




Another era at 2151 Hollyridge Dr:

Chuck Berry (60) at his Los Angeles home w/ friends, 1986, at the time of the making of "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" (1987):

Terry O'Neill / Billboard

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

Here's Bellflower Boulevard at Mayne Street on June 2, 1961. The Bellflower/Nubel/Holiday Theater is visible in the distance.


LAPL

Hoss, here's the Nubel in 1956.


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...34d6c730c9.jpg



And in living color....


http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3580/photos

"Originally opened in 1929 as the Bellflower Theatre it was built for and operated by Frank E. Woodruff. seating was provided for 900, all on a single floor.
In 1949 it was remodeled and a balcony was installed, increasing the seating capacity to 1,150 and it was renamed Nubel Theatre." -W. Gabel





And finally, here's a view similar to Hoss' top pic, except the theater is now the 'Holiday'.



The Bobbie Lynn sign caught my eye. I wonder if was a tiki-themed cocktail lounge...or something similarly 'noirish'.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

The Bobbie Lynn sign caught my eye. I wonder if was a tiki-themed cocktail lounge...or something similarly 'noirish'.

Nah, women's sportswear.

"Many of the family-run businesses, like Hill's, Bobbie Lynn, Gumms Shoe Emporium and Thompson's Furniture Store, opened shop in Bellflower in the early 1920s, creating a tightly knit group of downtown merchants."
LAT

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

1901 photo looking northwest across Westlake Avenue, just below Ocean View.



486892 at HDL

Excellent post Flyingwedge.

I noticed the real estate billboard to the left of the horse's head, so I thought I'd look up Flint in the 1901 City Directory.


http://rescarta.lapl.org

So he lived at 1221 Orange, right? (I'm not sure what 'bds' stands for)

it's not listed in the 1901 abbreviations.


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




By 1905 he's living at 22 Chester Place.


lapl

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Excellent post Flyingwedge.

I noticed the real estate billboard to the left of the horse's head, so I thought I'd look up Flint in the 1901 City Directory.


http://rescarta.lapl.org

So he lived at 1221 Orange, right? (I'm not sure what 'bds' stands for)

you see, bds isn't listed in the 1901 abbreviations


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

By 1905 he's living at 22 Chester Place.


lapl

Thanks, e_r and Hoss.

1221 Orange was the home of O. T. Johnson (at left here). On January 12, 1899, Frederick W. Flint, Jr., married O. T. Johnson's
daughter, Katharine, at the Johnson home.



January 13, 1899 LA Times @ ProQuest via LAPL


I believe bds stands for beds. As in, "sleeps there but doesn't own the place," I guess. However, I thought bds was more often
used to note someone living at a rooming house.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

That's 10889 Wilshire between Westwood Blvd and Glendon Ave.
Claud Beelman designed it. Armand Hammer's Occidental Petroleum was in it 1968-2014.

Thanks for solving last night's mystery slide t2. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=40719






Here are two more slides dated 1962. (Debi1965 is the watermark, not the date)

#1

ebay

Above: The first slide is definitely of Westwood. ("Westwood Shoe Mart" is the give-away )






Below: The 2nd slide is merely described as "Los Angeles" (but I'm pretty sure it's of Westwood as well)

#2

ebay

But I haven't been able to pinpoint which street(s).
__

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...3D322455673494

[HossC]

I found a 1963 advert for Westwood Shoe Mart which lists the address as 1132 Westwood Boulevard. The large store under the "KIRK DRUG" sign was Schock Stationers at 1120 Westwood Boulevard, with Papermaster's Pharmacy (surely a better name for the stationers ) next door at 1122, and Village Music at 1124. The store at 1126 is just listed as Westwood One Hour Dry Cleaners in the 1958/1959 Westwood CD, but there's a longer name on the 1962 image. Kirk Walgreen Drug was at 1100 Westwood Boulevard. I think the building below is the one which housed Westwood Shoe Mart.


GSV

The second photo is one block north. The Nobby Knit Shop was at 1056 Westwood Boulevard, with See's Candies at 1050. The larger building under the "De" of the watermark was JJ Newberry at 1028 Westwood Boulevard. It's the one in the GSV image below.


GSV

Here's an earlier view of JJ Newberry looking back from the other direction.


USC Digital Library

[ethereal_reality]

Excellent sleuthing Hoss!

I love that last photograph by the way.

[ethereal_reality]

I could be wrong (that's been known to happen ), but I believe this 1886 photograph is new to NLA.





You can check it out here:
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/RARE-Vintage-...QAAOxySoJTWtZ9


Here's a closer look. I really like seeing all the people on the sidewalk.



What kind of trees are on the right with the gnarly trunks--------> Pepper?

__

[ethereal_reality]

Here's another early photograph....this one is dated four years later, 1890.


ebay

I looked up Cardesty in the city directories without success.





Here's a closer look at the mother with her children. (I suppose that's who it is)


detail

The little girl is hugging a doll, and the boy behind the baby carriage is sporting a magnificently detailed jacket.

__