noirish Los Angeles

[tovangar2]

Thanks for the shot of the 800 block of S Bonnie Brae. The houses weren't all so amazing as the two that are left.

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Some sources say this shot was taken on Wilshire Boulevard, but the streetlamps aren't Specials...maybe west of Fairfax?

The LA Times says this is Wilshire entering the City of Santa Monica (that would be at Centinela Ave). Motorists are being reminded to dim their lights per blackout regs.

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Can't explain overlooking your post. Sorry.

Here's the larger version of a noir that you recently posted. (Thanks T2)


https://latimesphoto.files.wordpress...utstop1940.jpg

[tovangar2]

I guess I have a soft spot for modest Hollywood hotels. The most modest of all is the Las Palmas at 1738 Las Palmas between Yucca and Hollywood Blvd. Opened in 1926 and last renovated in 1937, it's relentlessly plain, apart from the quoins at the corners and the tiny regency cap over the front door. Originally it had a somewhat-grand awning to the right of the entrance.


wikimapia (detail)

The Las Palmas lost its north-facing sign but gained some great understated neon on the rooftop, facing Hollywood Blvd (it's still there):

Jim McHugh

Up until circa 1990 the Las Palmas had a free-standing neon sign at the sidewalk. I'm not sure when it was added, maybe at the '37 remodel:

touchstone pictures, "pretty woman" (1990)

The neon out in front was replaced by a generic back-lit sign:

seeing-stars

Also the multi-paned metal casement windows were replaced with aluminum sliders, but that's about it for the exterior.

The hotel had its fifteen minutes of movie fame 25 years ago and, even though a number of sight-seeing buses cruise by every day, it hasn't gone to management's head. They only charge $40 per night or $195 per week.

The Las Palmas shares the block with the building at No. 1710 that was once the Swing Club, then the Bar Deluxe, then the Premiere Supper Club, now the TorosLocos. e_r did a post on the1937 fire when it was the "ultra-ultra" Swing Club.
It was apparently pretty ritzy in its time:

big maps blog

A man was shot and killed outside the former Swing Club in February this year and another, according to e_r's post, in March 2014..

Just down and around the corner from the Las Palmas Hotel is S Charles Lee's Vogue Theater (now much altered) supposed home of 28 ghosts:

californiastatelibrary

Two doors along from the Vogue is Musso and Frank's:

tabletalk

So, all in all, the Las Palmas Hotel is not in a bad location. Not that it's not been touched by noir, Lemster2024 gave us the lowdown on some grim days in 1958

Last May somebody got killed on the sidewalk outside the hotel. (I'm always a little suspicious when the cops find the body):

nbclosangeles

Champion Real Estate bought the parking lot south of the Las Palmas for about $10 million in 2012. They've been trying to get a mixed-use project off the ground ever since. I guess investors are shying away because of the murder rate in those parts:

gsv

That's Leland Bryant's 1928 Fontenoy in the distance in the photo above (to the right of the Las Palmas). Not the same clientele at all:

swelgroup

The plain north wall of the Las Palmas adjoins a park:

gsv


wikimapia

I find neon very compelling:
nbclosangeles

[GaylordWilshire]

USCDL

1811 Whitley Avenue

The Fontenoy—and William Castle:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=1927



Colorized Hollywood, ca 1960:

imbuedwithhues.com

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Mstimc

E-R, appearntly, you're not the only one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZlOn9V_MmE

Thanks for the link Mstimc.

I'm so glad the 'brontosaurus stampede' in Peter Jackson's King Kong made the list (at #6).
That scene was when I finally decided, enough is enough with all this ridiculous over-the-top CGI.
It was absurd on every level.


http://www.devils-lair.org/litterb0x/blog13.php


http://www.devils-lair.org/litterb0x/blog13.php



....and then there was this.

"Now Jackson decided if one T-Rex fighting Kong was great (like in the 1933 version) how about three?
And wouldn't it be awesome if they fell down a crevasse and continued fighting while hanging from vines?
To me this is the eight year old Jackson remembering playing with his toys as a kid, and just throwing shit together
to make it more awesome."

http://manapop.com/musing/kong-a-comparison/

so true.


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[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

USCDL

1811 Whitley Avenue

After that nice house got demolished the Fontenoy put in a pool:

gsv





2 pix above
swelgroup
(click link for a 360 of a somewhat-ineptly furnished lobby)


C Waldo Powers' 1930 Fleur de Lis next door to the north has the same owner. Swelgroup owns many of the grand old apartment buildings.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Here is a comparison shot of 118 Winston Street as seen in The Sting as the Western Union Office.


Yuri G.[/url]

Yuri G.

That comparison shot is extremely cool Martin_Pal.....as were the other 'Sting' comparison photos you posted.
-much better than just a link.
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My photographs are missing due to a technical issue at imageshack. -sorry

One other thing that intrigued me about 118 Winston Street, was the ramp to the left of the building. I had to ask myself, where the heck does this lead to?


gsv




below: As far as I could tell, it led to the roof of the one-story building behind 118 Winston, but I wasn't sure.



http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...ic-past-158563




I finally found some clarification in these scenes from 'Southland', season 2, episode 6.


http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2011/1...6-maximum.html


http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2011/1...6-maximum.html


http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2011/1...6-maximum.html

(note the many 'ghost' signs. I'd love to decipher these in the future)


http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2011/1...6-maximum.html


Hey, there's the Rosslyn!

http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2011/1...6-maximum.html



For me, this the most intriguing screen-grab. What is that intriguing brick building across Indian Alley?


http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2011/1...6-maximum.html


As far as I can tell, this is the back of the 700-seat Regent Theater (1926) that faces Main Street.


http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1153/photos/120625

...what do you guys think?

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[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

...what do you guys think?

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Yes it's the Regent.

Here's your rooftop parking. It's on the one-story yellow-painted building next-door to the east; the Regent (with the hipped roof) is in the upper left corner:

google maps

The sign on the taller building below says, "King Edward Hotel Absolutely Fireproof" (E 5th & S Los Angeles St);

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

http://www.itsfilmedthere.com/2011/1...6-maximum.html

__

Different POV:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Ghost sign for the King Edward Hotel above Werdin Alley/Indian Alley.

gsv
__

The two buildings surrounding the rooftop lot are these two woefully abused ones on Los Angeles Street. One can see them in the above aerial too. The one (on the left below) goes all the way through to Werdin (the other one not so much):

gsv

"DOFFEE ROASTED"(?) LOL, I dunno.


P.S. I think maybe a better link for the Regent is this one: https://sites.google.com/site/downto...regent-theatre

...And see Muji's/urban diachrony's excellent write-up on the Regent here

There's been a theater on that site since before 1910 (the present building, including that back wall, is from 1914).

The National Theater's name was changed to "Regent" in 1917.

The Regent is the last remaining historic theater on Main Street.

This is the theater that was on the site before the extant building. The rebuilding allowed them to increase capacity from 350 to 600 seats.

link as above

This nice building is between The King Edward (left below) and the "Doffee Roasted" building on the right:

gsv

The King Edward now has a big face mural like the Hotel Baltimore (I guess this is a thing now, like red-painted fire escapes):

gsv

We're only about a block south of the Palace Turkish Baths (where we've spent time of late) and half a block west of Engine Company No. 23 and just NW of the Hoff. Diagonally across the intersection of Winston and Los Angeles is the 1895 Excelsior Laundry Bldg on the NE corner. Flyingwedge did a great post on the Excelsior which really gives one a feeling for this neighborhood back in the day.

pls click link

...and there's this too, also from Muji/urban diachrony on the Excelsior

[ethereal_reality]

thanks for the additional information tovanger2!
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Southern Pacific engine number #604, Taylor Yards, 1963.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/HH119-RP-196...item5d5855f823



below:
"All that remains of Taylor Yards: rails, spikes, the plates, etc.
View is looking west. Photo by Andrew Laverdiere, June 2009.



http://www.abandonedrails.com/Glendale_California



http://www.abandonedrails.com/Glendale_California

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

After that nice house got demolished the Fontenoy put in a pool:

gsv





2 pix above
swelgroup
(click link for a 360 of a somewhat-ineptly furnished lobby)


C Waldo Powers' 1930 Fleur de Lis next door to the north has the same owner. Swelgroup owns many of the grand old apartment buildings.

This is what you get for $1,995...per month, 850 sq ft...1928 building. [In 1970 this unit was around $200 - has income kept up with inflation....I suppose it depends on your skills~job.]
Nothing was said about parking but it appears that the lot next door was evidently bought and turned into a parking lot [probably costs extra]. The gated and numbered parking lot is filled with middle class cars. Street parking for guests.

As Tovangar says, the opposite lot was bought and turned into a swimming pool area. Those white chairs in the lobby...horrible is a nice way to describe them. BTW, that lobby is truly strange...with many steps up to the elevators. Why?

Many Studio apartments are available for less and the larger top floor units are $ 3000+.

The view is great if you live above the 5th floor. The management is not well rated. Myself...for that money I'd rather live in a hotel.


the fontinoy

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

[/URL]
http://www.abandonedrails.com/Glendale_California

That's an amazing piece of river front property :-)


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


I'm sure Swelgroup leaves much to be desired CBD, but at least they're keeping these buildings up (I hope it's not just cosmetic). I wouldn't want to live in a big building, but I like that they exist.

I wish Swelgroup or somebody would buy Chateau la Martine, 627 S Normandie (the one sort of over by where the Chapman Park Hotel used to be), but maybe it's too far gone for them. It's a mess and needs saving. Judging by the tenant reviews, a slumlord's got hold of it:

gsv

[GaylordWilshire]

LAPL

From http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7101


And on fire:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=21141

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

Mike pulls into the curb, Carver rides. 1955

Gaby Rodgers and Ralph Meeker in "Kiss Me Deadly."

United Artists / Parklane Productions (1955)


Kiss Me Deadly coming up on TCM @ 11:00 am/cst

MR-- Always good to get a heads-up for this one...



Image from a post of MR's, July 2012--http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=8537


Meeker in his big Broadway role-- Picnic, 1953--with a scrawny Newman, in the unsympathetic role of Alan, paling in comparison:

Playbill

The guy's got a neck on him...


Let's see, who would Janice Rule pick? (And who knew Janice Rule later became a shrink?)

[GaylordWilshire]

Hasn't it always been much better to see young men driving Corvettes than old duffers?

ebay/Carel Richter


Hamit Kundak


It looks like Williams brought his 'Vette from home--he was born in Fort Worth--to his house in Pacific Palisades, where he appears to still live:


GSV

An aerial of 14723 Oracle Place (you'd need a chainsaw to get a good street view)

[ethereal_reality]

I came across this interesting bit of ephemera a couple of months ago on eBay.



The location (315 N. Main St.) is opposite Pico House.
I thought someone here (with access to the Sanborn maps) could tell me which building this would be.

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[GaylordWilshire]

Sanborn
1888 Sanborn


What was 315 N Main in the mid 1880s--when the Japanese Art Repository was in business--would have become part of the 400-500 blocks after the renumberings around 1890... The Plaza House went up on this block ca 1883, the Brunswig building ca 1888 (the former is on the 1888 Sanborn above, the Brunswig isn't)--so I'd say the art business appearing in the 1886-7 CD at 315 would have been in whatever buildings were replaced by the Brunswig... (Interestingly, a Heng Lee was running a a "Japanese goods" store at 505 N Main in 1894, and living there....)


LAPL

The "CT" Marsh rather than "GT" in the 1886-7 CD may be a typo, or perhaps another member of the family... there appear to have been more than one Marsh associated with the Pico House--a Charles Marsh was one of the proprietors of the PH in the '80s.... just wondering....

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks for the information on the Japanese Art Repository GW. -much appreciated.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

The two buildings surrounding the rooftop lot are these two woefully abused ones on Los Angeles Street. One can see them in the above aerial too. The one (on the left below) goes all the way through to Werdin (the other one not so much):

gsv

The one on the left has more earthquake retrofitting bolts in it than I've ever seen on a building.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Southern Pacific engine number #604, Taylor Yards


http://www.ebay.com/itm/HH119-RP-196...item5d5855f823

Maybe because we've had some interesting colorized photos posted recently, but I was sitting here pondering this photo and wondering--was it a cloudy, foggy and cool sort of day when this picture was taken (like it is today in Los Angeles) or was it a hot, sweltering smoggy day?

[ethereal_reality]

To me, it looks hot and smoggy.



I don't believe we've seen this photograph on NLA.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/metrol...ream/lightbox/

"Control was lost over locomotive no. 1602 on Lake Avenue after leaving Altadena.The locomotive struck Pacific Electric Railway Company passenger car no. 262,
destroying the passenger car." -circa. 1916
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