noirish Los Angeles - Page 1689

Earl Boebert · #**33761** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 3:12 PM**

An aside, before I forget:

If you love Chinese food and have Netflix, don't miss the documentary "The Search for General Tso." It's delightful.

Cheers,

Earl

HossC · #**33762** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 3:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

The Mobil station looks quite different in Hoss's Shulman post. It's missing the tower/pylon.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=32988

I think that's down to the angle of Mr Shulman's photo, and what looks like a pole on the far left of the first shot is actually the end of the pylon. Here's an aerial view which USC date at 1960. It shows that the pylon was positioned diagonally on the roof. If we could zoom in further, I'm sure we'd see the complete General Harrison Gray Otis statue just above the Park Wilshire.

Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

HossC · #**33763** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 4:42 PM**

While I was looking for other pictures of the Wilshire Mobil station's pylon (see above), I came across this amazing set of photos of the Wilkip Apartments. Dated 1934, it clearly shows how far Wilshire Boulevard was lowered. On the right is Kip Street (I assume that Wilshire + Kip = Wilkip). The darker building on Kip Street is the Hotel Gotham, which appears in the City Directories at 975 Ingraham Street. There's a great postcard of the Hotel Gotham posted by e_r in post #10968.

USC Digital Library

This shot is looking west along Wilshire. On the right, the building with the square tower is the Blasier Apartments at 641 St Paul Avenue. The top of the Good Samiritan can be seen in the distance.

USC Digital Library

I hope there was an alternative entrance to the Wilkip Apartments during the grading work. The sign on the door does say that they have vacancies!

USC Digital Library

The Wilkip Apartments were at 970 Wilshire Boulevard. That's very close to the Epstein Bros' Tailor Shop which e_r showed us in post #33573. From my follow-up post, here's the area about five years before the pictures above. The Wilkip is directly above the words "REX ARMS", although the sign on the side shows its earlier name which was the Windsor Apartments. The Hotel Gotham is the white building in the top-left corner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HossC

Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

Here's a more recent picture of the location which shows how much deeper the excavations went a couple of decades later! The corner of the Wilkip/Windsor would have been roughly where the bush just behind the railing now stands.

GSV

Martin Pal · #**33764** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 6:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

*OK, after I looked at the photo again, I realize that the "bulbous' area is actually shaped like a 'bucket of chicken'. -my bad.
That said, the clumsy spaces sitting on top of the 'bucket' are quite awful.
__

True, that area was supposed to resemble a bucket of KFC. Those "clumsy spaces" on top were supposed to somehow make the whole building look like an actual chicken. (?)
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EDITED TO ADD:

Yes what b_c_b says:

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadwy_central_bldg

It is also shaped like an actual chicken! The 'clumsy spaces' are its neck and head, and it even has wings! I used to live near this building, and I actually like it. It's garish, but I've never seen such adventurous design for a lowly fast food restaurant. Clearly a nod to "programmatic" architecture of LA's past...

Martin Pal · #**33765** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 6:12 PM**

When I saw this photo, this movie dialogue came to mind:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Angie: "What do you want to do tonight?"
Marty: "I dunno. What do you want to do tonight?

Martin Pal · #**33766** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 6:17 PM**

Kent Kanouse/Flickr

Additional caption:
My great-grandmother Martha Young Salyer and her three daughters.

For search purposes:
2712 La Salle Ave., Los Angeles
Dated: 1908

HossC · #**33767** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 8:15 PM**

The house at 2712 La Salle Avenue appears to be still standing in fairly original condition, although trees prevent a good view.

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

I skip over many of Julius Shulman's photos of houses, but John DeLario's Willfong House caught my eye. BifRayRock posted some early pictures of this house, also known as Castillo del Lago, in post #11672. This is "Job 5862: John DeLario, Willfong House (Los Angeles, Calif.),1980".

Both from Getty Research Institute

From a 2009 article on la.curbed.com:

A nine-bedroom chateau on Mulholland Drive, Castillo del Lago was at one point owned by Madonna, who purchased the home back in 1993 for about $5 million. And it's Madonna's terrible renovation of this home that warranted a mention in a 1999 Los Angeles magazine article. The piece is a story about real estate agent Crosby Doe: "But for Doe, the most galling example of misguided renovation occurred during Madonna's ownership of John DeLario's 1926 Hollywood Hills masterpiece, Castillo del Lago. Once his favorite property in L.A., one he'd sold three times before, Castillo was transformed by the pop singer (and her designer brother, Christopher Ciccone) from a grand Andalusian Spanish house into a root-beer-red faux Florentine villa. Even worse, Doe has to see it every day; he and his wife Linda live in a painstakingly restored two-story Spanish aerie designed by Blick on the same mountaintop. "She wrecked it," says Doe. "They took the historic tiles off the roof, threw them in a Dumpster and put on these Taco Bell tiles. It was one desecration after another. Criminal!"

I remember seeing the house during Madonna's ownership in one of those true crime shows about celebrity stalkers - it was like a fortress. Here's a hint at the makeover she gave it.

la.curbed.com

I think some of the "terrible renovation" work may have now been undone. This image from Bing Maps shows the walls painted white again. My only doubt is that there's no date with this aerial view, and some of Bing's 45-degree aerials are a few years old.

Bing Maps

ethereal_reality · #**33768** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 9:37 PM**

Fantastic Shulman photographs of the Castillo del Lago Hoss. Nice to see that white retaining wall

.

Back in Madonna's time it was painted in stripes. yeesh.

[1990s?]

http://todayinmadonnahistory.com/tag/castillo-del-lago/

http://todayinmadonnahistory.com/tag/castillo-del-lago/
_______

Here it is more recently.

http://marinachetner.com/tag/castillo-del-lago/
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CityBoyDoug · #**33769** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 9:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Fantastic Shulman photographs of the Castillo del Lago Hoss. Nice to see that white retaining wall

Back in Mdonna's time it was painted in stripes. yeesh.

I could be wrong but I believe it was her idea to paint the house in garish colors.

ethereal_reality · #**33770** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 9:51 PM**

It wouldn't surprise me CBD.

Hoss's Castillo del Lago post reminded me of this 1932 photograph I found last night on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1932-8x10-Ph...QAAOSwWTRWwn8p

My eye kept gravitating to this house (circled below)

detail

Any idea what house this is? It looks enormous......very vertical.

Also note the horizontal white area that looks like a dam or bridge directly above it. I take it that is part of Mulholland Drive, right?
It's a pretty rare sight to have it stand out like that. I'm sure it's been covered in vegetation & shrouded by trees for decades now.

_

ethereal_reality · #**33771** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 10:36 PM**

Here's something else I happened across on eBay fairly recently.

eBay

backside

I wonder if that's Ms. Rappe's "aunt", Kate Hardebeck, in the photograph? I'd really like to find out where the aunt lived.

We touched on the Rappe tragedy a couple of times when discussing Fatty Arbuckle. Since it happened in San Francisco we haven't delved on the unsavory details here on NLA.

The press led on that Virginia Rappe was only a wanna-be actress, when in fact she had already starred in a silent film called 'A Twilight Baby' [1920]

http://www.petersmovieposters.com/index-trade-20s.html

She starred with Lloyd Hamilton, her boyfriend at the time.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...(1920)_-_2.jpg

below: I found this to be very insightful.

http://www.petersmovieposters.com/index-trade-20s.html

Here is a fine looking still from 'A Twilight Baby'. -note she's wearing the same dress as in the lobby card.

https://famousdames.wordpress.com/20...-first-victim/

Transporting her body back to Los Angeles, 1921. Virginia Rappe was only 26 years old.

Virginia_Rappe_Coffin_1921 http://datab.us/i/Virginia%20Rappe

R.I.P.

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HossC · #**33772** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 10:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

My eye kept gravitating to this house (circled below)

detail

Any idea what house this is? It looks enormous......very vertical.

Also note the horizontal white area that looks like a dam or bridge directly above it. I take it that is part of Mulholland Drive, right?
It's a pretty rare sight to have it stand out like that. I'm sure it's been covered in vegetation & shrouded by trees for decades now.

The eBay photo appears to be a CHS image which is available at USC. Here's a close-up from that.

Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

I think this is the house in the vintage picture, albeit with a few modifications. It's on Hillcrest Road, just below Paseo del Serra.

Bing Maps

The "dam" may be a retaining wall further up the hill, but I haven't managed to convince myself yet.

GaylordWilshire · #**33773** Posted **Feb 20, 2016, 10:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Kent Kanouse/Flickr

Additional caption:
My great-grandmother Martha Young Salyer and her three daughters.

For search purposes:
2712 La Salle Ave., Los Angeles
Dated: 1908

The house is still there, looking good.

GSV / LAH

Martha was the wife of Alfred Salyer, who was in the music business with his brother, John. John moved the house he built at 705 East Adams to 2400 S Gramercy Place in 1920...also still there:

FULL STORY: http://losangeleshistory.blogspot.co...tories_19.html

CityBoyDoug · #**33774** Posted **Feb 21, 2016, 1:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HossC

The eBay photo appears to be a CHS image which is available at USC. Here's a close-up from that.

Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

I think this is the house in the vintage picture, albeit with a few modifications. It's on Hillcrest Road, just below Paseo del Serra.

Bing Maps

The "dam" may be a retaining wall further up the hill, but I haven't managed to convince myself yet.

Hillcrest Rd....currently it appears to be a multiple occupancy building. Built in 1915.

Google

ethereal_reality · #**33775** Posted **Feb 21, 2016, 2:29 AM**

Thanks Hoss and CBD, that appears to be the house I was wondering about. 1915 is pretty early for the Hollywood Hills.

'mystery' location.

"1940 Press Photo, The Largest Massed Band in the History of Los Angeles"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1940-Press-P...AAAOxy-NVSDd2y

I've been trying to figure out where this is exactly. (is it a huge parking lot?)

There's a rooftop sign on the apartment building in the distance but I can't quite make it out.
(there's a second rooftop sign barely visible behind the palm tree to the right of the billboard......................................up there

)

Clearly the billboard says "Exposition Fish Grotto", so maybe this is somewhere in the vicinity of Exposition Park. But I can't quite get all the angles to fit.

Here's the reverse with additional information.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1940-Press-P...AAAOxy-NVSDd2y

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ethereal_reality · #**33776** Posted **Feb 21, 2016, 2:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HossC

I came across this amazing set of photos of the Wilkip Apartments. Dated 1934, it clearly shows how far Wilshire Boulevard was lowered.

This shot is looking west along Wilshire. On the right, the building with the square tower is the Blasier Apartments at 641 St Paul Avenue. The top of the Good Samaritan can be seen in the distance.

USC Digital Library

Fantastic photographs of the WilKip Apartments & surrounding area Hoss.
I'm surprised we hadn't come across them before. I wonder if they were recently added to the digital archives?

They were worth the wait!
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Flyingwedge · #**33777** Posted **Feb 21, 2016, 4:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' location.

"1940 Press Photo, The Largest Massed Band in the History of Los Angeles"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1940-Press-P...AAAOxy-NVSDd2y

I've been trying to figure out where this is exactly. (is it a huge parking lot?)

There's a rooftop sign on the apartment building in the distance but I can't quite make it out.
(there's a second rooftop sign barely visible behind the palm tree to the right of the billboard......................................up there

)

__

e_r, your 1940 photo looks north from the Ambassador Hotel, across Wilshire and up Kenmore Avenue. In the
upper left corner is a bit of the Gaylord Apartments, and to its right with the roof sign is the Evanston, which is
at 630 S. Kenmore.

This looks north on Kenmore from the south side of Wilshire, with the Gaylord on the corner at left. The Evanston
is just about in the middle:

March 2015 - GSV

The Evanston:

Dec 2014 GSV

jumbo0 · #**33778** Posted **Feb 21, 2016, 10:59 AM**

I love those before/after photos! Since I have a bit of spare time I thought I'd look for some old pictures (which I think are not posted before, but I'm not quite sure since I'm still going through all the pages) and find the same spot today in Streetview. Here are allready 10 of those, but I'd like to put more posts online with that kind of comparisons. If you guys like it of course.

View of construction of North Spring Street Bridge and viaduct from the west bank of the Los Angeles River. August 23, 1927. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk

Wilshire Mariposa Storm Drain Construction. Completed portion of Mariposa Avenue is shown looking north from Wilshire Boulevard. August 24, 1927.
Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Seventh Street Bridge, details of railing, pilaster, lights, trolley poles, curb and walkway. Designated Los Angeles Historical Cultural Monument January 2008. October 13, 1927. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Wilshire Boulevard looking west from in front of Gaylord Apartments with the Wilshire Christian Church to the right in the background. Note pillar of smoke in far background, possibly from incinerator. October 2, 1928. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Wilshire Boulevard looking east from Irolo Street. Wilshire Christian Church and Gaylord Apartments. October 2, 1928. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Valentine Street and Ewing Street showing water in street. April 2, 1928. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Echo Park Avenue looking north from just below Duane Street. Two boys on sidewalk. April 2, 1928. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Museum Drive in front of the Southwest Museum looking towards the west. February 7, 1928. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Intersection of Museum Drive and Dimmick Drive. Woman with shopping bag and mailboxes at corner. February 7, 1928. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Grading on Lorena Street at Fourth Street, looking northwest. Truck, worker, utility worker on power pole. February 14, 1928. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk.

Source: http://lacityhistory.pastperfect-online.com/

HossC · #**33779** Posted **Feb 21, 2016, 1:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumbo0

I love those before/after photos! Since I have a bit of spare time I thought I'd look for some old pictures (which I think are not posted before, but I'm not quite sure since I'm still going through all the pages) and find the same spot today in Streetview. Here are allready 10 of those, but I'd like to put more posts online with that kind of comparisons. If you guys like it of course.

I also like before and after pictures, jumbo0, and you've picked a good selection. The only one I'd question is the first one:

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumbo0

View of construction of North Spring Street Bridge and viaduct from the west bank of the Los Angeles River. August 23, 1927. Copyright Los Angeles City Archives, City Clerk

If we're on the west bank of the Los Angeles River, the "after" picture should be something like this.
NB. This is actually from a couple of years ago, because the latest images have barriers down the right (south) side of the viaduct.

GSV

ethereal_reality · #**33780** Posted **Feb 21, 2016, 5:40 PM**

re: "The largest massed band in the history of Los Angeles" photograph.

eBay

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

e_r, your 1940 photo looks north from the Ambassador Hotel, across Wilshire and up Kenmore Avenue. In the
upper left corner is a bit of the Gaylord Apartments, and to its right with the roof sign is the Evanston, which is
at 630 S. Kenmore.

Thanks for locating the 'mystery' photo FW.

I am still intrigued by the sign behind the palm. Could this be the rooftop sign of the Du Barry Apartments over at 5th & Catalina?

detail

And I just noticed that other sign at far right------->
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As for the billboard:

http://dbase1.lapl.org/images/menus/...1287-cover.jpg

But I'm still stumped as to why the billboard says "Exposition Fish Grotto" as opposed to Bernstein's Fish Grotto.

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