noirish Los Angeles

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

A closer look at the residence and surrounding area.


DETAIL

If I'm not mistaken, the tall buildings in the distance are Century City.
___________________________________________________________________

Did you know that those two tall buildings were designed by the same designer of the twin towers in New York City? Although these two are 1/3 as tall as those were.

I should say that I was told that once, but have never personally verified that information.
___

So, wikipedia says: "Commissioned by Alcoa, the [Century City] towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki and completed in 1975. The towers resemble Yamasaki's World Trade Center in their vertical black and gray lines and the use of aluminum exteriors. The towers have an unusual triangular footprint and are landmarks that are clearly seen around the Los Angeles Westside. Their prominence in the Century City skyline has been reduced in recent years with the addition of new skyscrapers that partially block their view, nevertheless, the Century Plaza Towers remain the tallest buildings in Century City and the tallest skyscrapers in Southern California outside of downtown Los Angeles. The towers sit atop one of the world's largest underground parking garages with a capacity of roughly 5,000 cars."

FYI:
Century Plaza Towers: 44 stories
WTC: 110 stories

The wikipedia entry goes on to describe some TV series, movies, music videos and commercials they can be seen in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_Plaza_Towers

[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Did you know that those two tall buildings were designed by the same designer of the twin towers in New York City? Although these two are 1/3 as tall as those were.

I should say that I was told that once, but have never personally verified that information.
___

So, wikipedia says: "Commissioned by Alcoa, the [Century City] towers were designed by Minoru Yamasaki and completed in 1975. The towers resemble Yamasaki's World Trade Center in their vertical black and gray lines and the use of aluminum exteriors. The towers have an unusual triangular footprint and are landmarks that are clearly seen around the Los Angeles Westside. Their prominence in the Century City skyline has been reduced in recent years with the addition of new skyscrapers that partially block their view, nevertheless, the Century Plaza Towers remain the tallest buildings in Century City and the tallest skyscrapers in Southern California outside of downtown Los Angeles. The towers sit atop one of the world's largest underground parking garages with a capacity of roughly 5,000 cars."

FYI:
Century Plaza Towers: 44 stories
WTC: 110 stories

The wikipedia entry goes on to describe some TV series, movies, music videos and commercials they can be seen in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_Plaza_Towers

Here's a shot from the hill at roughly the center of ER's blown up portion of the original:
_2060051.jpg by BillinGlendaleCA, on Flickr

This is why I think ER's 1979 shot shows where Beverly Park North is now, shot from Mulholland.

[ethereal_reality]

Wow...you guys have been busy! Good job in figuring out the two mystery locations. I appreciate all your help.
[sleuthing ribbons for everyone!]





This next mystery takes place many years before the two from yesterday.

I'll call this quest.....The 'mystery' of Euclid Hill.


EBAY search purposes: Cromwell & Westervelt P.O. Box 832, Los Angeles. The Great Eastern Photographic and Advertising Company.

As you can see..Euclid Hill is written in white on the photograph....along with Residence of S.A. Widney. (we're looking toward the north-east in the photograph)

At first I wasn't even sure if this was Los Angeles (the word 'Eastern' in the name of the advertising company threw me off)

And if this is Euclid Hill...where's the damn hill?

Does anyone know if there was a section of Los Angeles known as Euclid Hill? [minus the hill]
________________________________________________________________________


Also curious is the name S.A. Widney.

Could this family be related to the Widneys of Widney Hall, the oldest building on the USC campus?


__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by odinthor

Best contribution I can make is to assert that the yellow-flowered plants
are some member of the mustard family, the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae to traditionalists),
perhaps Sinapis arvensis, late in its season.

Thanks odinthor, NLA's in-house horticulturist.




I think you'll have a field day with this next photograph odinthor.

"Mulholland at Multiview Drive, Los Angeles, California." 1991


HERE
smithsonian archive / Karen Halverson

BE SURE TO PAN RIGHT to see the intersection ------->




I believe this is the same spot. [in 2017]



GSV

I'm not not sure of the purpose of that sandy area that, somewhat, resembles a little beach. (you can see it in the 1991 photograph as well)

_

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This next mystery takes place many years before the two from yesterday.

I'll call this quest.....The 'mystery' of Euclid Hill.


EBAY search purposes: Cromwell & Westervelt P.O. Box 832, Los Angeles. The Great Eastern Photographic and Advertising Company.

As you can see..Euclid Hill is written in white on the photograph....along with Residence of S.A. Widney. (we're looking toward the north-east in the photograph)

At first I wasn't even sure if this was Los Angeles (the word 'Eastern' in the name of the advertising company threw me off)

And if this is Euclid Hill...where's the damn hill?

Does anyone know if there was a section of Los Angeles known as Euclid Hill?

I found Samuel A Widney living on Euclid Hill in the 1886-7 and 1887-1888 (Smith & McPhee) CDs. The former lists him in business with William W Widney as proprietors of the California Novelty Store at 22 N Main, while the latter shows Samuel as sole proprietor with a second store at 537 E 1st Street (William is listed under real estate). Before the move to Euclid Hill, Samuel & William already had the novelty store at 22 N Main, but Samuel was living at 255 S Olive and William was at 333 W 4th.

The Great Eastern Photographic and Advertising Co only appears in the 1888 CD, with William J Cromwell, Lewis C Westervelt & Charles H Hammerton as proprietors. The address is given as "N s Louisiana Av nr Lottie, Boyle Heights".

I'm pretty sure that Euclid Hill became Euclid Avenue (with the Baist maps showing it as Euclid Street), but trying to track down the cross streets was difficult as nearly all appear to have changed names. For example, the 1888 CD lists Samuel A Widney as "res NW cor Euclid and Willie, Boyle Heights", with references to Willie being around Lottie and Louisiana Ave (just like the photographic company). In 1893, the path of Euclid is listed as "fm East Fourth SW bet Fresno, Drown and Carleton Av, Boyle Heights, East Fourth, Eagle, Melvin, Madison, Willie, Monroe, Adelaide, Stephenson Av". Most of these names don't even exist on the 1910 Baist map, let alone Google maps. I then compared this description with one from the 1895 CD, which I think may answer our question. Euclid Avenue's listing is "fm E 1st SW bet Soto and Lorena, Boyle Heights, East Fourth, Eagle, Melvin Madison, East Sixth, Monroe, Adelaide, Stephenson, Sunrise, Harriett, Lee, Dawn". This would suggest that Willie became E Sixth Street.

Interestingly, the 1895 CD shows Samuel A Widney as a clergyman and publishers' agent, with his address as "Euclid bet. E and E Sixth". I skipped on to 1898, and found more of the family. As well as Samuel A Widney at 519 Euclid, there's also Miss Ida A Widney and Miss Nina B Widney living there. Samuel is a still a publisher's agent, working at 2 Widney Block, 127 W 1st Street (he was at this address in 1895, but the Widney Block wasn't mentioned), while William is working in real estate and insurance next door at 1 Widney Block. There's also a Joseph P Widney listed as "pastor and supt" of the Church of the Nazarene, whose office is also at 127 W 1st Street.

The last mention I found of Samuel A Widney at 519 Euclid is in the 1900-1901 CD. He's back to being listed as a clergyman.

Throughout my searching, I couldn't get this scene from 'The Big Bang Theory' out of my head :

• Video Link

[HossC]

As a corollary, there's a September 3, 1913 building permit to move 519 Euclid Avenue to 2922 Euclid Place, but where's Euclid Place? The comtemporary CDs list it as "West from Euclid av. 1 blk S of Lanfranco". The only BP I found for 2922 Euclid Place was a 1978 one to repair a roof damaged by fire at 2920-24 Euclid Place, which is listed as an apartment house. As far as I can see, sometime between 1978 and 1987, Euclid Place became Calle Pedro Infante, which has La Casa Del Mexicano at the end.

The newly built Casa Del Mexicano shows up on the left of this December 17, 1931 aerial view. There's a 2013 LA Times article about it here.


mil.library.ucsb.edu

Samuel A Widney's old house might be the one below "Pedro", but I'm certainly not sure. The house has since been replaced. Assuming that I'm right about Willie becoming E 6th, they didn't have far to move the house.

[MartinTurnbull]

From the same collection of photos as the one of the Brown Derby I posted recently comes this equally atmospheric photo of Bullocks Wilshire department. We're looking south from Westmoreland Ave at what appears to be late at night some time in the 1940s. I love how the lighting turned the top of the tower into a shining beacon and how the lights from the window displays throw the palm trees on the left into silhouette.

[esotouric]

Hey! That's my great-grandfather's shoe store behind that regrettable "Injun" and it sure is Pasadena. They moved to a newly remodeled location at 33 S. Lake in November 1959.

[QUOTE=ethereal_reality;8332078]STEREOTYPES ON PARADE

"1959 Hollywood, California Children's Parade Los Angeles, Orig. Photo Slides"

Despite the seller's description above, I am certain this is PASADENA.

"Injun"

EBAY

[GaylordWilshire]

A little early-20th-century noir involving the esteemed family of Pio Pico... Surely this must be a case of mistaken identity—surely a relative of Pio Pico—a member of the celebrated Pico clan—could not have been the "sporting queen of Los Angeles"....but it seems one was. LA's own Belle Watling.

A child bride who later had "scarlet parlors" on Aliso Street, Cathalena Todd Church Donahue Bell Morrow Weller appears to have dropped out of the "half world" between husbands two and three to go into real estate development with her sister, Desea. One of their projects, and where they lived from 1907 to 1914, was on the nec of Wilton Place and Venice Blvd, seen above. (A Dingbatish apt house is on the site today.)

The full story is here

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by HossC

We've already seen the 1929 picture below in Godzilla's post #12924, but that was over three years ago, and it seemed worth repeating amid the current discussion of the Wilshire/Fairfax area and Wilshire Specials. It's very clear from this image that the Wilshire Specials did indeed stop at Fairfax.


USC Digital Library

Godzilla's post also includes a similar detail view to this, but none of my numerous searches found it, so I thought I'd caption it. First, there's Hugh Evans & Co Inc in the Wilshire Fairfax Tract Office offering "Wilshire Blvd Frontage". Somewhere behind the fence there's a Yellow Cab Station. Finally, as BifRayRock noticed before, there's an advert for La Bohème Cafe on the Sunset Boulevard. This would later become the site of Simon's Drive-In.


Detail of picture above

Godzilla originally mentioned the Newmark's Mountain Grown Coffee poster, but what's the building behind it on the future site of the May Co building? There's some writing over the entrance, but I can't read it. Sorry if this has been answered before. In the background, La Brea Park is full of oil wells.


Detail of picture above

Camelot on Wilshire? Walter Scott's Lady of the La Brea?

This undated LAPL image is captioned "fanicful walled building" and appears to fit with the above images. Perhaps it looks more appealing in color, but it suggests a place to escape from rather than visit. Ready the grappling hook.

Source indicates that the sign above the entrance may include the words "Sports Town." Curious about the two story structure to the right of the walled structure, which might have had a Wilshire address. Could it be a place for the knights to retreat after a long day of jousting?


LAPL

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

This home is in the Montecito Heights area, just north of E. Avenue 33. Los Angeles County says the house was
built in 1885.

Here is the house in December 2015:

GSV

April 2014:

GSV

1888:

BEHR-0062 @ CA State Library

The writing on the photo says that the big "Show House" behind 3320 was destroyed by fire in 1890.

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

The big house behind 3320 N. Griffin Avenue was the Von Keith residence:

November 3, 1889, Los Angeles Times @ LAPL

The Von Keith home was located about where the tree in the center of the photo is; I think below the tree is where the short stairway under the
central tower is in the 1888 photo. That's 3320 N. Griffin Avenue in the lower right corner:

Bing Birdseye View

If you ever wondered where the neighborhood's E. Von Keithian Avenue (upper right corner) got its name from, now you know:

Google Earth

John H. Von Keith was a landscape painter and author of Von Keith's Westward or 1,000 Items on the Wonders and Curiosities of Southern California (1887),
copies of which are available at these locations. When he registered to vote on September 24, 1888, the 51-year-old, Massachusetts-born Von Keith listed
his occupation as "Artist" and his home as "N. Griffin Ave." His daughter Wallula married pioneer Los Angeles grocer George A. Ralphs.

Von Keith apparently lost the home due to financial difficulties before it burned down:

December 23, 1890, Los Angeles Times @ LAPL

FW's discussion of the Von Keiths begets a closer look at George Ralphs, and one might assume the Von Keiths visited Mr. Ralph's Hollywood Boulevard castle/residence. Source (LAPL) erroneously identifies the Ralphs residence as 6400 Hollywood Blvd., (Cahuenga and Hollywood). Per B&P cite, Ralphs' residence was at 7269 Hollywood Boulevard having been permitted for new construction there in May 1913. The property was eventually purchased by movie mogul/pioneer, Joseph M. Schenck. In 1940 some of the structure was moved to 1637 Rimpau Blvd. (Between Venice and St. Charles), while another part of the structure was moved to a location at 454 No . La Cienega Blvd. (Between Rosewood and Oakwood Avenues.)



From FW's linked cite:

Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 in downtown Los Angeles by 23-year-old George Albert Ralphs, a one-armed former bricklayer from Missouri, and has become one of the most popular and successful grocery chains in Southern California.

Ralphs was born on Sept. 23, 1850, in Joplin, Mo., the second of eight children of English immigrants Richard and Mary Newell Ralphs. When he was a young boy, his parents decided to move to California, so they set off in a covered wagon with five yoke of oxen. In Kansas, they joined up with a west-bound caravan. When the caravan reached Colorado, they were attacked by Indians. Half of the caravan split off, and they were assumed to have been killed by the Indians.

After 18 months of travel, the Ralphs family finally arrived in Los Angeles. Shortly after arriving, George Ralphs learned the trade of bricklaying, and he was soon recognized in competitions as the champion bricklayer in California, and worked on many buildings in Los Angeles. After he lost an arm in a hunting accident, he had to give up the bricklaying trade, and went to work as a clerk in a grocery store at the corner of Fifth and Hill streets in downtown Los Angeles. (Despite his injury, Ralphs remained an avid and successful hunter for the rest of his life.)

With his savings and experience in the grocery business, Ralphs and a partner opened their own store at the corner of Sixth and Spring streets in downtown Los Angeles in 1873. After being in business together for two years, Ralphs and his partner had a disagreement over the operation of the store, so the partner gave Ralphs an ultimatum -- Ralphs could either buy him out for $1,100, or the partner would buy Ralphs out for the same amount. Ralphs didn't have the $1,100, but his younger brother, Walter B. Ralphs, who owned a successful ranch near San Bernardino, did. So Walter bought out the partner, and the business became Ralphs Brothers Grocers.

On July 23, 1896, 46-year-old Ralphs married 23-year-old Wallula Von Keith, known as "Lula," the London-born daughter of J.H. Von Keith, a popular California artist. The Ralphs had three children -- Minnie, Albert George and Annabelle.

In 1901, after nearly 30 successful years in the same location, the Ralphs brothers moved, building a three-story, 8,000-square-foot brick building at 514 S. Spring St., at a cost of $34,292. In 1909, the business was incorporated as Ralphs Grocery Company, with three partners -- George, Walter and Walter's son, Walter W. Ralphs -- and all of the stock controlled by members of the Ralphs family.

In 1911, the Ralphs brothers opened their second store at Pico Boulevard and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles, quickly followed by two more stores, at Pasadena Avenue and Avenue 26, and Vermont Avenue and 35th Street.

In June 1914, Ralphs, his wife and their two youngest children, Albert and Annabelle, went for a weekend outing in the San Bernardino Mountains, north of Arrowhead, Calif. On the morning of June 21, 1914, the family went for a hike in Waterman Canyon. Ralphs walked ahead of the others and sat on a large boulder to await the arrival of his wife and children. As Ralphs was helping his wife up to sit beside him, the three-ton boulder gave way and rolled 20 feet down into the canyon, carrying Ralphs with it. His left leg was crushed beneath the boulder and nearly torn from its socket.

Ralphs, 63, was taken to Ramona Hospital in San Bernardino, where his left leg was amputated. Following the surgery, Ralphs regained consciousness for a short time and spoke to his wife, but he died about an hour later. At the time of his death, Ralphs owned three of the largest grocery stores in Los Angeles. Funeral services were held at Ralphs' home at 7269 Hollywood Boulevard, with burial at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Ralphs didn't get to enjoy the growth and success of the company he founded. The Ralphs grocery chain grew to 10 stores by 1928, 25 stores in the 1930s, and more than 100 stores in the 1950s. In 1968, the Ralphs chain was purchased by Federated Departent Stores for $60 million, and merged with Cincinnati, Ohio-based Kroger Company in 1999.

Ralphs left an estate of $600,000 (about $13 million in 2010), divided among his widow and three children. His son, Albert, received his father's automobile, gold watch and his stock in the Ralphs Grocery Company.

After Ralphs' death, management of the company was passed down to the next generation -- his son, Albert Ralphs, and the two sons of Walter B. Ralphs, Walter W. Ralphs and Elmer L. Ralphs. The three cousins ran the company together until the death of Elmer in 1930. Albert and Walter W. alternated as company president until the late 1940s, when they turned the management over to the third generation of Ralphs -- Albert Jr., Walter Jr. and Richard.

Walter B. Ralphs died in 1954 at the age of 99. Walter W. Ralphs died in 1971, and Albert Ralphs died in 1973. All three, along with Elmer Ralphs, are buried at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale, Calif., along with other family members, in the Ralphs family plot near the Great Mausoleum.

George Ralphs' widow, Wallula Ralphs, died in 1941 at the age of 66, and is buried next to her husband at Evergreen Cemetery

George Ralphs
http://cemeteryguide.com/GeorgeRalphs.jpg




The Ralphs residence at 7269 Hollywood Boulevard.

LAPL








http://cemeteryguide.com/GeorgeARalphs.jpg

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's a companion photograph, also 1979. (and also a mystery)


ide.si.edu / Douglas Hill, 1979

Landscape\road
Cityscape\California\Los Angeles
Architecture Exterior\domestic\house
Architecture Exterior\commercial\skyscraper


A closer look at the residence and surrounding area.


DETAIL

I believe this is further west than the previous photo. If I'm not mistaken, the tall buildings in the distance are in Century City.

__

fantastic fotos...wow

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by HossC

We've already seen the 1929 picture below in Godzilla's post #12924, but that was over three years ago, and it seemed worth repeating amid the current discussion of the Wilshire/Fairfax area and Wilshire Specials. It's very clear from this image that the Wilshire Specials did indeed stop at Fairfax.


USC Digital Library

Godzilla's post also includes a similar detail view to this, but none of my numerous searches found it, so I thought I'd caption it. First, there's Hugh Evans & Co Inc in the Wilshire Fairfax Tract Office offering "Wilshire Blvd Frontage". Somewhere behind the fence there's a Yellow Cab Station. Finally, as BifRayRock noticed before, there's an advert for La Bohème Cafe on the Sunset Boulevard. This would later become the site of Simon's Drive-In.


Detail of picture above

Godzilla originally mentioned the Newmark's Mountain Grown Coffee poster, but what's the building behind it on the future site of the May Co building? There's some writing over the entrance, but I can't read it. Sorry if this has been answered before. In the background, La Brea Park is full of oil wells.


Detail of picture above

note all the pumping oil wells......$$$

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks odinthor, NLA's in-house horticulturist.

Thanks, e_r!

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I think you'll have a field day with this next photograph odinthor.

"Mulholland at Multiview Drive, Los Angeles, California." 1991


HERE
smithsonian archive / Karen Halverson

BE SURE TO PAN RIGHT to see the intersection ------->

We're lookin' at Agave attenuata (front center, and with the long dangly attenuate flower stalks), a gray form of Agave americana; and one of the many species of Aloe (I like Aloes a lot, and used to study them; fun to grow from seed; the first leaf coming up from seed looks like a little green fingernail coming up through the soil), possibly a not-very-robust Aloe arborescens.

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I believe this is the same spot. [in 2017]



GSV

I'm not not sure of the purpose of that sandy area that, somewhat, resembles a little beach. (you can see it in the 1991 photograph as well)

_

It has the air of something which was the flat part of the landscaping at first but which became a convenient turn-out for reasons unknown, and stayed that way. Or maybe there was some sort of roadside stand there at one time. Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I found these four Kodachrome slides as a group on ebay. (there were 5 actually; I posted the fifth a few months back)



Olive Street, Pershing Square.

#1

ebay

The square looks wonderfully lush. odinthor, do you recognize any of the flora?





The Biltmore Hotel, Pershing Square.

#2

ebay

I've never noticed the two birdhouses before.







A freshly painted NBC Radio City, Sunset & Vine

#3


I'm half-expecting Michael and his family to drive by in their blue Nash.





Wilton Hotel & Sky Room, Long Beach.

#4


ebay

I don't recall the name of this cafeteria

# # # # #





Oh, and here's the 5th slide of the group I posted a couple months ago. (sorry for the delay in posting the remaining four) I got sidetracked I guess.


Looking south on Olive toward Pershing Square.

#5

ebay

Still lovin' it!

These photos need to be examined again and more closely. Lots of
LA history here....

Picture #5 is especially interesting.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by odinthor

It has the air of something which was the flat part of the landscaping at first but which became a convenient turn-out for reasons unknown, and stayed that way.
Or maybe there was some sort of roadside stand there at one time. Hmmmmmm.....

I think your explanation of the sandy area is a good one odinthor. If you look closely, you can see remnants of a curb.

Once again, thanks for identifying the plants.

Originally Posted by odinthor

We're lookin' at Agave attenuata (with the long dangly attenuate flower stalks).

This one in Echo Park is about to eat a car.


DEBORAH NETBURN LATIMESBLOG

feed me, Seymour!

ERIC DUCKER LATIMESBLOG

If I were good at photo-shop I'd add screaming people inside the car.

__

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks so much Hoss for looking into S.A. Whidney & his family

I checked the city directories as well. The last mention of 'Euclid Hill', as a particular place, is in the 1891 directory.

Originally Posted by HossC

Samuel A Widney's old house might be the one below "Pedro".

This one, correct? [outlined in red below]

Originally Posted by HossC

December 17, 1931 aerial view

mil.library.ucsb.edu

It does appears to have gables like the house in 1880 photograph.

once more.

found on ebay


The seller mentioned that a tricycle was visible in the photograph...but if you look closely, I believe the young lad is leaning on a BIcycle.

detail

OK, I just realized I am WRONG. It is a tricycle.
The rear wheel are much larger than I expected.



Thanks again Hoss.

[ethereal_reality]

One of a kind photograph.

Human Pyramid, USC [1910?]


EBAY

note on back:"Circa 1908-1911 USC , Body Pyra."



I've been trying to read what is written on the scoreboard.


DETAIL

hmmm....is it "Dyas Co."...."79 gas co."...."19gas Co."

_

[ethereal_reality]

Dancy's Peerless Market No.2, Los Angeles Calif.


EBAY

I found two addresses in the 1923 directory for Dancy 'meats'. As you can see, this is market #2. (back wall)


lapl

But it's impossible know which address is market #1 and which is market #2
Right?






Let's take a closer look at the two gentlemen behind the counter.



hmmm....I wonder what it says above the word PAPER on that calendar?






it looks like "Blake Moffitt & Towne PAPER"

detail

This is prob. the company that supplies the paper to wrap up the cuts of meat.


lapl

(page 283 is an advertisement. it's kind of ugly)


__

[GaylordWilshire]

I'd say that #2 was the W 54th St location...Dancy was listed as having a meat market at 3902 S Western in the 1920 CD, the store having had other owners before that--plus, he lived just around the corner; 1355 W 54th was a meat market prior to Dancy's occupancy--listed in the '22 CD under the name of Anton Hohendorf....