noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by "John Maddox Roberts

"Any idea what caused so much damage to the sandstone in just a few decades? Was it air pollution? (a sobering thought if it was)
It certainly can't be due to a freeze-and-thaw cycle."

Maybe an over-zealous janitor scrubbed the hell out of it.

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'mystery' location/billboard

"Del Monte billboard, Los Angeles...taken on May 15, 1961"


www.alamy.com



The best clues are the Laundromat with the Maytag machines.

detail




and this smaller sign shown below, M_E Poultry.

detail

Also note the word above poultry that's been painted over




Lets hope this building is still standing. The architectural ornament is down-right impressive.

__

[HossC]

For the weekend, Julius Shulman is taking us to the Marriott Inn in Marina del Rey. This is "Job 5680: John Aleksich, Marriott Inn (Marina del Rey, Calif.), 1979". Due to the vibrant hues, I'm using most of the color photos. There are also black & white images in the set.



The pool area around the back.



A view from one of the balconies.



The reception area featured floral prints and wicker. The guy at the registration desk in the background on the left has a great 1970s mustache .



This photo of the dining area is the only one I've tweaked because it was a little dark.



There were more floral prints in the bedrooms.



All from Getty Research Institute

Marriott have since moved to a bigger building nearby, and 13480 Maxella Avenue is now Hotel MdR - A DoubleTree by Hilton. The entrance has obviously changed, and the link under the photo below shows much lighter interiors and no flower prints!


7ustravel.blogspot.com

[ethereal_reality]

ebay

Originally Posted by ScottyB

Indeed. Looking at the NE corner of Colorado Bl and Pasadena Ave. St. Andrew's tower looms upper left. Amazing Pep Boys signage! Do you suppose it was neon?
Wonder what ever became of them (the signs, that is). Looks like most of the buildings are still there.

Thanks for clarifying the location ScottyB. I admired that Pep Boys sign as well.


I couldn't help but notice the Wood & Jones Printing Co.

detail


Here are the two gentlemen, Burt Wood on the left and Fred Jones on the right.


http://typecraft.co/?page_id=12



And an early example of their work.

TANNER LIVERY SERVICE, business card. 1920'S


http://typecraft.co/?page_id=12




And finally, the Wood & Jones building in the mid-1940s.


http://typecraft.co/?page_id=12



It still stands today as an Urban Outfitters.


gsv

-note that it still says Wood & Jones along the top of the building & on the lower left

as well as their initials on the lower right where it used to say Campbell Seed Store.
-----------------------






Oh, and one last thing that's been bothering me.

Is this a mutant pigeon sitting on the edge of the Union Tire business?


detail

Or does it only appear mutant because it's on a wire closer to the photographer.

If look closely, there is a wire, but it's several inches below the 'pigeon'.
__

Color me flummoxed.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

Marriott Inn (Marina del Rey, Calif.), 1979".

The guy at the registration desk in the background on the left has a great 1970s mustache .

It took me a while to find the mustached desk clerk Hoss.


enlarged & cropped / apologies to Mr. Shulman

Did you notice he has a doppelganger over on the far right side?

__

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

ebay

Thanks for clarifying the location ScottyB. I admired that Pep Boys sign as well.


I couldn't help but notice the Wood & Jones Printing Co.

detail


Here are the two gentlemen, Burt Wood on the left and Fred Jones on the right.


http://typecraft.co/?page_id=12



And an early example of their work.

TANNER LIVERY SERVICE, business card. 1920'S


http://typecraft.co/?page_id=12




And finally, the Wood & Jones building in the mid-1940s.


http://typecraft.co/?page_id=12



It still stands today as an Urban Outfitters.


gsv

-note that it still says Wood & Jones along the top of the building & on the lower left

as well as their initials on the lower right where it used to say Campbell Seed Store.
-----------------------






Oh, and one last thing that's been bothering me.

Is this a mutant pigeon sitting on the edge of the Union Tire business?


detail

Or does it only appear mutant because it's on a wire closer to the photographer.

If look closely, there is a wire, but it's several inches below the 'pigeon'.
__

Color me flummoxed.

The same Wood and Jones?






http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=14686

[ethereal_reality]

Since this is also the north side of W. Colorado Blvd. (but in the 1920s) maybe this Wood & Jones building pre-dates the larger Wood & Jones building.

Either way, it's a great photograph!
------

Here's the longer version.

Originally post by Chuckaluck

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=14686

Thanks for bringing this to my attention Tourmaline.


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[ethereal_reality]

Did any of you know there was a song titled 'L.A. International Airport'?


ebay


You can listen to it here:

• Video Link

It's pretty good actually....if you don't mind Country & Western music.

_

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by John Maddox Roberts

Any idea what caused so much damage to the sandstone in just a few decades? Was it air pollution? (a sobering thought if it was) It certainly can't be due to a freeze-and-thaw cycle.

I think we talked about the red Flagstaff sandstone before. It was highly prized b/c it was so fine-grained and easy to carve. However, although it did much better as a building material in its native climate, transporting it elsewhere could cause alarming weakening. In addition, its quality was uneven; some pieces eroded much more quickly than others.

You may recall the towers of the old courthouse had to be removed, because of falling rock, even before the LB quake.

On the other hand, New Mexico red sandstone was much more robust and consequently harder to work. The Stimson Residence is clad in New Mexico stone and has weathered the decades in fine shape.


denver public library (previously posted by HossC in a larger size)

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Did any of you know there was a song titled 'L.A. International Airport'?

[snip]

It's pretty good actually....if you don't mind Country & Western music.

_

Lots of memories of LAX. The one that just popped into my head (for who knows what reason) was this:

Walking down the tunnel to a Western satellite terminal ca. 1970 when over the PA comes

"Will a Mr. Carl LaFong pick up the white courtesy telephone. LaFong, Carl LaFong, capital L little A capital F ..."

About a third of the people cracked up and the rest looked around with classic WTF expressions on their faces.

I always wondered if somebody had picked up the phone and said "No, I don't know a Carl LaFong, capital L, little A ..."


Cheers,

Earl

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Did any of you know there was a song titled 'L.A. International Airport'?
___________________________________________________________________

It sounds familiar and rings a few bells.

Did you know there was a TV movie in 1985 called: International Airport? Takes place at LAX.
And there was a series in 2004-2005 called LAX. Lasted half a season.

[tovangar2]

If you're a fan of Anthony B. Heinsbergen, you might enjoy Amy Higgins' site. She's been involved in restoration work (murals, plaster relief, gold leaf) on a good many buildings. Her site has great project pages on the Chinese Theater, the Pantages, the Archer School for Girls, Wilshire Blvd Temple, Raymond Theater, Brock Jewelry Bldg, Subway Bldg, Brand Library, etc.

Worth a look.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by John Maddox Roberts

Any idea what caused so much damage to the sandstone in just a few decades?

Not sure about the sandstone, but the marble cracks could have been from the Northridge quake. After that, most of the city hall tenants were relocated while the repair project was underway. I recall someone from the L.A. Conservancy tour saying the entire building was actually lifted during the project, which, if it hadn't been approved before the quake, may have resulted in City Hall actually being torn down. Has any of that been mentioned before. I don't have all the specifics on that project.

Is this helpful?
http://eng.lacity.org/projects/lacityhall/timeline.html
http://eng.lacity.org/projects/lacityhall/tour.html

[CityBoyDoug]

Speaking of things LAX.

Here's a song from the past...a classic from that era. Link:

https://youtu.be/AuXAG01aUoA


youtube

"Coming in from London from over the pole
Flyin' in a big airliner
Chicks flyin' everywhere around the plane
Could we ever feel much finer?"

"Hip woman walkin' on the movin' floor
Trippin' on the escalator
There's a man in the line and she's blowin' his mind
Thinkin' that he's already made her..."

Arlo Guthrie

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Did any of you know there was a song titled 'L.A. International Airport'?


ebay


You can listen to it here:

• Video Link

It's pretty good actually....if you don't mind Country & Western music.

_

I've always hated C&W, but when this came out many years ago, I liked the lyrics since I'm such an aviation fanatic.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by Earl Boebert

Lots of memories of LAX. The one that just popped into my head (for who knows what reason) was this:

Walking down the tunnel to a Western satellite terminal ca. 1970 when over the PA comes

"Will a Mr. Carl LaFong pick up the white courtesy telephone. LaFong, Carl LaFong, capital L little A capital F ..."

About a third of the people cracked up and the rest looked around with classic WTF expressions on their faces.

I always wondered if somebody had picked up the phone and said "No, I don't know a Carl LaFong, capital L, little A ..."


Cheers,

Earl

Coincidentally, my first visit to LAX was in 1970 (December) during a long layover on a trip to Honolulu. On the LAX to Honolulu leg of the trip, we were on a brand new Continental 747. Talk about luxury. There was even a piano bar in the upstairs lounge. The plane was spotless, colors were bright, and air travel was really classy.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Speaking of things LAX.

Here's a song from the past...a classic from that era.

"Comin' into Los Angeleees
Bringin' in a couple of keys
Don't touch my bags if you please mister customs man"

I would NOT recommend it!


Thx for the blast from the past CBD



And omg, that flight over the pole. Endless.

[John Maddox Roberts]

And an early example of their work.

TANNER LIVERY SERVICE, business card. 1920'S


http://typecraft.co/?page_id=12

Cool that their card includes Pasadena's infamous "suicide bridge." I used to hear all kinds of stories about it when I was a kid there in the '50s. Jumpers, ghosts, the works.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by John Maddox Roberts

The business card includes Pasadena's infamous "suicide bridge."
I used to hear all kinds of stories about it when I was a kid
there in the '50s. Jumpers, ghosts, the works.

http://annerdman.blogspot.com/2014/0...solved_24.html

"In the Aug. 9, 1937, noir-esque photo above, a man pauses to look through the tall, chain link, suicide prevention fence topped with barbed wire
on the Colorado Street Bridge. It was the first such barrier ever installed on the bridge."

"The first person to leap to his death was in 1915. The predominance of jumpers -- nearly 100-- took the plunge during the Great Depression between 1929
to 1939. Almost all of the jumpers were from Los Angeles.

As with all the suicides during the Great Depression, the one just prior to the installation of the ugly fence was a sad and tragic case.

Myrtle Ward and her musician husband lived in the El Sereno district of Los Angeles with their 3-year-old daughter Jeannette. Like so many others, they were out of work and the financial burdens were becoming more crushing with every passing day. Myrtle lost all hope and became despondent.

On the morning of May 1, 1937, 22-year-old Myrtle drove the family car to the east end of the bridge, got out and, holding little Jeannette's hand,
went onto the bridge's pedestrian walkway. Myrtle stepped onto a bench in a little alcove at the highest point of the bridge and threw little Jeannette
over the side. She then climbed onto the short balustrade and jumped to her death.

Jeannette's fall was broken by a tree branch before she landed on a small spot of soft sand in the Arroyo Seco streambed.
Myrtle died three days later at Huntington Memorial Hospital; Jeannette was hospitalized briefly and was raised by her paternal grandmother."

All from Ann Erdman
http://annerdman.blogspot.com/2014/0...solved_24.html

[ethereal_reality]

While we're in Pasadena.....

Fisher's for Fine Food, 3589 E. Colorado Blvd.


ebay



Here's the same building today.


gsv

The charm of the roadside diner is entirely missing despite it being the same building.

(Colorado Blvd. was Route 66, right?)

[ethereal_reality]

Just for fun.

Fizz-Ade billboard, Lo Angeles 1956.


www.alamy.com

The size of this billboard is amazing. -note the nicely dressed woman standing by the glass--->

I remember there was a similar product like Fizz-Ade in the 1960s, but I don't recall the name.