noirish Los Angeles

[HossC]

Today's Julius Shulman subject was in Huntington Park. It's "Job 613: Matcham and Heitschmidt, Baker Oil Tools, Inc., 1949".



Here's a closer look at the entrance.



Both from Getty Research Institute

I was really hoping that 6000 S Boyle Avenue would still be standing, but all I found was a massive, soulless warehouse. Looking at Historic Aerials, the building was demolished sometime between 1980 and 1994. I decided not to bother with a "now" picture.

[ethereal_reality]

I believe this company has something to do with Howard Hughes, but I'd need to do some research to say for sure.

[MichaelRyerson]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I believe we may have another mislabeled photograph. (also a mystery location)


"St. Francis, Gas Station and City Hall" – Los Angeles, 1956, Robert Frank


Museum of Fine Art Houston https://www.mfah.org/art/detail/6530...ank%26page%3D7

First of all, I don't believe the statue is St. Francis. It's the statue of Father Serra, right? (now residing in Father Serra Park across from Union Station)
And as you can see, the building described as City Hall is actually the Hall of Justice.
City Hall isn't visible in the photograph.

So where was the Father Serra statue located in 1956? (the year the photograph was taken)
I realize that is Fort Moore Hill at far right, but I can't pinpoint the exact location of the statue.
__

We're looking south across Sunset Boulevard at N Spring Street. This little gas station has been here a long time. Here's a slightly different view from 1934.


Union Station Construction Begins 1934


(1934) - A steam shovel hissed on April 19, 1934, and bit into Fort Moore Hill at Spring Street and Sunset Boulevard (actually the steam shovels, there are two, are over on Justicia Street and N. Broadway where it exits the tunnel) as a part of ground breaking exercises for the start of work on the new $8,000,000 Union depot for Los Angeles. The photo shows the ceremony in progress, the speakers' stand (with horizontal stripes) between two steam shovels which turned the first shovels-full of earth. In the background is Fort Moore Hill with the (Mary) Banning House at the right and 'the home of Dr. Lemoyne Wills on the upper left--- crammed with treasured antiques from China, razed a few years after this photo was taken.' (thanks rick m). The intersection of Spring Street and Sunset Boulevard is in the right foreground. Dirt amounting to 50,000 cubic yards will be moved to fill in at the new depot site.

LAPL

[HossC]

While I was looking around shorpy.com the other day, I found this image which I think is new to the thread (the original is double this size). It shows Jimmie Ervin Jr's Used Cars and Monty Kingsbury's Used Cars. There's also a nice sign for Savenick's Tires.


www.shorpy.com

The comments identify the location as 1541 N Cahuenga Boulevard, and include a discussion on the cars. Everyone seems to be going for dates between 1937 and 1941. Even though there are "now" pictures at the link, I've gone for the latest GSV image.


GSV

[ethereal_reality]

Robert Frank, "St. Francis, Gas Station and City Hall", Los Angeles 1956

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

We're looking south across Sunset Boulevard at N Spring Street. This little gas station has been here a long time. Here's a slightly different view from 1934.

Union Station Construction Begins 19341934) - A steam shovel hissed on April 19, 1934, and bit into Fort Moore Hill at Spring Street and Sunset Boulevard (actually the steam shovels, there are two, are over on Justicia Street and N. Broadway where it exits the tunnel) as a part of ground breaking exercises for the start of work on the new $8,000,000 Union depot for Los Angeles. The photo shows the ceremony in progress, the speakers' stand (with horizontal stripes) between two steam shovels which turned the first shovels-full of earth. In the background is Fort Moore Hill with the (Mary) Banning House at the right and 'the home of Dr. Lemoyne Wills on the upper left--- crammed with treasured antiques from China, razed a few years after this photo was taken.' (thanks rick m). The intersection of Spring Street and Sunset Boulevard is in the right foreground. Dirt amounting to 50,000 cubic yards will be moved to fill in at the new depot site.

Excellent informationMichael!

And a BIG thanks to tovanger2 for figuring out the general area of the Serra statue last night. (she's fast )

Originally Posted by tovanger2

I was about to ask where the guy walking down the steps and toward that squiggly path was coming from. (but I believe MR's photograph answered my question)



The statue today in Father Serra Park.

http://www.laparks.org/park/los-angeles-plaza

[ethereal_reality]

I found this photograph in an old file of mine last night. -for the life of me I can't recall if I posted it.



Does anyone recognize these grand homes?

Also, is that a flagpole on the roof of the house in the middle? You don't see that often. (unless it's a club of some sort)


there might be a name above the front entrance

detail





this was found on ebay quite awhile back

[tovangar2]

Are we in agreement that the Serra statue was on the traffic island?.

Originally Posted by tovangar2

lanopalera


See also: "Monument statue of Father Junipero Serra on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Spring Street in Los Angeles" from USC DL

Do you remember that placement MR? I'm drawing a blank.




The fellow on the stairs is heading towards the back of La Colima e_r. MR's photo doesn't show that; Colima is out of shot to the right, see here:

Originally Posted by Beaudry

lapl

.

[MichaelRyerson]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Are we in agreement that the Serra statue was on the traffic island?.



Do you remember that placement MR? I'm drawing a blank.




The fellow on the stairs is heading towards the back of La Colima e_r. MR's photo doesn't show that; Colima is out of shot to the right, see here:



.

Yes T2, on the traffic island...


Fort Moore Hill, Los Angeles, aerial view, 1947



Aerial view of Fort Moore Hill looking west along Sunset Blvd. The Hall of Justice is at left on Broadway and Temple with the realigned Spring Street running from left center to lower right. Interestingly, Justicia Street was still showing on maps (as a stub or 'dead end') hard by the Hall of Justice and in this image you can still make out the Justicia roadbed, running parallel to Spring St., now being used primarily for parking. Also just below the north portal of the Broadway tunnel the dirt entrance to Justicia is still evident. The Board of Education headquarters is near the upper right, south (left) of Sunset and Bozzani Motors, lower right, west side (above) of Broadway, north side (right) of Sunset. Father Serra waits patiently on the traffic island looking across Sunset at N Spring Street, lower right.

LAPL


Look closely here...


Sunset Boulevard at New High and Spring Streets, 1940


Looking northeast from just west of where Sunset Boulevard (center) crosses New High (right, just beyond the Chevron sign and left, just beyond the Mobil sign) and N. Spring streets (right foreground, nearer side of the Chevron sign and far down the block in front of the Bamba Club). Father Serra is standing on the traffic island and is seen just below the 'C' in 'Bamba Club'. Seen are the United States Post Office Terminal Annex (left), a Mobilgas service station (left), a Chevron service station (right), various stores, a Calvert whiskey billboard, the gas holders (gasometers) of the Los Angeles Gas Company, and the tower of Union Station (upper right). Photograph dated April 9, 1940. In 1940 this section of Sunset Boulevard is about to be rerouted to the left, which is here a short section of Bellevue, so as to hook-up with Macy at N. Spring just to the left of the Bamba. Here Sunset runs down to the right where it meets Marchessault at the Plaza.

LAPL/Blackstock Negative Collection

[tovangar2]

Thx . Excellent images.

With Colima now gone, I'm going to be more lost than ever.


With all the changes, do you think the present traffic island is where the old one was, even approximately?

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by HossC

While I was looking around shorpy.com the other day, I found this image which I think is new to the thread (the original is double this size). It shows Jimmie Ervin Jr's Used Cars and Monty Kingsbury's Used Cars. There's also a nice sign for Savenick's Tires.


www.shorpy.com

The cars may be used, but colors are available to suit most palates.

https://a.d-cd.net/22c8a7as-960.jpg


http://www.njstar118.com/images/UsedCarLotCombo.jpg

[VictorAtomic]

Some video and pics I took of a home that once belonged to Mexican General Jose Maytorena in the Mid-Wilshire district which is to be demolished.

"This Single-Family Home is located at 502 South Harvard Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA. 502 S Harvard Blvd is in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood in Los Angeles, CA and in ZIP Code 90020. 502 S Harvard Blvd has 9 beds, 3 baths, approximately 4,862 square feet, and was built in 1916"




• Video Link

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by odinthor

From my notes on the Plaza: “The location of the [original 1781] public square would nearly correspond to the following lines: The southeast corner of Upper Main and Marchessault streets for the southern or southeastern corner of the square; the east line of Upper Main street, from the above named corner, one hundred varas in a northerly direction, for the east line of the square; the eastern line of New High street for the western line of the square; and the northern line of Marchessault street for the southern line of the square” (Centennial History, p. 21); Narciso Botello, an 1833-1834 arrival, and, with only short interruptions, continuously in L.A. thereafter until his death, rented a structure in 1834 from Jonathan Temple, which structure he stated to have been on the old Plaza, north of the church (Narciso Botello's Annals, my translation and edition, paragraph 12), which agrees with the information supplied in the Centennial History; Ygnacio Garcia, eventual centenarian who first came to L.A. in 1825, stated that the previous Plaza lay southwest of the present one (article in Los Angeles Times, April 23, 1896; likely this was just a slip for northwest); “The new Plaza was laid out at the present site on Main Street in 1818” (Hafen & Hafen, Old Spanish Trail, p. 35); one could guess that it was the new church’s being put into service in 1826 which, because it faced on the new Plaza, reinforced the new Plaza’s importance and thus sent the old Plaza into its final decline (I don’t know of any references to its existence continuing after 1834, the year Botello refers to), and the site of the new Plaza had apparently remained unbuilt-upon because it was used, or intended for use, as a cemetery: “The present plaza was first used as a cemetery” An Illustrated History of Los Angeles County California, 1889 or perhaps 1891, p. 50 footnote.

Thank you odinthor. I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing this.


.........................................................................


And speaking of lost monuments, I was wondering where this one was placed:

lapl (no date)

[MichaelRyerson]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Thank you odinthor. I'm having a bit of trouble visualizing this.

Los Angeles Plaza map, 1926 and 1781


From an article in the Los Angeles Times on September 4, 1926 here we have a map of the Plaza area in 1926 over-laid with a map from 1781 showing the location of the original Plaza just north of the church.

from Larry Harnisch's blog 'The Daily Mirror'

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by VictorAtomic

Some video and pics I took of a home that once belonged to Mexican General Jose Maytorena in the Mid-Wilshire district which is to be demolished.

"This Single-Family Home is located at 502 South Harvard Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA. 502 S Harvard Blvd is in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood in Los Angeles, CA and in ZIP Code 90020. 502 S Harvard Blvd has 9 beds, 3 baths, approximately 4,862 square feet, and was built in 1916"

502 S Harvard was designed by Ivan Peoples, whose Navarro we've seen recently and several times in the past, including in a 2012 post of ER's:
http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...postcount=9723. Maytorena left 502 in the mid-'20s; by the end of the decade, it was carved into rooms.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

Los Angeles Plaza map, 1926 and 1781


From an article in the Los Angeles Times on September 4, 1926 here we have a map of the Plaza area in 1926 over-laid with a map from 1781 showing the location of the original Plaza just north of the church.

from Larry Harnisch's blog 'The Daily Mirror'

That's about the same. Was it Nathan Masters that said there's evidence there's been three Plazas? I'll look.

Originally Posted by tovangar2

nopalera

ETA:

Here it is, from 2011,

"Happy Birthday, Los Angeles! But is the Story of the City's Founding a Myth?" - Nathan Masters

JScott too, at Los Angeles Past:

"Los Angeles THREE Historical Plazas"

[tovangar2]

Re all the snow pix:

Nathan Masters asks,
"Why Doesn't It Snow in L.A. Anymore?"

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

And speaking of lost monuments, I was wondering where this one was placed:

lapl (no date)

Harry Chandler's residence.

503 N. Broadway (intersecting with Ft. Moore Place?)

1896
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...0coll2/id/5672

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/...t=22701http://






1920's
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...0coll2/id/5673

[ethereal_reality]

Looks like a ghost peeking out of the window in that last pic.

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' location

Here's another photograph by Robert Frank.

It was taken the same year as his 'St. Francis, Gas Station and City Hall'


http://the-crows-nest.tumblr.com/pos...e-is-one-thing

Robert Frank, Los Angeles 1956

Does anyone recognize this warehouse-type building with the large arrow?




Here's a closer look.


detail

The arrow appears to be neon.
__

and the man appears to be without a head.

[ethereal_reality]

One last question for tonight.

Does anyone know where the Maryknoll Mission was located in 1940s Los Angeles?

I ask this because of the two following photographs.

"Japanese-Americans reading evacuation orders on bulletin board at Mary Knoll mission, Los Angeles California" Photo by Russell Lee, 1942 April.


https://www.loc.gov/item/fsa1998003555/PP/




Here's a second photograph.


https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/fs...?loclr=blogpic

There's appears to be a grotto with a Virgin Mary(?) statue in the court yard.
__

The Maryknoll I found was in Monrovia. I'm guessing this one was closer to downtown.
_