noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

...an impressive scan from ebay.

Lowe's State 1924

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[ethereal_reality]

"For Zip and Zest...It's Just SO.........ZESTO!"


a beautiful soda bottle / dated 1939

ebay




ebay
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[GaylordWilshire]

Looks like Zesto--not exactly as "local" as the ad says--was bottled in various places in the Midwest and in L.A. from the late '30s to the '50s... the ad is from the Times in 1939, the auction ad from 1956.

[CityBoyDoug]

1

[Moxie]

The cut-glass effect on the bottle is really lovely. I admit that I often look for interestingly shaped water bottles when I travel, then reuse rather than recycle them. And glass bottles are still preferable to plastic, IMHO.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Here is 1679 E. 41st Street today.

gsv



'Zesto' seemed vaguely familiar when I came across the bottle on ebay, so I looked back through the thread and sure enough
the Eastside Brewery was briefly know as the Zesto Brewing Co. between 1920 and 1926.


http://www.lincolnheightsla.com/bitsnpieces/

Does this have any connection with Zesto Soda?

-rubs hands as plot thickens-
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[jbange]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks jbange. The vestibule is still stunning. The iron-work design framing the doors (on the right) are really interesting.
Is that a tiny figurine in the center of the metal ornament above the doors?

Yes. Got a picture of those too. (New phone, still figuring out how to get it to upload pictures)





We're still trying to figure out what those door frames are made of. They're non-magnetic silvery gray metal. I think they might be cast zinc. A lot of detail on the casting.

[ethereal_reality]

These photos are just fine jbange. To be honest, I was half expecting revolving doors within the metal framework.
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[fhammon]

Originally Posted by Blaster

The Pantry, definitely.
I purposely left out places like Pink's, Pann's, Apple Pan etc. in favor of the darker, smokier noir-like restaurants.

What about:



http://www.thepurplepassport.com/pic.../formosa-cafe/

The Formosa was founded in 1925 by 1920s prize-fighter Jimmy Bernstein. Bernstein operated his establishment initially in a Red Car trolley located just east of The Lot Studios. In 1945, Lem Quon went into partnership with Bernstein, taking full ownership in 1976 when Berstein died. The restaurant remains in the family with Quom's grandson, Vince Jung, managing it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formosa_Cafe

[ethereal_reality]

extinct club..

La Conga 1551 N. Vine Street


http://www.martinturnbull.com/

A noirish thumbs up to whoever locates a photograph of Chiquita, the talking marionette.
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[StethJeff]

Old County Hospital is now mostly departmental offices, locksmith, and several floors of creepy unused space. In fact the whole hospital building remains creepy. I can't think of another building on the west coast where more people have died since ~1930.

When we first moved to the new hospital there were a lot of rumors of what would eventually happen to the old building - offices, apartments, homeless services, etc. It basically hasn't changed much since we left in the summer 2008.

[Blaster]

[QUOTE=fhammon;6190302]What about:



Thanks! I also forgot the Dresden and Dan Tana's.

[Beaudry]

So the other day I picked up this snap, penciled on the back "SW Corner 1st & B'way Aug 15 1926"...



...there's a bit of the Yosemite Hotel (Rhodes & Ruddock Block/Yosemite Block/LA Stock Exchange) at far left, and then the Hough Block (111-109, with Rowan signage), and 107-101 Broadway make up the center of image at corner, and up First there's the low facade of the Southwest Printer's Supply Bldg and side of the Lora Hotel.

Near-identical shot, little earlier at 1920, resides in the LAPL --

lapl

And then the buildings begin to morph...

cal state lib

Note how 105-107 has been modernized in this 1939 image. The zigzag pediment almost looks like folded-plate! Streamline chop suey neon on the Chinese herb place...around the corner from police central, one has to picture disillusioned flatfoots cogitating over cases cold as their noodles. But I noirishly digress...

I was most familiar with this corner from the Hylen image (from 1950 I'd say, judging by the billboard), looking up B'way across First toward the lot where the Tajo used to be and toward the Law Building...

cal state lib

...where the buildings have been terrifically updated, more bay window removal and parapet changes...the Hotel Yosemite at 113-119 from the top image is a parking lot...and their modernization (modern? now it looks less like folded-plate and more like a crenellated battlement) didn't prevent the inevitable.

In 1956-7 the entire block bounded by 1st, B'way, 2nd and Hill (in the above image, if you turn the camera a bit to your left, you'd see this) was leveled to build the California State Bldg:

cal state lib

...which we now know as a big pit:

gsv

Which may or may not become this.

[CityBoyDoug]

1

[belmont bob]

Originally Posted by jbange

Yes. Got a picture of those too. (New phone, still figuring out how to get it to upload pictures)





We're still trying to figure out what those door frames are made of. They're non-magnetic silvery gray metal. I think they might be cast zinc. A lot of detail on the casting.

I think the cast zinc would be a logical answer on those frames...

[belmont bob]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Unknown photographer...Ralph Cantos Collection

Eagle Rock district dust up at Colorado Blvd. and Eagle Rock Blvd.

December 18, 1946. The motorman had left the street car momentarily with a single passenger aboard when the car began to move and then jumped the tracks. This was very exciting in those days as you could imagine. The lone lady riders' first thought was..."I thought I was imagining things." I can understand. Moving trolley, no driver, all alone....yikes, this may not end well.

Newspaper article link:
http://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-co...ent-121846.pdf

I find it interesting that in so many of these old accident/crime investigations there is no yellow tape or barricades to keep all the looky-loos at bay. People just crowd right up to the edge and the police just seem to deal with it.

[belmont bob]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here is 1679 E. 41st Street today.

gsv



'Zesto' seemed vaguely familiar when I came across the bottle on ebay, so I looked back through the thread and sure enough
the Eastside Brewery was briefly know as the Zesto Brewing Co. between 1920 and 1926.


http://www.lincolnheightsla.com/bitsnpieces/

Does this have any connection with Zesto Soda?

-rubs hands as the plot thickens-
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That’s an interesting gap between Zesto and Los Angeles et al with the 1927 to 1932 prohibition years unaccounted for. The change from LA Brewing to Zesto Beverage makes sense in 1920, but what happened in 27? Did the place close up?

[CityBoyDoug]

1

[GaylordWilshire]

"Today, US and UK society has morphed into a very ragged, in-your-face rabble of people out of control."

With all due respect, CBD, I think this is a bit of an overstatement... the innate goodness of people? Since when? If L.A.'s noir era was all petunias and ice cream, what are we doing here on this thread? Nostalgia is a dangerous thing... the past was never what you think it is now, even if you were there, including manners. Old newspapers from the Spanish era forward are FULL of mayhem and a lack of civility. And I hope I'm never so unhappy with the present. It's all there is....

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

Dated 1920, resides in the LAPL --
lapl

And then the buildings begin to morph...

cal state lib

Note how 105-107 has been modernized in this 1939 image. The zigzag pediment almost looks like folded-plate! Streamline chop suey neon on the Chinese herb place...around the corner from police central, one has to picture disillusioned flatfoots cogitating over cases cold as their noodles. But I noirishly digress...

As always, you have a great eye Beaudry, and your colorful commentary "disillusioned flatfoots cogitating over cases cold as their noodles" is classic. lol I love that!
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