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C. King Sep 20, 2014 4:22 AM

With the recent posts on the Ambassador Hotel, here is a link to the LAFD Historical Society's Flickr page showing inside the Ballroom and surrounding areas. Taken the night of RFK's shooting. Don't worry, no graphic pics.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lafdhs...7645051709433/

Also, Last Saturday was the 44th anniversary of the Ponet Square Hotel Fire that took 19 lives. Located at the corner of Grand Ave and Pico Blvd, the lot where it stood is still an empty lot to this day. GW posted a pre-fire pic of it in post #11447, back in January of last year.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lafdhs...7647214894160/

I know I don't post much, but really do enjoy all the hard work that you guys do.

Casey

FredH Sep 20, 2014 6:07 AM

Hope we haven't seen this one before...worth another look anyway.

View looking east between 2nd and 3rd Streets from point above Beaudry, Los Angeles, 1937

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...psdf3d96e7.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/1029/rec/2


Nice view of the backside of Bunker Hill. Click on the link for the zoom-able photo on the USC site.

FredH Sep 20, 2014 6:39 AM

View of Third Street after it was widened from sixty to eighty feet and its grade was lowered, May 20, 1932 - 3rd Street & Beaudry Avenue


http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...psc40ef7a8.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/17656/rec/13

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...psc1761a1b.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/17656/rec/13

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps2622068d.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/17656/rec/13

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps42f997d1.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...d/17656/rec/13

HossC Sep 20, 2014 2:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6737095)

While driving around in the google-mobile, I happened across this building that looks like one of those grand ballrooms from the 1920s!
It's located on the southwest corner of S. Vermont and Cordova Street.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...673/DXPlSR.jpg
GSV

Is anyone aware of a ballroom at this location back in the glory days of ballroom dancing?

I found Lazaro's Ballroom listed at 1953 S Vermont in the 1987 CD, with Lazaro's Latin Lounge next door at 1951 S Vermont. The Latin Lounge also appears in the 1973 CD with something called Studio Village at 1953. The latter might be connected to an earlier business at that address, because the City Directories and other sources say that the Studio Bowling Academy was there from the 1930s to the 1960s. Looking at Historic Aerials, the building doesn't seem to have changed since 1948. I found the matchbook below on eBay. The seller says it's from the 1930s. Has anyone ever been bowling for their health?

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ioBowling1.jpg
eBay

I also came across this "greeting card".

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ioBowling2.jpg
popcornposters.com

The listing below comes from a book called 'Los Angeles in the 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City of Angels' by WPA Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in Southern California. Given the two items above, I'm guessing the address is a typo. The Studio Bowling Academy boasted 14 lanes and was open until 2 am (as were many of its competitors).

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ioBowling3.jpg
books.google.com

I haven't found any pictures of the Studio Bowling Academy yet - the search continues!


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


Thanks for the additional information about the Amelia Street School, jbange.

CityBoyDoug Sep 20, 2014 9:59 PM

1953 armored Cadillac...
 
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psbf99bac0.jpg
Personal CD

"I don't know, Mickey, there's a lot'a LA gangsters that would like to see you eat some lead for breakfast."
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps9e82f090.jpg
Personal CD

ethereal_reality Sep 20, 2014 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HossC (Post 6737338)
I haven't found any pictures of the Studio Bowling Academy yet - the search continues!

Thanks for researching my mystery 'ballroom' building HossC. I have to admit, I was surprised to find out that it used to be a bowling alley.
__


I came across this color slide dated 1958 this afternoon on ebay. (I don't believe we've seen it before, but I could be wrong)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/911/PS5Ojr.jpgebay

I'm interested in that fairly large white building to the left of the streetcar. Does it look familiar to any of you?

__

ethereal_reality Sep 20, 2014 10:32 PM

Here's a glimpse inside the Excelsior Meat Market, 2495 S. Hoover Street, circa 1914. Clean place. (I don't see any sawdust on the floor)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/538/rVt9F8.jpgebay

Growing up, when we would go to the meat locker there was always sawdust on the floor...some of it blood soaked!
I also remember there was a distinct smell....not a bad smell mind you, just distinct...very distinct)



Here's the complete calendar.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/908/7EN3GE.jpgebay

___

ethereal_reality Sep 20, 2014 10:37 PM

A snapshot from July of 1963.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/742/8lBJDb.jpgebay

I wonder if that's an actual parking spot or did that elderly woman just pull in to make a quick phone call?

__

HossC Sep 20, 2014 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6737731)

Thanks for researching my mystery 'ballroom' building HossC. I have to admit, I was surprised it used to be a bowling alley.

According to propertyshark.com, 1951 S Vermont is still classified as a bowling alley. They say it was built in 1928 and last altered in 1969.

A few additions to my original post. In 1942 there was a legal dispute between the owners (the Magill Brothers) and the Building Service Employees' International Union about unlawful picketing at the bowling alley. Full details can be found here.

The June 25, 1940 edition of the Summer Trojan has this piece about a bowling group meeting at 1953 S Vermont, although given the spelling in the article, maybe that should be a "bowing" group.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ioBowling4.jpg
USC Digital Library

Twenty years later, and the bowling alley still seems to be going strong. This advert is from the September 29, 1960 edition of the California Eagle.
I'm sorry this image is a bit blocky - you have to pay for higher resolution on this site!

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...ioBowling5.jpg
www.mocavo.com

ethereal_reality Sep 20, 2014 11:55 PM

After five years on the thread we finally get to see inside the Hotel Jovita at 726 S. Main St.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...538/PbEWDP.jpg
detail/ USC and LAPL



-found this postcard of the Jovita lobby this afternoon.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...908/1uTdF4.jpgebay



http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/538/uqcX8x.jpg
reverse

pretty cool huh - :)

__

MichaelRyerson Sep 21, 2014 2:39 AM

Early noir.
 
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3845/...15dde7ac_o.jpgThe Magnolia Saloon at New High and Marchessault Streets, Sonora Town, ca.1887

Six (or seven) nattily attired black men standing outside the Magnolia Saloon at New High and Marchessault Streets in Sonora Town in about 1887. All of the buildings lining the street are adobe or wood. A wagon is parked across New High Street near a laundry. Two large trees shade that side of the street near a picket fence. The J.W. Robinson Mansion is visible on the left overlooking Castelar and Bellevue (Sunset Boulevard). Notice that Marchessault does not cross New High Street. In this time Marchessault only came this far. Bellevue (later Sunset Boulevard) crosses New High Street just north of the Magnolia, one would make a right hand turn here and run up New High a few hundred feet before being able to make a left turn on Bellevue and continue west. Also notice the sizable shadow on the street. This is thrown by a building on Plaza Church property, perhaps the clergy house on the SE corner of New High and Marchessault Streets.

USC digital archive/California Historical Society Collection, 1860-1960

Apollodorus Sep 21, 2014 7:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FredH (Post 6732796)
:previous:

My old noirish standby is the theme from Farewell My Lovely (1975)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpIf...pIftdXefsE#t=0

By the way, the whole movie is here. Worth a look if you haven't seen it.

Great add Fred, thanks for this gem. It's hauntingly beautiful. Thanks again and thanks everybody for making this thread such a pleasure to read.

Here are a few of my favorite noirish jazz tracks
http://youtu.be/d92SCcKfc9o

http://youtu.be/Kmc1XN3iVVc

http://youtu.be/fGEED6dVajM

MichaelRyerson Sep 21, 2014 12:47 PM

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5575/...c53c1a0d_o.jpgE.C. Fisher's store on the west side of S. Main Street, north of Washington Boulevard, ca.1890


Looking west across Main Street of E.C. Fisher's store on the west side of S. Main Street, north of Washington Boulevard, ca.1890. The store, a long single story building, has an overhang that covers a walkway in front of the large glass windows. There are four men standing on this walkway, and there is a small amount of merchandise, including melons, wash tubs, and ropes, arranged in front as well. Legible signs include, from left to right, "Examiner sold here", "News Depot Stationery", "Tinware Hardware", "Staple & Fancy Groceries", "Produce Tea & Coffee", "Window glass Paintbrushes", "The Broad-Guage", "Ranch Eggs Wanted", and "Under we[ar] Notion[?]".

"Portrait of Fisher's Broad-Guage Department Store. There is a large hotel apartment building on this corner, The Rutland, owned by the Central and Broad-Guage Department. Store owned by E. C. Fisher, located on the west side of Main Street just north of the northwest corner of Washington--the corner occupied by Henry Coch's Saloon. On the southwest corner of Main and Washington was Dave Waldron's old Washington Gardens, later Luna Park. Opposite, on the northeast corner, was the Main Street and Agricultural Park Streetcar Horse Barns and on the southeast corner was Louis Martin's Saloon. The man on the right was one of my photographers, the boy in short-sleeves (I believe he is saying 'shirt-sleeves') is myself, the man on the steps--E.A. Butterfield, and the policeman is a Mr. Kemp" -- Signed, J. H. Crum 331 Palisades Avenue, Santa Monica, 1935

USC digital archive/California Historical Society Collection, 1860-1960

ethereal_reality Sep 21, 2014 2:43 PM

:previous: Excellent information MichaelRyerson. It adds so much to the photographs / really brings them to life.

You mention Washington Gardens. HossC has three baist maps showing it's transformation here (if anyone wants to revisit them).
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=19077

The maps show The Rutland as well.
__

ethereal_reality Sep 21, 2014 5:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HossC (Post 6734644)
This attractive building in the shadow of one of the smaller gasometers caught my eye.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...aStSchool1.jpg
USC Digital Library

Looking at the Baist maps, I found it was a public school. Being on Amelia Street, it was the Amelia Street School.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...aStSchool2.jpg
www.historicmapworks.com

A quick Google didn't turn up much information, so here are the listings I found in the City Directories for the Amelia Street School. I don't know the streets in the first entry, but after that they all point to roughly the same location. It looks like Amelia Street became N Garey around 1939, even though the north and south sections never meet.

1886-87, "bet Lazart and Weill", principal: Miss Libbie Snyder.
1894, "Amelia near Jackson", principal: Sylvanus A Waldron.
1898, "bet Turner and Jackson", principal: William W Tritt.
1900-01, "Amelia nr Jackson", principal: Mrs Estelle B Smith.
1909 & 1911, "Amelia ne cor Jackson", no principal listed.
1915, "410 Amelia", principal: Mary A Henderson.
1917 & 1918, "410 Amelia", no principal listed.
1921 & 1923, "410 Amelia", no principal listed, now a "Day and Evening" school.
1926, 1927, 1929 & 1932, "410 Amelia", no principal listed.
1936 & 1938, "611 Jackson", principal: Mrs Mabel S Colerick.
1939, as above, although address is also listed as "410 N Garey".
1942, "407 Vignes", no principal listed.

I thought the school was missing from the 1936 CD, but the entry was spelled "Amelia Streeet [sic] School"!



HossC, in 1938 the Amelia Street School was featured in this Nuestro Pueblo column (L.A. Mirror).

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/907/dU9Y5d.jpg
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/


I was looking over HossC's Baist map again and noticed a small hospital on Jackson Street situated between the school and the gas-o-meters.
-does anyone have information on this hospital?

__

CityBoyDoug Sep 21, 2014 6:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6738192)
HossC, in 1938 the Amelia Street School was featured in this Nuestro Pueblo column (L.A. Mirror).I was looking over HossC's Baist map again and noticed a small hospital on Jackson Street situated between the school and the gas-o-meters.
-does anyone have information on this hospital?
__

That lot measures 50 x 130 feet. So, the ''Hospital" is very small....about the size of a house. Maybe its a Dr.'s clinic.

HossC Sep 21, 2014 9:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6738192)

I was looking over HossC's Baist map again and noticed a small hospital on Jackson Street situated between the school and the gas-o-meters.
-does anyone have information on this hospital?

Interesting article on the Amelia Street School, e_r. It ties in nicely with the information from jbange.

The hospital only appears on the 1921 Baist map, it's not there in either 1910 or 1914. The nearest I could find to a hospital at that location is the Jackson Conference Baby Welfare Station at 709 Jackson St, listed under "Health" in the 1923 CD.

I also found the Baby Welfare Station's next door neighbor. Listed under "Benevolent and Social Bodies", the Brownson House Settlement at 711 Jackson Street appears in the CDs from 1909 to 1926. I've pieced this pamphlet together from three separate images. It gives quite a bit of the history of the Brownson House. LMU date it at circa 1915. Miss Nora Desmond probably never knew she was only a letter away from a part in Sunset Boulevard :).

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original
Loyola Marymount University Digital Collections

There's no location given with this image, but it's dated circa 1919, so I'm guessing it's on Jackson. The description says Black and white photograph of thirty-two adults and students outside at Brownson House in Los Angeles, California.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...nsonHouse2.jpg
Loyola Marymount University Digital Collections

Here's a 1919 appeal for funds. The description of this one says "Brownson House needs $5000" letter requesting financial assistance for the support and upkeep of the Brownson House. The letter asks subscribers to renew or to become a new subscriber and includes a form at the bottom that can be filled out with name, address, amount promised, how payable, and amount enclosed. The left-most column includes testimonials in support of Brownson House's work. It also comes with this historical background: Mary Julia Workman founded the Brownson House Settlement Association in 1901 and led it for 19 years. The Brownson House assisted underprivileged and immigrant families in the city, providing them with educational, vocational and social programs such as student clubs, Sunday school, dances, and sporting events. Brownson House was originally located in a rented cottage on Aliso St., but moved to a new facility on Jackson St. in late 1904 or early 1905.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...nsonHouse3.jpg
Loyola Marymount University Digital Collections

The dedication was early 1905, as can be seen in this January 9, 1905 article from the Los Angeles Herald.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...nsonHouse4.jpg
California Digital Newspaper Collection

And finally, the lady who started it all - Mary Julia Workman. As you'll see from the description, she was a descendant of a couple of prominent families.

Funeral rites were set for Mary Julia Workman, 93, civic and cultural leader. Her father, William H. Workman, was the city's first mayor and her mother was the daughter of Andrew Boyle, for whom Boyle Heights was named. Miss Workman pioneered settlement work in this area and founded the Brownson House Settlement Assn. in 1901. She helped in the fight to bring water to Southern California and was active in the movement to begin civil service in local government. She became the first president of the Council of Catholic Women. Photo date: January 13, 1964.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...nsonHouse5.jpg

LAPL

A picture of Mary's father, Mayor William H. Workman, can be found in post #13113 by westcork.

Lorendoc Sep 22, 2014 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 6737731)
I came across this color slide dated 1958 this afternoon on ebay. (I don't believe we've seen it before, but I could be wrong)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/911/PS5Ojr.jpgebay

I'm interested in that fairly large white building to the left of the streetcar. Does it look familiar to any of you?

__

777 E. Gage Avenue.

http://i.imgur.com/c7mI7rV.jpg
gsv

The S line placard says "Manchester and Central," so we're entitled to think the big yellow car is headed outbound. A little homework revealed what stretches of the S line were double tracked and separated by a median. The Googlemobile (and some luck that the building had survived modification of the roof) did the rest.

e_r's photo was taken from the south lanes of Gage looking west, approximately from the point marked "x" on the Sanborn map. (I was too lazy to stitch, thus the blank right side :shrug: of the following.)

http://i.imgur.com/r64rZTR.jpg
lapl

Note the double set of train tracks peeling SW off Gage seen running along the bottom of e_r's photo. They are shown on the Sanborn map and also their ghost can be seen in the modern aerial view:

http://i.imgur.com/6bcrpTW.jpg
GSV

The Sanborn map shows 777 E. Gage as a cosmetic manufacturing firm, and indeed the 1956 city directory lists several related businesses at that address, such as "House of Hollywood Cosmetics" and "La Bonita Cosmetics." With the eye of faith, one can just make out the word "Hollywood" above the main entrance in e_r's photo. Today it's "Umana Designs Inc. Furniture Factory."

Maybe the car experts can confirm the 1958 date, that seems kind of late.

ethereal_reality Sep 22, 2014 3:59 PM

:previous: Excellent sleuthing Lorendoc and HossC. It's much appreciated!
__

ethereal_reality Sep 22, 2014 9:10 PM

Phaeton, Los Angeles 1931
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/674/GkMQEK.jpgebay

Hmmm...is that the same man in all the poses? Is this some sort of photo-trickery-?


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