Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson (Post 5767860)

A similar kind of lighting, in an improved form, was proposed for Los Angeles by C. L. Howland, representing the California Electric Light Company. While numerous proposals had been made, on September 11, 1882 the City Council unanimously voted to enter into a contract with Howland to “illuminate the streets of the city with electric light.”

At the time, it was a revolutionary idea. The proposal called for Howland, at his own expense, to erect seven, 150-foot-high masts each carrying three electric lights or lamps of three thousand candle-power. The masts were to be located in the heart of the city and its settle suburbs “which would be thoroughly and satisfactorily illuminated.”' Historical notes, DWP - LA Public Library Image Archive

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8164/7...b4a68bd0_o.jpg
one of first seven electric street lights, los angeles

(Early 1880s) - One of the first of seven electric street lights installed in the City of Los Angeles at Main and Commercial in 1882. Each of the 150-foot-high masts carried three electric lights of three thousand candle-power. All seven lamps and a small power plant to provide the electricity were installed by C. L. Howland (One year later, Howland and others formed the Los Angeles Electric Company).

DWP - LA Public Library Image Archive

'Howland set quickly to work. He had received a deadline of December 1, 1882 to have the masts erected and electricity on. By October 25, he had purchased a lot on the corner of Alameda and Banning Streets where he proceeded to erect a brick building, 50 by 80 feet, to house the boilers, engines and the 30kw, 9.6 ampere “Brush” arc lighting equipment for supplying the electric energy. Three weeks later, by November 16, the masts were in place and soon afterwards the pole lines and wires were strung along the streets leading to the masts.

By December the only hold-up was the delayed arrival of the dynamo and lamps. In growing anticipation, the citizens anxiously awaited the moment in history when the first streetlights would illuminate the night skies of Los Angeles. That moment came on December 30, 1882 before an admiring crowd of spectators. Mayor Toberman threw a switch at twenty minutes past eight, simultaneously lighting two mast tops, one at Main and Commercial and the other at First and Hill.

An account in the Express newspaper at the time, recounted the historic event in this way: “The Main Street light burned steadily and beautifully and it cast a light similar to that of the full moon on snow. The First Street light was very unsteady, glowing at times with brilliancy and again almost fading from sight. The only complaint so far is from young couples who find no shady spots on the way home from church or theatre.”'

By the following evening, five more masts were lighted on First Street and Boyle Avenue; Avenue 22 and North Broadway; First Street and Central Avenue; Fourth Street and Grand Avenue; and Sixth and Main Streets. Historical notes DWP - LA Public Library Image Archive

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7...d34bf435_o.jpg
main and commercial streets, circa 1885

Main and Commercial Streets circa 1885, looking at the Temple Block, with Adolph Portugal's store, a site later occupied by City Hall. One of the City's first 150 foot high electric light pole can be seen. On the left is the United States Hotel.

LAPL

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson (Post 5780681)

Shout out to KevinW. Your 1939 Bunker Hill panorama may be my new favorite image on the thread. Easily a top five. Wow.
you set the bar pretty high.

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson (Post 5781786)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7...68c24b8d_o.jpg
Plaza_1945

(ca. 1945) - Exterior view of front of the Merced Theater and businesses to the left and right down the street. Signs can be seen for a barber shop, a shoe shop, the Tom Hotel and others. Picture taken from across the street. To the left of the Merced is a portion of Pico House. The Masonic Hall is partially hidden behind the 'sign' sign. DWP - LA Public Library Image Archive

Originally Posted by fhammon (Post 5781730)

I've got a book right here about Rancho la Cienega o Passo de La Tijera.
Lucky Baldwin owned it for awhile and never developed it while the rest of L.A. sprawled around it. After his death his daughter, Clara Stocker, sold it off in parcels.
A 1930 air photo in the book shows four different airfields that sprang up taking advantage of the newly open space close to downtown. They were strung along Crenshaw Blvd just south of Exposition all within a stone's throw of each other:
Lincoln Airport, Sperl Airport, Rogers Airport and American Airport. A brief history is given of each.
I wish I could post the photo. Credit is given to Spence Air Photos

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Past (Post 5781850)

Finally back from my high school reunion vacation in the southland. Wanted to thank Michael for this excellent post on the history of electric street lighting in L.A. Definitely one of my favorites in the thread. (Love all those ladder trucks! Yikes. I hope those guys were well paid.) Wanted to make this one correction, though (after the quote)...


The U.S. Hotel was located at the SE corner of Main and Market, and fronting Main, that's their famous flag pole, which, at the time of its erection in the 1860s, was the tallest man-made object in the city. (It can be seen still standing in the 1930s in the bottom photo in this post.)

-Scott

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Past (Post 5781852)

Source: http://losangelespast.blogspot.com/2...-then-now.html

;)

PS: That photostitch took me about a week to get right. :slob:

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Past (Post 5781854)

What is going on with the guy wires on those utility poles? Talk about a wonky design...

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson (Post 5767860)

'At the time, it was a revolutionary idea. The proposal called for Howland, at his own expense, to erect seven, 150-foot-high masts each carrying three electric lights or lamps of three thousand candle-power. The masts were to be located in the heart of the city and its settle suburbs “which would be thoroughly and satisfactorily illuminated.”' Historical notes, DWP - LA Public Library Image Archive

By December the only hold-up was the delayed arrival of the dynamo and lamps. In growing anticipation, the citizens anxiously awaited the moment in history when the first streetlights would illuminate the night skies of Los Angeles. That moment came on December 30, 1882 before an admiring crowd of spectators. Mayor Toberman threw a switch at twenty minutes past eight, simultaneously lighting two mast tops, one at Main and Commercial and the other at First and Hill.

An account in the Express newspaper at the time, recounted the historic event in this way: “The Main Street light burned steadily and beautifully and it cast a light similar to that of the full moon on snow. The First Street light was very unsteady, glowing at times with brilliancy and again almost fading from sight. The only complaint so far is from young couples who find no shady spots on the way home from church or theatre.”'

By the following evening, five more masts were lighted on First Street and Boyle Avenue; Avenue 22 and North Broadway; First Street and Central Avenue; Fourth Street and Grand Avenue; and Sixth and Main Streets. Historical notes DWP - LA Public Library Image Archive

'Let there be light...', He said, and there was light.

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson (Post 5782072)

Ankles Preferred seems more than a bit on the racy side, oh you kid!

And I noticed Harrison Ford's name. What a career!

Originally Posted by BifRayRock;5782192I get the "Mesa Music Masters", but any idea what is meant by "VOD BITS?"


On a more serious note, according to one source, the Mesa served as a primary LA draft board location, in the late '40s

My first reaction to your latest Shorpy is to wonder who occupied the beautiful Victorian on the far right of the picture lower third.[/FONT

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Originally Posted by fhammon (Post 5782399)

Maybe somebody has already mentioned this but it has always been my understanding that the highest pole highest to the left of the Lugo House in this now familiar photo of Calle de los Negros was one of the first lighting masts to be erected. One of three I think.

http://www.lafire.com/stations/Plaza...iggeralley.jpg http://www.lafire.com/stations/PlazaStation/Plaza.htm
I read somewhere that they employed carbon filaments or carbon "sticks" actually, that had to be replaced daily after each nights use.

Originally Posted by fhammon (Post 5782526)

Notice how the mast in the Calle photo looks rigged for climbing and the others do not. I have a book that makes mention of the need to replace the filament rods daily. I'm not sure if this is true now. There might have been a need to adjust the gap between the two carbon rods regularly as they probably tended to burn back to something less than optimal. Doing more research I see that improvements were made to cause an auto-adjustment of the gap. It's also possible the filament gap could be adjusted at street level by some mechanism.
Here's an interesting illustration:

http://www.lafavre.us/brush/312184_1.JPG

http://www.lafavre.us/brush/lamparc.htm

Here's another one in front of the Plaza Church. I'm having this same discussion now seeking info over at the Pueblo Plaza forum and this photo was just posted.

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics17/00008163.jpg

Courtesy of LAPL

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson (Post 5782583)

What you've posted is a schematic of an arc light, the light being created when the electicity 'arcs' across the gap. And the last photo has a date of 1888, six years after Howland's original seven streetlight masts. It could have been a second generation light, I guess. It is another photo of the same mast we were looking at from Calle de los Negros.

Originally Posted by fhammon (Post 5782594)

The first one is planted at the end of Calle de los Negros and the 2nd one is on the opposite side of the Plaza next to the church. The dates are as confusing to me as the apparent differences in mast designs.