Optical illusion? Top floor of the (8th Street) building facade, appears to cover an open space, giving the building a taller, more symmetrical appearance. Assume this was part of original design rather than a work in progress. In one shot, there seemed to be a bank of windows that are opened or cantilevered for ventilation or light. Upon closer inspection what seems to be windows is more likely the canted roof line, otherwise hidden by the facade.

Interesting chimney/smoke stack given its height - and apparent longevity. Wonder if it was for burning refuse or heating?

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...18980/rec/2018


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1931
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http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015478.jpg

5400 Los Angeles Mesa Drive?

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...70922/rec/1858


1927
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Is there a regular day for street cleaning?

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Burton Way and Crescent Drive


What predated this iconic Union-76 Station? :cool:

http://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/bpho...L8ErSd6A/l.jpghttp://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/bpho...L8ErSd6A/l.jpg



1934
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http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...44936/rec/1856


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1934 Swim for cover!
http://blogging.la/wp-content/upload...4/foothill.jpghttp://blogging.la/wp-content/upload...4/foothill.jpg


1924 - Montrose Street. Dry season. http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...19995/rec/1860

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Los Angeles Mesa Drive is now Crenshaw Boulevard. Rivoli Drug Co. is listed at 5400 Los Angeles Mesa Drive in the 1927 CD. The building currently on the intersection of Crenshaw and W 54th Street has been heavily modified, but the brickwork details of the upper floor lead me to think there's some of the original in there somewhere.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...hMesaDrive.jpg
GSV

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...70922/rec/1858GSV


Rather than it being "Los Angeles Mesa Drive" it was "Angeles Mesa Drive"--which became the southward extension of Crenshaw Boulevard from West Adams Blvd in 1930-'31. The Rivoli drugstore was listed in the 1927 CD at 5400 Angeles Mesa...it's gone:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p...2520PM.bmp.jpgGSV


A similar building was just across 54th and remains:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4...2520PM.bmp.jpgGSV

Thanks for the corrections, GW. I read my old map too hastily to notice the street was just "Angeles Mesa Drive" (no "Los"). When I saw the brickwork on the building I posted, I assumed it was a messed around version of the one posted by Godzilla, but thinking of it as a virtual mirror of the one across the street (the one in Godzilla's post) makes more sense of the proportions.

I've tried looking at various old aerials to find when 5400 was torn down. It's still there in 1980 according to Historic Aerials, but the 1994 image on Google Earth is too blurry to tell for sure. It's definitely gone by the 2001 image on Google Earth.

Appreciate the follow-up from HossC and GW.

Source included the "Los," I added the "Drive." I am pretty sure the name change was discussed on this thread.

Concrete curbs must have taken an awful beating back then. Or maybe the "beating" was not that unusual and it was the design and/or construction that was marginal? (For all I know, these curbs were hewn from natural stone, but it is doubtful. :rolleyes: )

When did the city start reinforcing curbs and using concrete for bus stops?

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Hoss-- I actually wrote that post not knowing you'd just posted yours-- anyway, it looks like the Rivoli Drug Co. went belly-up in 1935; after that, there appear to have been a number of tenants, including an appliance store, the Little Giant Electric Co. in the '40s and a branch of Charlston's Dept. Store in the '60s.... A 1993 fire didn't seem to quite finish it off--the 1996 LA Sentinel article is the last thing I could find on the building.


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-x...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p...2520PM.bmp.jpg
LAT, July 28, 1935/May 27, 1965


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-F...2520PM.bmp.jpghttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u...2520PM.bmp.jpg
Text from LAT, July 25, 1993/Los Angeles Sentinel Feb 8, 1996


LAT

Sign could have predated photo by several years. It may not have cost much to update the sign in a timely manner; however, considering how long it can take most large cities to fix pot holes, "years" may be understandable.



Fife Building - West Hollywood. Clearly has the Morgan Walls & CLements' signature design. R.Z. Baker, M.D. Surgeon, X-Ray Lab of "West Hollywood."

Do you suppose the X-Ray lab's walls and floors were lead lined, or just thick wall paper?

1929
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8701 Santa Monica

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(Thank you MartinP for your followup below :tup:)

The building recently occupied by Dunn Edwards (950 or 960 N. Highland) was once occupied by the "Crane Company" (plumbing fixtures). Interesting that the multi-colored zigzag sidewalks were original. Much of the zigzag remains today, although the condition is questionable.

Search 6792 Romaine Street, LA



Circa '30
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Although the detail in front of the Wilshire Professional Bldg. (3250 Wilshire) is not to be ignored! http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=3902
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What an amazing building! Never heard of the Pacific Coast Club before. Love your 80's pics, but so sad that they had to demolish it.

The 1904-built house next to the PCC you're referring to is the Greene & Greene-designed Tichenor House. Here's an interesting article from 1985 that indicates the house was once threatened with demolition (and maybe still is?), and mentions the "now-condemned Pacific Coast Club":

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-12-...tichenor-house

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wZy0nwPRfl...600/beauty.jpg

This building. Located at 8760 Sunset Blvd. was built in 1967 to house Dr. Robert A. Franklyn’s Beauty Pavilion, a plastic surgery clinic. It was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer who lived until age 104 last year. It was originally painted white.

An article from 1968 in Sports Illustrated (because the Dr. was “a horse racing entrepreneur” states: The doctor also has this thing about round buildings. "They appeal to me, I suppose, because a circle is such a clean thing," he says. Right now Franklyn has his surgery practice in a spectacularly attractive round building on Sunset Boulevard. He is the sole occupant and has named it The Beauty Pavilion. It was designed by the brilliant Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, who also designed part of the United Nations complex and the major buildings in Brasilia. Unfortunately, The Beauty Pavilion is located in a landscape of shamefully ugly urban rubble that is quite typical of Los Angeles—on one side, a hamburger joint named Alfie's [8768 Sunset] and, on the other, a mammoth black sign with a huge red neon message pushing Hav-A-Kar rentals for $4 a day and 4 cents a mile. Franklyn has planted a large evergreen tree in front of the sign, but it doesn't help much.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...0870/index.htm

Shamefully ugly urban rubble? Well, excuuuuuussssse meeeee...!

It’s now a recording studio known as Mutato Muzika and painted a brighter (!) color.

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wehoville
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http://media.soundonsound.com/sos/au...es/Devo_03.jpg
soundonsound

There’s some parking available underneath it on one side from the back.

A scene from the series SOUTHLAND was filmed across the street. I believe the policeman is actor Michael Cudlitz.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwaPuMb5NH...Pullover+1.JPG
itsfilmedthere

This post is great, Godzilla! That building is still there at 8701 Santa Monica Blvd. and in great condition. The sidewalk was widened in 1999 and there's some added awnings and a row of trees lining the street and there's an unnecessary billboard on the roof, but it looks mostly the same.

There's a similar building at 8851 Santa Monica Blvd., is it the same designer? It has a plaque or something on it about being erected in 1926 by Wilhelmina Moore--was she an architect? This particular photo shows a club called East/West occupying the spot after a club called Revolver had been there for over 20 years. East/West closed and it's back to being Revolver again. East/West removed the block glass windows when they took over to open up the outisde area.

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/52837202.jpg
Panoramio

Thanks for posting the pic of 49th and Figueroa, HossC! I grew up a block away and would walk past those buildings on the way home after elementary school! Back in the 1960's the large building housed a number of small office business and a notary. This is the NE corner; on the SE corner there was a Mobil gas and service station up until the early 1970's. The duplex next to the office building is one of several that are found all along Figueroa heading south from the Coliseum. They all appear, for the lack of better description, Florentine/Mediterranean in design, and if I could speculate, perhaps part of a grand scheme to build a "Mediterranean-style" corridor down Figueroa to almost Slauson. Another factoid: directly across the office building is another structure that once housed an early "super" market; my parents once told me it was an early Safeway.

Unquestionably the most bilious shade of green I've seen since the lime green sock craze of the 1950s. 100% pure YUK!

Here's a billboard for Oreo's. Oreo's were the knock-off cookie, competing with Sunshine's Hydrox Cookies.
The Hydrox were better IMO, not as sweet.
The partial sign on the building in the right top corner looks familiar, but I can't name it.
I don't have a larger version of the photo.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7345/1...43276397_o.jpg
Oreo Billboard Los Angeles, CA by Krell58, on Flickr.

Bekin's logo?

Mutato Muzika is a music production company established in 1989 by Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh. :)

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Sorry, I am not too familiar with the above building, nor do I recognize the name Wilhelmina Moore. I will keep my eyes open for both. I am also confident that others will chime in with info.

Thank you for including the information I neglected to so do (above)!