I don't believe we have seen 'La Fleur de Pico Nursery'.


http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...921/tDqr3o.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...4621397cfc.jpg

La Fleur de Pico Nursery year of 1935 located at 11373 Pico Blvd, West L.A.
Shown are the Japanese owners and several employees.



March 31, 1931
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...923/Qt8mdJ.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...971d057cac.jpg

note: Alfred M. Adachi, Proprietor
George K. Uno, Manager & Designer




Here's a closer look at the owners and employees taken in the late 1930s.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...921/mpUGdP.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...0334b91a21.jpg




This is employee Ricardo Dorame with his 5 yr old son Richard parked at 2205 Federal Avenue. (their home no doubt) -:previous:That's Ricardo at lower right in the above photo.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/eSBs01.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...4db4df40ec.jpg




Here's one more look at Ricardo and the 'Fleur de Pico' truck. (I couldn't decide which one was best ;))

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/82bxDn.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...d5af31cbc3.jpg

I tried to find their home [2205 Federal Ave.] but I believe it's gone.





Ricardo Dorame's ten dollar weekly employment check dated Nov 12, 1936 during the depression at La Fleur de Pico Nursery, West Los Angeles.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/aw7FTo.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...7a6f73bbca.jpg

Thanks to Samuel Dorame, Ricardo's son at https://www.pinterest.com/dorame7/sa...-pico-nursery/



It would be interesting to learn more about the Japanese owners. They sold* their nursery around the time of WII. ( forced to sell no doubt)

*Frank Montoya purchased the Nursery at this time.






Oh, one last thing... I believe the nursery is somewhere under the 10 Freeway.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/SOY8ez.jpg
google_earth

It would be interesting to see a vintage aerial. (hint ;)

Typo postcard

The seller on ebay lists this as

"Los Angeles California Claylord Hotel 1940s RPPC Real Photo Postcard"

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/921/ElIrI1.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Los-Angeles-...0AAOSw5cNYQx48

:previous: Yep, that's what it says.....Claylord Hotel.
__


I just noticed it says "Gay Room" to the left of the main entrance. If I remember correctly it was called this only for a short time.
That space became the 'Secret Harbor' as early as 1951.

here's a closer look
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/R1zc3h.jpg
detail


and I just found this tantalizing detail:

"There used to be an underground tunnel from The Ambassador to the H.M.S. Bounty (Gay Room..Secret Harbor) for call girls and such to go unnoticed.

Has anyone heard this rumor before?

I found the tunnel 'info' at
http://murphydeesign.com/2012/08/31/...tments-part-1/

When I Googled "11373 Pico Boulevard", I got "11373 West Pico Boulevard" which is a little east of your location, e_r.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...eurDePico1.jpg
Google Maps

In 1947, the area now bounded by Sawtelle Boulevard, Purdue Avenue, W Pico Boulevard and Tennessee Avenue looked like this. I think it looks potentially like a nursery. The western half was redeveloped by 1964.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...eurDePico2.jpg
Historic Aerials

11373 W Pico is further East of that Google Earth location.

The 11300 block ends at Purdue, currently occupied (at 11361) by the West LA Animal Shelter complex. Bentley & Bugatti service is across the street at 11401.

:previous: Thanks for correction HossC and Lwize.

And thanks for the vintage aerial Hoss! I'm pretty sure that's the nursery. (one ad said they had 1 million plants!)

this is a detail from the Fleur de Pico pano.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...922/w8crGL.jpg
detail

Calico Cottonseed Steer Manure. That's not all one thing, right? ;)

(odinthor?)

There was a railroad nearby too.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/QxefsE.jpg
detail / La Fleur de Pico Nursery
__




And here's that ad that mentions "1 million plants".

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/KgjP1A.jpg

Advertisement found in the 1951 West Los Angeles-Beverly Hills directory.
__

We lost another Googie-style coffee shop last week.

Norm's Restaurant at 11001 W Pico blvd closed for good on Christmas eve.

http://larry.wizegallery.com/VWV/norms1.jpg
(hosted by me)

I would expect mixed use for the Pico side redevelopment and condos for the back parking lot.

There is. The Expo Line subway uses a new viaduct to cross over Pico at a diagonal, replacing the 120 year old Santa Fe street-level right-of-way.

http://larry.wizegallery.com/VWV/viaduct.jpg
(hosted by me)

Phyllis Morris Furniture
 

If the furnishings shown in the photo (page 1933) are typical of the Phyllis Morris "look," I'll chime in and agree that the style is definitely NOT Hollywood Regency but might politely be described as "Brothel Baroque." A Hollywood Regency designer wouldn't set foot inside the Phyllis Morris store. I agree with tovangar2 that as long as there is a market for the Phyllis Morris style, more power to her. Go Phyllis.
In the 1980's, my sister and I were driving along La Brea (I think) near 3rd Street, and our attention was caught by a large furniture store. We went inside and what we saw will never be forgotten. The "esthetic" (or aesthetic) of the ENTIRE store was "whorehouse rococo." There were mostly elaborate bedroom and living room tableaux with huge, ornately-carved furniture sets swathed in crimson, canary yellow and royal purple Velvets, Lurex, and Brocades. The light fixtures and all accessories were uniformly as over-the-top as possible, lots of swirls and curlicues, and of course tassels, swags, and poufs galore. Sis and I kept looking at each other like "is this for real??" Quite bizarre.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? What WAS that place? Obviously they must've had a sizeable customer base in order to have such a big store with a large inventory.
Also brings to mind the "Tamara Bane Gallery" on Melrose not far from Fairfax. I don't know if it still exists. It was a large and prosperous-looking gallery filled to the brim with huge "aggressively sexual" paintings of women, most of them either nude with spike heels or in various kinds of bondage outfits.
I wonder if Anna Nicole's favorite designer, Bobby Trendy, with his signature turquoise and pink fur pillows and leopard-print throws is still around?
To paraphrase the New York columnist, "only in L.A., kids. Only in L.A."

Notice the railroad crossing sign, the closes line if memory serves is the expo line which would be a few blocks north of the location, where if the pic is the right location, its right near the nursery. Maybe the streets were re numbered... whats pretty cool about the aerial pic is on the northwest corner where you see new condos was a used car lot call Rent A Wreck... When i was in 9th grade i would walk from Uni to RAW and look at all of the old cars..One in particular caught my eye, a 1968 Ford Country Squire. The owner wanted 6500 for it and i thought it was too much, fast forward 5 yrs, i have the 6500 and he now wants 8500..The guy still owns the car yet it looks a lot worse than what i remembered.

The 26 Sawtelle nurseries were famous. The remaining ones have an extremely loyal clientelle:

Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursery, 1905 Sawtelle:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/X-...ycQ=w1366-h768
abelab

Hashimoto Nursery (the last of the pre-war nurseries), 1935 Sawtelle:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/b2...g9k=w1366-h768
gsv

FK Nursery, 2027 Colby (trade only):
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/f1...cdg=w1366-h768
yelp



From LAT: "West L.A. neighborhood to be recognized as 'Sawtelle Japantown''

UCLA Newsroom: "How West L.A. became a haven for Japanese-Americans"

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Nv...e8Y=w1366-h768
lapl


Sawtelle ("soh te ru"), used to flood regularly before storm drains. Because this made it less desirable, it was one of the few areas of West LA where people of color were allowed to live.



The Sawtelle nurseries have been very generous w/ the Tongva People who maintain Kuruvungna Springs and its grounds at Uni High.




.

I know, first Dolores (Santa Monica & Purdue) and now Norm's. My kids are wrecked. Their favorite high school hang-outs gone.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/S8...8EU=w1366-h768
gsv


unihikid, how could you let this happen?


Actually, if anyone here is up for it, The Village Recorders (right across the street) absolutely relied on Dolores'. A decent restaurant on that block would be a guaranteed success :-)



.



.

I can't for the life of me remember the name of that place (something "Lee"?). We've discussed it on the thread before. Unforgettable stock, no matter how much one wishes one could. It was on 3rd & La Brea. It's a Trader Joe's now.


1936 (behind the "76" sign):
The building was also a Nugent Chevy dealership for a time (per the permits).


LOL, I'm glad somebody else appreciates Phyllis Morris. She identified a niche and enthusiastically and professionally filled it. Morris had a sense of humor about her designs and knew exactly what she was doing. Vegas hotels are her most enduring customers. I'm glad somebody goes over the top, how else would we know where the top was?

Famous for her parties and celebrity friends, Morris was also a backer of the City of West Hollywood becoming its own municipality, something I also strongly supported.

"Sabrina" was pushing the limits of creepiness--mid 50ish tycoon Humphrey with 20ish Aubrey " Sabrina".

Funny you should mention that! about 4 yrs ago me and my friend went to every single norms..someone contacted us and we were to be in a Norms Commercial that never happened..but here is me and Keenan Herr at Norms Pico. https://youtu.be/N3F1ZrNmFxc

Soggy 1934 Rose Parade
 

Here is a rare Rose Parade float that looks like it actually needed to float.

From the LA Daily News:

http://i.imgur.com/wWIbWqn.jpg
UCLA

The caption read:

"The "Adohr-able Nymphs" float with Father Neptune driving 3 life-size white horses with a large shell behind him. The places for 30 nymphs are empty due to the heavy rain. The Pasadena Memorial Flagpole (Goodhue Flagpole) is visible behind the float in its original location in the middle of the intersection of Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevard. The float was entered by Adohr Milk Farms. The theme of the 1934 Rose Parade was: Tales of the Seven Seas. It rained during the parade that year."

This is great! Thx unihikid


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



Agreed, it didn't really work. IRL Bogart (55) was 4 years older than John Williams, who played Hepburn's (25) dad.



.

:previous:


http://25.media.tumblr.com/5332f870b...27eoo1_400.gif
https://wilshireboulevardhouses.blog...lease-see.html


https://movingimageinsights.files.wo...sb24_72sml.jpg
https://movingimageinsights.wordpress.com/

http://theredlist.com/media/database...theredlist.JPG


So who actually bought prime William Holden shtupping Gloria Swanson? Ever hear of STC's suspension of disbelief? They're just movies, guys. And good ones.


PS Not to mention reality

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvUawAA3JD...21-1945-01.jpg

Lee, Richard W. ;)
http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...ostcount=10721

Hmmm, unless it's some sort of combo made up to supply missing nutrients or trace elements, usually cottonseed meal and steer manure are different commodities used for improving the soil. Them cows shore must be purty if'n they give calico print manure!