The pump house might be the "Water Works" in red at the right side of this 1910 Baist Map at HistoricMapworks.

That's a very handy map, e_r, and I was also puzzled by the 1,300 figure. But I hadn't figured out, like you did,
that what might have been meant was 1,300 feet long rather than deep. The Google tells me that the highest
point in Elysian Park is about 750 feet, so for the workers to be 550 feet below sea level seems unnecessary.

Thanks FW. The 1,300 depth has been driving me crazy.

http://imageshack.com/a/img924/3082/Kevd5h.gif

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...922/ropU4y.jpg

At first I thought the diagonal line was the tunnel, but it does an about turn at the bottom.

is that an electrical line instead?

Elysian Park Tunnel Rescue
 

:previous: The diagonal line I see running SW from the red Water Works building leads to the reservoir at the bottom
(the line branches off on the full map, with the other line leading to another reservoir), so I figure it's a tunnel, if
not the tunnel from your photo.

_________________________________________________


Here's a question for you, e_r . . . which tunnel on the map you posted did these guys get themselves stuck in?

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...f.jpg~original

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...t.jpg~original

December 23, 1935, Los Angeles Times @ ProQuest via LAPL


Here are three photos (confusingly all dated December 31) of the rescue, apparently from different sections of the tunnel:

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...j.jpg~original

uclamss_1429_13300


http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...k.jpg~original

uclamss_1429_13301


http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...o.jpg~original

uclamss_1429_13302


The mustachioed Mr. Cheatham and his associate Mr. Harmer after their rescue:

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...c.jpg~original

uclamss_1429_13299

Photos from Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive. Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

That's from Jim Heimann's new book, "Dark City" for TASCHEN (where he's Executive Editor). Some fav NLA pix are included (see preview at link) and plenty which are new to me.

Many noirishers know Jim for "California Crazy" and its sequel, both on roadside vernacular architecture.

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

Impressive you recognizing the 3rd South Pasadena Masonic Lodge building unihikid. Good eye!

Maybe that 1,300 feet is the length of the tunnel and not the depth.

!,300 feet does not make sense for the depth.

:previous:

MYSTERY TUNNEL TRAPS TWO MEN
I love a tunnel mystery!!!




First of all the mention of the bridge

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320...922/KThbNp.jpg

water and power says "the Riverside-Figueroa Bridge,previous location of the Dayton Ave Bridge."

I thought the tunnel might have something to do with the old Dayton Viaduct.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/8rQJGh.jpg
la creek freak

also because of the the mention of irrigation tunnels & the fact it was found high up from the bank of the river.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320...922/QbIo5D.jpg

:previous:
update:
I was in such a hurry to figure out the mystery when I read "viaduct" my brain read "aqueduct". (Duh)

so this theory is shot to hell :(
___________________________________________________________________________________


OK, lets try this again.

THEORY #2



Then I remembered the part in the article where it said the tunnel turned "southward".

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/5d1v9z.jpg
:previous: did they mean to say 'westly' direction instead of 'eastly' direction? (east doesn't make sense :shrug:)


Despite the directions, I believe it's NUMBER #8 on the 1938 map. (detail below)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/JAWmUB.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/K5MsAT.jpg

Is this the one you thought it might be FW?

__

:previous: Well, 8 connecting to 7 is the closest fit to the printed description. I wouldn't want to speculate beyond that.

:previous:

#7 had crossed my mind as well, but it was only a ditch. (used until about 1894)

_

:previous: Then forget I mentioned #7. :)

lol :)

Well I thought about #7 too, remember.

I was desperate....it's the only way the directions printed in the article make any sense.
_

One more post before I call it a night.

This is another photo by photographer Robert Frank (the Movie Usherettes, Los Angeles 1956 guy)

And it's a mystery location folks.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/4w2x7A.jpg
art institute of chicago

"Los Angeles, 1955"

Gelatin silver print
21.1 x 33.3 cm (image); 28 x 35.5 cm (paper)

Ethereal: "I believe we finally found the correct building- What do ya'll think?"

It's possible, but I remain somewhat skeptical, one reason being that the windows at the left in the interior photo don't match up with the exterior fenestration on the building. While it's true that the fenestration might have changed since the 1910s, the exterior doesn't look to me as though it has been substantially altered.

ScottyB: Thanks for posting that photo of the Masonic Lodge. I've searched the Internet many times but no photo of it has never turned up in the results. It's also good to have that partial look at the Savoy Theatre next door. After being a vaudeville and movie theater it became the first home of the Pasadena Playhouse, then returned to movies after the Playhouse moved to its permanent home on El Molino. The Savoy ended its days as the Oaks Theatre, a long-running adult movie house.

The Bendix and Printing Center Buildings on Maple Avenue are visible in the distance, so I worked my way east from there. The 1956 CD has Rockey's Liquor Store (it clearly says "Rocky's" in the picture) at 1201 S Central Avenue and the Avenue Cafe at 1207. There's nothing left at the corner to make it worthwhile posting a "now" picture, and the view of the Bendix Building is blocked by trees.

Looking at Historic Aerials and fuzzy pictures at USC, it looks like the Rocky's building on the corner had gone by 1964, and its neighbors on the left by 1970. The buildings on the right (Watkins department store in 1956) were replaced by 1980.

That 1953 Mercury car was considered very modern for the day. Its Flathead V8 was deemed a hot rod engine. I remember I used to make drawings of that car when I was bored in grade school.....which was almost everyday.

Speaking about school in those long ago days....I absolutely disliked the insipid Dick and Jane books. My preferred reading in 3rd grade was TIME magazine.

The overhead catenary of trolley wires seem to cloud the sky. Fun photo ER.

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/4b/ea/80/4...rs-mercury.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/236x/4b/ea/80/4...rs-mercury.jpg

Lucy at MGM studios with that long trailer and a 1950s era Mercury as the Star.

http://www.diecast.org/assets/images...ng-trailer.png
http://www.diecast.org/assets/images...ng-trailer.png

"See Spot run. Run, Spot, run." Jeezus, even as a 7-year-old I thought that stuff was lame,

While the grille-less design was considered modern, the '53 Mercury's basic styling was in its second year. The engine was anything but modern--its V8 was a 125-hp (about 85hp in modern terms) descendant of the first Ford flathead that came out in 1932 models, still prone to vapor lock and overheating, and it would finally be replaced by an overhead-valve V8 in the '54 Merc.



Here's its flathead...heads never removed...(power steering had been introduced on Fords and Mercurys in July '53, the month my car came off the line):

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FH...M=w800-h479-no

The building is not leaning; the street actually slopes. It should really look like this:
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...f2&oe=5A95A8E2

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/9fguiS.jpg
gsv

By the way, this Papa John's location closed some time this year. The Korean-owned Japanese restaurant in the space to the right of it, though, is still open. I also live a few blocks away from this building.


According to a book I have called "South Pasadena 1888-1988: A Centennial History," it's not mentioned that this building ever housed a Masonic Temple. I would have to read through it again to be sure, I suppose, but according to this picture I took from the book, this building a long time ago housed a garage and record publishing company:
https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net...59&oe=5A96C736

It's interesting to me that the garage was where the restaurant is now. Also, notice the curbside gas pump.

Looking at the modern photo again, I guess it is possible that this might've housed a Masonic Temple. I read somewhere that this building used to only have 2 stories, and a third story was added later. When it only had 2 stories, it could have had a higher ceiling...