Yes, that's our Richard Schave appearing in the Los Angeles episode of Cities of the Underworld. The show made it appear as if the tunnels were a coordinated system, but they actually seem to have been pretty haphazard, connecting some individual buildings but not stretching all across downtown.

If you'd like to know more about vice and the Mayor's Office in 1920s Los Angeles, the John Buntin interview on this episode of our podcast should be of interest.

:hmmm: Perhaps, maybe . . .


I believe there have been comments regarding this tunnel presentation before, on NLA.

When is embellishment false? Some of the presentation may have more of a dramatic flair than necessary. If Mayor Shaw or MickeyC offered their unvarnished versions of the events, would or could they be believed?

Like most of history, the tunnel stories are filtered through historians' eyes and re-reprocessed before it hits the page or screen. I have heard stories from eye witnesses to these events/facts, but the stories did not always jive, since even when events were fresh, there were always deliberate variations on what we now describe as “open” secrets. The reasons are obvious. Two eye witnesses discussing the same event often surprised each other with their once-certain perceptions and conclusions. The printed newspaper account may offer an indicia of reliability, but it too may have been “agenda-ized.”

I am certain there are a number of treasures buried (and practically lost) in areas one is least likely to expect them, let alone the areas like the over sensationalized "Al Capone's vault." Discoveries often result from happenstance. This leads me to wonder , if, or how often, forgotten tunnels or underground areas are discovered only because these areas were poorly reinforced leading to subsidence of an umbrella or adjoining structure or the street. I would also imagine that long-forgotten underground prospecting remnants might be confused with or mistaken for long forgotten prohibition-era tunnels and the like.



http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/u...ls-los-angeles

The first of these Julius Shulman photos of Coulter's looks like a wider view of the LAPL image posted by GW (the window displays appear to match). It's "Job 6216: Stiles Oliver Clements, Coulter's Dry Goods (Los Angeles, Calif.),ca. 1938".

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original

I know we've seen Coulter's many times before, so I've omitted the second image in the set which is very similar to the first. What I don't remember seeing before is this view of the back. Under the main sign it says "71 Years of Quality and Service".

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...2.jpg~original

Both from Getty Research Institute

I happened across this terrific slide of the Bible Institute last night on eBay.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/F5uMUu.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...wAAOSwFMZWr~6Y

I wish we could read the banner.

-note the red, white and blue 'modern' facade on the old building next door. Any idea what that is?
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I realize we've seen many photographs of the Bible Institute on NLA over the years, but here's one I don't think we've seen before.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/cpOH57.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/EzizV9.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405324035190512030/

I've gone through multiple photographs of the Bible Institute and this is the only one I could find with the two radio towers on the roof.



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'mystery' street corner.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/RzGKvq.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...3D182010463592

The biggest clue is Griffth Park Observatory in the distance. (& I love that two-tone green car :))
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Crusade 1949
 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...sq1wblp9i.jpeg
BGC

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psf9zod7ti.jpg

Billy Graham's 1949 Los Angeles evangelism campaign started small, in a rented circus tent, that could seat 6,000 people.

The site of Billy Graham's first Crusade in Los Angeles during 1949. The Crusade stretched out for eight weeks and attracted over 350,000 individuals.

We're looking up N Van Ness Avenue from Hollywood Boulevard. Here's a similar view from a few years ago.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original
GSV

I decided to include this slightly elevated view which shows the observatory in the distance. It also shows the new fire station on the corner where the tire shop used to be.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...2.jpg~original
Google Earth

This house is visible near the left of the original slide. Up until a few years ago it was looking a bit tatty, but now it's looking much better. It's now opposite the end of Canyon Drive, which was re-aligned when the Hollywood Freeway was built.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...3.jpg~original
GSV

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/Cfkqft.jpg

:previous: Is this a Frank Gehry design? ;)

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I don't say this very often: LOL!

I probably should've included a clearer view of Los Angeles Fire Station 82.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...4.jpg~original
GSV

:previous: Not bad. :)





CityBoyDoug, here's a look inside Graham's "Canvas Cathedral".

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...921/Mmq730.jpg
http://www.thearda.com/timeline/events/event_33.asp








And here he is as a mutant, towering over his tent getting ready to smash the sin out of the people.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/CIKIzb.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/hn38qa.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/256283035015691234/

"in the Canvas Cathedral with the Steeple of Light" I wonder what this means.....do you suppose there was a large searchlight?


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Thanks ER for the peak inside the big tent.!!!

A cross between Jack-in-The-Box architecture and Space Age whoop-de-doo. Annoying and tiresome.

:previous:


CBD: What should it look like?

Infamous Gas station at Hollywood and Van ness
 

Famous male hustler Scotty Bowers and his team of sex workers operated out of a Richfield gas station at 5777 Hollywood Blvd., corner of Van Ness, in the 1940's. Perhaps it is pictured here.
In his 2012 memoir, "Full Service," the aged Bowers describes revisiting the scene of the old service station about 2011 and writes that "a new fire station for the Los Angeles Fire Department was rising there." The fire station address is 5769 (chuckle) Hollywood Blvd.
Bowers wrote, "Over the years more Hollywood personalities secretly congregated at that little gas station than anywhere else in town. It was a scene that saw as much furious action as the busiest studio back lot. The place became a magnet for those in quest of carnal thrills and escapism of every kind. A cavalcade of movie stars and others were attracted to the station like the proverbial moth to a flame...Straight, gay, or bi; male or female; young or old - I had something for everyone. The vice squad and the press were constantly lurking on the periphery, eagerly waiting to pounce. But I always managed to elude them."
This photo, showing the station at the foot of a tranquil-looking Hollywood residential street, was probably taken at the height of Bower's "reign," which started in 1946 and lasted several years. In his book, I recall he described a brick motel either next door or across the street. A picture of that would be interesting.

:previous: I didn't realize what I had found; a tantalizing bit of gay-noir.

hmmmmm...do we know of any male stars that drove a two-tone green car? ;)

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:D....that's a loaded question.!!!

:previous:

More Berke Mansion @ NW corner of 2nd and Bunker Hill Avenue
 

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...p.jpg~original
1886 LA City Directory @ fold3.com

The building's address was changed to 145 South Bunker Hill in 1890. It was apparently later known
as the Warncliffe Apartments, but I'm not sure when that was. In 1942 it was known as the Anderson
Apartments: http://rescarta.lapl.org/ResCarta-We...004%2f00000001 (see page 2749)

Here's the complete 1956 photo of the old Berke Mansion at the NW corner of 2nd and Bunker Hill
Avenue that Beaudry linked to:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...9.jpg~original
001382551 @ CA State Library

This is the old Berke Mansion in June 1954:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...m.jpg~original
411128 @ Huntington Digital Library -- http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single.../id/8692/rec/1

By February 1, 1957, it was boarded up. That's 137 South Bunker Hill next door:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...u.jpg~original
411248 @ Huntington Digital Library -- http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single.../id/8812/rec/2

The gas station at 5777 Hollywood Boulevard can be seen on the northeast corner of the intersection of Hollywood and Van Ness in this 1948 view. The 1942 CD also lists a couple of gas stations on the north side of the 5800 block. I'm not sure if the "brick motel" is shown here.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...odVanNess5.jpg
Historic Aerials

Just four years later, the 5800 block had been cleared.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...odVanNess6.jpg
Historic Aerials

This 1954 image shows the Hollywood Freeway in the year it opened. It looks like the gas station at 5777 Hollywood Boulevard remained virtually untouched by the freeway construction.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...odVanNess7.jpg
Historic Aerials

1940s Kodachrome slide of Pershing Square from the corner of Hill and Fifth.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/EmKKYj.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...QAAOSwXshWr~nB


detail
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...924/RIYnHY.jpg

Is that a parking patrol guy on the three wheeled gizmo?

Is someone selling newspapers out of the green chest?

So many questions. ;)
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Boy selling newspapers at Hollywood and Vine [no date]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...924/TT66U2.jpg
ebay
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A 1940s Kodachrome slide of the parking lot at the new Chinatown [1940s]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...921/5FGLuU.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-1940s-3...4AAOSwKtlWpTDP

I haven't noticed that unsightly utility pole in other photographs. What's it for?


I'm outta' town until Friday. Have fun noirishers! :)
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