p.s.: I didn't check to see if any of this was covered before...



https://spbxb.files.wordpress.com/20...ll-market1.jpgSan Pedro: Block by Block

The author writes: "You may already know this, but it is called City Hall Market because this building served as City Hall from 1905 to 1908 when the domed City Hall was built. This is actually the only City Hall Building standing from when San Pedro was still its own city. Had I known its history, I would’ve taken a picture of the whole building.

The Alhambra Bar is attached to the City Hall Bldg on the 11th Street side. I had never seen or heard of his bar until I was walking by…at nearly 9 in the morning. Obviously I didn’t know that most dive bars open at 6am."

From another website:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SdLJCHnjTV...allmarket3.jpgSwap Meet Lives

Caption: City Hall Market, structure redone 1912 after slight fire damage.

Does he mean 2012? It's definitely been earthquake retrofitted, in any case.

Also says: City Hall Market located on the corner of Palos Verdes and 11th st, this spot has a lot of history.
At one point it was actually the first City Hall building from 1905 to 1908.

http://waterandpower.org/1%20Histori..._Hall_1905.jpg

And on the two sites it was noted by some people:

"[...] the city's oldest bar, the Alhambra bar, it is also said underneath the Alhambra the old jail still is intact."

and

"Rumor has it that there is a trap door behind the Bar that leads to the old city Jail. I as well have heard about trouble at the Alhambra Room from time to time but I have been it there about half a dozen times now with no incidents. They have a great Juke Box and strong drinks. It’s worth a visit. Probably best when the sun's still up, but I have been there at night."

:cheers:

:previous: Ah, very interesting Martin Pal. Thanks for the follow-up.

"there is a trap door behind the bar that leads to the old city jail." -sooooooo cool.

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:previous: If I remember correctly, this is our other elusive NLA mystery.

We have never been able to locate this building, right?
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Tourmaline, your second image isn't showing up so I don't know what the far-fetched Disney connection with Wurdeman & Becket was.

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:previous:

Pic of M Mouse. Since deleted. KWeber - nexus.

I thought it was resolved that the structure was at 4032 Wilshire. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=21045

Thanks for identifying Wurdeman and Becket in yesterday's pictures, GW. As for e_r's follow-up on the harpist on the wall, I hadn't even noticed it!


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


Even though it's another Wurdeman & Becket design, I nearly skipped over this Julius Shulman picture of the General Petroleum Building because we've seen similar pictures many times before. Then I found the photoset of the Superior Oil Building (below), and thought it would add some context. In this 1949 shot, it looks like the shops on the first floor are yet to be occupied. This is "Job 428: Wurdeman & Becket, General Petroleum Building (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1949".

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

Fourteen years later, and we have a couple of pictures of the General Petroleum Building's neighbor, the Superior Oil Building. Despite the title, Mr Shulman failed to capture much more than the entrance in this photoset. Are these tiles still under the canopy? The Googlemobile's camera is just too high to see. This is "Job 3503: Claude Beelman, Superior Oil Building (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1963".

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

The second shot looks away from the entrance and down Flower Street. On the right is the Southland Hotel. You can read a lot more about the Southland (and its previous incarnation as the Snow) in Beaudry's post #2099.

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

Both from Getty Research Institute

I posted an earlier color photo of the whole Superior Oil Building by Julius Shulman last month in post #33131.

:previous::previous:

I love that canopy, HossC, in the photo anyway. (Wonders if it was b&w or colored.)
_____

Also, thanks, Tourmaline, for reminding us that the mystery building was at 4032 Wilshire.
Love that building! I, too, thought that hadn't been resolved! Although I didn't care to
remember it had been demolished!

The underside of the Superior Oil canopy is clad in stainless steel panels that have a linear, brushed texture that alternate at right angles giving the effect of a checkerboard.

It is faintly discernible today (the building went through a nice adaptive re-use as the Standard Hotel), though the panels now have a patina and the canopy drain has a leak that the hotel is too cheap to fix -- so the panels get wet when it rains. The terrazzo sidewalk is largely intact, as well.

Superior Oil was the LA-based company where W. M. Keck, the philanthropist, made his fortune. Superior was sold to Mobil Oil, whose LA office (formerly General Petroleum, another Mobil acquisition) was across 6th Street, where my grandfather was Chief Draftsman -- now the Pegasus apartments.

:previous:

Thanks for the extra information, Kenchiku desu. Here's a picture I found at lagunadirt.com. It shows the view looking out from the entrance of the Standard Hotel (Superior Oil Building). The alternating brushed panels looked more striking in the Shulman photos, but I guess that's why he's famous! This shot also shows the oil-themed 3-D mural above the doors. The article includes other pictures of the Standard Hotel, as well as various other Downtown buildings.

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

The title of this Julius Shulman photoset refers to this building as Financial Indemnity. The street signs and numbers identify the location as 5856 Wilshire Boulevard. The lettering on the first floor windows is for The Colwell Company. This is "Job 1621: Stiles Oliver Clements, Financial Indemnity (Los Angeles, Calif.),1953".

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

These pictures were all a bit washed-out. I've done my best to adjust the contrast and brightness, but even so, the white block on the right side of the roof would not show on the image above.

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

The acute angle of the corner isn't an optical illusion - the building is shaped like a parallelogram when viewed from above.

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

All from Getty Research Institute

Given its location and relatively small size, I was pleasantly surprised to find the building still standing.

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

You're right T! It slipped my mind that we finally found the location back in 2014.

My apologies to GaylordWilshire for forgetting his great find.
_

'mystery' mound, Los Angeles County [1903]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/jWbLiB.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Photo-1903-L...UAAOSw-vlVhf4~

:previous: The seller mentions San Jose Creek, which I believe is visible in the extreme foreground along the bottom edge of the photograph.




I found a 'San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant' on google maps, but I haven't be able to located the prominent hill that's visible in the center of the 1903 photograph.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...921/mN0fsc.jpg
google_map

Anyone feel like lending a hand in finding the stand-alone hill?

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1930 - Same Temple-Alvarado intersection. From: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../id/1410/rec/1


It may seem like it, but not all of the prior images are reposted here. :uhh: If these have been seen before, use call box and report problem directly to WigWag.:rolleyes:

http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...g.png~original




http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...x.png~original



http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...l.png~original




http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...d.png~original




http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...n.png~original




http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...d.png~original




http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...p.png~original




Wedding Rings 1929
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...e.png~original




Matrix Shoes
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...f.png~original




Hercules
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...y.png~original





Cough
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...p.png~original

:previous: Good find BRR. -note the heavy chain is missing from the porch-roof to the side of the house.





Accident involving an Alpha-Beta truck. (late 1960s)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...924/Xt066p.jpg
eBay





I've been trying to read the square white sign, thinking it might hold some clues to the location.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...923/4sFkZx.jpg
detail

....also, down the street there's a building with a tall pylon.
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*I just noticed the young boy has a shopping cart. So maybe this is near an Alpha Beta store.

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I found a smaller version of the vintage image on Pinterest with the caption "View down San Jose Creek from Pomona Park. Los Angeles County, California. 1904". This appears to be the hill in question. It's next to the Pomona Water Reclamation Plant.

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

:previous: Which direction are you looking? I still can't find the damn hill.

:previous:

My shot is looking roughly south-west. I had the camera near Waste Stream Solutions for my Google Earth view.

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

Another Gramercy Place and another time 1931.


A handful of original homes still exist on the 900 block of South Gramercy Pl. (From USC Digital "926 S. Gramercy.")
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...3.png~original



http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...g.png~original




Pointy Roof
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...l.png~original

http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/o...u.png~original