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-   -   noirish Los Angeles (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170279)

MichaelRyerson Jun 22, 2012 3:08 PM

Gas War!
 
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7...fefdc622_b.jpg
s. alameda and e. vernon, circa 1940

gas war. image from jalopyjournal


http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/7...df01d149_b.jpg
s. alameda and e. vernon, via googlestreetview

The station apparently survives. knee-buckling prices. Is there any municipality more downright noirish than the city of Vernon?

Joe Gillis Jun 22, 2012 5:33 PM

Thanks for the spooky annex shots, mad that I had read about this place all those years ago and now get to see what it actually looks like (The guide book has no pictures of the property)

ethereal_reality Jun 22, 2012 9:09 PM

Thoroughly enjoyed your post on The Ship Cafe LAboomer52.

___



A postcard I recently found on ebay.

http://imageshack.us/a/img815/7086/a...streethuge.jpg

Do you recognize any of these houses G_W?

austlar1 Jun 22, 2012 9:26 PM

Jean Malin, The Club New Yorker, Hotel Christie, The Ship, Venice Pier!! Great stuff!! LA Noir just keeps delivering the goods. Thanks so much to all you dedicated online sleuths, especially ER.

rick m Jun 22, 2012 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 5743461)
Thoroughly enjoyed your post on The Ship Cafe LAboomer52.

___



A postcard I recently found on ebay.

http://imageshack.us/a/img815/7086/a...streethuge.jpg

Do you recognize any of these houses G_W?

Well I certainly do -- the Waters house is furthest-- Then I must be at home where my copy of the Adams residences sits- this is the 900 block -south side - directly across frm today's OneArchives at Scarff - The middle Tudor is the only one I lacked a front view of--this is exciting-More details soon--

ethereal_reality Jun 22, 2012 11:29 PM

:previous: Thanks rick m!

___



The Oriental Theater at 7425 Sunset Boulevard (date: 1921, seating capacity: 896)

http://imageshack.us/a/img35/5999/aa...lctreasure.jpg
http://cinematreasures.org/


below: This 'kiosk' (for lack of a better word) in front of the real estate office must show properties that are for sale.
I'd love to get a closer look at that!

http://imageshack.us/a/img837/5999/a...lctreasure.jpg




The interior.

http://imageshack.us/a/img163/6148/a...linteriorc.jpg
http://cinematreasures.org/





below: The Oriental Theater as it appeared in the 1970s (note the differences; the second floor windows are sealed up...among other things)

http://imageshack.us/a/img526/8709/a...l7425sunse.jpg
http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/




below: A night view of the marquee circa 1983. That 'faux' stone is really ugly.

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/443/aa...l1983ameri.jpg
http://www.americanclassicimages.com/








below: Here is 7425 Sunset Blvd. today.

http://imageshack.us/a/img405/1713/a...entaltoday.jpg
google street view








Believe it or not, the original Oriental Theater building is still there, hidden behind the Guitar Center facade!

http://imageshack.us/a/img406/7227/a...ltodayaeri.jpg
google aerial







below: As I studied the Oriental Theater neighborhood I was quite surprised by this distinct diagonal 'gash'.

http://imageshack.us/a/img198/2025/a...laerialwit.jpg
google aerial






This must be an old easement for long gone trolley tracks. Here you see the 'diagonal' continuing southwest from Sunset Blvd.

http://imageshack.us/a/img221/3733/a...laerialw2d.jpg
google aerial



What is most surprising to me, is that even fairly modern buildings have had their shape dictated by this old easement.



below: The rectangular apartment building (lower/center left) has it's northwest corner slightly chopped off as well as the swimming pool.
At upper right, the entire apartment complex is triangular due to this long gone trolley line.

http://imageshack.us/a/img140/4962/a...laerialw2f.jpg
google aerial


Does anyone have a detailed transit map showing the trolley lines through this area?

___

ethereal_reality Jun 22, 2012 11:56 PM

Several more examples of architecture being dictated by 'phantom' trolley tracks.

http://imageshack.us/a/img137/1186/aastu1dia1.jpg
google aerial






http://imageshack.us/a/img137/1273/a...ia1arepeat.jpg
google





http://imageshack.us/a/img36/4449/aastu1dia1b.jpg
google aerial



It would be great if someone on the ground in Los Angeles would go explore these old trolley line areas (David?). :)

___

MichaelRyerson Jun 23, 2012 12:31 AM

Drive-Up Banking
 
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5279/7...81f5227c_b.jpg
seeaboard national bank of los angeles

image from modernmechanix.com


http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5311/7...82c2fb9f_b.jpg
seaboard national bank mobile teller-one
LAPL


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/7...1d37dfce_b.jpg
seaboard national bank mobile teller-one, 22nd street courtesy stop
LAPL

KevinW Jun 23, 2012 12:47 AM

Hollywood Red Car
 
Does anyone have a detailed transit map showing the trolley lines through this area? Your wish is my command ER.

To get from Hollywood and La Brea to Santa Monica and Fairfax the PE ran on a private way diagonal to the street grid. You can see the route of this right of way in the following topographic map from 1953:

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/hollytopo.JPG

The one-lane street in the next photo is Marshfield Way. The photo is looking northeast towards Hollywood and La Brea. The PE had a private right of way along the left edge of this one-lane street. The five-story apartment building in the middle of the photo has been built partly on the PE right of way. If you had lived in the little house at the right, you would have had to get used to the clickety-clack of streetcars rolling by, day and night.

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/marshfieldway.jpg

Marshfield Way Today

At Poinsettia Place the private right of way curves into Hawthorn Avenue and the trains run in Hawthorn Avenue for two short blocks to Martel Avenue. In the shot below we see an eastbound train about to turn off Hawthorn Avenue into the private right of way.
http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/poins...ndhawthorn.jpg

Train at Poinsettia

Hawthorn Avenue is a narrow street. In the shot below a westbound streetcar is about to turn off Hawthorn Ave onto the private right of way at Martel Ave.
http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/martelandhawthorn.jpg
Hawthorn at Martel

At Martel and Hawthorn the tracks diverge in a southwest-ward direction, entering a private right of way that runs diagonally to the street grid to Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Ave. In the photo below (by Ray Ballash) an inbound car has just crossed Vista St. (with Hawthorn Avenue in the distance) on the private right of way.

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/vista1.JPG

Train Crosses Vista Street

In the photo below an inbound train is approaching the grade crossing at Sunset Boulevard and Gardner Street. Even today the PE right of way is quite visible at this intersection. About half the Hollywood Boulevard steetcar service turned back using the crossover in the foreground.

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/gardnercrossover.jpg
Approaching Sunset Boulevard

An outbound car, about to cross DeLongpre Dr., has just departed Gardner Street in the photo below (by Donald Duke).

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/gardner1.JPG

Crossing DeLongpre Drive

In the next shot, taken in the early '50s, an outbound Hollwyood Boulevard car has reached Fairfax Avenue. This shot looks northeast. At this point the Hollywood Boulevard line curves into Santa Monica Boulevard, joining the tracks of the Santa Monica Boulevard streetcar line, which come in from the right in this photo.

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/Fairf...nicaNE50s2.jpg
Arriving at Fairfax Avenue

The trains run a bit less than a mile on street trackage in Santa Monica Boulevard to Holloway Drive, where a private right of way in the median of Santa Monica Boulevard begins. The boulevard also curves a bit southwest-ward at this point. After the stop at La Cienega Boulevard, the next stop is the West Hollywood Carhouse stop, at Westbourne Drive. Tracks diverge to the left here, entering West Hollywood Yard. West Hollywood yard is the main operations center for the PE lines operating out of the subway, including a car house, a car shop, overhead wire maintenance sheds, as well as freight facilities.

At Palm Avenue the train reaches the West Hollywood stop (shown below). The station agency is across the street in the PE electrical substation building (out of view to the right).

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/westholy.JPG
Trains at West Hollywood Station

Next we see a very early image of the same location in West Hollywood — Santa Monica Boulevard near Palm Drive. At the time this photo was taken the eastbound lanes of Santa Monica Boulevard on the south side of the right of way hadn't been built — that didn't happen til 1928. This is a car operating on the Santa Monica Boulevard line which terminated here at the West Hollywood station (which is out of the photo to the right).

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/WestHollywoodearly.jpg
West Hollywood near Palm Drive

After crossing Clark Street and Robertson Blvd., the line reaches the Beverly Hills city limits at Doheny Dr. From Doheny Dr. to the Beverly Hills civic center the right of way is between Big and Little Santa Monica Boulevards -- an attractive right of way lined with eucalyptus trees. In the photo below a westbound train is running on the private right of way between Big and Little Santa Monica Boulevards in Beverly Hills, west of Doheny Dr.

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/westofdoheny.jpg

In Beverly Hills

After passing the shelter at Beverly Boulevard, where there are various freight spurs for the Beverly Hills industrial park, the line continues another half mile to Canon Drive, the location of the Beverly Hills station (shown below).

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/canondrive.jpg
Beverly Hills Station

ALL PHOTOS COMPILED BY TOM WETZEL
http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/hbline.htm

3940dxer Jun 23, 2012 12:51 AM

Wow, so many great posts lately! I enjoyed e-r's Jean Malin piece and LOVED Horthos' Alexandria Hotel contribution. That aerial view of the Venice Pier is outstanding - I never had a sense of what it really looked like, until now.

The Ship Cafe story was great too (though I wish the gal in the striped top had worn a different pair of shorts that day).

Many thanks, everyone!

MichaelRyerson Jun 23, 2012 2:03 AM

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7...0c57d3c7_b.jpg
Hollywood Freeway construction, circa1949
LAPL

"Three schools, now in the path where a section of the Hollywood Freeway will be constructed, are being razed on Fort Moore Hill to make way for the new thoroughfare. (1) is the Fort Hill School; (2) is the first high school built in Los Angeles, and (3) is Central School. Everything between the broken lines will be cleared away for the super-roadway, Photo dated: February 1, 1949."

rick m Jun 23, 2012 6:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick m (Post 5743581)
Well I certainly do -- the Waters house is furthest-- Then I must be at home where my copy of the Adams residences sits- this is the 900 block -south side - directly across frm today's OneArchives at Scarff - The middle Tudor is the only one I lacked a front view of--this is exciting-More details soon--

Back with the info on this block of West Adams-The home with the many arched upper balcony was at corner of Portland -originally the grocer Blaisdell-later owned by banking Newmark family- Next to it is my heretofore mystery one-Originally a Stewart family-later was the Varner place.. A bitty portion of the Duffill dowager's abode is in the very front--but it doesn't much resemble what I see standing there to this day-Perhaps was a briefly standing front structure of Moorish styling that blocked the late Queen Anne that still occupies this lot--#854 --BTW 900 #s on the north side with upper 800 #s on the south--go figure!

rbpjr Jun 23, 2012 5:07 PM

[QUOTE= A bitty portion of the Duffill dowager's abode is in the very front--but it doesn't much resemble what I see standing there to this day-Perhaps was a briefly standing front structure of Moorish styling that blocked the late Queen Anne that still occupies this lot--#854 --BTW 900 #s on the north side with upper 800 #s on the south--go figure![/QUOTE]

I am wondering if the "Duffil" mentioned above might have been the Duffield family...my father had a friend whose mother (last name "Duffield") originally lived on West Adams "in the old days"...

ethereal_reality Jun 23, 2012 7:16 PM

What a remarkably in-depth post on the old trolley lines KevinW! Thank you so much for all that amazing information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinW (Post 5743682)
To get from Hollywood and La Brea to Santa Monica and Fairfax the PE ran on a private way diagonal to the street grid. You can see the route of this right of way in the following topographic map from 1953:

http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/hollytopo.JPG


ethereal_reality Jun 23, 2012 9:24 PM

Looks like they are planning grand things for the old Trinity Auditorium building at 9th & Grand.

http://imageshack.us/a/img507/6159/a...toriumrenn.jpg
public notice 06/22/2012



below: The Trinity Auditorium.

http://imageshack.us/a/img43/3089/aa...itoriumusc.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1340483345796





below: The area directly to the south of the building that will become the 7,600 sq. foot 'outdoor garden'. (no pool?)

http://imageshack.us/a/img26/8/aatrinityaaerial.jpg
google area





To see the full Los Angeles Dept. of City Planning public hearing notice go to LosAngelesSportsFan's post at http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=4398

___

rick m Jun 24, 2012 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick m (Post 5743919)
Back with the info on this block of West Adams-The home with the many arched upper balcony was at corner of Portland -originally the grocer Blaisdell-later owned by banking Newmark family- Next to it is my heretofore mystery one-Originally a Stewart family-later was the Varner place.. A bitty portion of the Duffill dowager's abode is in the very front--but it doesn't much resemble what I see standing there to this day-Perhaps was a briefly standing front structure of Moorish styling that blocked the late Queen Anne that still occupies this lot--#854 --BTW 900 #s on the north side with upper 800 #s on the south--go figure!

Well - My Sanford's showing the footprint of this Varner-Stewart residence (@ 870 Wst Adams) as having a boxy east frontage so this indicates that the tan Moorish portion at left of postcard the actually being the clashing half to the Tudor half of said home - Leave it to my missing piece of the map of Adams (from Figueroa to Hoover) to be so pixilating. Now must ready this addition to my poster for our upcoming 60th One anniversary event. Visitors frequently ask us what this area was like before apts moved in.

Steve Hoffman Jun 24, 2012 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality (Post 5744274)
What a remarkably in-depth post on the old trolley lines KevinW! Thank you so much for all that amazing information.

It's so funny (well, not ha-ha funny) but those of us that play guitar know that SUNSET & GARDNER is the heart of Vintage Guitar Land in Los Angeles. I've been going to the shops and that spot since 1982. I've stood in that Guitar Center, seen the "cut" in the back, etc. countless times. But now, thanks to this stuff I can see in my mind that wacky line that shapes the area and how it must have been a trolley line.

Indeed cool.

kznyc2k Jun 24, 2012 6:16 AM

The Carthay Circle Theatre's marquee in vivid color, courtesy of this 1939 DeSoto ad:

http://www.oldcaradvertising.com/DeS...to%20Ad-09.jpg
Old Car Advertising

kznyc2k Jun 24, 2012 6:35 AM

And the Mauretania makes an appearance in this 1936 ad for Oldsmobile (remember them?)

http://oldcaradvertising.com/Oldsmob...le%20Ad-06.jpg
Old Car Advertising

rcarlton Jun 24, 2012 12:19 PM

Intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, looking toward the Brown Derby Restaurant (no longer standing) on May 23, 1960. Photo taken from the Union Bank Building.:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics47/00043244.jpgLAPL


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