https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/8...921/CehUD6.jpgeBay

I was misled. :( ..................................................................................................................It happens to the best of us. ;)






update:

I should have noticed that the globes on the streetlight are noticeably different than the Los Angeles globes.

For one thing, they're smaller.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...921/yM3zGo.jpgeBay


Did the globes have anything to do with your discovery, Hoss?

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This photograph was just listed on eBay by a seller in Canada.


The description is rather vague. ..."Downtown Los Angeles" (NO DATE)


https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/N4UryY.png
eBay


Let's take a closer look at the streetlight.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/6...923/Nomutg.jpg
DETAIL

You can figure out the street by looking at the streetlight.



Thanks to this graphic.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/2HZmjN.jpg
antiques.lovetoknow We've seen this before

So BROADWAY, it is! :)




BUT we still have a mystery, noirishers.

What is the building that is about to be torn down?

This one.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/5tE7Uz.jpg
DETAIL

Does anyone know?

It would help us date the photograph.

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The only vegetarian cafeteria I can think of was at 3rd and Hill, but the streetlight isn't the right kind, nor do the other buildings match.

https://i.imgur.com/okAIgLb.jpg

Which kind of begs the question - just how many vegetarian cafeterias were there in old time LA? I always thought vegetarian places only became popular in the 1960s, at earliest.

There are Orpheum Vaudeville posters in the window.

The Orpheum opened February 15, 1926.

This adds to the mystery, since the clothing worn by folks on the street is closer to 1909 than 1926...

:???:

April 9th was on a Saturday in 1864, 1892, 1904, and 1932. My bet is 1904. The building in the background is on 6th and Broadway.

The current Orpheum Theater opened in 1926, it's the 4th theater that hosted the Orpheum Vaudeville. The Plaza theater, built 1911, used to be the Orpheum and there were 2 others* before that.

*The two other locations were the Grand Opera House on Main and the old Los Angeles Theater(later the Lyceum) on Spring.

The first LA Times mention of a vegetarian restaurant (as opposed to, or perhaps including, cafeteria) in LA was at the end of 1899, with the establishment on the brink of opening:

https://i.postimg.cc/x1VKxgHL/veg10-29-99.jpg
LA Times October 29, 1899, via ProQuest via CSULB Library

But where was it, I ask????

https://i.postimg.cc/x80Kjdfg/Veg1-7-00.jpg
LA Times January 7, 1900, via ProQuest via CSULB Library

Sigh! I didn't ask for the menu; I asked where it was!

https://i.postimg.cc/X7PymLCs/Veg2-17-01.jpg
LA Times February 17, 1901

That's better. 315 W. 3rd. Thank you. Wasn't The Brotherton upstairs?

https://i.postimg.cc/GpwThpzY/Veg-Up11-10-97.jpg
LA Times November 10, 1897, via ProQuest via CSULB Library

Looks like 1910 would be the year. The auction date for Saturday April 9th fits.


The Vegetarian Cafeteria was at 622 South Broadway.

https://i.imgur.com/uYoOwyc.jpg
rescarta.lapl.org


The Globe Dairy Lunch Co. is on the right of the picture at 638 South Broadway.


In between these, construction of the Orpheum, nowadays the Palace Theatre, also began in 1910 which accounts for some wrecking about to happen.

The Federal Reserve on South Grand
 

Hey there, long time no see!

It’s been a while. Though I’ve barely posted here the last few years — owing to laziness, shifting priorities, and living overseas part time — I still log in every few weeks to see recent posts. This thread is an amazing resource, and I’m glad it’s still around. ER, thanks for keeping it going!

It’s too bad the Photobucket images (and some others) have fallen by the wayside, but I think that most of my old contributions will have survived. Some of my hot-linked photos have probably vanished, but my original photos should still be here. (If anyone has noticed otherwise, please let me know and I’ll look into it.)

Besides offering a long overdue hello, I thought I’d post about a little-known place in downtown L.A. that I learned of a while back, and am interested in touring — the Federal Reserve Bank at 950 South Grand. Though I read about this building years ago I never saw it up close until last week, or knew anything about its function. In the last week I’ve tried to educate myself a little:

After a series of financial crises in the early 1900’s, Congress created the “Fed". It regulates money and credit conditions, supervises banks, and provides financial services to government and financial institutions. It also distributes currency to commercial banks, lends to banks, and verifies the authenticity of bank notes received from commercial banks. When the Fed detects a counterfeit note, it's sent to the U.S. Secret Service for investigation.

The Federal Reserve Bank has 12 main district offices, many of which have subsidiaries. The San Francisco district has four, one of which is the L.A. branch on South Grand. A few years ago I learned that it offers public tours to qualified groups. It sounded interesting, and I've long wondered if I could join one of those groups, or organize one by myself. I’m trying to make that happen now for myself and some friends. Out of curiosity, I drove down there last weekend for a look.

The building, on the east side of Grand between 9th and Olympic, is huge. I’m amazed that despite passing that block many times over the years, I never noticed it before. It looks a little like the Twin Towers Correction Facility, and probably has about as much security. Here are two views of the front:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/_Keepers/IMG_2436.jpg


http://wwww.dkse.net/david/_Keepers/IMG_2437.jpg



The imposing entrance reminded me of that great Steve Martin line from L.A. Story: "You know, you're really nobody in L.A. unless you live in a house with a really big door!”

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/_Keepers/IMG_2439.jpg



Since I was there on a Sunday the building was sealed and dark inside, but by peeking through the tinted windows I got some interesting views, and a few decent photos. Here’s the foyer beyond the front door (with One Wilshire peeking through from three blocks north).

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/_Keepers/IMG_2457.jpg



The stark, futuristic lobby looks like something out of a Kubrick film. Here we see the formidable security system, one of the massive black columns, and a whimsical green sculpture.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/_Keepers/IMG_2441.jpg



This un-subtle, more imposing work dominates the lobby. Why it was chosen and what it suggests about power and the U.S. economy, I leave to the reader.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/_Keepers/IMG_2444.jpg



I’d love to get a closer look at the place. While tours must be very limited in scope, the brief description on their site sounds intriguing:

"The Fed Gallery: Your Central Bank in Focus is a permanent installation at our Los Angeles Branch that uses interactive technology and vivid graphics to highlight the Federal Reserve’s role in the United States economy. Various displays focus on cash and check operations, bank supervision, and monetary policy. The gallery includes a monetary policy game, a money wheel that asks visitors to identify counterfeit notes, and a currency display featuring historic and rare notes. Visitors will also have a chance to walk through the cash operations area.”

(That cash operations area sounds like the best part!)

A few BPs re the demolition...

https://i.postimg.cc/pLX8dTHm/bwaybp1-bmp.jpghttps://i.postimg.cc/jSwxv068/bwaybp2-bmp.jpg

Not sure how I missed 1910, but that fits, the building in the background was built in 1908 according to real estate sites.

Nice to see a post from you. The reason you may have noticed the Fed building before is that it's relatively new. The old building is on Olive and Olympic and is now The Reserve Lofts.

southern cooking
 

The food sounds very good. ''Ambrosia" caught my eye. That's peeled oranges sprinkled with powdered sugar with sometimes other things added.

https://dhfsbruih37bu.cloudfront.net...jpg?1513601226
southern kitchen

To be honest, it was only when sopas ej questioned the location that I decided to look a little further. Although the Pacific National Life Assurance Co is listed at 3576 Wilshire Boulevard in the 1942 CD, the picture didn't look like Wilshire. A little more googling led to the Pacific National Life Building being in Salt Lake City. The building is still there, but I couldn't see any sign of the big block of stone. The lights now look like this:

https://i809.photobucket.com/albums/...tLakeCity2.jpg
GSV

At this point it's difficult to remember which Los Angeles gas stations have already been on NLA.

The following two 4 x 5 negatives were just listed on eBay.

"Mobile Gas Station, Los Angeles 1950"

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/rgWA6k.jpg
eBay

search purposes: Clyde's Super Service, Clyde & Paul Super Service. Dick's Coffee Shop

My favorite part is the cozy coffee shop.




Free Gift: Beautiful Doll in a Box! "4 x 5 Negative, Gas Station Los Angeles 1950"

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/X8vDZg.jpg
eBay

The unpaved ground makes me think this is a different gas station.



This is a gas station doll.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/3...921/76F19o.jpg
etsy

Clyde's was on Beverly at Normandie Place. The building behind Dick's Coffee Shop is still there.

https://i.postimg.cc/TwCjcbLh/Annota...-27-193936.jpg1956 LA City Directory from LAPL

https://i1381.photobucket.com/albums...pswj8oaf0k.jpg

"Don't worry, ma'am, that'll buff right out"....the T-bird gets dinged at Rodeo Dr. and Dayton Way in this undated photo.



https://i1381.photobucket.com/albums...psokfz1bvp.png
GSV

Exactly. LA has a nostalgic ambience that combines elements of hopefulness, glamour, crime, and tragedy. New York is all business and Chicago is classic, but LA is different: when you're in the city, you feel the weight of years-gone-by and of all that's happened there, the positive and the negative. It's a unique feeling. So much history and so many emotions. That's why I love this thread because it helps me imagine what LA was like back then and how many things have changed and yet others have stayed the same. :tup:

Just listed on eBay.


Here is a new (for NLA) view of the 102 Brewery and the three towering gas-o-meters.

"1963 Kodachrome photo slide Los Angeles."

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/tC5jUw.jpg
eBay






A bit redundant..but here's a closer look.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/DOzSk3.jpg
DETAIL

I don't believe I have noticed the exit right before the building with the yellow Brew 102 sign. ....

NOW I HAVE A QUESTION:...Is that outer lane an access road? (as you can see it's separated from the freeway lanes by a divider).........I know, it's a bus lane! ..right?

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Here's another from 1963. (same photographer)



https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/l2Ck7f.jpg
eBay

I bet 'Aunt Marge', posing there on the curb with her perfect stance.. was in the car when the Brew 102 photograph was taken.


I see Liberace is performing at the Cinegrill in the Hollywood Roosevelt....I don't know who Noell is.

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