The Honda building is still there: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7064

The post was so recent, I didn't think it necessary to reference it. But thanks.

Regarding Honda's Pico presence, it is interesting (to me) that the company started with its motorized bicycle but did not officially introduce its first car, the Honda N600m to the US until 1970/71. http://www.examiner.com/article/hond...ry-celebration Equally curious, Honda has a replica of the Pico Building Facade, that probably looks nicer than the original ever did. Wonder if there is any kind of placard at the original site.

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3514/3...c5833fa3_b.jpg http://www.flickr.com
http://autoweek.com/storyimage/CW/20...7.jpg&maxW=630

"So, in June 1959, the company founded American Honda Motor Co. Inc. in a storefront building on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles with three employees: former sales manager-turned-president Kihachiro Kawashima and assistants Takayuki Kobayashi and Shozo Yamagishi. They shared an $80-a-month apartment in L.A. with one bed--two of them slept on the floor. (Imagine Jim Press and Bob Nardelli fighting for the covers in Auburn Hills, Mich.) In addition to the storefront, they all worked in a rented warehouse stacking crated motorcycles three high and wandering the West recruiting dealers.

Their first selling season was a bust. They offered the 250-cc and 350-cc Dream and the 125-cc Benly motorcycles--all of which, when driven long distances at high speeds as we do here in the States, blew their head gaskets and fried their clutches. Rather than stonewall or say “they all do that,” Kawashima shipped the blown bikes back to Japan to find a fix. A better head gasket and a stronger clutch spring were the cures, and a reputation for customer care was established right off the bat." http://www.autoweek.com/article/2009...NEWS/906119977

the big yellow tower is 7 houses away from my old house,its always been yellow and when i was younger i thought it was an office buidling.they use to have a little lobby with pictures of the well,but now its off limits.Also if you ever want a great sandwich, go to olsens deli which is prob where the picture was take from,they have been there for years (since 1959),its a scandinavian deli with good prices.

Postcard of a residence at St. James Park.


http://imageshack.us/a/img52/6435/aa...park1908pc.jpg
ebay

I was hoping someone might know what the structure is in the middle of the intersection. (G_W?




It's probably a street marker like the ones I've posted below....but none of these markers are in the middle of the street.


westmoreland heights at westmoreland blvd.
http://imageshack.us/a/img137/3183/u...landblvdat.jpg
google street view


harvard blvd at washington blvd (I believe the light was added later but I'm not sure)
http://imageshack.us/a/img525/3182/u...ardblvdgat.jpg
google street view




hobart at west adams heights
http://imageshack.us/a/img818/7067/u...gtonblvdat.jpg
google street view





harvard blvd at washington blvd north side of street
http://imageshack.us/a/img577/3182/u...ardblvdgat.jpg
google street view

I am amazed this one is still standing at all.

____

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1...artvintage.jpglaplLAPL
http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/4577/rampartgsv.jpgGoogleSV

While these two shots do not appear to be from the same vantage point, indeed they are. The view is east on 3rd
at Rampart Blvd. The vintage shot is a foreshortened view, which makes comparison here less than ideal...not to
mention the $%#&# tree at right in the recent shot.... Once I get there with my chainsaw, the white steeple at right
will appear in any newer Google Street View shots from Rampart in this direction.... Here it is almost unencumbered:


http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/1...partchurch.jpgGoogleSV

The white steeple belongs to the Superet Light Center--which is not a convenience store or lamp shop but rather a
church of a denomination called the Superet Atom Aura Science (your questions answered here). I am sure that we
covered this building (at 2516 West 3rd) here before, but I had no luck searching for it.

The large building at top center in the vintage shot is the old St. Vincent Hospital building, now replaced; the dark
steeple to its right is that of St. Nicholas Cathedral, just recently completed (in 1950), and still on the southwest
corner of Grand View and 3rd.



We were discussing this not too long ago--I think one speculation was that the reflectorized stop signs might have been placed on signal poles to augment the flashing red light at night-- when the semaphores and green/red lights were turned off due to lighter traffic.

.

e_r: Mrs. Hughes and her house will be making an appearance in due course in my St. James Park history (here). What you're seeing in the
postcard view is the base of the lamp below. St. James Park had quite distinctive and elaborate Victorian street fixtures.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRLvvF5XS5.../sjphorses.jpg

As for the Harvard/Washington metal lamps--some shots of West Adams Heights gatepost lamps show similar, apparently non-electric
versions of the metalwork:

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics24/00061812.jpgLAPL

:previous: Thanks for the information G_W!

In that last photograph I like how the shingles 'swoop' over the arched doorway.
I had no idea the Hobart marker had that metal work on top.

.

well honda is more towards crenshaw where olsons is near fairfax,but i wouldnt be surprised if the honda guys ate at capitol burger on victoria and pico:yes:

There is only vague information for this photograph from http://www.lapl.org/

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/7VK9Vq.jpg

After a little research: The photo is of 5152 La Vista Court looking west toward Clune Studios (now Raleigh Studios)
on Van Ness Avenue just south of Melrose.





La Vista Court is a short, dead end street so the google-mobile passed it by (probably on his way to lunch) :(

below: An aerial view of La Vista Court. The alley-like street ends where I placed a red square and 5152 is the red A teardrop.

http://imageshack.us/a/img252/4021/5...urtmissedb.jpg
google street view




below: This unique 3 story residence was built by sculpture Finn Haakon Frolich, seen below with a sculptured plaque of Jack London attached to the facade.
:Hence the rumor that Jack London once lived here.

http://imageshack.us/a/img526/3531/5...urtlondonh.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=74226

above: I'd love to see that porch light lit up. I wonder if it's still there?





below: It isn't every day you see a girl dangling from a block and tackle wench. ;)

http://imageshack.us/a/img840/1914/5...urtbuiltby.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=74225



below: Finn Haakon Frolich in his studio sometime between 1910 and 1915.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/xIv5Ce.jpg
glass slide/Library of Congress



Hopefully the next time the google-mobile visits Los Angeles, they will include DEAD END STREETS!

___

[QUOTE=BifRayRock;5682988][SIZE="2"][FONT="Tahoma"][SIZE="2"][COLOR="Indigo"]

Perhaps Mr. BifRayRock could take the weekend off...and let some others post...just a thought...

:previous:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z...2520PM.bmp.jpgIMDB

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5196/superet.jpg
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/8...eretchapel.jpghttp://img155.imageshack.us/img155/4...tinternetc.jpg

At top, the headquarters of Mother Trust's Superet Light Church at 2516 West 3rd. Notice that the streetlamps have the small (wartime?) globes we saw on the lamps of a Hollywood Hills street not long ago. In 1926 Dr. Josephine C. Trust, whose official name is often followed by the suffix S.A.A.S. (Superet Atom Aura Science), bought her wooden chapel in 1926; it had been built in 1922 and is L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument #555. A large purple neon heart tops the steeple. It's very purple if not too clear in the Google Street View:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5...peretheart.jpg


Top three pics: LAPL

A walk around East L.A. and Boyle Heights
 

All my photos, taken today.


Lanza Bros. Market at 1803 N. Main St.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0060.JPG


A nice old Victorian at approx. 2706 N. Main St.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0062.JPG


Man in sombrero, 422 Soto St.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0071.JPG


The Chicago Hotel at 323 N. Soto St.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0073.JPG


An intriguing old brick building at 2107 Cesar Chavez Ave. (formerly Brooklyn Ave.)

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0077.JPG


The Breed Schul at 247 N. Breed St., circa 1923

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0075.JPG


The Wing Sing Bean Sprout Co., 943 N. Vignes St.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0088.JPG


A surviving section of cobblestone street. Bruno St. between Spring and Main.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0089.JPG

Photograph of an aerial view of Hollywood, showing the Pickford-Fairbanks Studio on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Formosa Avenue, 1926. In the foreground, fake buildings have been arranged on the Pickford-Fairbanks lot as a movie set which appears to be the Thief of Baghdad set used in the 1924 film with Douglas Fairbanks, surrounded by the frameworks of other, incomplete set pieces. To the far right, the cylindrical dome of a sound stage is visible.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...1C1A97D84?v=hr
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1335668556117

The studio added a lot of buildings during the 1930s and they are still standing today, but I don't have time to find decent photos right now.

Anyway, according to this article about a month ago, a number of the older buildings are slated to be torn down soon.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,4419561.story

Indeed, and here's how those magnificent sets looked in the movie:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-U...08/Thief-1.jpg
[source: Kino Video]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a...08/Thief-2.jpg
[source: Kino Video]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-q...08/Thief-3.jpg

Note that in the third frame grab, the sets appear much taller than what is shown in the aerial photo. My best guess is that what appears at the top of the frame is either (1) a matte painting on glass, or (2) a hanging miniature, either of which would have been placed just a few feet away from the camera lens and carefully aligned with the sets in the distance.

Sadly, destruction of the Pickford building on the former Pickford-Fairbanks Studio lot has already begun.

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2012.04_pickfair.jpg
[source: Curbed L.A.]

http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/6696/bhh100.jpg
Beverly Hills Historic Preservation (must-see site).


The Beverly Hills Hotel received its first guests 100 years ago today, and Steve Vaught celebrates brilliantly at his also not-to-be-missed site, Paradise Leased.

e_r:
I promise you that no DNA of those trees can be found clinging to the chain of my saw.... There are those buildings that--even
though charming enough to stand alone--are actually enhanced by some green, and this is one of them. This is what I've been
able to find out about it: It was a metalworks for a long time, once occupied by the Pacific Brass & Hardware Manufacturing Co,
which was founded in 1896 and had offices in various downtown L.A. locations. It was at 1648 San Fernando--which later
became 1648 N. Spring (some Baist maps of the era label it Baker Street)--by 1909. Perhaps the current building was built by
Pacific Brass and dates from that time. Pacific Brass was bought by Rite Hardware in 1927 (now Adams Rite Aerospace),
which is listed at the Spring Street address until 1936. The next tenant I came across was the Martin Hannum Refining Co.
(founded 1951)--gold smelting and refining. The business still exists, though not on Spring--not sure when it got there or when
it left. Flash forward--now it's gallery and creative space. I hope some of its artists will be able to do some creative repairs to
the roof and keep the old building going. Btw, if anyone passes by, see if that's a plaque to the right of the door and take
a pic if it is....

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/2219/koloro.jpgGoogleSV



Fantastic shots, David--as for the incredibly charming 2107 Brooklyn Ave--East Cesar Chavez if we must--it's another building
whose trees I might consider sparing.... In the mid-'50s, it was the Louis Sheldon Hotel. It really doesn't look like it to me, but
apparently it was painted fairly recently--it's blue in the March 2009 Google Street View. Haven't really dug for information--
couldn't find much of anything--but apparently it has nothing to do with the arch homophobe of the same name.

ethereal_reality, I was up early this morning for the Hollywood Farmer's Market, and decided to first send myself on a short reconnaissance mission to 5152 La Vista Court.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s...20/Vista-1.jpg
[source: me]

The lamp is still there, but it looks like the original glass has been replaced along with that spiky finial.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-e...70/Vista-2.jpg
[source: me]

Jack London's visage is still there too, looking a bit weathered. This was the best shot I could get with my camera lens poking through a gap next to the gate.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q...70/Vista-3.jpg
[source: me]

I had never explored that stretch of (nee) Brooklyn Avenue before, but it's very interesting and photogenic, and was the highlight of our 5 hour walk yesterday. This is a very old, generally un-modernized, un mini-"mauled" neighborhood with tons of personality and local color. It was crowded with families, bursting with music and we saw dozens of mariachis in full uniform. My wife and I kept thinking "Are we really in Los Angeles? This is a whole other world". There are 2 more very old buildings in this area I still want to find -- yesterday there were just too many good distractions and I kept getting sidetracked. I'll definitely be back for more. Brooklyn Ave. is lined with loads of old, full growth trees, the sidewalks cracked from the roots but shady. Lots and lots of interesting old buildings and homes.

That old building at 2107 must have a good story; wish I knew it. Thanks for discovering that it was a hotel in the 50's. The trees in front are so old and overgrown that they hide most of the front.

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

We also visited the 1646 Spring building that e_r recently discovered. There was some sort of event or showing which made it hard to get good building shots, but here 2 images.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0037.JPG

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0036.JPG


And then there is the very old wedge shaped building, at 1635 N. Spring St., at Baker. I have a note that it dates to 1888. Have seen it described as the "Charles Raphael Plate Glass Co. Building at Junction Block", but I've also seen the the block called "Raphael Block". I think we can all agree that it would look better without the "mural". Why all the traffic cones? A conservation group was planting 500 trees in this neighborhood yesterday. (GW, don't even think about it!) I've only seen one old photo of this one, a small low-res image that I can't find now. Anybody...?

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0034.JPG

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/100_6463.JPG


Speaking of very old Spring Street buildings, the Capital Milling building may be the grand-daddy of them all, dating to 1883. Old shots, anyone?

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/100_6565.JPG

Looking for Peter Pan Market
 

I've only been on here since Feb 27 and I have been dilegently studying each page. I'm only up to 159 by now so I have lots more to enjoy before I ever hope to get "current". It's possible the picture I am looking for has already been posted but I wouldn't know until I get further. I think someone mentioned once there was a way to do a search on our forum. Does it search for any text? If so, I'd like to try it out.
I was downtown yesterday for the Apr 28 Grand Opening (to the Public) of the Expo line from 7th Street Metro to La Cienega (so far). Got lots of pix which I will publish soon. Also met a new LA fan who posed this question: Does anyone have any photos of the Peter Pan Market that used to be in LA? As a boy he remembered shopping there or seeing the store with a statue of Peter Pan on top. Ill keep checking back here to see if you do.

Meanwhile, I'll share another photo from my Apr 9 trip. Here is a model, inside the lobby of the Biltmore Tower, of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel and Tower.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R...k/DSC01632.jpg

I don't know how many people here are fans of the video game LA Noire but I must say that it fills my need for Noirish LA nearly as much as this thread does (and trust me, that's high praise!).

Anyway, as a longtime admirer of this thread who's never been able to contribute any original content, I feel compelled to share some screenshots I took with my camera pointed at my TV because the game is that good.

All pictures copyright Rockstar Games

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/7...9f392ae0_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/6...1ba275b6_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7...1f671880_b.jpg

The above were taken with the game in black and white mode...here's some in color:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7...a2794d42_b.jpg

1st Street and Broadway:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/6...384f8d37_b.jpg

Noir in living color:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7...12da9217_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/7...2cc5170b_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/6...2d81f234_b.jpg

If you like these I can keep taking shots and posting them, or if you'd like to see a specific place or a recreation of a specific vintage shot, I'm game!

What was on Fort Moore Hill before the current High School?
 

Over the years, the hill held a fort, an exclusive estate, cemetery, a high school, a brewery and beer garden, and a few other oddities.
http://www.helium.com/items/2016509-...in-los-angeles
It was one of the city’s greatest gems, and one of its lost treasures. Although not completed, it was dedicated as Fort Moore on July 4, 1847. The fort was named after Captain Benjamin D. Moore of the 1st Dragoon who was killed in the Battle of San Pasqual. The fort was abandoned in 1849 and decommissioned in 1853. The old fort was leveled and was soon replaced by a public playground. Then, in 1882, Jacob Philippi built his famed beer garden and brewery at the summit of Fort Moore Hill where he opened New York Brewery, the first brewery in Los Angeles. By 1887, Philippi had enough of his brewery on the summit. He sold the place to Mary Banning, widow of Phineas Banning, the founder and “father” of the Port of Los Angeles. She wasted no time in turning the summit of Fort Moore Hill into “Banning Mansion”. Soon, the house was abandoned by the Bannings and was converted into a rooming house until it was torn down. In 1891, it became the new location for Los Angeles High School. The school facility would be there until 1917 when it was moved again. The site was still owned by LAUSD, and it became its headquarters. The district office would be there until 2001. Today it is the home of the High School for the Visual and Performing Arts. But when this photo was taken in 1964, it seems to be well populated with the headqquarters of the LAUSD. Moore Hill is on the left side of this picture between Grand and Hill.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...5-38-ISLA?v=hr..

An aerial view of the Los Angeles Civic Center, looking east with the Department of Water and Power building and unfinished Music Center in the foreground. USC "Dick" Whittington Collection

1957, Fort Moore Pioneer Monument Wall was erected
 

I know this topic was visited before but here are some comtemporary shots I took Apr 9.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_...k/DSC01719.jpg
Tower on the right side of the Memorial

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7...4/DSC01720.jpg
View of the memorial from the north. I was curious about those stairs so I took them all the way to the top. There was a fence but it was
torn open so I went through. See the picture of the top of the memorial next to last in this sequence.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z...4/DSC01721.jpg
General view of the memorial pictorial portion
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-C...4/DSC01724.jpg

View of Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial from south

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K...4/DSC01735.jpg
View of the spillway (now very dry) from the top

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-W...4/DSC01736.jpg
Current view from the spillway level looking west at the current High School. Now that I know more about the history of this Moore hilltop, I find it
brilliant that there is once again a Los Angeles High School up here.

I think the hope, amongst the armies of planners conducting endless planning activities for the City Planning Department, is for that area of North Main and North Spring to become the next trendy loft-filled hipster neighborhood. They've sunk a lot of money in that area (LA Historical Park one example.) Note also the retro light poles. And the well-paved street (a rarity....let's face it.)

Agree on the horrid mural. Some are palatable, that one is spectacularly awful. It's really a sign of surrender, of capitulation, when you think about it. What it really says is that community standards have eroded so much, the population so lacking in civic responsibility, that it's now impossible to keep up with graffiti removal. No sooner is a wall painted than it is immediately targeted by spray paint wielding gremlins. So thrown in the towel - paint a mural. At least it will be less likely defaced. And when it is, it won't show so much.

I mention this after having visited Lowe's paint department this afternoon, and shake my head in sadness every time I walk past the locked shelves containing the spray paint. (BTW - just curious....are spray paints locked up in other states? I visit other states, but rarely have cause to drop in the local Lowe's or Home Depot when I do.)



[QUOTE=3940dxer;5683481]
And then there is the very old wedge shaped building, at 1635 N. Spring St., at Baker. I have a note that it dates to 1888. Have seen it described as the "Charles Raphael Plate Glass Co. Building at Junction Block", but I've also seen the the block called "Raphael Block". I think we can all agree that it would look better without the "mural". Why all the traffic cones? A conservation group was planting 500 trees in this neighborhood yesterday. (GW, don't even think about it!) I've only seen one old photo of this one, a small low-res image that I can't find now. Anybody...?

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/DT_Boyle....2/DSCN0034.JPG

Robert Miles Parker 1939-2012
 

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4231/vetbig746.jpghttp://img856.imageshack.us/img856/5844/vetgsv746a.jpg


The New York Times ran Robert Miles Parker's obituary today (link here). His drawings of Manhattan architecture were famous, in NY, at least. I'd forgotten that he did a book on L.A....called L.A. Among the drawings in it are one of Dr. Moxley's Veterinary Clinic, which we saw recently here, and of the unfortunately abducted Chateau Elysee and the old Lincoln Hospital in Boyle Heights:

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2472/elyseedual.jpg
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/6067/lincolndual.jpg


Pics: Drawings: Amazon; photos: Google Street View and Terraincognita

Chicago is even more strict than Los Angeles. Believe it or not, there has been an outright ban on spray paint since 1995.

http://imageshack.us/a/img526/392/aa...aypaintban.jpg
http://urbancasita.com/tag/chicago-spray-paint-ban/

____

[QUOTE=alanlutz;5683919]
View of Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial from south

http://imageshack.us/a/img812/2830/aaalanlutz.jpg
photograph by alanlutz





below: Here is a similar view taken in 1954 when the massive 'waterfall' was first turned on. Notice that the monument is not quite finished.

http://imageshack.us/a/img232/9357/a...nument1954.jpg
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=1231

I am SO happy that you took a little side trip down La Vista Court Handsome_Stranger!

I think it's great that the building still exists...but what a shame that they've obscured the entrance with that makeshift gate & wall.
And that red door on the second floor....what's that all about? This building is as intriguing today as it was 80 years ago.

Per my overnight 'googling'; a past tenant was the character actor Victor Buono, who was nominated for best supporting actor for his role
in 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane' (1962).

By the way, that last photo of Jack London's sculptured likeness is priceless.

___

I have been trying to read that plaque for a better part of a year 3940dxer/David.

What do you think it means?

___

:previous: I was pretty much floored by your beautiful screen-grabs of 'LA NOIRE' kznyc2k.

At first I was startled by the vivid color images..until I reminded myself that these images were truer to life than the black and white images
one usually correlates with 'film noir'.

I've never been a gamer, so it's hard for me to comprehend how this particular game works.
If I ever decide to explore the genre of computer games this will undoubtedly be my first choice. THX again for your post.

___

Here is a great snapshot of Angels Flight circa 1950s. Notice the numerous television antennas on the rooftop of the taller building(s).
The residents might be tuning into 'Queen for a Day'....or if they have children 'Space Patrol'.

I should probably know, but what is the name of this tall building with bay windows towering over Angels Flight?

http://imageshack.us/a/img233/4741/a...mebay1950q.jpg
found on ebay

The Malibu Nike Launch Site has been on my wish list for a while now. Yesterday we visited some adventurous friends in Topanga Canyon who were interested in seeing this odd bit of history in their back yard, so off we went.

Apparently, the Malibu Nike site was one of hundreds in the U.S. and was one of the very first ones. Like all Nike installations the launch and IFC (integrated fire control) sites were in different locations. In this case the launch site is at 1900 Rambla Pacifico and the IFC site is up a mile or so, near Mulholland, at 24666 W. Saddle Peak Rd.

(I don't know how the older B&W photos above relate to this place. They may be shots of the same location before it was partially dismantled and converted, or may be of the IFC facility up the hill, or may be a different facility altogether.)

We visited the launch site, which is now used by the L.A. County Fire Department. We had no idea what to expect but were given a friendly reception, and an informal but very interesting tour of the place. Here are some photos I took.

We passed by the more typical fire fighter's offices and equipment rooms near the entrance to the property and walked towards the edge of the hill where the 3 launch platforms were installed, pausing to admire this old sign:


http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0117.JPG


Control tower overlooking the site:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0120.JPG


One of the missile elevators, and the stairway leading down to the missile battery. The big round things are counterweights that make the doors easier to open. The firefighting helicopter was parked behind here:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0114.JPG


The steel covers on the top of the missile elevator:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0094.JPG


Opening the stairway door:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0095.JPG


Looking down the stairway into the underground room. The missiles were stored here, the large elevator lifted them to the surface:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0109.JPG


The former missile storage room is now a training room. The normally cheerful Mrs. 3940 eyes me warily -- probably because she didn't want to be in the photo. Too late. :jester:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0101.JPG


The control box that operates the missile elevator, which still works:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0104.JPG


One of the two hydraulic lifts that raise and lower the platform:

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0102.JPG


Luckily it was not a hectic afternoon for the firefights and one of the guys, who also was interested in the history of the place, took a few minutes to show us around. The hospitality was really appreciated. You could tell that the team was very professional and able.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/LA.78/DSCN0123.JPG


All my photos.

Did somebody mention Fort Moore Hill?
I was almost sure they did....;)

Most of us realize by now what it used to look like back in the 1800s and what it looks like now. Photos abound here.
Most of us know of battles and almost battles and of forts and such and probably also the old (almost) forgotten cemetery that "used" to be there where the high school now stands.

Maybe even some of us were paying attention when Gloria Molina was trying to get here Mexican cultural center properly built but ran into a slight snag when it was discovered that the old Plaza Church cemetery which was supposed to be empty turned out to be still occupied by the remains of some of the original Los Angeles Pobladores and "neophyte" Native Americans....much to her chagrin and inconvenience.

Quote:

"We at LA Plaza have decided to halt work on the former camposanto area of our campus indefinitely, in light of the unexpected number of human remains uncovered and their great historical significance," said Miguel Corzo, the CEO of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, in a statement.

http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_fo...um-halted.html

Since alanlutz (Thanks, Alan) posted those cool recent photos I'd like to bring up the subject of the old Fort Hill Cemetery again which by most accounts like the Plaza Church cemetery was never fully evacuated. It's pretty well understood that at least some of the old residents still abide there, buried under the school grounds.

If this was posted previously, forgive me, I missed it....which seems unlikely :D

Quote:

Cemetery Part of Fort Moore Hill became home to a cemetery, with the first documented burial tracing back to December 19, 1853. Alternately known as Los Angeles City Cemetery, Protestant Cemetery, Fort Moore Hill Cemetery, Fort Hill Cemetery, or simply "the cemetery on the hill", it was the city's first non-Catholic cemetery.[7] The cemetery was overseen by the city starting in 1869. It was not well taken care of, lacking clearly delineated boundaries, complete records or adequate maintenance. The Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution on August 30, 1879, closing the cemetery to any future burials except for those with already reserved plots. By 1884, the city had sold portions of the cemetery as residential lots and the rest to the Los Angeles Board of Education (later the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)). The city never removed any bodies, and the former cemetery was the site of repeated, grisly findings and much negative press. As a result, the city began moving the bodies, most to Evergreen Cemetery, Rosedale Cemetery and Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, with the final bodies being transferred in May 1947. The recent construction of Los Angeles High School #9 resulted in the discovery of additional human remains. These were excavated by archaeologists in 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Moore

Quote:

Arrow points to bones of pioneer California soldier unearthed as Hollywood Freeway excavation cuts into the old Fort Moore Hill Cemetery. Soldier had been buried in full uniform, including silver spurs. Several caskets have been exposed. Photo dated: April 2, 1951.

Great website BTW: http://www.1947project.com/tags/preservation
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...otos/Bones.jpg

You have to admit that photo is pretty noir. Dig the shoulder pads on the detective's pin-stripped jacket.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8...rddual1200.jpg

We saw the July 1955 shot above left not long ago (facing east on Rampart at Third) here. The LAPL included this information with the picture: "How to earn a ticket by 'darting': Officer Dan Knock, at the wheel of the oncoming Chevrolet, shows how to earn a ticket by 'darting.' Just as the signal starts to change, he jumps out and turns left in front of cars in the foregound. He is violating the law, even though he crossed through the turn before the other cars could get near him. He is also cutting across the double lines, which is illegal. He should have pulled out to the intersection in his own lane, and waited for the cars facing him to pass."

At right is a shot from four Julys earlier, with a view in the opposite direction, facing west on Third. Perhaps the intersection was chosen for the 1955 demonstration because of some infamy for accidents....

The current view west, followed by a question (the wrecked Studebaker was at the center of the intersection, the Model toward the near-right corner--who darted?):

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/2...art3rd1200.jpg


I don't drive in Los Angeles regularly, but someone once told me that nowadays such "darting" is accepted in that, when the light turns green, oncoming traffic expects at least one car to turn from the opposing turning lane.... I've never tried it... but Rex, is this true?


Pics: LAPL, USCDL, Google Street View

Excellent photographs of the old Nike missile site 3940dxer/David!
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Here's the Lookout Mtn. postcard that started our W. P. Story Building conversation.

http://imageshack.us/a/img151/4212/aalookoutmtn1914.jpg
ebay


I finally located the backside of the above postcard.

It advertises Pacific Electric's "Balloon Route Excursion, 101 miles, one day, one dollar"

http://imageshack.us/a/img715/4596/a...utmtn1914r.jpg
ebay





It also advertises "an ocean voyage on wheels, cars running a mile into the ocean on the Long Wharf."

below: The Longest Wharf in the World, Santa Monica.

http://imageshack.us/a/img268/1633/a...gwharf1892.jpg
http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=33006

We've covered this astounding wharf earlier in the thread, but I never tire of seeing photos of it.



It also lists a 'Camera Obscura' as one of the free attractions. Well, I finally came across a 'Camera Obscura' postcard.

http://imageshack.us/a/img513/1381/a...obscurausc.jpg
found on ebay

http://imageshack.us/a/img19/7835/aa...scurausc1r.jpg
reverse side

For a description of a 'camera obscura' go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura

Another attraction it lists is the "Largest Aquarium on the Pacific Coast". I am not too sure where this was located.
Does anyone here know which Aquarium they're talking about and where it was located?
It would be around the turn of the century since the postmark on the pc is 1914.

It's a bit strange Lookout Mountain isn't listed as an attraction, especially since it's featured on the front of the postcard. Go figure.

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Drag racing in the Los Angeles River, 1950s.


http://imageshack.us/a/img265/4413/a...osangelesr.jpg
http://wehadfacesthen.tumblr.com/

I wonder if this was legal or had to be done on the sly?

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E.R. ! Twas the Hotel Astoria hulking behind the Sunshine Apts- luvely image found here---

I collected a mid-20s close-in aerial taken for Paducalist Development by the Spence photographers - and later this was sketched ( by Edwin Cooke) and featured in the L A Times series on Vanishing Landmarks-so it lasted almost to '30. L.A.Highschool built a Mission style 1 story annex between this Banning/Philipi structure and the noteworthy Lemoyne Wills mansion - I cannot diseminate this aerial as I agreed to purchase it for personal study- and UCLA's Airphoto Archives is sehr strict about their agreements-- It's ordering # is H-97 if you are interested..

Twas wonderful to receive this info rick_m. :)

http://imageshack.us/a/img404/8874/a...mebay1950s.jpg
ebay




below: The front entrance of the Hotel Astoria on Olive Street.

http://imageshack.us/a/img221/994/aaastoriahotel1a.jpg
http://s589.photobucket.com/albums/s...r=images&co=10




below: A rare color photo of the Hotel Astoria at Olive and 3rd Street.

http://imageshack.us/a/img718/4908/a...bunkerhill.jpg
http://onbunkerhill.org/AlltheMoreMann

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This view from Los Angeles' Olive Street looks a lot like San Francisco


http://imageshack.us/a/img824/122/aa...940solived.jpg
http://www.sterow.com/wp-content/upl...rHill1940s.jpg

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Thank you, glad you like them! Think of it more as an interactive TV series than your typical shoot-em-up video game--you spend way more time watching cinematic (in the best sense of the word) cutscenes than you do mashing the keypad trying to kill-kill-kill the enemy. In that sense it's very much unlike most games out there today, and some people have gone so far as to say that it's something completely new, something we don't yet have a name for.

Here are a few more moody black and whites:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/6...10e26380_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/6...d22b55cf_b.jpg

By the way, the protagonist ^ is Aaron Staton, best known as Ken Cosgrove in Mad Men.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/7...ec2c6dba_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8154/6...a119b4fd_b.jpg

On the Sixth Street Viaduct

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/6...f7646963_b.jpg

Of all the bridges in the world to come down with fucking concrete cancer, it has to be the Sixth Street Viaduct......makes me sick to my stomach!

.

The Inn was only open for 4 or 5 years before it burned down, and I suspect that it was not very successful while open. Part of the problem must have been that at the time, the location was somewhat remote and difficult to reach. There was no public transport to Lookout Mountain and even if one had a car, it was a challenging drive to the summit! I get the feeling that the Lookout Mountain Inn was not promoted very well, or widely, and maybe the post card publisher simply didn't have any information about the place.

Among the photos in the old Hollywood album I bought recently there are several of Lookout Mountain that I'd never seen before. I'm going out of town for a few days, but will post them after I get home. And I'm still investigating the old roads we see in the images, some of which were probably erased at some point. More later. ;)

Here's another view of the mile long wharf.

http://imageshack.us/a/img854/9564/a...ongwharfpc.jpg
postcard found on ebay