Thanks so much for the help! And I'm glad there are others who love to look at LA's past as much as I do. This thread is amazing!

Welcome Danny! I grew up a few miles west of you..Pico and Fairfax, but had friends right off of Windsor (near Capitol Burger)..either way I wouldn't be surprised if that was a BOA. Also the church you speak about is the Forum Theater ..Lots of good gems in your area,such as Victoria Circle, Catch One,Country Club Park and of course I still love the old Bekin's Building right at Crenshaw and Pico.

There are so many amazing gems on that corner alone, and I'm sure there's much history. I actually found this forum researching the history behind the former Warner Brothers Forum Theatre. I can't even begin to ask all the question I may have about the area on Norton between Pico and Country Club alone as that's where I grew up! Is there a place in this forum for all my questions? Haha. I've actually been to the Capitol burgers, but as a little kid when I frequented Queen Anne park. My mother once told me that the Jay's market in that area of Pico and Norton was once burned down during the LA riots of 92. So much history!

Hi Danny, that's a great block of S Norton between County Club and Pico.

The city gives 4019 as the official address of your corner building (the other addresses, 4013-4027, are probably for individual shops). The permit for new construction is dated 10 Feb 1927. No. 4019 was purpose built for "stores and offices" (later permits refer to the building's use as "Public Assembly"). The New York Finance Company is listed as owner. Albert C. Martin, Sr was the architect (Martin's wiki page is here if you're interested). A.C. Martin's offices were in the Higgins building at W 2nd Street and Main, DTLA, in 1927. The firm he founded is still in business.

The former sign on the back of the building is in the typeface which Bank of America used years ago. Bank of America was listed as owner in 1949 when they got a permit to add their signage to the front of the building. Before that, in 1941, there was a Farmers and Merchants Bank branch at this address

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P...04443%2BPM.jpg
via dannywa01

The building permit for 4019 W Pico:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-A...04758%2BPM.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h...04829%2BPM.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-y...04851%2BPM.jpg
http://ladbsdoc.lacity.org/idispublic/

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...22451%2BAM.jpg
gsv


Someone was shot and killed at No. 4019, during a party in 2000 (that can happen anywhere).


Here's a 1921 Baist real estate map of your block in 1921. There were more empty lots than built ones!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8...15417%2BPM.jpg
baist map 1921, plate 37 / historic mapworks

The mixed-use building on the other side of S Norton looks interesting too. It went in in 1925 and houses "Jewel's Room" and "Jewel's Catch One":
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P...00201%2BAM.jpg
gsv


The Vintage Los Angeles Mid-City fb page is here

LA.curbed's Mid-City archive is here

An aerial of the Forum Theater, 1924, with (almost) empty lots across the street:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-t...10315%2BPM.jpg
lapl (detail) via LA movie palaces

Looking East on Pico.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psnddvnm91.jpg
GSV

I posted this link beneath both photographs.

:previous: This is a fun find Hoss!
...and thanks for pointing out the discrepancy with the date.


Just for fun; Here's Yvonne DeCarlo (again) walking toward the Dragon's Den from Union Station.

film noir: Criss-Cross (1949)
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...901/1pIWKw.jpg
Beaudry screen-grab.


View Beaudry initial post on 'Criss Cross' here:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=1358

__

That's my fault e_r, I didn't notice the credit/link at first. JScott was just gently pointing it out to me, b/c sometimes I get lost in the visuals. Anyway, great photos. Thank you.

This is excellent t2! As you know, I love candid (amateur) snapshots like this.
__

E_R, and other NLA forum members...I hope you don't mind...

For the past three weeks or more, E_R has been posting a series of fantastic color
kodachrome images from the 1940's and I just wanted to see them all together. Like
a tour. If it's just for me, I apologize, but I hope others might find it worthwhile, too.
Martin P.
___

I included the post link for those who might want to reference the original
with more info and/or replies to it. The photos without the watermark on
them were done courtesy of HossC. Thanks for your indulgence.