Outstanding! Thanks. :tup:

Hotel Californian
 

Thx for the reminder HossC of the original Hotel Californian.

As that linked KCET article noted, there's always a "before" the before:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Mi...Q=w733-h474-no
oldhomesoflosangeles

This hybrid-style home was built circa 1906 for Willett J and Mary Hole. It was numbered 1907 W 6th Street. The couple's only child, Agnes, married one of the Rindge sons, Samuel.

By 1910, there were still no close neighbors and it remained that way into the 20s. The grounds of the residence took up the entire future 150' x 150' footprint of the Hotel Californian (and 50' x 150' more to the north for the carriage house & drive). Four city lots in all. In a 1921 permit for a new bath, Mr Hole stated the house was 40' x 70', but it looks bigger:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Hf...g=w708-h367-no
baist, 1910, plate 29


The Hotel Californian was permitted in 1924 (the architect was Edward Butler Rust). The neon came in 1927. The hotel was demolished in 1995.

21 years a vacant lot:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IG...Q=w711-h360-no
google maps






Paseo de Californian went up on the site in 2016. The neon is back from today.




(If all the images don't show, pardon me. Computer trouble)

The 'lantern street light' mystery is solved! Thanks so much HusBy.

Per your instructions, here's where the 1955 Ford Victoria was parked. (red box below)

''pier bowl' area, San Clemente 1972
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...922/42HBNo.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...922/o66T3S.jpg
www.californiacoastline.org & ebay

You can see both large trees on the right.... in the 1972 aerial.

Excellent 'sleuthing' HusBy.
__

Here's a distant look at the Hotel Californian's neon signs. The Hotel Barbizon can be seen next door. This photo is vaguely dated as circa 1936/1958, but I'd guess 1950s by the cars (which I've cropped out).

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...2.jpg~original
Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

It shows fine for me.

I circled the spot in orange where the 1955 Ford car was parked.

In this 2016 aerial it appears that the Ford is still parked there.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps3y0ffeok.jpg

Park Vista / Palms Wilshire / Parkview on the Park
 

:previous:

The Hotel Palms Wilshire's neon is pretty neat too (if a bit wordy).

It opened as the Park Vista (if I've got the right building):


...and still exists as the Parkview on the Park:
...but no neon.

Real Estate Architectural Niches - Mid Century Modern
 

This post contains images of :

Mid-Century Modern Houses
Victorian
Luxury Highrises
Cabins
Ski Homes
Craftsman
Brownstones

And much much more

http://https://inboundrem.com/50-rea...agents-target/

:previous:

a.k.a. spam

re: Shriner festivities at the L.A. Coliseum, 1950s



Stagecraft, with a massive decorated ramp.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/GSQrgl.jpg
ebay



This one really blew me away with the faux-Persian 'architecture' (I never thought I'd see onion domes on the coliseum)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...924/3iMVq3.jpg
ebay




The third pic in this group is of a parade.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...923/z2HhHH.jpg
ebay

I believe this is downtown Pasadena.

__

OMG that's the one!! When it was working it was surrounded by a large rectangular pool, and when the Santa Ana winds kicked up, you had to stand a good 50 feet away or get soaked. Thanks for getting a piece of my childhood back, ER!!

:previous: You're most welcome Mstimc.



oldstuff is correct. Here's the plaque in 2016.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/0vnM65.jpg
GSV


for comparison.....here's the 1970s wedding pic again.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...922/ten74j.jpgebay

In retrospect, they should have covered it with glass or placed it in the vestibule.

__

Originally post by HusBy
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...921/wA7LLG.jpg
San_Clemente

:previous: I couldn't help but notice the large fish sign (at first I thought it looked like it's bones were exposed)

If you closely, it says 'Aquarium Cafe' below the now familiar street light.
_____

The following information includes a touch of noir:

"1814 N. El Camino Real has gone through a multitude of owners and transformations. It was originally the Aquarium Café and was built in 1929.
It was just a counter with 12 stools, a handful of booths, and several saltwater aquariums. The original owners, Mr. and Mrs. Servus no sooner
got the doors open than the stock market crashed. Mr. Servus was so distraught he hung himself. His wife continued to run the restaurant.
It was then tuned into a drive-in diner. Today it's the Ichibari Japanese Steak house."



Today, it looks pretty much the same.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/5l0RLx.jpg
gsv



The 1920s era building has an interesting profile from the air.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...921/XDEfxN.jpg
google_Earth


Aquarium Cafe information from http://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/san-c...tour-1170.html

*Ichibari Japanese Steak House is closed.

Great first post! Thanks for solving our latest mystery. :worship:


Speaking of the red sandstone courthouse...

I know it has been discussed on here before that additional pieces of the courthouse were used in a couple of parks, as decorative stones and walls, but I just found out that red sandstone from the courthouse can also be found on a house!

Straddling the border of Claremont (in LA County) and Montclair (in San bernardino County) is a small historic area called the Russian Village District. This collection of 15 folk architecture residential homes along Mills Ave. was built by Polish immigrant Konstanty Stys and others associated with him, in the 1920s and 1930s, often using salvaged and recycled materials. Most of the houses are faced with field stone. Among the salvaged building materials used were parts of the Raymond Hotel in Pasadena, and in the case of one house, stone from the red sandstone courthouse.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Zz...4bw=w1320-h692

It's hard to see through all the foliage but there next to the front door is some red sandstone used on a column. Additional columns and perhaps other parts of red sandstone are peeking out through the plants.

Google Street View

Hoss, do you think this is an oil well? (red arrow--->)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...921/bUpTfd.jpg
Getty Research Institute

or just some post-modern design element.....perhaps a faux 'oil well' (paying homage to the area's past)

here's a closer look.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...923/WaK5lP.jpg
-------------


I just looked through some vintage aerials to see if there was an oil well in that spot. (I didn't see any)
_

Edward Butler Rust is really interesting. He began his career with architectural pattern books, like "Ye Planry" which published the first "bungalow book." This he did from 1908-1913, and built some bungalows, and thereafter went into apartment house design; an early example being 1330 S Olive from 1914. A bunch of his still stand: 614 S St Andrews Place; Kingsley House at 9th & Kingsley; the Charlon at 821 Green Avenue; 1950 North Vermont; the Windsor, and the Roberta Apts in West Adams was just named an HCM. Rust also designed a bunch of residential, including the Art Deco Linder House, and the residence of Luther T. Mayo.

Mayo and Rust partnered on the Californian. A developer named W F Holifield brought in Mayo to finance, build and lease the Californian, and Rust designed it. It was a wonder. It opened April 1, 1925—Abe Lyman and his Cocoanut Grove Orchestra played. The interior, as you could see in HossC's image from yesterday, was Spanish-Mission. Here's another one:

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3755/3...e3320e18_o.pnglapl

Replete with tapestries, wrought-iron fixtures, polychromed beams & ceilings with lots of gold-leaf painted by none other than Heinsbergen. As I understand it, this was the last commission Heinsbergen had before he was famously contracted by Pantages to do twenty-two of his theaters.

Immediately after the Mayo & Rust collaboration on the Californian, Luther T. Mayo decides he's going to put up an apartment house himself, and sets Rust to work designing it, and from there we have the great Los Altos.

Mayo of course goes on to build the Château Élysée, Villa Carlotta, etc.

It's a damn shame the Californian hit such skids late in life. By the late-80s it was vandalized to hell, the halls were knee-deep in trash, and roaches & rats ruled the place (of course, this was back when we had thirty murders a year in nearby MacArthur Park). The owner, Syed Ali, was no prize either, since he had no working fire doors or emergency exit signs. When the City condemned and tore it down they sent him a bill for the work!

Indeed. Looking at the NE corner of Colorado Bl and Pasadena Ave. St. Andrew's tower looms upper left. Amazing Pep Boys signage! Do you suppose it was neon? Wonder what ever became of them (the signs, that is). Looks like most of the buildings are still there.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2851/3...6a141734_b.jpg
GSV

EB Rust
 

Thank you Beaudry for all the additional info. I've been reading up on him. EB Rust was interesting. Because I'm always curious about architects' own houses, I enjoyed this from the Craftsman.

As well as apartments, there must be many, many EB Rust bungalows still about. If only one could sort LA's online building permits by architect and builder.


1920:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dX...e6Grbg=s460-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uv...w=w463-h237-no
la herald, 27 Nov 1920

Although EB Rust's name appears below the ad drawing as architect, his name does not appear on the permit, I suppose because this was one of many projects with Edwards & Wildey, developer/contractors. The initial cost was $4,950. (Godfrey Edwards and Otto Wildey were neighbors of Rust's in Eagle Rock. They did many projects together. Rust designed the pair's offices at 2160 Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock)

2016 "Once Built, Forever Built":
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CC...Q=w737-h468-no
gsv 900 N Kenmore

Here's a detail from one of the monochome photos. It looks like two oil wells with small tanks next to them. I don't remember seeing oil wells there in old photos, so I guess it was just to hint at the Gilmore history in the area. Maybe it was going to be a themed gas station.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...5.jpg~original
Getty Research Institute

:previous: Thanks Hoss. I was surprised to see there were two oil wells side-by-side in your model. (and with tanks!)

Any idea what caused so much damage to the sandstone in just a few decades? Was it air pollution? (a sobering thought if it was) It certainly can't be due to a freeze-and-thaw cycle.