The singlemost important book in my library of Los Angeles history remains Reyner Banham's seminal 1971 Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies. Like everyone else of a certain age, movies and television piqued my interest in faraway California, and mythologized the state, L. A. in particular. I've now been there many many times, often specifically to explore its architecture, I've read dozens of histories of it, and, of course devoured every photograph of its history I could find--the myth still trumps reality. Anyway, among the Banham book's illustrations is a small photo of the now-vanished Crenshaw Motors Ford, which was at 5311 S. Crenshaw until recently. (The dealership closed in early 2007 after 70 years, the building demolished more recently. Last I heard a Tesco market of some sort is to be built there.)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/246/4...5db9b338e9.jpgjericle cat

http://alpha.newamericamedia.org/lab...la_580x290.jpglabeez



If you haven't already, the next book you read should be Banham's:
http://www.amazon.com/Los-Angeles-Ar...520219244#noop

:previous:

Wow that's so cool you have '56 Ford, Gaylord-- and I really think that plate frame is really nifty!

That's a shame that the Ford dealer building was demolished. I assume that Tesco market that's supposed to be going in is a Fresh & Easy. They should have maybe just kept the dealership building and turned that into a market, it kind of already had that old market look to it anyway.

I didn't realize that old Southern Pacific Station on Central existed well into the 1950s, I guess I assumed it was knocked down not too long after Union Station opened. Seeing where it was located too, you can see that it was in a very industrial part of LA; to think that's what many people saw when they first arrived in L.A. (kinda like back before the 105 freeway existed and we'd pick up visiting relatives from LAX and drive by the Nudes Nudes on Century Blvd.). In that movie "Changeling" I was kinda hoping that they'd somehow recreate the Southern Pacific Station and the area around it, but they didn't.

Speaking of which, yesterday I just finished reading the book "The Road Out of Hell" which literally gave me goosebumps; it's the story of the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders that "Changeling" was based on, but it's from the point of view of the nephew of the child murderer, who had to live with his uncle and who himself was brutally raped and tortured by him and even was forced to help kill some of his uncle's victims. The book really creeped me out. What's amazing about the story is that the nephew was able to live a normal, healthy long life afterwards, though he had nightmares the rest of his life.

Bergman was in town shooting "ABC Playhouse 67" and was homesick. Exhaling a long breath of smoke, she said take me somewhere...desolate. Walking up Olive she sighed ah...Växjö to no-one in particular.

Happened just like that. I swear.

Banham, absolutely. Have you seen this?

http://trickledown.wordpress.com/201...angeles-video/

And yeah, I miss Crenshaw Ford. Its neon worked (pretty well) up until the time of its recent demolition.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/...c6129c78_b.jpg
los angeles neon (book)

Great picture of the Crenshaw Motors neon lit up, Beaudry. I've watched the Banham video before, although when I saw it, it was a little hard on the eyes. The quality of the "print" made it a labor of love--I wonder if there is a fresher version somewhere? It's a quirky, very '70s film. I remember him talking about having "pre-familiarity" with L.A. through movies, and you get the sense of wonder of first encountering the Watts Towers, for example. (Btw I wonder how close you can get to them now--you could wander through them if not climb them the last time I paid a visit, quite a while ago.)

:previous:
The Watts Towers are now surrounded by a fence, with history and info placards attached to them. I first visited the Towers maybe 3 years ago, and visited them again last year.

This building was never a favorite of mine. It always felt overbearing, and very cold. However, i did find this 1950 photo of the state building that makes it appear really cool in a seamy noir way

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets...32-1-ISLA?v=hr
USC Digital Archives

S EJ, Thank you so much for posting the telephoto closeup shot of the floor tile. I wasn't aware that so much remained either. Wow! they should restore the tile flooring, and open the foundation up for some type of public space. It's really a shame that it's been fenced off for so long.

The Occidental Apts. on Diamond Street.

Where the hell was Diamond Street?


http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/6...11diamonds.jpg
Berkeley/Bancroft

From an 1898 street map of L.A.:

http://i699.photobucket.com/albums/v...mondstreet.jpg

Diamond Street ran between Boylston and Figueroa Streets. Looks like it was directly in the path of what became the downtown section of the Harbor (today, Pasadena) Freeway.

-Scott

Found these on Curbed LA
 

Apparantely they newly found, previously unpublished photos by George Mann. Absolutely stunning.

More can be found here:http://www.onbunkerhill.org/georgemann



Angels Flight from Third and Hill:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...7bd0549d_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann



http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...8357081d_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann



http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...e10a1609_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann




Second Street and South Grand:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...a89ee29a_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann




South Olive:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...d834de1e_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann




Fourth Street and Bunker Hill Avenue:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...0b5efb5a_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann




The Rossmere at First and Hope:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...c380eabe_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann




525 W. Second:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery...53f59575_o.jpg
On Bunker Hill by George Mann

Greetings
I was revisiting Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammet and swung a search, to fill in the mental imagery, found this thread. Thank you, all posters, for gifting us with such beautiful, fascinating imagery. I've read a lot of books, seen a lot of movies, that fit perfectly with the photographs I've seen here.
So much so, that I may now be Australia's leading expert on Los Angeles c1920 to C1960.
Five weeks and I've got to page 56 of the thread. Keep it going, I dig it.
Regards
Earl

Welcome to the thread Earl!

Cool picture, really noirish.

Yeah, it would be great if they created some type of public space with that foundation. I remember in the late 1980s the site was slated to be the site of some kind of office building.

I guess the building itself wasn't too elegant; something about the massing or proportions of it or something. Something about it reminds me of the old post office in downtown Long Beach which still exists, though that building is more slender.

I still think it's a shame it had to be knocked down; it could've made a neat City Hall annex or something.

Hi Earl, welcome!

Speaking of Raymond Chandler, here are some pics of Santa Monica, which of course was known as Bay City by Mr. Chandler.

All pics courtesy of the USC Archive.

Santa Monica City Hall, undated
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/872...cacityhall.jpg

Downtown Santa Monica, undated
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6...b12922isla.jpg

1947
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/6350/santamonica1947.jpg

1951, Narcotics arrest. Mrs. Helen Louise Hall gets 90 days in County Jail for marijuana possession. Looks like she's trying to glam it up for the camera-- or HAM it up.
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/762...entencesan.jpg

1953, random cross country cyclist on the sidewalk in front of Santa Monica City Hall. Cyclists 57 years ago apparently had to wear silly outfits like today's cyclists do. The end of the street is where Santa Monica Place mall would be now.
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2662/...yclistsant.jpg

1958; this guy confessed to a robbery. I thought I'd see a penny in his loafer.
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/8...bberyofsan.jpg

Personally, I always liked the State Building. (Not that I ever saw it in person.) Its austerity fulfilled what it was supposed to be...a big official solid dutiful beast. Had some good deco detailing. Overall, not as good in the "Monumental Moderne" camp as Underwood's later Post Office/Court House.

I would hate to see a building go up on the site because the open space gives such a nice vantage point to City Hall. Anyway. Digging all the stuff lately.

Had some stuff left over from The Turning Point -- at one point, about two seconds before they're driving on BH, Olive before Third, they're here --

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/...b40e3ae1_b.jpg

-- which is a stretch, because I was pretty sure I saw the Eastern in the bg. So I did a little poking around and sure enough...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/...7193240f_b.jpg

...300 block of E 9th, looking West. Everything but the Pacific Fixture Co bldg on the far right is still there and doing well. Unbelievably.

Also, bad guy Eichelberger has his offices in no less than the gas works district. Driving up Commercial, making a left on Vignes:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1295/...296cd7b1_b.jpg

I dig his office so much I want to have a fake backdrop constructed outside my window.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/...cf516825_b.jpg

What's this building at the opening?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1299/...bd6e0d28_b.jpg

I like how before this we were talking about Criss Cross, starring Yvonne De Carlo, aka Lily Munster (who dances with Tony Curtis in his first screen role). And who do we have here in her first screen role? Lily Munster's counterpart Morticia Addams:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/...e3c2a2cd_b.jpg

Carolyn Jones plays this Virginia Hill-styled witness; Hill, as Bugsy Siegel's gf, had been hauled before the Kefauver committee, upon which this film was based. Pretty cool.

ok....we'll try and give the old girl some lovin'
 

some interior images of the california state building

Lobby detail (i believe this is the 1st street entry, so this is the flooring that that is shown in Sopas EJ's telephoto shot from city hall)

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-3790.jpg
California State Library


A wider shot of the 1st street entrance lobby

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-3795.jpg
California State Library


Assembly Room

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-3785.jpg
California State Library


Assembly Room Ceiling Detail

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-3784.jpg
California State Library

Broadway lobby entrance

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-3786.jpg
California State Library


Elevator lobby

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-3794.jpg
California State Library

My Kingdom for some Kodachrome color slides of the joint!

oh...and speaking of kodachrome........
 

Eastman Kodak Company lab building at 6706 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood - 1930

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-1438.jpg
California State Library

i'm intrigued by this photograph of the Roosevelt Hotel's outdoor patio dining area taken in 1930.

The chinese theater is clearly visible, so this outdoor patio was located on the north/east corner of the Roosevelt hotel lot, where the Cinegrill is supposed to be

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/mo.../1992-1615.jpg
California State Library

this surprises me, as i always thought that the cinegrill building was a part of the hotel, and was built with the building in 1927........hmmmmmmmmm

When Beaudry posted the images of the old Southern Pacific station, and referenced the above link in his post, it piqued my curiosity, (hey, what can i say? I am easily amused........:hyper: ) into finding images of Los Angeles train stations of old

1924 image of the Southern Pacific Terminal on Central

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/laci/1989-1774.jpg
California State library


After the Central Avenue terminal was demolished, it was replaced by Youngs Market Company, (meat packing plant) in 1958

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics33/00066417.jpg
LAPL


Before building the terminal on Central, the Southern Pacific terminal was located on Alameda between 4th and 5th at the Arcade Station.

The Southern Pacific Railroad built the Arcade Station in 1885 in competition against Santa Fe Railroad. It replaced the adobe house of William Wolfskill and its surrounding orange grove, the largest in Southern California. (i just found the posts back on page 27 where the arcade station was discussed, so i apologize for re-posting images and info posted on this thread previously................the story of my life)

This is an 1880 lithograph of the Wolfskill grove

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics25/00032283.jpg
LAPL


This 1890 panorama photo looking east from 3rd and spring, you can see the Arcade Station in the upper left

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics23/00031429.jpg
LAPL

Here is a 1914 photo of the Arcade Station, The same year it was demolished, (note the palm tree, we'll get to that in a bit).

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics24/00031883.jpg
LAPL

Here is a 1910 photo of the interior of the Arcade Station train shed

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics49/00074492.jpg
LAPL

And of course, what is the 1st thing that a visiting tourist from the East wants to see when they arrive in Los Angeles? Why a palm tree of course!

Here's a 1888 photo of a big ass palm tree being planted right in front of the Arcade station

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/behrman/behr-0055.jpg
California State Library


detail of the entry facade.........and of course, the big ass palm as well.......

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assets.../CHS-4258?v=hr
USC Digital Archive


And speaking about the Southern's main competitor, the Santa Fe, they had their La Grande Terminal located by the river at Santa Fe Street between East First and East Second Streets.

1895 image

http://helios.library.ca.gov/soca/laci/2003-0003.jpg
California State Library

1924 aerial of Santa Fe R.R. La Grande Station

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics23/00031419.jpg
LAPL

The La Grande was a Moorish/Islamic inspired designed structure

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics28/00033987.jpg
LAPL

The 1933 Long Beach Earthquake damaged the structure, and the dome was removed

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics33/00066034.jpg
LAPL


The Los Angeles and independent Railroad had their terminal located on San Pedro and Wolfskill Lane. 1877 Photograph of the station

http://helios.library.ca.gov/cahisto.../2005-0640.jpg
California State Library