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sopas ej Nov 30, 2009 5:47 AM

:previous:

Wow, I wasn't aware that there were plans to expand and perhaps even demolish the original Ambassador Hotel as far back as the 1950s.

I was sad to see the Ambassador close. I feel fortunate to have been able to see the inside of the Ambassador right before it closed; in fact I was there for a semi-formal dinner back in 1989, which I think was the year that it closed. I remember walking around the lobby, and wanting to explore some ballrooms, but the doors were locked. And, it was kind of creepy. Walking down some halls, hehe it reminded me of "The Shining." The hotel seemed so empty, too; I figured that there were few if any guests staying there. So I stopped exploring and went back to the dinner party. I remember wanting to explore the Cocoanut Grove, but I couldn't.

sopas ej Nov 30, 2009 6:19 AM

I just wanted to call attention to that jog in the 101 freeway, the one that went around the old brewery that's been now long-demolished.

For years the freeway went right up against the brewery building and I remember as a child that I felt it was weird that the building would be right up against the freeway.

Here's what Beaudry posted some pages back:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2746/...16c0d385_o.jpg

At the top center of the photo you can see old brewery building, not as tall as it was originally, right up against the freeway and the lanes curving around the edge of it. After the brewery building was demolished, the jog in the freeway was still there.

On Friday, I took a picture of that area of the freeway from the new Metro Gold Line extension:
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3434/p1070381.jpg

You can see that the on and off-ramps to the freeway have been re-aligned, and that cars no longer have to negotiate that jog. Though the freeway lanes are straighter now, there is still a jog at the edge of the roadway shoulder.

sopas ej Nov 30, 2009 7:03 AM

Silver Lake neighborhood, looking south on Hyperion Avenue at Griffith Park Blvd., 1927, showing amber caution flasher and directional/mileage signs for cities.
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1...nhyperiona.jpg
USC archive

Johnny Socko Dec 1, 2009 6:07 PM

I was always intrigued by the Brew 102 building as a kid. This was in the mid-1970's, so the building was abandoned by then. It struck me as odd that what seemed to be a popular brand not long ago had disappeared so quickly.

But the Friedman Bag Company remained, and in Sopas' picture above you can see that the multi-colored roof vents referenced earlier in this thread are still there (the building is now a self-storage center).

The gasometers (the huge gas storage tanks) were before my time. I didn't even know they had existed until I saw some historic photos of the area recently!

Anyone interested in the Ambassador Hotel should rent the film "Bobby". It's as much about the Ambassador itself as it is about the assassination of RFK. It was the last film shot on location at the hotel before it was demolished. In fact, the interior furnishings had already been auctioned off, and the production company actually had to buy back some of the items in order to have authentic decor.

sopas ej Dec 1, 2009 7:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Socko (Post 4585885)
I was always intrigued by the Brew 102 building as a kid. This was in the mid-1970's, so the building was abandoned by then. It struck me as odd that what seemed to be a popular brand not long ago had disappeared so quickly.

But the Friedman Bag Company remained, and in Sopas' picture above you can see that the multi-colored roof vents referenced earlier in this thread are still there (the building is now a self-storage center).

The gasometers (the huge gas storage tanks) were before my time. I didn't even know they had existed until I saw some historic photos of the area recently!

Anyone interested in the Ambassador Hotel should rent the film "Bobby". It's as much about the Ambassador itself as it is about the assassination of RFK. It was the last film shot on location at the hotel before it was demolished. In fact, the interior furnishings had already been auctioned off, and the production company actually had to buy back some of the items in order to have authentic decor.

Welcome to the thread, Johnny Socko! :)

You and I must be about the same age, I'm guessing.

Hehe I first saw images of the gas storage tanks in that episode of "I Love Lucy" called "Hollywood at Last" when the Ricardos and Mertzes finally arrive in LA from their road trip across the country. You see them driving into that downtown slot and you can clearly see the storage tanks. I remember as a kid wondering what they were and why they weren't there anymore. Incidentally, you also see them pulling up to their fictional hotel, which in the series was supposed to be in Hollywood but in actuality that building, which still exists, is in Beverly Hills, on Olympic Blvd.

GaylordWilshire Dec 1, 2009 10:25 PM

The Beverly Palms
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej (Post 4586070)
Welcome to the thread, Johnny Socko! :)

You and I must be about the same age, I'm guessing.

Hehe I first saw images of the gas storage tanks in that episode of "I Love Lucy" called "Hollywood at Last" when the Ricardos and Mertzes finally arrive in LA from their road trip across the country. You see them driving into that downtown slot and you can clearly see the storage tanks. I remember as a kid wondering what they were and why they weren't there anymore. Incidentally, you also see them pulling up to their fictional hotel, which in the series was supposed to be in Hollywood but in actuality that building, which still exists, is in Beverly Hills, on Olympic Blvd.

Well, it was called the Beverly Palms...but as I remember, the matte painting representing the view out of their room was of Hollywood.... I am going to have to look for the tanks in that arrival episode. I seem to remember "The Stack" making an appearance.... Next time anyone on the blog is cruising around town, please take a picture of the Olympic Bl hotel and post.

Johnny Socko Dec 1, 2009 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej (Post 4586070)
Welcome to the thread, Johnny Socko! :)

You and I must be about the same age, I'm guessing.

Hehe I first saw images of the gas storage tanks in that episode of "I Love Lucy" called "Hollywood at Last" when the Ricardos and Mertzes finally arrive in LA from their road trip across the country. You see them driving into that downtown slot and you can clearly see the storage tanks. I remember as a kid wondering what they were and why they weren't there anymore. Incidentally, you also see them pulling up to their fictional hotel, which in the series was supposed to be in Hollywood but in actuality that building, which still exists, is in Beverly Hills, on Olympic Blvd.

That's interesting about the "I Love Lucy" exterior shot in Beverly Hills. I enjoy watching those "Hollywood" episodes too, but because of the interior view. Not the Mid-century Moderne decor (although that is cool), but the view "outside". I don't think they ever say on the show where their fictional hotel is located, but the POV of the backdrop is clearly at Sunset & Vine (where the old Desilu studios were, or so I've read), with the balcony looking north up Vine St from about the 10th floor or so.

If you look closely at the backdrop, you can see Hollywood & Vine in the distance, marked by the Broadway building on the west side of the street. Immediately South of The Broadway is a slightly smaller building with a large "Plaza" sign on top. That is the former Hollywood Plaza Hotel, and my mother-in-law currently lives in that building. :D

The building is visible in the backdrop of this museum re-creation of the "Lucy" set, but the "Plaza" sign is washed out. It's basically the nearest visible building on the west side of the street.

http://onetanktrips.files.wordpress....d-close-up.jpg

GaylordWilshire Dec 2, 2009 1:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej (Post 4586070)
I first saw images of the gas storage tanks in that episode of "I Love Lucy" called "Hollywood at Last" when the Ricardos and Mertzes finally arrive in LA from their road trip across the country.

I am reading the new book Los Angeles: Portrait of a City--I hate the frequent mistakes in the captions, but am managing to enjoy the book anyway--quite a treasure trove, actually. Anyway, it seems that there was a gas storage tank right across from the S Norton Ave lot (3900 block) where the Black Dahlia was found... (p 341). There used to be some tanks here in NYC, over in Queens...traffic reports of backups at the "Elmhurst Tanks" are a memory now. Btw Socko--that picture of the Beverly Palms room recreation is great. Have got to find myself some drum lampshades.

sopas ej Dec 2, 2009 2:13 AM

I'm digging that Beverly Palms room too.

Speaking of which:

Video Link


You can see the gas tanks and a bit of the "Beverly Palms" exterior. The Ricardos and Mertzes nearly get broadsided too as they turn into the driveway.

If and when I get the chance some time, maybe I'll dash on over to Beverly Hills and take a picture of it. It'd be cool if Bobby the Bellboy could show me around. :P

ethereal_reality Dec 2, 2009 2:30 AM

Isn't this pretty much the night view from the Richardo's hotel?


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9...ndvinenort.jpg
usc


....albeit several blocks closer and from ground level. :)

CRE8IVEDESTRUCTION Dec 2, 2009 4:24 AM

I'm loving this thread!! Please keep the old pics coming. L.A is a very noirish town indeed. Coincidently, I was watching the 1950 noir film "D.O.A". There's several scenes in the end that show how vibrant the Historic core in downtown used to be. You can clearly see shots of of the "Hotel Rosslyn" and "Million Dollar Hotel" all lit up...(the whole film is uploaded on Youtube btw)

sopas ej Dec 2, 2009 9:13 AM

:previous:
"D.O.A." is a great film noir. I just recently learned that another great film noir called "Shockproof" will be released on DVD; I saw a restored print of that film a few years ago at the Film Noir Festival at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. It shows great shots of Bunker Hill from the late 1940s; the film itself was released in 1949. From what I've heard, that film hadn't been seen in years, as it wasn't really available on video for a long time. Douglas Sirk directed "Shockproof," which surprised me, because I've only associated him with his technicolor melodramas from the 1950s.

________________________________________________________________

I found the link on the LADOT website that I and I'm sure many of you may find interesting. They've retitled the link "Transportation History in Southern California." In it you'll find very interesting tidbits about streetlights, traffic lights, etc. in LA and environs. And if anyone's ever been curious about those weird "subway" stairs that go into some sidewalks that are now closed and caged over with chain-link, you'll learn what those are about too; I remember as a kid being very curious about them. You'll also learn that California has always had red stop signs, back when every other state had yellow stop signs... really interesting things to read about.

Click here: Transportation Topics and Tales: Milestones in Transportation History in Southern California

Los Angeles Past Dec 2, 2009 10:26 AM

Some more interesting road signs from the 1930s-'40s.

Here's one of the Auto Club So. Cal. stop signs from the 1930s with the spherical glass marble reflectors. I set out to steal one of these back when I was a teenager, but I failed - quite spectacularly, actually. That story is here. (That post also has a good close-up photo of the reflective marbles.)
https://otters.net/img/lanoir/socalautostopsign.jpg

Here's a Auto Club So. Cal. stop sign from the 1940s, with the more-familiar plastic reflectors:
https://otters.net/img/lanoir/IMG_1274.jpg

An Auto Club milage sign. Still quite common in and around L.A. when I was young.
https://otters.net/img/lanoir/victoryblvdsign.jpg

A sign like this was shown in a previous photo of Wilshire Blvd. in this thread. I'm too tired to look it up right now, though...
https://otters.net/img/lanoir/autoclub20mph.jpg


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/bstop.jpg

These porcelain enamel reflectorized RR XING signs were ubiquitous when I was little, too...
https://otters.net/img/lanoir/rrxing1.jpg
Various eBay

-Scott

Los Angeles Past Dec 2, 2009 10:33 AM

A vintage photo of the 1912 Hotel Clark, found on eBay in 2006. Quite an imposing building! It still stands today on the east side of Hill Street between Fourth and Fifth. I love the close-ups of the street and the much-older Occidental Hotel...


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/h34a.jpg


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/h34b.jpg


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/h34c.jpg


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/h34d.jpg


https://otters.net/img/lanoir/h34e.jpg
eBay user fxk19

-Scott

GaylordWilshire Dec 2, 2009 1:38 PM

Do Not Miss
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Past (Post 4587361)
Here's one of the Auto Club So. Cal. stop signs from the 1930s with the spherical glass marble reflectors. I set out to steal one of these back when I was a teenager, but I failed - quite spectacularly, actually. That story is here.

Everyone: LA Past's tawdry noir tale of his almost-criminal past is a must-read. I am reminded of James Ellroy's My Dark Places.

sopas ej Dec 2, 2009 6:38 PM

:previous:
Hehe! I read it. Tawdry indeed, but he redeems himself. ;)

LA Past, great pics above! It's funny to see horse-and-wagons parked along the curb with autos. It's like did people need driver's licenses for those? :)

Johnny Socko Dec 2, 2009 9:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRE8IVEDESTRUCTION (Post 4587012)
I'm loving this thread!! Please keep the old pics coming. L.A is a very noirish town indeed. Coincidently, I was watching the 1950 noir film "D.O.A". There's several scenes in the end that show how vibrant the Historic core in downtown used to be. You can clearly see shots of of the "Hotel Rosslyn" and "Million Dollar Hotel" all lit up...(the whole film is uploaded on Youtube btw)

I started a new commute in July, which requires me to drive from East L.A. towards downtown in the evening. Once it finally started getting dark earlier, I saw that the massive Million Dollar Hotel rooftop neon sign has been restored. Quite spectacular. Maybe it's been like that for a while, but I live west of downtown and the sign faces east, so I've never noticed it! (Although my view from home would almost certainly be blocked by the Bunker Hill towers anyway.)

BTW, the wonderful Bendix sign malfunctioned about two weeks ago -- ever since then, only the big "B" has been lighting up, the other letters are dark.

Johnny Socko Dec 2, 2009 9:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej (Post 4587336)
I found the link on the LADOT website that I and I'm sure many of you may find interesting. They've retitled the link "Transportation History in Southern California." In it you'll find very interesting tidbits about streetlights, traffic lights, etc. in LA and environs. And if anyone's ever been curious about those weird "subway" stairs that go into some sidewalks that are now closed and caged over with chain-link, you'll learn what those are about too; I remember as a kid being very curious about them. You'll also learn that California has always had red stop signs, back when every other state had yellow stop signs... really interesting things to read about.

Click here: Transportation Topics and Tales: Milestones in Transportation History in Southern California

Hmm, this link did not work for me. Anybody else have better luck?

GaylordWilshire Dec 2, 2009 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny Socko (Post 4588111)
Hmm, this link did not work for me. Anybody else have better luck?

It took forever until I upgraded to Adobe Reader 9. I also downloaded -- I could email it to you. (I guess that would work.)

Johnny Socko Dec 3, 2009 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire (Post 4588178)
It took forever until I upgraded to Adobe Reader 9. I also downloaded -- I could email it to you. (I guess that would work.)

No thanks, I just didn't realize that the "non-responsive" page was really a "slow to load" page. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference...


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