KZNYC2K mention that the Bradbury Mansion was demolished (?) in 1929 !

I had no idea it was taken down so early and thought it was part of the Bunker Hill revitalization Project.
Was the house that old in 1929 or was it safety issues ?

1929 is the date I've seen and, although and I could be wrong about this, I think I've also seen it wasn't built originally for Bradbury but for former County Clerk J. W. Potts.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8374/8...654e4416_o.jpg
Exterior view of County jail, 1930

This view of the Los Angeles County Jail gives a good sense of the slope of Temple Street. Photo was taken from a newly straightened Spring Street. Jail is facing Temple Street. Buena Vista Street is to the left of the jail, Hall of Justice is at the left. Stone wall of the County Court House grounds is at left. Photo dated: December 25, 1930.

LAPL

The Evolution Of A Corner: Downtown L.A. At Figueroa & Seventh
 

Interesting article and photos:

http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_fo...a-seventh.html

Recent LA Times article on Surfridge. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar...ridge-20130303


http://www.trbimg.com/img-513169fd/t...01/600/600x400LA Times

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/1161/east4thsh.jpgRedfin


I'm a fan of the vast and unappreciated collection of Victorian cottages east of Main Street. There are hundreds if not thousands. One in particular I've always liked is 3407 East 4th Street--it's now for sale. Check it out here. (What's a 1.75 bath?)

Prior post here.

3/4 bath is sink+toilet+tub OR shower. Technically it needs both tub & shower to be "full" - I think that rule isn't very strictly followed, and I would especially think in a Victorian there isn't an expectation of a shower in every "full" bathroom.

From my years as a realtor (1980-1993), a .75 bath is a sink, commode and a shower (no tub). To be a full bath, it needs a tub (shower is optional). Could very well be different in some other part of the country and/or the usage could have changed in the interim.

Michael...you are right...in my old days working for a building designer..the rules at least in Southern California is just as you said..A full bath had to have a tub, with or without a shower over. Few houses have both a tub and stall shower. Before my wife had knee surgery we took out the old tub with shower over and installed a walk in shower so she didn't need to step over the edge, the bathroom went from defined as a full to 3/4.

Oh and in answer to the question what is 1.75 bath...that's two baths, a full with tub and the other with shower only, no tub. in a house this old the second bathroom would have been added in more resent years. in the old, old, old days, bathrooms only had tubs, no stall showers.

Revisiting Surfridge gives me a chance to post photos of two more houses lost there to LAX . . . .

1959 photo of 135 Epinard:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...ps421824f9.jpg
http://www.uncovertheroof.com/2011/0...ovepart-2.html

114 Ellen Street aka Anna Zacsek Beach House, completed 1938, designed by R.M. Schindler:
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4301bc1e.jpg
http://austincubed.blogspot.com/p/modern-homes.html
[photo from RM Schindler: Works and Projects by Judith Sheine (Editorial Gustavo Gili, 1998)]

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...ps765e24f9.jpg
Southern California Architectural History (http://socalarchhistory.blogspot.com/)

Anna seems to have been highly involved in the design of the house; their correspondence in regard to the house begins with a letter from Anna to Schindler saying, “Please wait on my plans for the house until I can come over with my photographs so that you may see what sort of things I desire.”
The construction of the house itself was filled with a spirited and oft-contentious battle of wills between two strong headed Eastern Europeans. They traded letters 30 items long detailing every aspect of the house from the design of the structure itself to a decorative frog that Schindler had confiscated from the house. Anna requested that Schindler return the frog to which he responded that it was “in very bad taste and I protest (its) use in a building of my design.” -- Text from: http://cityplanning.lacity.org/Staff...-2011-2619.pdf; interesting info about Anna Zacsek there.

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...pse9254c2c.jpg
Southern California Architectural History (http://socalarchhistory.blogspot.com/)

According to the 1940 census, Mel Blanc lived across the street at 117 Ellen. I wonder if Anna and Mel talked much?

Makes me wonder if the digging of the Hill Street tunnel in 1908 under the side of the parcel might have had some residual impact on subsurface soil conditions. Perhaps causing settlement to occur under some of the houses. The site may not have been properly compacted when they were built. Think about the sinkhole in Florida that was just in the news. Well maybe not that bad! Plausible? Maybe. Probable? “Shrug.”

Acid Lotion....
 

With research credit going to Mr Wilshire....allow me to add:

According to a 1927 article in a Milwaukee paper Dr. Steel had used carbolic acid on the man's freckled face. It was absorbed into the skin, migrated to the brain and killed him.

Dr. Steele later fled the US for Germany. I hate to call someone names but how does quack sound? You go to have your freckles removed, end up dead and your shady lady Dr. on the next rain headed east. Noir? Very!!

Thanks for more interesting Surfridge info and photos!

Addendum - Lewis Bradbury built the manse for his Mexican bride-who lived on there another decade after his death-it's next period was as club for the judges - then as the Rollin Studios headquarters - finally as an artist/bohemian rooming house- Had an entrance on Court St. as #406--Potts home was opposite @ #426 Court St. nearer Olive .. The automobile age enabled some entrepenuer (or the city itself) to establish this block as the initial (and profitable) parking lot on the hill as he bought out the remaining 3 homes from their elderly owners- Parking primarily for the court's employees - Maybe the city owned that block since the clubhouse days?

^ the parking lot was a Savoy Auto Park, just like almost every other parking lot around at the time. So no it wasn't city/county/state owned.

From 1939, we're looking north on Hill Street midway from between First and Second and you can see the Savoy sign up in the top center.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/7...9dthill1st.jpg
USC

It seems that the idea of the house originally having been built for Potts might have come from his being so identified with Bunker Hill--perhaps he sold the lot to Bradbury. He's referred to as "Prophet Potts" (or "Real Estate Prophet Potts") in many Times articles of the 1880s and '90s. Below is a letter of his in the paper on July 23, 1891:

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/3852/pottscompl.jpg



Two articles from the Times, the first dated Jan 2, 1887, the second Jan 1, 1888, rounding up the previous year's building activity. The Bradbury house made both:

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/412...86and7comp.jpg



A little 19th-century LA police & fire color:


http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/390...theftcompl.jpg
Oct 18, 1887


http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9761/...yfirecompl.jpg
Nov 12, 1895

All LAT

The guy in the hat is most likely Mr Doheny.

Quick programming note...
 

Nora Prentiss, a neat little noir from 1947, with Ann Sheridan in the title role with Kent Smith playing the hapless doctor Talbot, is playing tomorrow on TCM at 1 pm/cst. sopas ej was asking about this film a while back, hope he sees this note. It's worth a look if for no other reason than the dress Sheridan wears when she's singing that torch song. It'll curl your toes.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8092/8...2098b337_o.png
California Bank building, 1960

12 August 1960. California Bank Building. Sixth and Spring Streets. Safety Deposit Vault area.

USC digital archive/Los Angeles Examiner Collection, 1920-1961


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8093/8...8c648dcf_o.png
California Bank building, 1960 (2)

12 August 1960. California Bank Building. Sixth and Spring Streets. Interior of first floor banking area".

USC digital archive/Los Angeles Examiner Collection, 1920-1961



http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8...cbf689df_o.jpg
California Bank building, 1960 (3)

12 August 1960. California Bank Building. Sixth and Spring Streets. Interior of first floor banking area, panorama".

USC digital archive/Los Angeles Examiner Collection, 1920-1961

Most recently known as Saugus Speedway. Originally called Baker Ranch Stadium it was built in '27, renamed Bonelli Stadium around '37-8 and is still owned by the Bonelli family.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...ugusStands.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f9...tandsAriel.jpg

http://www.scvhistory.com/gif/lw2311a.jpg

SCVHistory
Saugus Speedway