:previous:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N...2520PM.bmp.jpgLAPL

Great on-the-ground, by-a-resident pics, Horthos. The Brack Shops were sort of a prehistoric highrise mini-mall--I think named after a Mr. Brackett. Somewhere I've seen a whole description of its development... I'll go look for that. Stay tuned.

Horthos, thanks a ton for the great DTLA pics. I'm glad you posted those shots of One Bunker Hill, even though you couldn't go inside. The lobby justifies a detailed photo essay, there is so much to see.

And I enjoyed your photos of Clifton's, and understand the difficulty of those interior shots too. I tried one night, but my flash is just too small and I couldn't get anything worth sharing. I'm sure you would agree that like the Edison Building, probably even more so, it's very hard to do photographic justice to Clifton's. In fact, even the old daytime photos I've seen leave a lot to be desired. It's just very hard to capture the look, feel, and splendor in a photo.

The manager of Clifton's told me that they hope to have the cafeteria line operational by the end of the year, and then will revert to normal hours. Meanwhile, they'll be open on the night of every Art Walk. G_W recently asked whether they have made any progress toward restoring the original facade. Do you know, Horthos? If they succeed, that will really be something.

Also BTW, I recall coming across, somewhere, beautiful color images of an old Clifton's menu, but now to my great frustration cannot find them anywhere. Has anyone else seen these? They'd be a great addition to the old menus we've been posting.

A couple more Rosslyn images
 

A couple more Rosslyn images from last Saturday. My photos.


Cornerstone on the south building

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Rosslyn/Cornerstone.JPG


Old sign on the southeast corner of the south building, along Main Street. It reads Sunlan something Mens Wear something something. Any clues? (BTW, this is now a very raunchy section of Main Street.)

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Rosslyn/Sunlan.sign.JPG

What's it all about? Scientology. There are plenty of articles about their activities in this building, if you care to Google.

I have lots of memories of 6616 Sunset before Scientology bought it (along with half of Hollywood, it seems).

This building is the former home of Yale Radio, an electronic parts vendor, and in the old days I think, a retail shop for radios. Yale was probably in business for about 50 years. I know a little about their history, though my lurker friend that joined me on Saturday's Conservancy Tour could tell us more. (Ahem! :D)

When I moved to L.A. in '77, Yale was one of those old school electronics places -- dusty shelves stocked with a wide selection of parts, and very knowledgeable salespeople. Mr. Yale's office was upstairs and they had some nice old radios in the hallway. The founder died in the 1980's IIRC and his daughter took over. She did a major remodel/facelift to the building, which nobody liked. The place drifted on, but sales declined. After a few more years the daughter sold the place to Scientology for a wad of cash and began a new life.

I vaguely recall a subway beneath Sunset in that area. Not sure I'm up to busting into it, but I'll try to get a couple of outside snaps some day.

It would be great to see an old pic of Yale Radio, before the hideous makeover.

Back the the Brack Shops for a moment...
 

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j...ckmagazine.jpg

I found that history of the Brack Shops building I mentioned. Very interesting to us Los Angelesphiles even if it did first appear in a 1917 trade journal called Buildings and Building Management.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d...2520PM.bmp.jpgLAPL


I'd never heard of Roosevelt Memorial Park or its mighty pipe organ before. Still there, way down in Gardena just west of the shoestring, though given a little more architectural drama at some point:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9...veltchapel.jpgRoosevelt Memorial Park Assoc.

http://frank.gadgetland.net/images/s...05/ATOS_23.jpgFrank's Semi Musical Website
"...and each evening at sundown a mighty voice of music pays tribute to those departed."

Sunlan was a small chain of men's hat shops--so the top faded word must be "HATS".... I'm struck by the pristine lamppost and the decrepit sign. (What does "15" on the post mean?)


Looks like change is coming fast to Fifth and Main... this is the current Google street shot. That new building in your shot, 3940, had better be replacing the squat brown thing on the northeast corner, and not the beauty on the southeast...
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I...2520PM.bmp.jpgGoogle Street View

Happy New Year!
 

Its the year of the Dragon. I'm a Pig myself (and proud of it).

The L.A. Times ran a set of pictures today from past Chinese New Years:

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/8...ewyear1928.jpg
Jan. 26, 1928: Chinese New Year on Apablasa Street in L.A.'s Chinatown. Photo published in the Jan. 27, 1928, Los Angeles Times.

The story and additional photos are here:

http://framework.latimes.com/2012/01...os-angeles/#/0


More interesting (to me) was some of the information contained the the accompanying story:

"Apablasa Street was in Old Chinatown. Most of the community was removed for construction of Union Station. There have actually been four Chinese communities in downtown Los Angeles. A good explanation was written by author Lisa See in this Los Angeles Times Book review article of May 31, 2009:

Lisa See’s sixth novel, “Shanghai Girls” (Random House: 314 pp., $25), comes out this week; she is also the author of the superlative family history “On Gold Mountain.” As she has long acknowledged, the Chinese heritage of her father’s family has been a significant influence on her life and work…

“Shanghai Girls” is about two sisters who leave China and come to Los Angeles in arranged marriages in 1938. There were four Chinatowns in Los Angeles at that time: New Chinatown — with its neon lights and gaily painted buildings on Broadway; City Market Chinatown — for produce sellers and their families; Old Chinatown — comprised of the few buildings that survived the demolition required to build Union Station; and China City — a tourist attraction bordered by Ord, Spring, Main and Macy streets. Pearl and May, my fictional sisters, live in the Garnier Building in Old Chinatown, where the Chinese American Museum is today, and they work in China City."


I had no idea that there were four Chinatown areas. I thought that the old Chinatown was torn down to build Union Station and replaced by the "new" Chinatown up on Broadway. I actually posted this photo of China City a couple of weeks ago, thinking it was an early part of the new Chinatown.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg403...jpg&res=medium
Los Angeles Times

According to the story, China City was located on this block, just south of Phillipes:

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4091/chinatownc.jpg
Google Earth

This is the Garnier Building, which now houses the Chinese America Museum, and was part of "old" Chinatown:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg833...jpg&res=medium
Google Earth

From what I read, City Market Chinatown was down by San Pedro and 9th Street near the produce market here:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg811...jpg&res=medium
Google Earth

I checked around the area for remnants of a Chinatown and found these:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg440...jpg&res=medium
Google Street View

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg269...jpg&res=medium
Google Street View

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg707...jpg&res=medium
Google Street View

Actually, the wife has an interesting family history herself. Her father was born in the Fukien Province of China (right across the strait from Taiwan) in 1902. As a young boy, he was admitted to the Shaolin Temple and stayed there until his mid 20's. He and his family then traveled to Taiwan, which was still controlled by the Japanese at that time. A few years after he left, the Shaolin Temple was raided by the Chinese government and destroyed.

My wife grew up in a small village in the country. Using the skills he learned at the temple, her father served as the local doctor. He was trained in herbal medicine and could set broken bones by touch. Dead newborn babies were brought to him (sometimes in the middle of the night) for proper burial. He never refused anyone and never charged anyone. Quite a guy. He died in 1976.

p.s. Yes, he could kick butt too.

An early Acme...
 

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics35/00067388.jpgLAPL

Across from the Rosslyns--a rare sighting of one of the earlier Acme signals, before the one most often seen (as in the lower right pic below).

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6...20/acme130.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e...%252520new.jpgLADOT

15
 

.

I'm not sure about those lights, I'm thinking they're recreations of what used to exist on the retaining wall that was demolished.

Thanks for that link. I don't understand the "garden" reference either. Union Station definitely does have courtyards or gardens, but I don't understand the directions in that link.

Great pics of the Gerry Building, guys! I love that building. I walked by it last year, I may have taken pictures of it but I'd have to search through my computer file folders.

I nearly creamed my pants when I saw these photos; I've seen them before, but I just love the Acmes. I don't know why I love Acme semaphores so much. I'm also obsessed with the San Francisco Wiley birdcage traffic signals, but this is an LA noir thread.

Early Acme Signal
 

Wow, great photos of the early Acmes, never seen them before. I prefer the late 20s style. Very interesting!

I too really enjoy Acme and Wiley signals. I have a restored Wiley in my sign room that brings much enjoyment and comment. I also have a few photos of vintage and restored Acmes and Wileys on my site on the Misc Highway Stuff page:

http://caltrafficsigns.com/pictures/...s.php?album=13

The following photos are by Robby Cress at http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com/





The Brack Shops can be seen in the opening creditings of 'Possessed' (1947) starring Joan Crawford.
That's her about to boink her head on that big 'M'.


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/421...sessedjoan.jpg
http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com...oan%20Crawford


below: The same building today. The shops are now advertised as 'The Collection'.

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/590...aydearoldh.jpg



below: Ms. Crawford continues along 7th Street.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6...ford7thstr.jpg
http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com...oan%20Crawford


____





below: A great before and after.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/727...djoancrawf.jpg
http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com...oan%20Crawford


http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/7...djoancrawf.jpg
http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com...oan%20Crawford


Again...thanks to Robby Cress at http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com/

_____

A very early photograph of The Brown Derby at Wilshire & Alexandria before a dining room and patio were added along Wilshire.

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/7...oretheaddo.jpg




below: A menu from the 1950s (showing the expansion)

http://img804.imageshack.us/img804/4...bymenu1950.jpg
ebay




http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/4...ymenu1950a.jpg
ebay





http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/2...ywaddition.jpg
ebay

A key difference is that nearly all of L.A. is still low-profiled enough that ugly rooftop billboards are an effective and attractive option (from the marketer's perspective) nearly everywhere. I agree with those who say they are an ugly nuisance, but haven't missed the irony in the fact that many of their most vehement detractors are the same people who bemoan the creeping loss of that very same low-rise profile that encourages their deployment.

On the other hand I could never quite feel the rage against Times Square-styled graphics and other signage in definitely commercial districts of a city; in fact under certain circumstances they add to the charm and excitement. Many midcentury photographs of Times Square show the neon Planters Peanuts sign--nowhere else was such a humble product given such an elaborate and flashy buildup!

It is actually replacing neither of them. It is being built in between the brown squat and the regent theater. They have been working on it since I moved down here, I do not know what was there before construction began, perhaps a parking lot or something...

According to what I have heard, the building on the south east is an SRO, el cheapo apartment place. If that is true, then damn...thats an awesome place to live on the cheapside.


Oh and before I forget...Brack Shops. A before and after (before they put in the chandelier, and after)

Taken awhile back in december
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...io-/brack1.jpg

Taken this morning
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...io-/brack2.jpg
Photos by me.

They are still doing some work further in the back...

:previous: Wonderful photos of the Brack Shops chandelier and ceiling Horthos.
The interior is much more elaborate than I expected. I wonder what has survived on the upper floors.

The Brack Shops with an impressive vertical sign (looking west on 7th).

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/6...ops1938usc.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1327384242832

A beautiful image of the Brack Shops at Christmas time.


http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/2...rnodateusc.jpg
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1327384507764