Indeed, so noirish that it made it into one of the all time great noirs (and my favorite movie)--Chinatown. As a matter of fact, it was precisely because of the fictionalized "Van Der Lip" dam giving way that chief engineer Hollis Mulray's fate was sealed. (also note his name is an anagram of Mulholland's)

**

I read on the Vintage Los Angeles facebook page that the Pan Pacific Auditorium appeared in promotional material for the 1983 Super Bowl, which of course got me googling around and I came across this gallery of Super Bowl programs. Since lots of SBs have been hosted in Pasadena, lots of programs had heavy LA-flavored artwork and I thought I'd share them:

1977
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/582...70109super.png

1980
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/6...00120super.png

1983
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/1...30130super.png
Alas, the Pan Pacific is represented here in a highly stylized, barely recognizable
form, but the artwork comes closest to a noir vibe...it has that 1930s "heroic" look down pat!

1987
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/6...70125super.png

1993
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3...30121super.png

Dystopian? LOL....That's a bit much.....

I don't know how you get "all cities are doomed" from my original post. Some....many.....are doing fairly well.

But a "full swing" recovery in DTLA? The entertainment district around Staples is nice. And some of the loft redevelopments have been successful. When you throw enough money at something your are bound to get some results. But don't expect any new office buildings for.........a very long time. Grand Avenue is dead.

DTLA is doing better than 20 years ago, true. But it will never be a commanding downtown in the sense of a Midtown Manhattan or San Francisco or Chicago - or even attain the status it once held, pre-war. Those days are over. The LA Basin has too many other options. Not the least of which is Hollywood, where a lot of new money is being funneled. And speaking of money.....that's being squeezed. The CRA well is running dry.

DTLA will do OK. A destination for events. (As I write this a friend and her mother are en route to Disney from Fullerton for a concert.) And a home for a relatively small - but stable - percentage of LA's workforce. (Impressive skyline notwithstanding, DTLA houses a smaller percentage of the total metropolitan workforce than most other top-tier U.S. cities - and about on par with a Dallas, or Houston, or Phoenix.) Which makes sense, considering all came of age in the Automobile Era. And it's not a new development, by any means. The trend reaches back to the 50s and 60s.

But let's be honest: Venture a mile or two outside DTLA and you ARE in Plisskin-ville.

G-W, my bad. I was pretty sure we had seen and speculated on those poles before but, alas, this is what I was remembering.posted by E-R on feb 5, 2011, post no. 2744

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7...b1482eb0_z.jpg
la1231outdoorcoffeestan

Here is an enigmatic photo I found on ebay of an outdoor coffee stand in Los Angeles, ca. 1910

ebay

Notice the numerous stanchions made out of wood behind the coffee stand.
I can't quite figure out what is going on. Is it perhaps the beginning of a new building?

Can anyone here guess the location?

Welcome to the thread Don Ray!
If you have any other memories of your time working downtown let us know.... little 'snippets' like the one you posted above are truly cherished.
___

If anyone wonders why I disappear 3 or 4 days in a row....it's because my elderly father is battling bone cancer in Illinois
so I try to be there for him and my mom.

You can't imagine how wonderful it is for me to return to my computer here in Lafayette
and find all these amazing posts on 'noirish Los Angeles'. Thank you everyone!

___

Yes, you've made the same point many, many times. Have it your way.

Hi Michael:

This photograph is very enigmatic indeed.
I posted this same snapshot a while back with almost the same questions that you have asked. At that time no one was able
to come up with an answer. It almost looks like they're setting up for a circus, but the stanchions differ from tent poles.
Gee, if only I could remember my years as a carny. ;)

Hopefully this time, the image will jolt someone's memory.

___

LOL, E-R, I'm sorry I thought I made it obvious that IS your post. Not only your picture but your words as well! I didn't think I could improve on them. I was saying to Gaylord-Wilshire that I thought I'd seen those stancions (in his post on the Fageol Safety Coach) in the thread before but it turned out it was your earlier post I was remembering.

:previous: Now that's funny! I didn't even recognize my own words. Duh.

All my best to you and your parents, e_r.

To add another distraction for you, this blog post about the "100 GREATEST MOVIE POSTERS of FILM NOIR" came up in my Facebook News Feed tonight. It's actually a year old, so apologies if it's been posted before, but I figured a re-post wouldn't hurt. Here's the link: http://wheredangerlives.blogspot.com...film-noir.html

And the FB page that posted the link is Decaying Hollywood Mansions, which those of you on FB might like to check out: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Decayi...11378268883521

Full story here: http://losangeleshistory.blogspot.co...histories.html


http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/240/solar1and2.jpghttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D...2520PM.bmp.jpgGoogleSV
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5173/solar3and4.jpgAmerican Carpenter and Builder, March 1, 1914

There's nothing new under the sun (pun intended)... I went looking for Frederick D. Butterfield's house--it was at 1625 Fair Oaks in South Pasadena--but all that seems to be left is his wall, as seen in the Google view between the two parts of the article. Butterfield, btw, was president of the L.A. Oliver Growers Association.

"LOL....That's a bit much....."


any particular direction?

OK. I am a certified nerd because I really got excited by this wall remnant. :)

:previous:
Sorry to hear about your father, ethereal. Sending positive thoughts your way.

I've been busy with a lot of other things going on in my life right now, which is why I've only been checking this thread sporadically and not really contributing as much as I used to. But what excellent posts I have seen so far (I really need to catch up on the last several pages.

Gaylord, I love your last post. I don't live far from that section of Fair Oaks Ave. in South Pas; well, I don't live far from anywhere in South Pas, really, being that South Pas is only a little less than 3.5 square miles in area, but anyway, I've always wondered what type of houses existed on that stretch of Fair Oaks, being that there are now lots of 1950s-era apartments there, with the older river rock retaining walls; I've always imagined them to be grand houses, and apparently some of them were.

I think all of us that were involved in this 'spat' deeply regret that it ever happened.

Scott contributed priceless posts to the early days of this thread.
His knowledge of Los Angeles past was so encompassing that it left me breathless at times.

Scott's blog can be viewed at
http://losangelespast.blogspot.com/

____

Trying to get a handle on the parking situation in downtown Los Angeles circa 1952.


below: The parking garage beneath Pershing Square.


http://imageshack.us/a/img833/9366/a...gfillingup.jpg
upi/ebay





below: Information on reverse side of photo.

http://imageshack.us/a/img38/348/aap...ingup1952r.jpg

____

A fine snapshot of a Los Angeles motorcycle policeman (no date/no details).

http://imageshack.us/a/img13/6278/aa...policemans.jpg
found on ebay

Los Angeles Flappers with Chocolates
 

Flappers with Chocolates, by L.A. photographer Harry Wegner. Found on ebay, no other information available.

http://wwww.dkse.net/david/Flappers.jpg

www.ebay.com

E-R, closed it up and went to bed before I really read the last page thoroughly. Just now really focused on your post. Best thoughts going out to you and your family from Houston. Hang in there. The thread will take care of itself.

:previous: Thanks Michael. :)

___


http://imageshack.us/a/img259/4929/a...s1910annie.jpg
ebay

I wish I had the street address. I'd like to see if this charming little bungalow still exists.

:previous:

Is that an address # above the porch? I'm thinking maybe it says 2001 or 2004. I did a quick look at the corresponding blocks on Google Street View, but didn't spot a house with a similar layout. Admittedly I don't know what all constitutes Boyle Heights (not an area I've explored much), so I maybe should have extended my search a few more blocks.