Richlor's / Ed Debevic's building, demolished 2004
 

As Beaudry pointed out before, the Richlor's building was insensitively remodeled into Ed Debevic's. At least they had the sense to leave the porte cochere alone:

There's no prize for guessing this Julius Shulman location, although the second and third shots are more obvious than the first. This is the Bank of America on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Unusually for these photosets, there's no close-up of the bank building. There is, however, another of those "Chop Suey" signs on the left. For search/credit purposes, this is "Job 1268: Bank of America (Los Angeles, Calif.),1952".

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...1.jpg~original

Now we're looking east along Hollywood Boulevard. In 1952, the Hollywood Hotel would still have been hiding behind the trees on the left.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...2.jpg~original

I thought Martin Pal might like this close-up of Coffee Dan's, although I don't think it shows us anything new. The Hotel Drake was formerly the Hotel Christie.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...3.jpg~original

The view looking north is dominated by the Hollywood First National Bank building.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...4.jpg~original

Here's a close-up of the Max Factor building on the right. Chuckaluck posted a similar 1939 image in post #17987.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...5.jpg~original

All from Getty Research Institute

The old bank building is still standing, but has been transformed into Ripley's Believe It or Not.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...6.jpg~original
GSV

Here's my attempt to recreate the third Shulman image with GSV. Considering the changes that have taken place on the northwest corner of Hollywood/Highland, this view still has a lot of the buildings from 1952. On the right, the old Max Factor building is now the Hollywood Museum.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...7.jpg~original
GSV

The Green Book
 

Hector Tobar's article for LAT, "A Trip Through Time to Historic South-Central Los Angeles" relied on "The Green Book" guide. The introduction to The Green Book stated:

"It has been our idea to give the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulties, embarrassments and to make his trip more enjoyable"

Published starting in 1936, The Green Book at first only covered the New York metropolitan area, but soon covered the entire US plus Canada, Mexico and Bermuda:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1...8%252520AM.jpg

The entries were brief, just addresses, but the Los Angeles listings covered hotels, motels, restaurants, beauty parlors, barber shops,
taverns, night clubs, road houses, service stations, garages, automotive, drug stores, tailors and real estate.
(There were, of course, many more businesses besides those listed in The Green Book, which admittedly didn't cover everything).

LA hotels:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e...1%252520AM.jpg

Some of these (including the Dunbar, of course) are still around. Here's the Lincoln at 549 Ceres:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t...0%252520AM.jpg
gsv



A PDF of The Green Book may be found here. (the LA entries are on pages 7 and 8)



(All I remember from when I was a kid was that Black families traveling east had to get to Lordsburg, NM before sundown.
I don't think I understood why. I thought Lordsburg must be wonderful)

__

Just a guess but it could be for privacy....or the illusion of it.

Max Factor Building
 

I seem to recall that the glamorous S Charles Lee-remodeled Max Factor building started life as a furniture warehouse (the 4-story bit) and a garage (there's a nice timber-trussed ceiling in the one-story garage part).

An interior:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E...6%252520PM.jpg
islandora


Max Factor had wanted to build this (but the Depression intervened):
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X...6%252520AM.jpg
the show starts on the sidewalk - google books

Back in 1930-31, Los Angeles had its own "Negro City Directory". Here's the preface.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...LANegroCD1.jpg
LAPL

And here's the list of buildings and apartments, which also includes the Dunbar and the Lincoln.

http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...LANegroCD2.jpg
LAPL

:previous:


Opened in 1928, "The Apex Nite Club", mentioned above, later became the Club Alabam.



P.S.

"Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995), based on one of Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins detective stories, made real efforts to recreate S. Central Avenue. South Main at Winston was dressed as S. Central for the film (notice our old friend, The Regent, 1914, the last historic theater building on Main Street, the Charnock building, 1888, down the way and Parkinson and Bergstrom's 1909 Canadian Building on the left):

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A...4%252520PM.jpg

The exterior of the fictional "Club Finale" was filmed at 3426 W Pico, between Crenshaw and Western:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T...9%252520PM.jpg
both pix: it'sfilmedthere

detail / Richlor's bar
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...673/y2uh6S.jpg

:previous: I think you're entirely correct CBD.
__

It's actually Dutch. Luckily, I have a Dutch friend on another forum. He says the first bit is "In vogelvlucht", which means something like fast or for a short time. He also says that the last word is "inwoners". His translation of the whole caption is:

San Pedro
California, in a nutshell.
Over 60 thousand citizens.

Thanks Roth!

:previous: It's always good to have a Dutch friend. :)





As most of you know, thousands of vintage buildings in the Los Angeles area have lost architectural decorative elements due to safety concerns w future earthquakes.
(you don't want a 300lb stone urn landing on your head!)

So I am surprised the large 'obelisks' on the First National Bank building are still in place. (as shown below)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...537/LnRPSk.jpg
https://vimeo.com/136228343

Does anyone know, have they been reinforced?

I ask that because I don't any brackets securing them to the building. (perhaps metal rods have been placed within the obelisks)

It would be interesting to find out what safety precautions were included in the latest restoration.
__

First National Bank Building, Hollywood and Highland
 

I'm sure Building and Safety has had a look at it, but there was no "last restoration". The building is mostly empty. Only the ground floor, mezzanine and basement are offered for rent because the mechanical systems are shot on the upper floors.

Some people think the city should take it over and restore it. Millions were spent on the Hollywood Western Building and it's not near as iconic.

Often credited (or partly credited) to Raymond M. Kennedy (1891-1976), lead architect at Meyer and Holler for many years (he also did the Chinese Theater and the Mode O' Day/International Mart).

Another of Kennedy's projects was the Ocean Center Building in Long Beach, somewhat reminiscent of the First National Bank Building:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F...2%252520PM.jpg
wiki

The obelisks which top the Chinese are much bigger:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S...8%252520PM.jpg
la.com

The rooftop gardens and forecourt palms are gone, but the obelisks are still sprouting stuff:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h...1%252520AM.jpg
lainsidertours

Remember the ca 1958 pair of neon dragons at the Chinese? Here's what happened to them

re: First National Bank building.

I'm surprised t2. I had no idea most of the building is empty.

And I agree that this is the more 'iconic' building. -so why hasn't anyone invested in it I wonder?
This would make a great boutique hotel.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800...912/pg4w5s.jpg
old file/lapl
__

*I didn't even think of the 'obelisks' on top of Grauman's. You're right, they're bigger. But they have a shorter distance to fall.
I think the damage would be about equal.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/320...907/z93mcK.jpg
http://www.worth1000.com/entries/409208/anvil-head
__

"Vintage 1925 South Pasadena California Radio Gasoline Sign."

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...537/TqKBm7.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1925...item5b18afc021

:previous: Interesting looking bench. It appear to be made of concrete ends with thick wood slats. (I'm not sure what those joints are called...tongue in groove?)
I wonder if this style was commonplace in South Pasadena in the 1920s?

__

Raymond McCormick Kennedy
 

I agree, the First National Bank Building would make a great hotel (or offices or apartments). It looks like a most attractive and lucrative project at an unbeatable location, but what do I know?

Raymond M. Kennedy had a thing for obelisks. Here's the impressive set on his Mode O'Day/ International Mart. They're still there. Meyer and Holler really knew how to build stuff (they were architects and contractors):

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R...9%252520PM.jpg
flickr




Oh, wait, you already did that one:


This is 'tongue and groove'. It's used for flooring and paneling. The slats in the bench are pegged. I dunno what would stop kids pulling them out though:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R...5%252520AM.jpg
the net

:previous: I like my description ;), but I failed to mention (or didn't notice) that 'ship weathervane' on top. Is that still there?

International Mart/Mode O'Day/County Assessors, 155 W Washington Blvd
 

No, it's gone.



P.S.

I found the 1962 permit to remove the cartouche over the front entrance (apparently bits were falling off of it). No mention though of the missing deco corner detail or what happened to the ship:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c...5%252520PM.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O...3%252520PM.jpg
ladbs


A shot of the lobby:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N...8%252520PM.jpg
loopnet

From the back (Sky Posters Building?):
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r...7%252520PM.jpg
gsv

The facade these days:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U...1%252520PM.jpg
gsv


Ghost ship:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4...1%252520PM.jpg
uscdl

[QUOTE=ethereal_reality;7164497]San Pedro viewscape.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/128...537/phFw1C.jpg
http://www.ebay.com/itm/San-Pedro-Ca...3D311443811773

I have never heard of Miraleste before.


Miraleste is a name or an area associated with Palos Verdes. There was a Miraleste High School on the top of the hill but it has been closed since about 1990. It is now a middle school.

Raymond M. Kennedy/Meyer & Holler also did the Fox Fullerton Theatre, known originally as Chapman's Alician Court Theatre. This is not a very good pic of the front, which has a courtyard a la Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian theaters, but you can see the stuff that they stuck on top.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A...lerton1930.jpg
cinelog.org

It didn't have obelisks but it had some shorter pylon kind of things with spheres on top, and apparently a rather large urn. The adjacent service station with the tile roof was a 1929 addition by Morgan, Walls & Clements.

The Fox Fullerton is currently (and very slowly) undergoing restoration. :)
http://www.foxfullerton.org

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q...2/P1030912.JPG
http://ocstructure.blogspot.com/2014...-downtown.html

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L...6%252520PM.jpg
Google Street View

Chapman Alician Court / Fox Theatre, Fullerton
 

Much as I'm enjoying that roof-top urn, it may not have been original. That signage on the right also may not be original. It's a bit awkward:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I...8%252520PM.jpg
cinelog


The International Mart/Washington Furniture Company/Mode O'Day/County Assessors Office building had four different rooftop finial designs (plus our missing ship). It's like there's a whole chess set up there. I guess Raymond Kennedy just couldn't help himself (obviously not a devotee of "Ornament and Crime"):
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u...1%252520PM.jpg
lapl