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  #57001  
Old Posted May 12, 2021, 7:43 AM
Bodin Bodin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stanklem View Post
As an architect this is intriguing.
Did a Google search for US Bank locations in Los Angeles and drove the Googlemobile around several of their neighborhoods. Not all. Nothing.

Some thoughts. Just my two cents.

Notice the street sign. It implies drivers might believe there is head in parking available. Would such a sign be near downtown LA or other neighborhood where modern high-rise buildings exist?

There is no sign atop the brown or black building. My guess it is brown, a very popular color of spandrel glass and stone in the 1970s.

Thought it strange the USBank logo is off to the right at the top of the building. More appropriate locations would be to the left or center. Assuming it is a USBank logo and it does have the right font.

The tenant space to the left has a garage-type door but no curb cut. Thought this strange. Maybe I've been watching too many detective dramas. Could the street have been repaved some time?

Good luck.

Beginning to think this is not Los Angeles. Could it be Burbank, Glendale, Hollywood, or somewhere else.
I'd actually bet money that's not a US Bank, but instead a UNION Bank sign.
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  #57002  
Old Posted May 12, 2021, 12:22 PM
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Good morning, Bodin.

I respectfully disagree. The lettering in the 'bank' portion of the Union Bank sign is too thin.
(but the mystery 'ank' lettering, that we see in muller's polaroid, does match the 'Union' portion of the Union Bank sign. . .so there's that.

I think odinthor's Great American Bank is a good possibility.

Quote:
Originally Posted by odinthor View Post
The font of Great American Bank looks promising:


LA Times, 1/3/1980



.

Last edited by ethereal_reality; May 12, 2021 at 12:34 PM.
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  #57003  
Old Posted May 12, 2021, 1:16 PM
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I think the style/shape of the "a" is wrong in the Great American Bank logo - a vs a.
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  #57004  
Old Posted May 12, 2021, 2:10 PM
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I could be wrong but I thought Union Bank's logo still looked like this in the 1980s:


Los Angeles Magazine
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  #57005  
Old Posted May 12, 2021, 7:22 PM
jerry1656 jerry1656 is offline
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Reviewing old aerial photos from 1980 shows the buildings that were there, and there is not a lot to go on. The far left corner of the photo shows that there is an ally or driveway because thee building next to green has high windows though. But.... while looking around I found a nice 14 min helicopter tour of LA from 1961just for fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoSWAq8MvU0
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  #57006  
Old Posted May 12, 2021, 7:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Pal View Post
While we're obsessed with this thing, I might as well ask, what would that black line reaching to the top of the photo be? A pole? A wire? A clue?
Slightly enhanced view:



Initially I thought I was part of the building in the background. Now I believe it's a pole on top of the green building.

There aren't many buildings in Los Angeles like that black/dark gray one. I can only think of two similar buildings and neither match up.
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  #57007  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 12:01 PM
Noir_Noir Noir_Noir is offline
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Is it time yet for a public appeal?









.... Or are we gonna have to hand it over to the SF Historians Agency on Twitter?

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  #57008  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 1:14 PM
stanklem stanklem is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Handsome Stranger View Post
Slightly enhanced view:



Initially I thought I was part of the building in the background. Now I believe it's a pole on top of the green building.

There aren't many buildings in Los Angeles like that black/dark gray one. I can only think of two similar buildings and neither match up.

There is a very slight shade variation between the pole and building. It must be on the building in the foreground or another structure to the right. It is also too thick to be on the roof - totally out of scale. Not a flagpole as it would be tapered and probably whitish/aluminum in color.
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  #57009  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 1:17 PM
stanklem stanklem is offline
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Look at the reflections in the windows. Some are dark implying there are tall buildings opposite this elevation of the building.

My guess this elevation is south facing.
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  #57010  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 4:16 PM
Martin Pal Martin Pal is offline
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Noir_Noir, LOL!

Très amusant!

_____________________________________________

The things one starts thinking about when you're grasping for straws: I was just thinking about that "Parallel Parking Only" sign. That street doesn't seem like any parking would be warranted at all, but to have a sign that says Parallel Parking Only implies somehow that somebody thinks you could park there head in?
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  #57011  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 5:23 PM
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I don't know if it's been mentioned but the photographer was Robbie Muller, a Dutch born cinematographer who shot films like REPO MAN, DOWN BY LAW, BARFLY, BREAKING THE WAVES and TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA. I wonder if it was a test for a film he was shooting.
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  #57012  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 5:44 PM
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My Two Cents

My thinking is that the only direction we can't be looking is to the south. As pointed out before the sun is high in the sky but if this is looking south, the sun would be slightly behind the camera, in the north, which doesn't happen here. All other directions are possible slightly before or after high noon.
This might have been pointed out before but it looks like there are three lanes of traffic in one direction and no center divider visible so is it a one way street?
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  #57013  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 6:02 PM
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RyeRyeLA RyeRyeLA is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by odinthor View Post
The font of Great American Bank looks promising:


LA Times, 1/3/1980

Hi everyone--I have been an on again, off again lurker here. Just happened to visit last week and got swept into this "green building" mystery obsession. I have a few observations about this photo. But rather than solve this mystery, they just add more wrinkles. Also, just learning the ins and outs of posting here---so please excuse any mistakes made!

1. There have been some who questioned why there is no driveway ramp in front of the green building. But I can make out the shadow of an edge of the ramp on the right side just before the biker's front wheel. And through the spokes of the motorcycle, you can make out a yellow curb that begins. And along the front of the ramp, which spans the entire photo, you can make out the lip of the ramp where the street meets up.




2. The bank building. When you zoom in you can make out that the corners have a single pane. So technically, this building is 8 sided. That coupled with odinthor's Great American Bank image, where 1801 Century Park East, Century City, CA address was present, led me to check out the actual building, and it definitely has the same 8-sided look. They recently renovated the building, but it remains similar.



3. And lastly, the dark building. When you zoom in, you can make out the tall thin glass pane gridding. This grid configuration is identical to William Pereira's Larry Flynt building. Did Pereira design this building also, or was it a copycat architect??



The problem is, like everyone else, I don't see where these buildings in close proximity exist in LA. Unless one was demolished or extensively remodeled since 1984. The problem with Century City is that while there are dark buildings behind 1801 Century Park East, the angles and positions of the buildings don't pan out. Especially when configuring that a crusty old green building is nearby. Most of that surrounding area is residential or a golf course. So probably a dead end??

Was hoping my images would be larger, but they are clickable-sorry just a noob.
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  #57014  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 6:17 PM
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ethereal_reality ethereal_reality is offline
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This will help.

posted by RyeRyeLA.






posted by RyeRyeLA








posted by RyeRyeLA



Refer back to RyeRyeLA's post for the text.

Last edited by ethereal_reality; May 13, 2021 at 6:43 PM.
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  #57015  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 6:24 PM
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ethereal_reality ethereal_reality is offline
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Here's a bit of good news.


The old monolithic ice storage building at Central Ave. and 4th Street is going to be incorporated into a new architectural project. (it would cost a fortune to tear down so perhaps they took that into consideration)







designboom/adjaye

It's the building directly above where it says 'studio one".





. . .just for fun here's the Los Angeles Ice & Cold Storage Co. back in the day.


lapl




. . .for comparison.

google earth




One last view of how it looks today.




I think this is excellent news.


.

Last edited by ethereal_reality; May 13, 2021 at 6:50 PM.
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  #57016  
Old Posted May 13, 2021, 8:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RyeRyeLA View Post
Hi everyone--I have been an on again, off again lurker here. Just happened to visit last week and got swept into this "green building" mystery obsession. I have a few observations about this photo. But rather than solve this mystery, they just add more wrinkles. Also, just learning the ins and outs of posting here---so please excuse any mistakes made!

1. There have been some who questioned why there is no driveway ramp in front of the green building. But I can make out the shadow of an edge of the ramp on the right side just before the biker's front wheel. And through the spokes of the motorcycle, you can make out a yellow curb that begins. And along the front of the ramp, which spans the entire photo, you can make out the lip of the ramp where the street meets up.




2. The bank building. When you zoom in you can make out that the corners have a single pane. So technically, this building is 8 sided. That coupled with odinthor's Great American Bank image, where 1801 Century Park East, Century City, CA address was present, led me to check out the actual building, and it definitely has the same 8-sided look. They recently renovated the building, but it remains similar.



3. And lastly, the dark building. When you zoom in, you can make out the tall thin glass pane gridding. This grid configuration is identical to William Pereira's Larry Flynt building. Did Pereira design this building also, or was it a copycat architect??



The problem is, like everyone else, I don't see where these buildings in close proximity exist in LA. Unless one was demolished or extensively remodeled since 1984. The problem with Century City is that while there are dark buildings behind 1801 Century Park East, the angles and positions of the buildings don't pan out. Especially when configuring that a crusty old green building is nearby. Most of that surrounding area is residential or a golf course. So probably a dead end??

Was hoping my images would be larger, but they are clickable-sorry just a noob.
Good eye, RyeRyeLA!

Thanks . . . and welcome!

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  #57017  
Old Posted May 14, 2021, 5:33 AM
CaliNative CaliNative is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RyeRyeLA View Post
Hi everyone--I have been an on again, off again lurker here. Just happened to visit last week and got swept into this "green building" mystery obsession. I have a few observations about this photo. But rather than solve this mystery, they just add more wrinkles. Also, just learning the ins and outs of posting here---so please excuse any mistakes made!

1. There have been some who questioned why there is no driveway ramp in front of the green building. But I can make out the shadow of an edge of the ramp on the right side just before the biker's front wheel. And through the spokes of the motorcycle, you can make out a yellow curb that begins. And along the front of the ramp, which spans the entire photo, you can make out the lip of the ramp where the street meets up.




2. The bank building. When you zoom in you can make out that the corners have a single pane. So technically, this building is 8 sided. That coupled with odinthor's Great American Bank image, where 1801 Century Park East, Century City, CA address was present, led me to check out the actual building, and it definitely has the same 8-sided look. They recently renovated the building, but it remains similar.



3. And lastly, the dark building. When you zoom in, you can make out the tall thin glass pane gridding. This grid configuration is identical to William Pereira's Larry Flynt building. Did Pereira design this building also, or was it a copycat architect??



The problem is, like everyone else, I don't see where these buildings in close proximity exist in LA. Unless one was demolished or extensively remodeled since 1984. The problem with Century City is that while there are dark buildings behind 1801 Century Park East, the angles and positions of the buildings don't pan out. Especially when configuring that a crusty old green building is nearby. Most of that surrounding area is residential or a golf course. So probably a dead end??

Was hoping my images would be larger, but they are clickable-sorry just a noob.
^^^^

The Larry Flynt Productions building (originally HQ of Great Western Savings) doesn't fit the black building. The black building is taller than LF building, at least 20 stories (LF only about 15 stories), and is rectangular (LF is oval).

Also, the bank building might be a Union Bank. I wouldn't rule that out necessarily based on font.

I still quite sure the buildings in the backround will be in one of 4 places, 3 on Wilshire:

1. Wilshire Koreatown
2. Wilshire Miracle Mile
3. Wilshire Westwood
4. Century City

All of these locals have or had streets nearby back in the 1980s with somewhat rundown buildings. For example near CC there was little Santa Monica with fairly rundown areas as late as the 1990s.

I'm quite sure the black 20-25 floor building is not a 1984 building in downtown L.A.-- I know my 1980s downtown buildings, and the closest in appearance would be Broadway Plaza, but that is taller (33 floors) and looked somewhat different. in windows etc. Betting on one of the four areas in the list above.

Perhaps someone with time on their hands could go through the building diagrams for L.A. in the city links pages and narrow down the possibilities for the black building and the adjacent bank building. They are drawings in the diagrams pages, not pictures though. Some drawings are better than others.

Let's hope the street scene is really in L.A., and not San Diego or some other burg. There are buildings in SD that look a bit like the black building, and they were there in 1984. That would be a real curveball

Last edited by CaliNative; May 14, 2021 at 6:25 AM.
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  #57018  
Old Posted May 14, 2021, 6:08 AM
riichkay riichkay is offline
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I think we have to consider the possibility that the Muller image is simply misidentified, not in L.A. at all....he took over 2,000 Polaroids, so it could be a cataloging error.  

The green building appears to be of unreinforced masonry construction, I believe that by 1980 or so all such buildings required seismic retrofit, I don't see any evidence of that.

Also, as has been noted the "parallel parking only" signage is curious....I can't recall ever seeing this in the city.

Muller was in Austin TX. in 1979 filming "Honeysuckle Rose", a Willie Nelson vehicle....here's a 1978 photo of downtown Austin, the dark high rise is the Austin National Bank Tower (now known as the Bank of America Center).....


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  #57019  
Old Posted May 14, 2021, 6:20 AM
CaliNative CaliNative is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riichkay View Post
I think we have to consider the possibility that the Muller image is simply misidentified, not in L.A. at all....he took over 2,000 Polaroids, so it could be a cataloging error.  

The green building appears to be of unreinforced masonry construction, I believe that by 1980 or so all such buildings required seismic retrofit, I don't see any evidence of that.

Also, as has been noted the "parallel parking only" signage is curious....I can't recall ever seeing this in the city.

Muller was in Austin TX. in 1979 filming "Honeysuckle Rose", a Willie Nelson vehicle....here's a 1978 photo of downtown Austin, the dark high rise is the Austin National Bank Tower (now known as the Bank of America Center).....


Austin! Now THAT is a curveball, maybe a spitter--the black building does look like the one we've been looking at for how many weeks now? Do you see the bank building?
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  #57020  
Old Posted May 14, 2021, 6:26 AM
ScottyB ScottyB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by riichkay View Post
I think we have to consider the possibility that the Muller image is simply misidentified, not in L.A. at all....he took over 2,000 Polaroids, so it could be a cataloging error.  

The green building appears to be of unreinforced masonry construction, I believe that by 1980 or so all such buildings required seismic retrofit, I don't see any evidence of that.

Also, as has been noted the "parallel parking only" signage is curious....I can't recall ever seeing this in the city.

Muller was in Austin TX. in 1979 filming "Honeysuckle Rose", a Willie Nelson vehicle....here's a 1978 photo of downtown Austin, the dark high rise is the Austin National Bank Tower (now known as the Bank of America Center).....


Consider it considered- I believe you may be on to something. Nice touch with the billboard
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