noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

.

Originally Posted by Lwize

The steep road is Weyburn Place in Westwood, which was still rural-ish in 1941.

It sure was rural-ish. That's what threw me for a bit of a loop.


Below: I've circled what I believe is the hill used in the MGM short.


Detail from an April 12, 1933 panoramic view. Link

Thanks for your help, Lwize.
.

[ethereal_reality]

re: Hafen House at 344 South Hill Street.


If my search results are correct I believe I've happened upon NLA's version of Ahab's White Whale. .. Link to Beaudry's original post. (including a Sanborn map)

Seller's description:.."Los Angeles CA Haven House & Cafe Cabinet Photograph 1890s Culinary History RARE."




The seller's description is wrong. This is Hafen House. .not Haven House.



Here's a better look.


eBay

Originally Posted by Beaudry

"Known quite simply as The Cafeteria, since it was the only one west of the Mississippi—opened in the semi-basement of the Hafen House in the spring of 1905."

In the photo above it was still known as the Hafen Cafe.


.

[ethereal_reality]

I forgot the reverse side of the cabinet card!



Ruth.




And the photographer's stamp.



.

[odinthor]

Great find, e_r, as it's yet more interesting than one might at first think:

Ruth Magnussen is evidently the daughter of artist Gustav(e) Adolph Magnussen


http://bodegabayheritagegallery.com/...ave_Adolph.htm

About whom slightly conflicting info at:

http://bodegabayheritagegallery.com/...ave_Adolph.htm

and

https://www.askart.com/artist/Gustav...Magnussen.aspx

Checking through the CDs, I find (apparent typos listed as found) his addresses in LA as:

1900-1901: 344 S. Hill
1901: 402 Blanchard Music and Art Bldg., h[ome] 1355 Georgia
1902: 356 S Broadway, h 1705 Cherry
1904, 1905: 226 OT Johnson Bldg., h 945 W 36th
1906: 223 OT Johnson Bldg.
1907: 356 S Broadway rm 223
1908: 356 S Broadway rm 223, h 3809 Wesley Av
1909, 1910: 356 S. B’way rm 223, 3609 Wesley av
1911: 356 S. B’way rm 223, r[esidence] Eagle Rock av
1912: 212 W. 3d rm 400, Eagle Rock
1914: 145 S Spring rm 701, h 1466 Regent Lane
1915, 1916: 730 S Grand av rm 30, r 1466 Regina Lane
1917: 1466 Regina Lane
1918: 406 S Main rm 728, r 1644 Regina Lane
1920: 406 S Main rm 745

As we see, he was something of a wandering star in both his studio/office and his residence. But he was evidently only at Hafen House (344 S. Hill) when he first arrived in LA in 1900. I think it's likely that the two others on the upper porch are Ruth's (presumed) parents, her mother--and the artist G.A. Magnussen.

_________

Edit add: Ruth, born in 1894, was Ruth Marie Magnussen. More about G.A. Magnussen (whose name is spelled a number of ways here and there in the world, complicating research) at: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/e...ssen-1868-1944 .

His final address in San Francisco, according to the 1900 San Francisco Polk's CD, was 25A Belvedere St., which still exists (it was outside of the area of the fire).

[ethereal_reality]

.
Thanks so much for the additional information, odinthor...I appreciate it.

I'm anxious for Beaudry (and Flyingwedge) to see the Hafen House cabinet card.

Here is FlyingWedge's answer to Beaudry's earlier post. (including a glimpes of Hafen House from a distance)



I decided to go ahead and post Flyingwedge's photograph of the Hafen House.


HUNTINGTON ARCHIVE

Where's Ruth?


.

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

eBay


.

That's an amazing photo, e_r! I noticed that at the top, under the OU in HAFEN HOUSE 1895, it looks like it says "No. 2" so
I checked, and there was another Hafen House. It was on a stretch of Wilmington St. that later became part of San Pedro St.,
north of Jackson St. and just south of Requena St.:



1894 LA City Directory @ fold3.com


I couldn't find a photo of Hafen House No. 1, but here it is on a map, conveniently located above an agricultural implements
warehouse and next to a corral, blacksmith and stable:



1894 Sanborn Map @ Library of Congress

[ethereal_reality]

.
um. .so the eBay cabinet card isn't the 'white whale'?

. .and Hafen Cafe didn't become The Cafeteria?


color me disappointed.
.

[ethereal_reality]

.

Here's a RPPC (Real Picture PostCard) of a couple of spoiled lucky boys playing with a plethora of toys.

Seller's description..."USA Los Angeles, Kids Boy as Indians, Toys, Photo RPPC ~1911"


eBay



. . .and here's the back. . written in German.



I'm hoping one of you noirishers knows German.

.

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
um. .so the eBay cabinet card isn't the 'white whale'?

. .and Hafen Cafe didn't become The Cafeteria?

color me disappointed.
.

I'm pretty sure you found a photo of the correct whale, I mean, Hafen House, that Beaudry was looking for.
It's just that there were two Hafen Houses in Los Angeles . . .



1899 Los Angeles City Directory @ fold3.com


. . . and it appears Mr. Conrad Hafen was responsible for that.


The 1914 Baist Map shows the Wilmington/San Pedro Street Hafen House on Lot 51 of the Requena Tract . . .



HistoricMapworks.com


. . . which Conrad Hafen bought back in 1879:



November 23, 1879, Los Angeles Herald @ Newspapers.com


The first Hafen House was in operation by March 10, 1889:



January 1, 1890, Los Angeles Herald @ Newspapers.com


LATE, LATE EDIT: Here's the Hafen House in a close-up from an undated (but perhaps late 1890s?) photo looking east from the
County Courthouse:





And here's a wider view from the same photo, with the Hafen House at upper center. In the lower left corner is part of the
Amestoy Block on the NE corner of Main and Requena (later Market), with the United States Hotel to the right on the SE corner.
In the photo's upper right corner is a building on the NE corner of Jackson and Wilmington/San Pedro that we've seen before:



"Los Angeles looking east from court house" @ UCLA


Then Hafen House No. 2 and its cafe came along:



April 26, 1895, Los Angeles Times @ Newspapers.com





January 14, 1902, Los Angeles Evening Express @ Newspapers.com





August 19, 1904, Los Angeles Times @ Newspapers.com

[odinthor]

A little more information:


From Sixty Years in Southern California, by Harris Newmark

Edit add:


Grave at Rosedale; the above from Find-a-Grave at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...2/conrad-hafen

[ethereal_reality]

.

Here's an amateur snap-shot of a mystery garage with an impressive arched entrance and architectural detailing.



eBay

I believe there's a street number on an iron girder just inside the arch but it's too small to read. The name of the garage is no doubt at the top of the blade sign. (impossible to read) The name might also be on the tow truck. (ditto)

The garage seems vaguely familiar so perhaps we've seen it before.





I decided to add this detail of - what I believe to me - the street number.



I'd say it's. . .three digits.
.

[ethereal_reality]

.
I don't get the sense that cabinet cards are very popular here on NLA but this one is so unique I've decided to post it anyway.

Seller's description:...Antique Cabinet Card, Boy Wearing Grandpa's Hat, Los Angeles California


eBay


I would never have guessed this was taken anywhere near Los Angeles but the photographer's stamp begs to differ.





Here it is with the borders. .although the top is cropped off.



I think it belongs in a museum.


.

[Godzilla]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.

Here's an amateur snap-shot of a mystery garage with an impressive arched entrance and architectural detailing.



eBay

I believe there's a street number on an iron girder just inside the arch but it's too small to read. The name of the garage is no doubt at the top of the blade sign. (impossible to read) The name might also be on the tow truck. (ditto)

The garage seems vaguely familiar so perhaps we've seen it before.





I decided to add this detail of - what I believe to me - the street number.



I'd say it's. . .three digits.
.

"674"









https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...ostcount=28807

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
. . .and here's the back. . written in German.



I'm hoping one of you noirishers knows German.

.
_________________________________________________________________

E_R, a friend of mine knows German...I had him translate this for us. Interesting, but not so helpful!

Translation:

Los Angeles, Christmas 1911

"It's a good thing Christmas only comes once a year,
or else I'd be tired of setting up all your toys. I may
take the opportunity of opening my own toy store with
all of your junk."

[ethereal_reality]

.

Thanks Godzilla and Martin Pal. I knew you guys would come through. . . .and I thought that garage looked familiar.

.

[ethereal_reality]

.

Mayfield Used Car Lot - Burbank California - June 1955. (but where in Burbank)



eBay

I imagine the people who lived in the house next door were none too pleased with the large lights surrounding the lot.





eBay





.

[ethereal_reality]

.
I don't believe we have seen this amazing accident photograph on NLA.


lacountylibrary




Here's a closer look.


lacountylibrary



"An accident which occurred near the Alhambra Wash. A car is seen having crashed into the fence which guards the Alhambra wash.
There is a big crowd gathered for the aftermath. A tow truck is pulling the car out. A store named Bud's Liquor is located in the background."


I'll add: Across the street there is a shoe store, dry cleaners, Greeley's Trailer Lodge. . .



. .and my Grandma Fern looking at the camera.



.

[AlvaroLegido]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.

Mayfield Used Car Lot - Burbank California - June 1955. (but where in Burbank)


eBay


eBay

SIZE="1"].[/SIZE]

I can't imagine someone driving so old-fashioned cars in 1955 !

[riichkay]

I could not find Mayfield Car Co. in any of the mid-'50's books, but it appears we are diagonally opposite Stansbury Buick....from the '56 Yellow Pages....

[Mackerm]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
mystery location. . .


As you can see it was quite popular on eBay.



I don't know if this was taken while on location for one of those 1960s beach movies or if they're preparing for a fashion shoot of some kind.



If I had to guess I'd say this is somewhere. .um. .north of Malibu. ...(my Sherlock bona-fides) lol

So which one of these lovely ladies Bunny Yeager?



The culvert reminds me of the scene in Chinatown where the bad hombres manipulate the water supply by releasing fresh water into the ocean.
.

Originally Posted by ovens

Touching up another one.... these are pretty fun to do.

Such a great photo.

After fooling around with Google Earth, it looks like it was taken on Las Flores Beach, right beside the parking lot of the recently discussed Malibu Sea Lion restaurant.