[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by HossC

Chuckaluck's picture above provides a nice segue between Carpenter's Sandwiches (far right) and the view down Wilshire that I've been looking at.

I know the tiled Texaco service station at New Hampshire and Wilshire has been on NLA several times before, but I think this close-up is new. The service station stood nearly opposite the I. Magnin store - for a wider shot of both, and a lot more history of this block, see GW's blogspot post on 3240 Wilshire Boulevard.


USC Digital Library

Here's a better view of the service station. Again, I know that similar pictures have been posted before, but I don't remember seeing this one with the Green T Cafe on the left. There's three zoomable pictures in the set (link below image).


USC Digital Library

Of course, this is the old Calpet station, but I did doubt that for a while because e-r's earlier picture makes it look like the wings sweep back.



I now realize that it's just an optical illusion/camera trickery, as can be seen in the picture below. The Calpet station was adorned with far less signage than the later Texaco.


California State Library

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

A fantastic postcard from the 1920s.


ebay
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Judging from the neon tubing in the top photo, when the Texaco station displayed its fire chief helmet, things got even more colorful (or gaudy) than the color photo!