noirish Los Angeles

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Hotel Balboa, 1221 W. Seventh St., Los Angeles Calif.


eBay

This is a fine looking building. -and it's huge, almost a block long.

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Misplaced race car in the foreground? A specific event or an artistic invention? Most likely the latter considering the dearth of spectators.



More views of Hotel Balboa in the Commodore's shadow.


Early 1930s (Star is part of ? advertisement?)





February 1937


Hotel Balboa at left



Source:USCdigital

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks for the additional photographs of the Hotel Balboa BifRayRock. -much appreciated.

I wondered about the oddly placed race car as well.


detail

It looks like they took a wrong turn from the Santa Monica Grand Prix.





Dead Man's Turn at Ocean Ave. and Wilshire blvd.

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/sho...irthday!/page5


Santa Monica Road Race Track.

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/bl...bilt_cup_races

"Death Curve" at arrow, lower left corner.
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note:
The race was held in Santa Monica in 1914 and 1916.
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[HossC]

That's a nice picture of the Commodore, BRR. Looking at the images on Historic Aerials, it seems that the Hotel Balboa survived into the '70s (it's there in 1972, gone by 1980). The site then became a parking lot for at least two decades. The current building, the San Lucas Apartments, was built in 2003. I think that the 2003 Historic Aerials image shows the apartments under construction. Here's a current view of the Hotel Balboa site.


GSV

[BifRayRock]

SE corner of Kingsley and Wilshire sidewalk was evidently an impromptu parking space.


SE corner of Kingsley and Wilshire looking east toward Wilshire Christian Church and ELCord's iconic radio antennas.
NatHisMus



MR image of Mariposa and Wilshire vicinity looking west. (Opposite direction of first image)
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/281/19...c0629dde_b.jpg



http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/...be3f66cd_b.jpg http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5897743






This before and now composite east of Kingsley (Ardmore and Wilshire) provides perspective. (Opposite direction of first image)
https://urbandiachrony.files.wordpre...rewilshire.jpg

[ethereal_reality]

detail / February 1937



Vai Bros. Brandy ad on the Hotel Balboa.




sign on truck, 1934.

detail



the whole truck

detail



at usc digital archives

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...783/show/66780
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[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/...be3f66cd_b.jpg http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5897743

.

It's fun to see that shot of the Chapman Park Bungalows under construction again. Thx BRR

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by John Maddox Roberts

I first read the slogan in James Jones' novel "From Here to Eternity."I later learned that the bronze green color was so popular in the 20's-30's that collectors and decorators call it "Depression green." You saw it on everything. The one product that still uses it is John Deere farm equipment. Anyway, the green color was produced from copper, and copper was crucial war materiel. Once war broke out, anything using copper was yanked from the market, including the popular green pigment. By the time the war and its rationing ended, the fashion for bronze green had passed.

Very interesting JMR.

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[Wig-Wag]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks for the additional photographs of the Hotel Balboa BifRayRock. -much appreciated.

Santa Monica Road Race Track.

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/bl...bilt_cup_races

"Death Curve" at arrow, lower left corner.
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note:
The race was held in Santa Monica in 1914 and 1916.
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Pursuant to "Dead Man's Curve/Death Curve", I believe it was Sterling Moss who said "The eeek of the corner is directly proportional to the number of spectators". The map seems to be capitalizing on this!

Cheers,
Jack

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Several sources say that the slogan and idea of copper and ink being needed for the war effort was just a marketing ploy--that the change from green to white had more to do with modernizing the package, to make it cleaner, and thus more appealing to women.

Probably true....wouldn't surprise me.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by Wig-Wag

Pursuant to "Dead Man's Curve/Death Curve", I believe it was Sterling Moss who said "The eeek of the corner is directly proportional to the number of spectators". The map seems to be capitalizing on this!

I've never heard that one before, and can only find one reference to it online (not that I'm disputing it). There are, however, many other motoring quotes online that are attributed to Sir Stirling Moss, including these:

If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?

If everything is under control, you are just not driving fast enough.

It is better to go into a corner slow and come out fast, than to go in fast and come out dead.

Considering that he raced during one of the most deadly eras in motorsport, he's obviously been doing something right to still be going strong at 86 years old!

[HossC]

After a couple of excursions up canyons, we're back in DTLA for today's Julius Shulman post. This is the Standard Federal Savings and Loan Association building on the corner of Wilshire and Grand, as seen in 1956. It's "Job 2210: Standard Federal Bank (Los Angeles, Calif.),1956 ". On the left is the Pacific Indemnity/Pacific Finance Building at 621 S Hope Street (see post #22241). Next to it you can just see the "bi" from the "Mobilgas" sign on the General Petroleum Building/Mobil Oil Building. On the right is the National Oil Building.



The photoset contains four pictures, two color and two black & white, and they're all pretty similar. With that in mind, I've decided to just post this detail of the other color image.



Both from Getty Research Institute

Here's a drawing of the proposed 13-story addition to the original building.


USC Digital Library

This 1968 Dick Whittington aerial shows the completed addition roughly in the center of the picture. It's the one with the "California Federal" sign on the roof.


USC Digital Library

Here's the building today.


GSV

[jdcamb]

When I was young. My friend Greg Safir had hundreds of maps of LA subdivisions in the attic of his Garage. His Father was a high level exec at M&T Bank in Buffalo. Clipped to the maps were notes describing how much a piece of land cost and how much they sold it for. They were donated to Yale Univ after his fathers death.

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by HossC

I've never heard that one before, and can only find one reference to it online (not that I'm disputing it). There are, however, many other motoring quotes online that are attributed to Sir Stirling Moss, including these:

If everything is under control, you are just not driving fast enough.

The above quote is also attributed to Mario Andretti.



I was unaware that Wilshire Blvd. was also known as "Nevada Avenue." Although "Deadman's curve is obviously a good place for those with blood lust, second best, according to map is directly above it where Ocean meets San Vicente: "small chance for accidents." http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...903/Cbk4hz.jpg

[HossC]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

The above quote is also attributed to Mario Andretti.

To borrow a popular meme:


quotesjunk.com

[Tourmaline]

So, Abe Lincoln used to drive too fast?




Go Zeppo Go!?!?

Marx Bros. Mercedes versus Agent Phil Berg's Duesenberg? If it has been previously mentioned on NLA, sorry for the duplication.


I thought I recalled a previous NLA reference to the so-called famous bet between the Brothers Marx and agent Phil Berg over the comparative speedy virtues of a certain 1927 Boat-tailed Mercedes Benz model SSK and a 1931Duesenberg Phaeton, model J. Some sources refer to the Mercedes as a '28 Model S 26/180 and, perhaps not surprisingly, many other facts seem to be "fuzzy." The event has also been dubbed the "Muroc Match Race." Here is one of "many" accounts of that September '32 race. >> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle5033700/


http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/v...8.jpg~original




http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....-3-4-front.jpg



The winning '31 Duesenberg, but not in race trim.
http://static.theglobeandmail.ca/8d4...sic-duesy1.jpg




http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/o...1.jpg~original



Coop and Berg's Duesenberg (?)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vfU1eEc0ju...50958101_n.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ug7rnP86Rf...61063778_n.jpg


More here>> http://s376.photobucket.com/user/hem...mg001.jpg.html

[HenryHuntington]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

detail / February 1937



Vai Bros. Brandy ad on the Hotel Balboa.





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According to the L.A. City Directories, it was around this time (ca1937) that the Hotel Balboa (actually listed as the "Balboa Hotel") became the Rossiter Hotel Apartments. The Rossiter was the first "permanent" residence my parents were able to establish when they moved to Los Angeles in mid-1946. The postwar housing shortage was so acute that the city mandated that "transients" were required to move every few days. My own first memories of life are from that building. Thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread.

[oldstuff]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Episcopal Church, Burbank CA.


eBay

That elderly church-going lady is straight out of central casting. She's so cute.

Does any know where this small church was located?
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-W-Photo-07...wAAOSwT4lWT2SF

The current St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Burbank is located on the Southeast corner of Olive and 6th Street at 111 S. 6th. I remember when they built the current building which sits on the corner of olive and 6th in 1965. They had another sanctuary building just to the east of that which was there prior to that and is still there, but the County Assessor only has the date of the 1965 building. Churches tend to stick with land that they already have so I would venture to say that the frame building in the picture was on the 6th street property prior to the "new" building which was built in 65. I do have a vague recollection of there being some sort of frame building there. My own church is just in the next block.

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by HenryHuntington

According to the L.A. City Directories, it was around this time (ca1937) that the Hotel Balboa (actually listed as the "Balboa Hotel") became the Rossiter Hotel Apartments. The Rossiter was the first "permanent" residence my parents were able to establish when they moved to Los Angeles in mid-1946. The postwar housing shortage was so acute that the city mandated that "transients" were required to move every few days. My own first memories of life are from that building. Thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread.

FWIW, in 1910 there was a "Rossiter" in DTLA, 222 W. Seventh Street. Any connection with is unknown. Per 1916 CD, Rossiter's sells women's "Knox Hats." http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/1825/rec/1


1910 - Broadway, looking south from Seventh.
















Another undated image of the Hotel Balboa.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics48/00058724.jpg




Per this link, Knox Hats began in 1838 and provided head coverings for Abe Lincoln, among other Chief Executives. The "Knox Stovepipe."
http://bernardhats.com/hat-companies...k-hat-company/
http://nyccirca.blogspot.com/2013/07/knox-hatter.html


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c1HfbHiIjA...4855---WEB.gif


Per 1917CD, Knox Hats were also sold at Mullen and Bluett, (South Broadway and Sixth) and there was a "Knox the Hatter" located in the Hotel Alexandria (214 West Fifth Street).

[HossC]

This is another Julius Shulman photoset that's credited to Carlos von Frankenberg. It's "Job 5710: Kings Road House (Los Angeles, Calif.),1979". Although "House" is singular in the job title, there are actually two houses shown here. There are two shots of each house, so I've chosen to just post one of each. The first is 1447 N Kings Road.



The other image of this house shows that it's 1443 N Kings Road (the number is behind the small bush). Although it shares some design elements with the house above, the finish is completely different.



Both from Getty Research Institute

These houses are a couple of hundred yards north of Sunset Boulevard, very close to Sunset Tower. I had to go back to early 2014 to find this GSV image of 1447 with the trees pruned back. The parts which were originally finished in wood have been plastered, and the balcony above the garage has been covered, but it's otherwise intact.


GSV

The same can't be said for 1443. Once again I've had to go for a historic GSV image to show more of the house, but it still looks the same today. At some point it's had some major modifications - the building records suggest 2006.


GSV

The house next door at 1437 wasn't included in the Shulman photos, but the building records say it was also built in 1978. I'm guessing that the glass balconies aren't original, although they predate the current modifications which are being carried out.


GSV

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

After a couple of excursions up canyons, we're back in DTLA for today's Julius Shulman post.

This is the Standard Federal Savings and Loan Association building on the corner of Wilshire and Grand, as seen in 1956.

detail

When I first glanced at this photograph I thought the dark area at bottlom left was the bed of an old pick-up truck.
(then I noticed how much lower the car was at bottom right )

So Mr. Shulman must have been standing atop an entrance marquee of some sort (notice the lettering and the round sign) -I'll guess that's the back of a Coca-Cola sign.

Any idea what this place katty-korner from the Standard Federal Savings & Loan bldg. was in the 1956?
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