noirish Los Angeles

[OJC1927]

Originally Posted by JimCraig

I don't usually care for painted brick, but I have to say in this case that I prefer the look of the buildings in 1955 to the way they look today.

I used to work in the hi rise directly across the street from this little courtyard.

[OJC1927]

Amazing! It's sad removal totally changed this intersection.

[OJC1927]

Love this Youtube channel! It took me a minute to get used to the weird colorization but they are entertaining and really cool to see how LA looked back in the day.

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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rare photograph currently listed on ebay


seller's description:..."1905 amazing 951 orange st los angeles ca buggy palm trees dirt road"


ebay

it's difficult to imagine back when wilshire boulevard (previously orange street) was just a dirt road!

Does anyone know what's at this location today? . . .because i sure as hell can't figure it out.


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Great find, e_r!

It looks like 951 Orange/Wilshire later became the site of the Rex Arms parking garage. Here's a photo taken after the house at
951 was torn down in 1913 but before the parking garage was built (I think the two lonely trees at the front of the empty lot can
be seen in the ebay photo). Today the site is occupied by the east side of the northbound Harbor Freeway, immediately west of the
Bank of the West building at 915 Wilshire:

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

Here's an early (pre-1920?) photo of the Rex Arms. The retaining wall and grass at the left edge of the photo
belong to 955-57 Orange:

USCDL -- http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/re...coll65/id/2608

Below is 951 Orange on the 1906 Sanborn Map (The middle house of the three facing Figueroa with the water tank immediately
behind is 615 Figueroa, which can be seen on the left in the photo in your post on Mayor Toberman):



Library of Congress


In a wider view of the area from the same year, here are Loomis and Orange marked by the X:



Library of Congress


Here's where Loomis Street got its start (Grasshopper is now Figueroa):



January 13, 1875, Los Angeles Herald @ UC Riverside

[ethereal_reality]

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Wow, excellent post.

Thanks so much, Flyingwedge.


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[Mackerm]

Originally Posted by Snix

Harley Bryan Gordon
Born in Texas 12 Jul 1896
Died 31 Jan 1966

1940 city directory

1027 Montrose Ave. South Pasadena




Los Angeles Mirror 11.27.51
Mr. Gordon is currently at Rose Hills in Whittier, CA

Findagrave

Reposting of Snix's item from last August with a slight tweak to make the newspaper clipping more readable. Gordon Laboratories in Carson has got to be one of the oldest businesses in California, let alone black-owned businesses. I think it deserves some attention. Though I now see that according to Google, it's permanently closed.

Fyi, here are the codes for sizes on Flickr images.

[ethereal_reality]

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I had forgotten about that earlier post. Thanks, Mackerm (and Snix, of course)



Here are two excellent amateur slides taken in 1963 that have recently been listed on eBay.

The Vine Street Derby and an amazingly beautiful convertable driving by.


eBay





AND the Steve Allen Playhouse - also on Vine but more south.


eBay

Originally it was the La Mirada Theater. (1228 N. Vine St,)


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[ethereal_reality]

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And just for fun here's a mystery location taken in 1958.






A closer look.





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[HossC]

That's the Commodore Hotel (now apartments) at 7th and Lucas with the big roof sign. I'm not sure exactly how far back on 7th we are, but we're probably looking from near Valencia or S Union.

[HossC]

I couldn't get onto LAPL's city directories at the weekend, but they seem to be back again now.

The 1960 CD has Bee Line Service (HUb 3-0941) at 1533 W 7th, which is now part of John Liechty Middle School's sports field between Valencia and S Union, which means that my guess was right!

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks for the Bee Line address, Hoss. I tried to use the LAPL directories too and -yep- it was down all weekend.



This fantastic photograph of a newly constructed apartment building was just listed on eBay and I'm pretty sure it's new to NLA.


eBay


And there's writing on the reverse!



............................................"Picture taken in November 1913 on 6th and Fremont Street in Los Angeles Cal."


But the only Dick Apartment I could find in the city directories was located at. . .632 Bixel.

[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by nealberke

I'll give you some guesses about the suspended pipe.
1. It's a steam pipe running from the school's boilers to radiators in the buildings and equipment that uses steam. The school may have used steam it generated itself to power AC generators. Old LAUSD buildings had lots of radiators.
2. The photo we are looking at is of the original MAHS built about 1910. It was destroyed in the Long Beach Quake and rebuilt with Public Works Administration money. The 1935 era school has an "art deco" appearance.
3. With that, it's odd that there is no insulation on the pipe. If it is a steam pipe they would have wanted to keep heat in on those long runs.
4. It may not have been practical or desirable to run a steam pipe underground or a private utility pipe underground back in the day.
5. Examine the photo at about the center of the school. There's a big chimney there. That might have been a steam plant. I've noticed lots of what looks like roof ventilators and at least 2 other chimneys in the photo.

Your thoughts?

My guess is it's more likely a gas line like this one that still spans the picturesque Dominguez channel near Hawthorne.

[nealberke]

Interesting point. The gas line you are talking about and the water line at Coldwater Canyon AV near Oxnard Street in Van Nuys go across a flood control channel rather than under it. I'd bet the difference is the flood control channel rather than it being a gas, steam or water line. And, I've found other above ground steam lines in other cities.

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This fantastic photograph of a newly constructed apartment building was just listed on eBay and I'm pretty sure it's new to NLA.


eBay


And there's writing on the reverse!



............................................"Picture taken in November 1913 on 6th and Fremont Street in Los Angeles Cal."

Looks like the writer of the date and location is off by a year, and a few blocks. There were a lot of similar-size and probably similar-vintage apartments at and near the intersection of 6th and Fremont. As for the Dick--it became the Hermosa sometime during 1916. While a Robert Stoll built it, it was named for Henry Dick, described variously as the manager, proprietor, and owner, though Robert Stoll was still the owner of the building as indicated on a 1921 building permit. I guess Dick moved on. Maybe he couldn't manage the porchclimbers. There was also a bit of notoriety in early 1916. The building was demolished in 1983.


The LA Record, Feb 7, 1913/The Riverside Enterprise Feb 29, 1916

[ethereal_reality]

Excellent information! Thanks so much,Gaylord.

[ethereal_reality]

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POOR ED


Here's an interesting interior photograph.

Seller's description:.. "Los Angeles Tabulating Department Photo 1950s California Tabulator Women CA"


eBay



INFO:


I'm little confused: So whose tabulating department is it? . .a store's? . .the governent's?



Let's check out the address.

318 W. 9th Street places it in this building on the south-east corner of 9th and Olive.


GSV


The '318' entrance is near the alley.



GSV




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[Flyingwedge]

December 23, 1952, Los Angeles Times @ ProQuest via LA Public Library


If PT&T had a disbursement accounting department at 318 W 9th St., maybe they also had a tabulating department there?

[ethereal_reality]

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Aha. Thanks again, GW. . . much appreciated.




Here's a striking color slide of cars driving past Signal Hill in the 1940s. (or 50s)


eBay






MERCURY Jiffy Mask..I take it, it's brand of slides

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[ethereal_reality]

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Here is a cabinet card currently on eBay that seems vaguely familiar to me. (perhaps we've seen a similar one on nla)


Seller's description:..."Rare 1910s Cabinet Photo SCE So Cal Edison LOS ANGELES Long Beach Facility 1913"


eBay





Here are a couple of clearer views.













This is quite a light and brackets!



If I owned an estate I'd have them (there are two in the photo) mounted on my 8 car garage.


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[ethereal_reality]

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THANKS for all the follow-ups on the mystery PIPE do-hicky near Manual Arts High School.


This.

Originally Posted by nealberke

I'll give you some guesses about the suspended pipe.
1. It's a steam pipe running from the school's boilers to radiators in the buildings and equipment that uses steam. The school may have used steam it generated itself to power AC generators. Old LAUSD buildings had lots of radiators.
2. The photo we are looking at is of the original MAHS built about 1910. It was destroyed in the Long Beach Quake and rebuilt with Public Works Administration money. The 1935 era school has an "art deco" appearance.
3. With that, it's odd that there is no insulation on the pipe. If it is a steam pipe they would have wanted to keep heat in on those long runs.
4. It may not have been practical or desirable to run a steam pipe underground or a private utility pipe underground back in the day.
5. Examine the photo at about the center of the school. There's a big chimney there. That might have been a steam plant. I've noticed lots of what looks like roof ventilators and at least 2 other chimneys in the photo.

Your thoughts?

Originally Posted by Bristolian

My guess is it's more likely a gas line like this one that still spans the picturesque Dominguez channel near Hawthorne.

See Bristolian's photo here

Here's an 1925 aerial of Manual Arts High School.



tessa/lapl

But for the life of me I can't find the street with the mystery pipes. (unless it's small enough to be hidden by two-story buildings)


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