:previous:
Awesome story. And that building looks so much better in that old photo than it does today.

From lapl.org:

Having a merry time at 3 o'clock in the morning, patrons of the 7566 Club at 7566 Melrose Avenue are shown at the bar when officers raided the place, one of four swank Hollywood night spots "pinched" by 50 police. In the four hot spots 17 men were nabbed, most accused of selling liquor without licenses. Photo dated: January 29, 1941.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics30/00049975.jpg

What's also interesting to me is that that address, 7566 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, was where the erotica store Drake's used to be; it was there since at least the 1980s, and, sadly, closed some years ago... the internet has really changed things when it comes to porn, hasn't it. I believe the building is still vacant and up for lease. When I was 16-17 years old, that place fascinated me, and then finally when I turned 18 I bought my first porno mag there, hehe!

^^^Both those stories are great.

So what does the storage building on Highland look like now?

Well, the Curbed LA article was about oversize ads & signage, so that's what the picture shows (via Flickr user Vin Dog):

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3615/...dbb1f8e47e.jpg

oops....I didn't see the link in your earlier post. thx

Here are a couple more photos of the Sunset Strip.



Below: This is the south side of the Strip where Holloway Drive merges with Sunset Blvd. The Melody Room in the center of the photo would later become the infamous Viper Room.



http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6...yroom1955v.jpg
usc digital archive







Below:
The Players nightclub. To the right you can see a corner of the famous Chateau Marmont.


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2...ayroombych.jpg
usc digital archive

Those little corner buildings, lower left, run along a little diagonal alley known as Broadway Place that runs down from 10th btw Broadway and Main. This is shot up Main St from 11th.

The two really big buildings in the shot are on 9th btw Main and Santee -- the Harriss Newmark and Cooper Dry Goods bldgs, both by Curlett-Beelman, 1925 and 1923.

I really like this one because it has a fave bldng of mine, the Petroleum Securities Building, AKA the Pan-American Petroleum Building. It's a Meyer & Holler, built by Edward Doheny, at Olympic and Flower (SW corner) and in 1925 Doheny designed and erected America's largest electrical sign for it, which was about 160' x 50' if I remember, three color flashing "PAN-GAS".

It wasn't long though before it was switched over to read "HYDRIL" which was an oilfield equipment supplier.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/...2803b4b6_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/...21261983_o.jpg
(both USC; USC calls the second image 1926, but Hydril didn't come into being until 1933, and besides, those cars are early 30s, not mid-20s.)

Ah, the brea, the inky viscous blood that runs through LA's veins!

Cool pic of the strip!

Yes, great pics of the Sunset Strip, ethereal. And great info about those pics, Beaudry.

I thought I'd do a then and now:

Hill and 6th, circa 1940
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/4...d6thca1940.jpg
USC archive

Hill and 6th, March 20, 2010
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/3134/p1100530.jpg
Photo by me

It's sad that what was once a beautiful Beaux-Arts style building was stripped and remodeled, I assume in the 1950s or 1960s.

Beaudry, your comments were absolutely amazing.
When you add your information to the photographs they seem to come to life.
And I never knew about the over-sized PAN-GAS sign.




Great comparison pics sopas_ej.

The only saving grace to the Western Federal remodel, is that the original building is still underneath.
In time, perhaps it will be returned to it's former self.


Below: You can catch a glimpse of the Western Federal building before the remodel in this photo as well.

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8...16para1m8n.jpg

Tally's New Broadway Theater at 6th ST. & Broadway.


http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4...heaterat6t.jpg
usc digital archive


Can you imagine what this looked like at night with the exceptional electric signs (especially in 1905).




Below: Amazingly, the Elden Hotel building (1894) to the left of Tally's New Broadway is still there.

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/9...telyouaret.jpg
HomeE / you-are-here.com

Another view of the 1894 Elden Hotel Building in 2005.
It was renovated somewhat in 2007.



http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/9...mwinstead2.jpg
Jim Winstead

This photo was captioned, "A view of downtown from the Chamber of Commerce 1930."

It doesn't help much, since there have been about 8 different locations for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
I believe the Herald-Examiner Building to the extreme lower right.


http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7...pchamberof.jpg
usc digital library

The Los Angeles Examiner welcomes the Shriners. (no date)


http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3...rwelcomess.jpg
usc digital archive

The Los Angeles Coliseum welcomes the Shriners as well. I believe this is 1938.




http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/5...05colnoir6.jpg
usc digital library

Aerial of downtown Los Angeles 1927.


http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8...l1927huuge.jpg
found on ebay

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3...lworth1937.jpg
found on ebay

That even looks like the same fire escape that was there in 1905 with maybe a few bars added to the platform.:ancient:

Thank you everybody who contributed to this thread! I've been showing it to everybody I know who is interested in L.A. history.