Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
-dates aside, I really like this image Scott posted.
Looking at the same scene today I was surprised to see the large building on the left (United California Bank) is gone. At what point in time did that happen?
If you look closely, you can see a large vertical sign that says 'Continental'. Is this attached to the far side of the building mentioned above?
I love the tiny diagonal 'cocktails' sign, as well as the HOT Do-Nut sign. You can also see the Santa Fe sign on the Pacific Electric Building at 6th and Main. Fun photo!
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ER, the compression in the photo is deceiving. The Santa Fe Sign is not on the PE building, but Rather on the Santa Fe Building on the north east corner of 6th St. The sign incidentally, was a fairly late addition to the building as it is not seen in this early 1940's photo of the intersection.
http://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-co...ilding-002.jpg
This building is now the Santa Fe Lofts.
http://la.chriscamargo.com/2011/07/santa-fe-building/
The Continental sign is for Continental Trailways, formerly Santa Fe Trailways.They used the first floor of the UCB building and the buses entered the parking lot between the UCB Building and the small, square System Auto Park office seen behind the white van in the color photo. This structure is also visible in the early 1940 view and carries a sign for All American Bus Lines.
The following quote is from www.stocklobster.com:"All American Bus Lines was incorporated in September of 1935 in Delaware, but the company�s operations were located in Chicago. With $1,000,000 capital, the company operated some 30 day coaches within a year. The new sleepers, built in Los Angeles by Crown Body Works and Columbia Coach Works, were among the best in the country. They had four compartments on each side, each compartment seating or sleeping three persons and containing a lavatory. The unit�s air conditioning was based on a new system. Previous sleepers had cooling apparatus which never succeeded because they was too heavy. The new lightweight system, installed by Dry-Ice Appliance Corporation of Mount Vernon, IL, consisted of a chemical refrigerant piped around the girth of the bus after passing over carbon dioxide. A 12-hour run in 100� temperature required 100 lbs of dry ice, at a cost of about $2 at the time.
The company was renamed the American Buslines in 1946 and joined Trailways that same year. In 1953, the company was sold to Transcontinental Bus System/Continental Trailways.
All American Bus Lines was the first coast-to-coast single ownership bus line company in the United States. While Greyhound offered coast-to-coast service earlier, it was provided through a number of independent franchisees."
Cheers,
Jack