Quote:
Originally Posted by sopas ej
Aliso Street viaduct, early 1950s
USC archive
This of course is now the 101 freeway headed west into the LA Civic Center/downtown LA area. This photo really puts things into perspective for me, on how huge those gas storage tanks were. They look like they dominate the skyline. It's funny to me that those tanks basically were like a gateway into downtown when approaching from this route; I always associated the City Hall and the skyscraper skyline as being the visual focal point when headed this way. This would make a great "then" for a then and now. Looking at the lamp posts on the Aliso St. viaduct, I think it's a shame they couldn't have kept the old twin-pendant street lamps. This picture was also taken not too long after the Pacific Electric streetcar was abandoned through this area; you can see the curved right-of-way along the bottom left corner of the photo; the poles that held the trolley wires are still standing too at this point in time. |
That was indeed a fantastic photo from a perspective I had never seen before. I agree 100% with everything you said -- this was not at all the "grand entrance" to downtown that people my age are familiar with.
And what a coincidence it was to see that abandoned PE right-of-way. Minutes ago, I finished reading
this book, which was an early Christmas present from my wonderful wife. It's chock full of amazing pictures, including the very last LARY streetcar entering the railyard after its final run in 1963. A very informative book, but very sad.
(My wife also got me
this book and
this book. I can't wait to dive in!)