noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

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Originally Posted by sadykadie2

I think it's Olivia de Havilland

Yep, that would be my guess too.

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[ethereal_reality]

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Today we have a mystery funeral home.



eBay

Attend a funeral and have your car tuned-up too. It doen't get more convient than that!



And good news, there's a 2nd image.


eBay





Let's look at the sign again.

I need help deciphering the smallish word at the top - which is no doubt the name of the funeral home.



I'm done squinting.

My only guess is 'Astoria'. . ..but all I could find was a Hotel Astoria at 248 So Olive St.


Help me out, loyal minions

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[HossC]

The Astoria Funeral Home, still standing and possibly still in business (I didn't Google any further) at 2707 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY - see here for GSV.

[ethereal_reality]

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That's it! I see that the 2nd photograph is flipped.

Thanks for the clarification, Hoss.

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[HossC]

It looks like there was an auto shop next door until at least 2013, but the site was cleared by 2016.

[ethereal_reality]

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I just happened upon this building underconstruction on eBay.



Most of you might have guessed that it's one of the Home Savings & Loan buildings that scar dot the landscape.


And you would be correct.


Hmm, I wonder if it's still there?



Yep. it's still there in all its glory. s/


Since there are NO windows anywhere on the building I thought there must be an atrium for the sake of the emplyees.

So I checked it out.

Nope, no atrium.


I can't imagine working 8 hours a day / 40 hours a week in one of these buildings.

Has anyone been inside one of them?


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[ethereal_reality]

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I don't know if this is worth posting but I like as an occupational image.




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eBay

[ethereal_reality]

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Calling all RAIL FANS

Mystery location.

These two snapshot with the L.A. border are currently on eBay.

This one is especially intriguing because of the close proximity of the building directly behind the engine.



Where is this? *stratches head*








Both snapshot are dated . . .

For search purposes:..February 22, 1938




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[HenryHuntington]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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Calling all RAIL FANS

Mystery location.

These two snapshot with the L.A. border are currently on eBay.

This one is especially intriguing because of the close proximity of the building directly behind the engine.



Where is this? *stratches head*








Both snapshot are dated . . .

For search purposes:..February 22, 1938




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_______________________

Without accessing reference materials, I'd say we're looking at the 1938 version of the Santa Fe's Super Chief before it entered regular service between Los Angeles and Chicago. It's being displayed on Exposition Blvd. in front of USC, possibly the School of Dentistry.

PE's Santa Monica Air Line traversed this part of Exposition Blvd. using street trackage and had a long siding between Figueroa St. and Vermont Ave. where mainline railroads (ATSF, SP and UP) would display their newest passenger equipment and often invite the general public to walk through the cars as a public relations event.

[ethereal_reality]

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Thank you, Henry Huntington. I remember discussing the School of Dentistry building earlier in the thread.

Here's an amazing Cyanotype that is also on eBay

Seller's description:..CYANOTYPE PHOTO LOS ANGELES TRAIN STOP DEPOT BICYCLE HORSE CALIFORNIA


ebay

It's simply amazing!

But I'm afraid this mystery location is going to it more difficult to solve.



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[ethereal_reality]

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423 Molino St.

This is fairly interesting.


eBay


Alas. .the old garage was replaced by this.


GSV



But there's an old garage next to it that is having its huge doorways minimized.


GSV

It was painted white in the vintage photo.

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[HossC]

I wonder why they had to smooth the roofline on each side. The original shape was already lost by the the time Google first visited in 2007, but it's never been finished in a very attractive way.

[ethereal_reality]

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I noticed the same thing, Hoss, but I didn't know how to describe it.



Here's a mystery street we can try to figure out.



Anyone want to wager a guess?


eBay

[JeffDiego]

Originally Posted by Scott Charles

I think we've correctly identified virtually everyone in the photo now!

Here are the ones that were not identified (or incorrectly identified) in my original post:





Of course, Martha Raye... how could I have missed that one?



Can anyone confirm that this is Van Johnson?



Lastly, no one has identified this lady on the very left of the photo yet... any guesses?

Thanks for your interesting post, Scott Charles. I think most people taking a peek at this youtube interview with Van Johnson from the 80's would probably agree he is the guy in the group photo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB0VIyE0hFA

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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Here's a mystery street we can try to figure out.



eBay

I believe I can just see the top of Mulholland Dam in the eBay photo, so I think it looks north on Cahuenga from just south of where the Hollywood Freeway is now.




June 2024 GSV

The house at the right edge is 2042-44 N. Cahuenga, which I think can be seen above the second E in MEASURE in the eBay photo.

[ethereal_reality]

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By jove I think you've got it, FW.


A reminder to newbies:

The dam is barely visible in the eBay photograph because most of the dam was overed with dirt in 1929 after the St. Francis Dam disaster.

Only the very top of the dam was left exposed.

1929


Where'd they get all that dirt!?!




Here's how the dam looked in 1925.


WP

Pretty impressive isn't it.





If anyone is interested here is a short two minute excerpt from a documentary on the St. Francis Dam Disaster.

• Video Link

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[ethereal_reality]

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Does anyone recognize this building?

Seller's description:..Original 35mm Kodachrome Slide Los Angeles Office Building Stores 1985


eBay

I thought it would be fairly simple to figure out but it has proven to be more difficult than I thought.



eBay

I started by googling "Citi Lites" in the LAPL directories but came up with zilch. And -as expected- Valley National Bank has numerous locations.



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[Noir_Noir]

The Centrum Building at 3575 Cahuenga Blvd.

Designed by Johannes Van Tilburg of Santa Monica, built in 1983.

Description in the L.A. Times in 1993:

"Looking as if it's going to topple right onto the Hollywood Freeway, this office complex (formerly the Valley State Bank) was awarded a lemon in 1991 for worst architecture by the American Planning Assn. and the American Institute of Architects. The only other lemon awarded in the Valley was to the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum.

This long, red-bricked building is the length of a football field, and most of its five stories seem to lean precariously toward the road. A wall of black glass juts out over the trendy L'Express restaurant on the first floor, and the upper floors have balconies."
flickr.com - jann_on



Google Street View

[Scott Charles]

I had no idea that building had been painted gray. I think it looked better with the red bricks showing.

[ethereal_reality]

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Now I remember that building...
I believe we've talked about once before on NLA.




Here's another Tilburg masterwork.



And this is the building's good side!

It's in Santa Monica at 219-231 Arizona Ave.

Is that an old theater next to it on the right? - - - - - >


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