noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

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You remembered! I wasn't expecting anyone to remember.

Thanks so much, Hoss.

I hope everyone has a great Fourth of July!
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[Scott Charles]

Originally Posted by HossC

Happy 4th of July, and happy birthday to ethereal_reality.

It's e_r's birthday? Happy Birthday, e_r!

And Happy 4th, everyone else!


getty images

[Martin Pal]

e_r:

[ethereal_reality]

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[Bristolian]

You know who...



Happy Birthday!

[ScottyB]

Happy Birthday e r! to our hero!

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks, everyone!


If I remember correctly the email seller described this photograph as a bayonet drill in a Los Angeles parade in either the late 1890s or early 1900s.






And here's a closer look.






This.


Anyone?



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[HossC]

The Mausard-Collier Co (photo-engravers) was at 144 W 5th Street from 1896 to 1899 and 115½ N Main Street from 1900 to 1908. It was run by Rudolph Mausard and Charles T Collier. I'm thinking that the latter address is more likely for a parade.

In 1895, Rudolph Mausard was working as a photo engraver for The Union Photo Engraving Co at 121½ S. Broadway, which was owned by George O Watkins of San Francisco. Charles T Collier was manager of the Collier Engraving Co at 536 S Broadway (and the Lu-Mi-Num Bicycle Co at the same address). In 1909, Rudolph was working in real estate. I can't see a 1909 listing for Charles.

Here's the company's advert from the 1904 CD.


LAPL

[ethereal_reality]

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Thanks, Hoss

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[odinthor]

For the Mausard-Collier pic: Main would indeed seem more probable of a march route; but... Wouldn't address 115 be on the west side of Main? In the pic, the marchers have the Mausard-Collier firm on their left, which with address 115 would mean that they would be marching north. The seeming position of the sun doesn't seem consistent with that. Turning to 144 W. 5th, if the marchers are marching west on 5th, address 144 would indeed be on their left as in the pic; and supposing the march to be taking place in the afternoon, the position of the sun agrees with that scenario. Or am I mixed up?



Here are the two gentlemen in question:


A History of the Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, by Charles Dwight Willard, 1899, p. 322.

[odinthor]

In looking for more on Mausard-Collier, I ran across this interesting 1904 book with many pix of Angeleno buildings. In case it hasn't been referenced on NLA before, here's a link:

https://books.google.com/books?id=AFRDAQ...IHVAeL2MQ6AF6BAgFEAM#v=onepage&q&f=false

Its rather rambling name is Our Architecture Los Angeles[:] Morgan & Walls, John Parkinson, Hunt & Eager.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by odinthor

For the Mausard-Collier pic: Main would indeed seem more probable of a march route; but... Wouldn't address 115 be on the west side of Main? In the pic, the marchers have the Mausard-Collier firm on their left, which with address 115 would mean that they would be marching north. The seeming position of the sun doesn't seem consistent with that. Turning to 144 W. 5th, if the marchers are marching west on 5th, address 144 would indeed be on their left as in the pic; and supposing the march to be taking place in the afternoon, the position of the sun agrees with that scenario. Or am I mixed up?

I failed to consider the orientation of the shadows when I made my guess, so I think you're probably right, and we're looking at W 5th Street. So far, I haven't found a corroborating photo - only other corners of the intersection.

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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As HossC and Odinthor have noted, this has to be 5th Street -- a stretch of it apparently not often photographed ~1890-1920.
This was the best I could find; I believe the arrowed building is the smaller of the two 2-story buildings in e_r's photo:



1887 South from Westminster Hotel, CHS-2863 @ USCDL


Here is the 1894 Sanborn showing the south side of 5th Street between Main and Spring. The shorter of the two 2-story buildings in
e_r's photo is 134-136-138 W. Fifth; the larger of them is at 128-130-132. The house at 503 S. Main belonged to Hannibal Edwards
and his family.



Library of Congress


The building on the extreme left of e_r's photo looks like it might be 4 stories, but it is recorded as having been 3 stories. It
was built in 1896 and was torn down c. 1922 for construction of the Hotel Rosslyn Annex. Here is some background on the site:



October 8, 1922, Los Angeles Times @ Newspapers.com


So e_r's photo was taken after the 3-story building on the SWC of 5th and Main was constructed in 1896, but before
the alley between Main and Spring from 5th to 6th was put through in ~1897:



July 31, 1897, Los Angeles Evening Express @ Newspapers.com


This is the south side of Fifth Street between Main and Spring on the 1906 Sanborn. The shorter of the two 2-story buildings in e_r's
photo looks like it got chopped in half to put the alley through. The 3-story building at 501-505 S. Main/116-126 W. 5th has replaced
the Edwards home:



Library of Congress

[odinthor]

:

FW's great post narrowing down the "window of opportunity," date-wise, like that makes me think that e_r's photo is showing an entry in the La Fiesta de Los Angeles parade of April 21, 1897:


LA Times, 4/20/1897

Looking over the long list of participants in the parade (on the same page as the above), I'd hazard a guess that we're looking at the High School Cadets, who were in the Second Division of the parade.

Edit Add:

I was mystified about what "tribunes" in the above might signify. This is explained by the following from the previous year, and evidently means what today we'd call grandstands:


LA Times, 3/21/1896

[Scott Charles]

Sadly, it looks like LA's most historic restaurant's is shutting its doors forever:

After more than 100 years in operation, Cole’s French Dip to close permanently



Cole’s French Dip, the oldest restaurant and saloon in Los Angeles, is slated to close its doors Aug. 3. The last day of service for the landmark restaurant, which claims to have invented the French dip, will be Aug. 2.

Founded by Henry Cole in 1908, Cole’s French Dip opened as Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet, named after the Pacific Electric Building in which it’s housed. Lore has it that the eponymous dish originated when a customer with a bad case of sore gums asked for his sandwich to be lowered into the jus because the French roll was too crunchy for him. (In Chinatown, Philippe the Original also claims to have created the dish.)

https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2025-07-07/coles-french-dip-permanent-closure-early-august

This really bums me out... I have a lot of great memories at Cole's.

The Original Pantry Cafe = GONE
The Pacific Dining Car = GONE
... and now Cole's = GONE

All of my favorite historic restaurants are disappearing. What's next, Philippe's?

Add in Papa Cristo’s and the Roscoe’s Chicken ’n Waffles on Pico and the whole situation is just too depressing to bear.

Are any of LA's most historic restaurants still around???

[ethereal_reality]

Oh no, that's sad.




Forgive me if we've discussed this before. (if we have, I don't recall it)

What pray tell is the odd lumpy thing?



A fountain?..... A faux volcano?..... A busted water main?



Here's the complete photograph.


Currently on..eBay




I thought the rod-like thing sticking out of the top was a water spout which would make sense if it were a fountain. . .

. . .but on closer inspection I think it's actually across the lagoon.



Any ideas?
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[odinthor]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

[...]

Forgive me if we've discussed this before. (if we have, I don't recall it)

What pray tell is the odd lumpy thing?



A fountain?..... A faux volcano?..... A busted water main?



Here's the complete photograph.


Currently on..eBay

[...]
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e_r, at right in the photo, isn't that one of the minarets from the short-lived Midway (replaced by a roller coaster in 1911) at the Venice Lagoon? That should help place the exact location of the "odd thing," in case someone can find a newer photo from that perspective.


Detail from photo at https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_Southern_California_Amusement_Parks.html

[ethereal_reality]

You read my mind, odinthor. I was going to ask about the minaret next...
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At first I thought there were two towers.



But the larger one on the right is an illusion water damage.


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[ethereal_reality]

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Somewhat by happenstance, the same eBay seller has this image on eBay.


Seller's description:..."VENICE Ice Cream Soda Shop & Theater LOS ANGELES Original 1890s CALIFORNIA Photo" .(in other words, they have no idea what it is)



eBay



I tweaked the photograph so we can see it better & this is how it turned out.


eBay

In the process I noticed something that makes me question the Venice location.


This.

detail

The word EXPOSITION is written above the door in the vestibule.


Perhaps someone can translate the Japanese writing on the signs.






P.S...If it says "Venice Ice Cream Soda Shop and Theater" I'll have egg (foo young) on my face.
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[ProphetM]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Perhaps someone can translate the Japanese writing on the signs.






P.S...If it says "Venice Ice Cream Soda Shop and Theater" I'll have egg (foo young) on my face.
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Preliminary info from my kid, former Japanese major in HS, to whom I sent a bad photo of my computer screen:

"absolutely no idea what it says in full, but I can break some of it down. The first row, from what I can tell has "book" "sun/day" "big". Below that the only thing I can kind of make out is the first character, which has both the symbols for "mountain" and then maybe "fire" but I'm not sure."