noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

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I was going through some of my old files earlier today & happened upon this intrigung photograph that appears to have been torn out of a notebook.




I'm totally discomboobulated! (in which direction are we looking?)


Here's a closer look.



I don't even know what building is under construction. Hopefully everything will fall into place once I know in which direction we're looking. ...(why am I having such a hard time wording that correctly?)

IF. . .we're looking north, I'd say the large building in the distance on the right might be L.A. County Hospital.
IF. . .we're looking west I'd say it might be the old orphan's asylum that we recently discussed.




And here's a better look at the bottom.



I half expected to see a dead body under that tire.

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[odinthor]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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[...]

I'll snoop around in the area & see if anything turns up, odinthor....Hmmm, but it looks awfully flat to be Signal Hill.

[...]

Above Spring St., in the city of Signal Hill, there's a sort of plateau. Here's a look from the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Spring St.


gsv

If we go to the flat top above that intersection, we get a view commanding (at quite some distance) downtown Long Beach and the harbor area:


gsv

It would be a most delightful place for a house to be built!

[ProphetM]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.

I was going through some of my old files earlier today & happened upon this intrigung photograph that appears to have been torn out of a notebook.




I'm totally discomboobulated! (in which direction are we looking?)


Here's a closer look.



I don't even know what building is under construction. Hopefully everything will fall into place once I know in which direction we're looking. ...(why am I having such a hard time wording that correctly?)

The big clue for me was the tunnel just to the left of the building. After a bit of noodling around in Google Maps with 3D mode, I think this is the west portal of the 2nd Street tunnel, and the building is 222 S. Figueroa, one of the towers of the Skye at Bunker Hill apartments.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rgzM8h3zRVs6wowd8

The old house in the foreground is now the site of the Pacific Stock Exchange building at 233 S. Beaudry, which takes up most of the block.

[HossC]

ProphetM beat me to the same conclusion. Here's a 1971 aerial showing the direction that the photographer was looking (top-left to bottom-right). The dark square next to the apartments is the portal of the 2nd Street tunnel as mentioned above.


mil.library.ucsb.edu

[Lwize]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

I don't recall anyone on this forum lamenting that the Hall of Records building was demolished (1973); am I correct? The fact that it's positioning became awkward as the city changed (and it's design) just made it seem out of place. I read that they actually studied repositioning it, but the cost would've been quite prohibitive.

The Hall of Records (1913- 1973) was a spooky building to me as a child. Creepy gothic roof. The sinister offset being the result of the old alignment on DTLA streets.
But it fell victim to the old rules of "don't preserve the past" when the city outgrew it.
Did it also suffer from the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, which red-tagged many buildings in DTLA?

I continue to pay homage to the building: the Oriental rug in my living room is offset at a similar angle

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Lwize

The Hall of Records (1913- 1973) was a spooky building to me as a child. Creepy gothic roof. The sinister offset being the result of the old alignment on DTLA streets.
But it fell victim to the old rules of "don't preserve the past" when the city outgrew it.
Did it also suffer from the 1971 Sylmar earthquake, which red-tagged many buildings in DTLA?

I continue to pay homage to the building: the Oriental rug in my living room is offset at a similar angle

LoL!

In searches a number of entries say the building suffered severe damage in the 1971 Sylmar Quake, but no source for that is listed for that info that I've seen. If that's the case, why did the city do a study to see if the building could be realigned? To do that it would've cost $5 million dollars, close to $50 million today.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Lwize

I continue to pay homage to the Hall of Records: the Oriental rug in my living room is offset at a similar angle.

...A man after my own heart.

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[ethereal_reality]

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I just happened upon this rare find on eBay,

. . and it's a mystery location.


"Stereoview of the Signoret House built in 1876 in Los Angeles by a Frenchman"





A bit larger so you can see the people a little better.


eBay



And the reverse - complete with secret code!



Everything but the street address.




Hmmm, I wonder if this was built by Simone's great-great grandfather? ..(stranger things have happened)

[HossC]

LAPL has the same photo.


LAPL

Here's a wider angle.

View of Main Street looking north from Arcadia, showing the Russian Electric Baths, Signoret Block, Turner Street and the Plaza Church circa 1876.

LAPL

[Snix]

Last night at UCLA they screened the Beverly Park episode of "Ralph Story's Los Angeles" and it included a segment on CAESAR'S! So it was definitely on the south side of Beverly Blvd. just west of the amusement park at La Cienega. I'm guessing the photo is from the 1970s since the Beverly Center opened in 1982. The window was filled with neon signs and they connected it to Caesar Cardini's Caesar salad from Tijuana.

Instagram/uclaftvarchive

[QUOTE=ethereal_reality;10495082].
Here's one more vintage slide for tonight.


Seller's description:.."1980s Original Caesar's Restaurant Neon Sign Los Angeles 35mm Slide."


Currently on eBay

I looked through some vintage directories and nothing turned up ... . .although a few places were close.

[Snix]

Just found this in my matchbook collection!


Snix collection

[QUOTE=Snix;10515404]I must say that the Ducommun building is in remarkably good condition. The 'heavy makeover' HossC notes is mainly security fencing and sun shades on the windows. This building was designed in 1940 by A.C. Martin! That's some serious cred.

LAT11.10.40

[Scott Charles]

Thanks, HossC and _er_!

This black and white version is probably a bit more noirish, but I ended up preferring the vintage postcard version.



PS: That's an amazing matchbook, Snix!

[sadykadie2]

Originally Posted by HossC

I found an address for the Ducommun Metals & Supply Co at 219-227 S Central Avenue, quite close to Ducommun Street, but I believe this photo shows a later location at 4890 S Alameda Street. I think this is the same building today, albeit with a heavy make-over.


GSV

Notice the realty company is "Daum" as in "Daum, I can't believe they made the building look this bad"

[sadykadie2]

Originally Posted by Scott Charles

Ask and ye shall receive...

You Rock!

[ethereal_reality]

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Thanks so much figuring out the location of the Bunker Hill 1969' photograph, ProphetM and HossC. ..I really appreciate it.
_______________________________________


I have a mystery location to brighten up your Monday (night).

It's a snapshot that I came across recently on eBay


"c1940 Los Angeles dance hall “Felix Café” w/prewar Chevrolets – California photo."

This one.

eBay





Let's take a closer look, shall we noirishers.



I'm thinking that this might not be Los Angeles (could it be the Los Angeles in Mexico?) I wasn't able to find a Felix Cafe in any of the Los Angeles city directories.

The closest I got was a Bill's Place at . . .



. .but I'm sure there were a plethora of Bill's Places in Los Angeles then and now.


I could use some help.




My whip is in the shop.

[ethereal_reality]

FANTASTIC find, Snix!

re: The location of the Original Caesar's

This place. (for those late in the game)

Originally Posted by Snix

Last night at UCLA they screened the Beverly Park episode of "Ralph Story's Los Angeles" and it included a segment on CAESAR'S!

So it was definitely on the south side of Beverly Blvd. just west of the amusement park at La Cienega.
I'm guessing the photo is from the 1970s since the Beverly Center opened in 1982. The window was filled with neon signs
and they connected it to Caesar Cardini's Caesar salad from Tijuana.


Instagram/uclaftvarchive

Which episode was it, Snix? I ask,because some of the episodes are available on YouTube. I'd like to check it out for myself.



Thanks again!
.

[ProphetM]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

.
Thanks so much figuring out the location of the Bunker Hill 1969' photograph, ProphetM and HossC. ..I really appreciate it.
_______________________________________


I have a mystery location to brighten up your Monday (night).

It's a snapshot that I came across recently on eBay


"c1940 Los Angeles dance hall “Felix Café” w/prewar Chevrolets – California photo."

This one.

eBay





Let's take a closer look, shall we noirishers.



I'm thinking that this might not be Los Angeles (could it be the Los Angeles in Mexico?) I wasn't able to find a Felix Cafe in any of the Los Angeles city directories.

The closest I got was a Bill's Place at . . .



. .but I'm sure there were a plethora of Bill's Places in Los Angeles then and now.


I could use some help.




My whip is in the shop.

I tried to suss out the name of the place next to Bill's Place. My best guess is ____etz Barber Shop.

I'm also wondering about the big letters on the Felix Cafe building: "SIXPO". Autocomplete suggestions from Google are mostly 'sixpoint' in reference to a 21-year-old brewery in NY called Sixpoint Brwery, which itself is a reference to the six point 'brewer's star'. If the building in the photo is symmetrical, it does imply 3 more unseen letters which fits with "SIXPOINT".

I couldn't find anything of note in the 1939 or 1942 city directories related to a Felix Cafe, or Bill's Place, or 'sixpo', and none of the hits on '2303' turned up anything that seemed related.

[Noir_Noir]

It's National Avenue, San Diego.


Harvey J. Neitz had a barber shop at 2309 National - the premises to the left of Bill's Place in the ebay picture.






sandiego.gov


It appears to have lasted as a barber shop location until 2019.



GSV

[ethereal_reality]

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Thanks ProphetM and Noir Noir.



Now, can anyone tell me what's going on in front of the Long Beach Convention Center?


Originally found on eBay

................................................................................................................................................................MOSOA ?




A closer look.




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[ethereal_reality]

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We've no doubt seen this photograph before (on NLA) but it's so cool I decided to post it anyway.



er-file

It shows a man staring at an exploding manhole in the flood of 1933. In the distance we see an old friend of ours. (one that we recently discussed)





When I attempted to enlarge it the photograph turned sepia for some reason. (I must have accidentally hit a wrong button)

Here it is anyway.



The man appears to be contemplating life as well as the manhole.


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