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  #33441  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 6:31 PM
esotouric esotouric is offline
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Yes, that's our Richard Schave appearing in the Los Angeles episode of Cities of the Underworld. The show made it appear as if the tunnels were a coordinated system, but they actually seem to have been pretty haphazard, connecting some individual buildings but not stretching all across downtown.

If you'd like to know more about vice and the Mayor's Office in 1920s Los Angeles, the John Buntin interview on this episode of our podcast should be of interest.
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  #33442  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 6:42 PM
Tourmaline Tourmaline is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TMSteele View Post
Noir tunnels? hell yes!

Here's my challenge. The King Eddy Saloon is located at 131 E 5th Street (5th & Main Streets) in downtown Los Angeles. Over the years of following noirish LA, I have been amazed at the detective work offered by its members. This is a very unique community. Can anyone offer up more evidence of the mystery tunnels?
...Maybe the basement of the Biltmore has a similar bricked up passage way at 506 S Grand Ave.
...Perhaps City Hall's underground parking garage at 200 N Spring St has an unexplained steel door?
...Were all the old Vaudeville theaters on Broadway linked together? Think of all the cash that could evade the new income-tax declaration. I suspect this is the Mother Lode of Noir.
thx
Perhaps, maybe . . .


I believe there have been comments regarding this tunnel presentation before, on NLA.

When is embellishment false? Some of the presentation may have more of a dramatic flair than necessary. If Mayor Shaw or MickeyC offered their unvarnished versions of the events, would or could they be believed?

Like most of history, the tunnel stories are filtered through historians' eyes and re-reprocessed before it hits the page or screen. I have heard stories from eye witnesses to these events/facts, but the stories did not always jive, since even when events were fresh, there were always deliberate variations on what we now describe as “open” secrets. The reasons are obvious. Two eye witnesses discussing the same event often surprised each other with their once-certain perceptions and conclusions. The printed newspaper account may offer an indicia of reliability, but it too may have been “agenda-ized.”

I am certain there are a number of treasures buried (and practically lost) in areas one is least likely to expect them, let alone the areas like the over sensationalized "Al Capone's vault." Discoveries often result from happenstance. This leads me to wonder , if, or how often, forgotten tunnels or underground areas are discovered only because these areas were poorly reinforced leading to subsidence of an umbrella or adjoining structure or the street. I would also imagine that long-forgotten underground prospecting remnants might be confused with or mistaken for long forgotten prohibition-era tunnels and the like.



http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/u...ls-los-angeles






Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
Last month Lwize reported on the closure of the King Eddy Saloon in the King Edward Hotel on Los Angeles Street.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=10903
__



I recently found this business card.


ebay




with a map on the reverse.

ebay

note the recently discussed Arcade Depot at the bottom of the map. (as well as the Santa Fe depot & Salt Lake depot)








I was amazed when I came across this contemporary photograph of the King Edward Hotel lobby. I had no idea it was so beautiful.


http://www.ladowntownnews.com/



...and at the same site, http://www.ladowntownnews.com/, there was this enigmatic comment.


Tunnels!??...did he say tunnels?...and he says "It's still there!" -further investigation needed-
__






Tonight I found another photo of the King Edward lobby.


http://www.insroland.org/taxonomy/term/283





Close up of the clock with the mysterious initials T. R..


http://www.insroland.org/taxonomy/term/283


Kim at http://www.insroland.org/contributors-page attempts to uncover the origins of these initials.
It's a must read. Enjoy!



__
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  #33443  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 8:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post
The first of these Julius Shulman photos of Coulter's looks like a wider view of the LAPL image posted by GW (the window displays appear to match). It's "Job 6216: Stiles Oliver Clements, Coulter's Dry Goods (Los Angeles, Calif.),ca. 1938".



I know we've seen Coulter's many times before, so I've omitted the second image in the set which is very similar to the first. What I don't remember seeing before is this view of the back. Under the main sign it says "71 Years of Quality and Service".



Both from Getty Research Institute
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  #33444  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 9:03 PM
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I happened across this terrific slide of the Bible Institute last night on eBay.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...wAAOSwFMZWr~6Y

I wish we could read the banner.

-note the red, white and blue 'modern' facade on the old building next door. Any idea what that is?
_


I realize we've seen many photographs of the Bible Institute on NLA over the years, but here's one I don't think we've seen before.



https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405324035190512030/

I've gone through multiple photographs of the Bible Institute and this is the only one I could find with the two radio towers on the roof.



_

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Feb 2, 2016 at 9:40 PM.
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  #33445  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 9:26 PM
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'mystery' street corner.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...3D182010463592

The biggest clue is Griffth Park Observatory in the distance. (& I love that two-tone green car )
__

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Feb 2, 2016 at 9:41 PM.
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  #33446  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 10:01 PM
CityBoyDoug CityBoyDoug is offline
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Crusade 1949


BGC



Billy Graham's 1949 Los Angeles evangelism campaign started small, in a rented circus tent, that could seat 6,000 people.

The site of Billy Graham's first Crusade in Los Angeles during 1949. The Crusade stretched out for eight weeks and attracted over 350,000 individuals
.
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  #33447  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 10:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post

'mystery' street corner.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...3D182010463592

The biggest clue is Griffth Park Observatory in the distance. (& I love that two-tone green car )
We're looking up N Van Ness Avenue from Hollywood Boulevard. Here's a similar view from a few years ago.


GSV

I decided to include this slightly elevated view which shows the observatory in the distance. It also shows the new fire station on the corner where the tire shop used to be.


Google Earth

This house is visible near the left of the original slide. Up until a few years ago it was looking a bit tatty, but now it's looking much better. It's now opposite the end of Canyon Drive, which was re-aligned when the Hollywood Freeway was built.


GSV
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  #33448  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 10:56 PM
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Is this a Frank Gehry design?

_
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  #33449  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 11:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post

Is this a Frank Gehry design?
I don't say this very often: LOL!

I probably should've included a clearer view of Los Angeles Fire Station 82.


GSV
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  #33450  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 11:16 PM
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Not bad.



Quote:
Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug View Post

BGC


CityBoyDoug, here's a look inside Graham's "Canvas Cathedral".


http://www.thearda.com/timeline/events/event_33.asp








And here he is as a mutant, towering over his tent getting ready to smash the sin out of the people.



https://www.pinterest.com/pin/256283035015691234/

"in the Canvas Cathedral with the Steeple of Light" I wonder what this means.....do you suppose there was a large searchlight?


___

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Feb 2, 2016 at 11:34 PM.
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  #33451  
Old Posted Feb 2, 2016, 11:23 PM
CityBoyDoug CityBoyDoug is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HossC View Post
I don't say this very often: LOL!

I probably should've included a clearer view of Los Angeles Fire Station 82.


GSV
Thanks ER for the peak inside the big tent.!!!

A cross between Jack-in-The-Box architecture and Space Age whoop-de-doo. Annoying and tiresome.
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  #33452  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 12:52 AM
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CBD: What should it look like?
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  #33453  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 12:53 AM
JeffDiego JeffDiego is offline
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Infamous Gas station at Hollywood and Van ness

Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
'mystery' street corner.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...3D182010463592

The biggest clue is Griffth Park Observatory in the distance. (& I love that two-tone green car )
__

Famous male hustler Scotty Bowers and his team of sex workers operated out of a Richfield gas station at 5777 Hollywood Blvd., corner of Van Ness, in the 1940's. Perhaps it is pictured here.
In his 2012 memoir, "Full Service," the aged Bowers describes revisiting the scene of the old service station about 2011 and writes that "a new fire station for the Los Angeles Fire Department was rising there." The fire station address is 5769 (chuckle) Hollywood Blvd.
Bowers wrote, "Over the years more Hollywood personalities secretly congregated at that little gas station than anywhere else in town. It was a scene that saw as much furious action as the busiest studio back lot. The place became a magnet for those in quest of carnal thrills and escapism of every kind. A cavalcade of movie stars and others were attracted to the station like the proverbial moth to a flame...Straight, gay, or bi; male or female; young or old - I had something for everyone. The vice squad and the press were constantly lurking on the periphery, eagerly waiting to pounce. But I always managed to elude them."
This photo, showing the station at the foot of a tranquil-looking Hollywood residential street, was probably taken at the height of Bower's "reign," which started in 1946 and lasted several years. In his book, I recall he described a brick motel either next door or across the street. A picture of that would be interesting.
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  #33454  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 1:00 AM
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I didn't realize what I had found; a tantalizing bit of gay-noir.

hmmmmm...do we know of any male stars that drove a two-tone green car?

__
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  #33455  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 1:32 AM
CityBoyDoug CityBoyDoug is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post



CBD: What should it look like?

....that's a loaded question.!!!


Last edited by CityBoyDoug; Feb 3, 2016 at 2:05 AM.
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  #33456  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 4:44 AM
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More Berke Mansion @ NW corner of 2nd and Bunker Hill Avenue

Quote:
Originally Posted by Beaudry View Post


Cool! Yes, the large shape to the left and down a bit from the pointy tower (Berke Mansion, up at 2nd and Bunker Hill Avenue) is the Rowan apartment hotel at 122 S Hope.

1886 LA City Directory @ fold3.com

The building's address was changed to 145 South Bunker Hill in 1890. It was apparently later known
as the Warncliffe Apartments, but I'm not sure when that was. In 1942 it was known as the Anderson
Apartments: http://rescarta.lapl.org/ResCarta-We...004%2f00000001 (see page 2749)

Here's the complete 1956 photo of the old Berke Mansion at the NW corner of 2nd and Bunker Hill
Avenue that Beaudry linked to:

001382551 @ CA State Library

This is the old Berke Mansion in June 1954:

411128 @ Huntington Digital Library -- http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single.../id/8692/rec/1

By February 1, 1957, it was boarded up. That's 137 South Bunker Hill next door:

411248 @ Huntington Digital Library -- http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single.../id/8812/rec/2
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  #33457  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 12:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JeffDiego View Post

This photo, showing the station at the foot of a tranquil-looking Hollywood residential street, was probably taken at the height of Bower's "reign," which started in 1946 and lasted several years. In his book, I recall he described a brick motel either next door or across the street. A picture of that would be interesting.
The gas station at 5777 Hollywood Boulevard can be seen on the northeast corner of the intersection of Hollywood and Van Ness in this 1948 view. The 1942 CD also lists a couple of gas stations on the north side of the 5800 block. I'm not sure if the "brick motel" is shown here.


Historic Aerials

Just four years later, the 5800 block had been cleared.


Historic Aerials

This 1954 image shows the Hollywood Freeway in the year it opened. It looks like the gas station at 5777 Hollywood Boulevard remained virtually untouched by the freeway construction.


Historic Aerials
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  #33458  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 3:32 PM
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1940s Kodachrome slide of Pershing Square from the corner of Hill and Fifth.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-SLI...QAAOSwXshWr~nB


detail


Is that a parking patrol guy on the three wheeled gizmo?

Is someone selling newspapers out of the green chest?

So many questions.
__
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  #33459  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 3:36 PM
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Boy selling newspapers at Hollywood and Vine [no date]


ebay
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  #33460  
Old Posted Feb 3, 2016, 3:43 PM
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A 1940s Kodachrome slide of the parking lot at the new Chinatown [1940s]


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Orig-1940s-3...4AAOSwKtlWpTDP

I haven't noticed that unsightly utility pole in other photographs. What's it for?


I'm outta' town until Friday. Have fun noirishers!
_
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