noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

Originally posted by HossC

https://www.flickr.com/photos/conejo...7638951711855/

I really liked the aerials of Moorpark Road and Thousand Oaks Boulevard Hoss, especially this first one. (shown above)






Here's another early aerial (1961 or 62) that shows Du-Par's before the Chalet Motel was built next door between the restaurant and the drainage ditch.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/conejo...ream/lightbox/

What I found intriguing was that narrow strip of land between Du-par's parking lot and the Conejo Village Bowl parking lot at upper left.


Here's a closer look:


detail

Well, it turns out the mysterious strip of land is a remnant of the original Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Mike over at "Conejo Through the Lens" says that portion of the road was still in use up until 1958. (only 3 or 4 years before this photo was taken!)


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[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' location #2


"Lawrence Welk and his cast with a fleet of '57 Dodges."


https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCo...a_fleet_of_57/

Seriously tacky with the continental kit....



Don't know where ER's picture was taken, but here's Welk with a '59 Dodge at another mystery location, presumably somewhere in SoCal.... (Cornball Welk and his Geritol contingent sure didn't do Dodge any favors in the image department. Dodge eventually got wise, as Pontiac had, and ditched the appeal to the Babbitts.)





Although apparently it did sometimes get kinky backstage...

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' location #3


"Aerial view of unidentified flooded area, showing large river sweeping near city, 1938"


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/3269/rec/22




....of particular interest is this raised area with the homes that has pretty much become an island!

detail


This is an unidentified image at the Los Angeles Public Library.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/3269/rec/22



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[ethereal_reality]

re: recent eBay find. (tonight)

We've seen numerous images of the Raymond Hotel on NLA, but we haven't seen this magnificent cabinet card. [c.1880s]



http://www.ebay.com/itm/1880s-PASADE...gAAOSwPCVX2xKm

W.B. Byram, photographer




Here's a closer look at the hotel. (I think I see telegraph wires)

detail

As most of you know, the original Raymond Hotel burnt down in 1895.

Nathan Masters writes:

"An ember from one of the Raymond Hotel's 80 chimneys landed on the structure's wood shingle roof, starting a fire that destroyed the hotel on Easter Sunday, 1895."

80 chimneys!! I've never heard that before.



Pasadena Museum of History via https://www.kcet.org/lost-la/souther...south-pasadena

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[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

re: recent eBay find. (tonight)

We've seen numerous images of the Raymond Hotel on NLA, but we haven't seen this magnificent cabinet card. [c.1880s]



http://www.ebay.com/itm/1880s-PASADE...gAAOSwPCVX2xKm
_

This is a 2016 street map of the area where the Raymond Hotel was sited in the 1890s.. The old hotel location is in red at the top.


The Baldwin "California Arrow"

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' location #2


"Lawrence Welk and his cast with a fleet of '57 Dodges."


https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSchoolCo...a_fleet_of_57/

Who can forget Lawrence demo'ing the in-car record player in the '56 models? (Just ask Spade Cooley!)
http://imperialclub.com/Repair/Acces...erenceWelk.jpg



http://imperialclub.com/Repair/Acces...iWay/Demo1.jpg



http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/73...a9c04dc7b0.jpg


'56 Dodge commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9hEJuHhzwo

[VictorAtomic]

Poor House! Home Depot stucco is one of the worst things to happen to great homes. Some people just don't have an eye for nice things.

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

"Harvey House"



Harvey, about 4 years old in front of 536 w. 57th Street
ebay

Notice the wind-mill peeking out behind the gable.

reverse




536 W. 57th Street today.

GSV

The only thing that tells you this is the same house are the two craftsmen-like 'supports' beneath the overhang.
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[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

"Aerial view of unidentified flooded area, showing large river sweeping near city, 1938"


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/3269/rec/22

....of particular interest is this raised area with the homes that has pretty much become an island!

This is the Arroyo Seco near S Avenue 52. The little island of houses is still there. I think the three white houses about half way up the left hand side are survivors too.


Google Maps

[ethereal_reality]

And those three you mentioned Hoss are amazing. I was always going to post about them..well now's my chance!


They're nearly identical.


gsv

Both views (above and below) are from Echo Street.


gsv






Here's a side view facing S. Ave 50.


gsv




There's also a line of garages out back that look like they haven't been touched since the year they were built. (note you can see downtown)


gsv






And behind the garages there are three mini-me apartments.


gsv

These look particularly noirish to me.






And last but not least, this was sitting in the alley (actually Oak Terrace Dr.) the last time I was snooping around in the area.


detail / gsv

note: this is parked at a different property.



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[HossC]

This is the building across the street from the three houses. It's also visible in the 1938 picture. I think the large white building across Avenue 50 may be a survivor too, but it's hidden by trees.

GSV

Here's another house I spotted on the 1938 image (the one just below center).


Detail of picture in USC Digital Library

The house looks well preserved. The building in the top-left corner of the view above is also still there. Today it's the Mystic Dharma Buddhist Temple.


GSV

[ethereal_reality]

Oh yes, that's a great one Hoss!

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

This is a 2016 street map of the area where the Raymond Hotel was sited in the 1890s.. The old hotel location is in red at the top.


The Baldwin "California Arrow"

Thanks for this map CityBoyDoug, it's really interesting.


Here's a rare look inside the Raymond Hotel.


"Guests relax inside the Raymond Hotel rotunda."


Pasadena Museum of History via https://www.kcet.org/lost-la/souther...south-pasadena

This is an amazing space, but wouldn't it have to be round to be a rotunda?

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[HossC]

I found the picture below in the middle of a Julius Shulman set called "Job 2110: Miscellaneous buildings, 1955". I may return to the set if I can find any of the other buildings.



Getty Research Institute

Here's another picture of the Fritos building from a blog post called Food Moderne. This is the caption that goes with the picture.

"The Frito Company similarly established a stronghold in Los Angeles, building its largest plant at 8734 Bellanca Avenue. The company's general and district sales managers moved into the new location in the spring of 1950. Over 4,000 people attended the grand opening celebration. Executives demonstrated the original hand press that was used to make the first fritos in San Antonio in 1932."

southeasternarchitecture.blogspot.com

Sadly, there's no sign of the building today.


GSV

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by HossC

Here's another picture of the Fritos building from a blog post called Food Moderne. This is the caption that goes with the picture.

"The Frito Company similarly established a stronghold in Los Angeles, building its largest plant at 8734 Bellanca Avenue. The company's general and district sales managers moved into the new location in the spring of 1950. Over 4,000 people attended the grand opening celebration. Executives demonstrated the original hand press that was used to make the first fritos in San Antonio in 1932."

southeasternarchitecture.blogspot.com

Thanks for this, Hoss! I remember taking a tour of a Fritos factory when I was a kid, and I bet this was the one. I don't recall
seeing the original hand press, but I remember getting one of those rubber Frito Banditos that went on the end of a pencil.

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

"Guests relax inside the Raymond Hotel rotunda."


Pasadena Museum of History via https://www.kcet.org/lost-la/souther...south-pasadena

This is an amazing space, but wouldn't it have to be round to be a rotunda?

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That's what I thought! But apparently the Hollenbeck Hotel at 2nd and Spring in LA also had an unround rotunda:

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

Back in mid-July 1893, Vice President Adlai Stevenson stopped by the Hollenbeck:



Vistas in Southern California (A. C. Bilicke & Co., 1893) @ HaithiTrust -- http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?i...iew=1up;seq=47

[ethereal_reality]

re: “Ay, Yi, Yi, Yiii"

Originally Posted by HossC

Getty

"The Frito Company similarly established a stronghold in Los Angeles, building its largest plant at 8734 Bellanca Avenue.

Hoss, your post made me think of the Frito Kid at Disneyland's 'Casa de Fritos' in the 1950s.
Guests could pay a nickel for a bag of chips to be dispensed by this elaborate vending machine. (shown below)


http://miehana.blogspot.com/2008/05/...muncha_11.html

"Upon inserting your nickel, the Frito Kid figure would come to life, turning his head, licking his upper lip, slowly moving his eyes side to side.
He would call to the unseen miner, Klondike, to send a bag of chips up the mine. Klondike would respond with an echoey voice sounding like he was deep in the corn chips mine. A wax-paper bag of chips would slide down the trough. A number of different audio tracks would play so each customer heard something different from the last."


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...e2d002240e.jpg

Does anyone remember when the Frito Kid lived and worked at Disneyland?

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[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This is an amazing space, but wouldn't it have to be round to be a rotunda?

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

That's what I thought! But apparently the Hollenbeck Hotel at 2nd and Spring in LA also had an unround rotunda:

I've always assumed that a rotunda was round, especially given its Latin derivation, but Merriam-Webster and The Free Dictionary both mention a second meaning which was new to me. The definition below is from the latter:


ro·tun·da (rō-tŭn′də)

n.

1. A circular building, especially one with a dome.
2.

a. A large area with a high ceiling, as in a hotel lobby.
b. A large round room.

__________________________

[Italian rotonda, from feminine of rotondo, round, from Latin rotundus; see rotund.]


You learn something new every day .

[ethereal_reality]

Good to know Hoss.
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Here's a rather surprising item that has come up for sale at eBay.

"ANTIQUE 1924 Cast Iron Bridge Sign LLEWELLYN IRON WORKS LOS ANGELES California"



http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-1924...oAAOSwFe5X1hH3

Heavy cast iron bridge 'Plaque'. Measures app 15 1/2" by 36 1/2". US $495.00 (or $42 for 12 months)


http://rescarta.lapl.org



This company.....


http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/F...olNumber=11785

"Looking across the street we see the framework of girders covering the entire block. A sign on the front reads "Erected by Llewellyn Iron Works".
A larger sign to the left advertises the "Junior Revue of 1916" at the Pantages."

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[GaylordWilshire]

The Llewellyns lived here: http://www.berkeleysquarelosangeles....ner-house.html

[ethereal_reality]

Amazing details about the Llewellyn family GW, thanks for the link.





Llewellyn Iron Works also supplied the framework for the Angel's Gate Lighthouse.


http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=99

"By July 1912, the structural steel framework, provided by Llewellyn Iron Works of Los Angeles, was ready for erection on the forty-foot-square pierhead.
The lighthouse was built around twelve steel columns and sits at the end of the 9,250-foot San Pedro breakwater. The base of the structure is octagonal
and covered with steel plates, while the upper section is cylindrical and built using cement plaster on metal lath."





http://www.leuchtturm-welt.net/HTML/...AL/S_PEDRO.JPG

sidenote:

"Champion Iron Works of Canton, Ohio provided the helical-bar lantern room and cast-iron parapet at the top of the tower.
The twelve columns, covered with pilasters, give the lighthouse a Romanesque feel. No other lighthouse was ever built to this design."

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=99