noirish Los Angeles

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I HOPE EVERYONE'S 4TH OF JULY IS A BLAST!


Giphy / And no, that isn't me dressed like CAPTAIN AMERICAN.

Although it could have been....I've been known to act a fool in my younger days.

A piece of 4th of July advice: If you see a guy running hard and he's wearing a t-shirt with the words "PYRO TECH" on it, keep up with him

Happy 4th, everybody, and stay safe.

Cheers,

Earl

[Ed Workman]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Ramona Boulevard roadway,

I'm into looking at old photos of LA Freeways again... I seem to go through cycles of various topics, of being into them and not being into them, LA Freeways included. I'm really into the older LA Freeways, specifically the Hollywood Fwy, Cahuenga Pass, and this section of what is now Interstate 10/the San Bernardino Freeway. I also live close to the Arroyo Seco Parkway, the West Coast's first, and I like that I can see "1940" debossed into the concrete of the Fair Oaks overpass over the 110. I know freeways are considered antiquated now, but they are such a part of the LA experience, whether you drive or not. LA's embrace of the automobile and the specific accommodation of them early on before other large cities is part of the city's and region's fabric.

Am I making sense? I've had my 3rd bottle of pear cider tonight. I feel it's usually not strong... Maybe because I've had little to eat for dinner?

Except for your signature, you are making sense
It's July 4th, we celebrate being endowed by our Creator

But back to our program
The archives of CA PUC are online
In there you should find many issues of 'California Highways and Public Works' published by the CA Division of Highway'. In its early years the engineers also designed building, but I digress.
There was no resemblance to 'Arizona Highways', a publication richly filled with stellar color photos.
CH&PW documented - wait for it- freeway construction in the appropriate era. My Grampa subscribed and saved the issues in the attic above his shop, so I enjoyed looking at the before and after pix of Cahuenga Pass etc

I made the mistake of searching CA State records and got no online materials
BUT
This should keep you off the streets and out of the tatoo parlors for several hours. Cider bars are okay

https://archive.org/search.php?query=california%20highways%20and%20public%20works

[odinthor]

I ran across this fragment, which appears to be from an Independence Day extra of the Los Angeles Star:

[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks for the birthday wishes Hoss and CBD.

Happy b-day ER, I'm 5 months and change your elder.

[Martin Pal]

Happy July 4th everyone!

...And HAPPY BIRTHDAY e_r!

[Martin Pal]

.

Steak Sale (and Tomatoes!) for your July 4th celebrations!

Among other things, like all those cars, the Skelton Studios sign caught my eye here. That's definitely an image of Red Skelton on that sign.

LINK

I thought I knew about the history of the Chaplin Studios, but I did not know that Red Skelton had filmed his television program here for about
three years and that he purchased the place, but sold it to CBS in 1962, after about 3 years. (Then Perry Mason was filmed there for several years.)

The photo is looking south from Sunset Blvd. right near the intersection at La Brea. The parking lot with the colorful array of cars is for the
Safeway store to the left. There's three differently painted mailboxes on the street. What were they all for? (Besides the right one being the
obvious one for letters.) There are a couple lovely street lamps and also an air raid siren. The gasometer must be the one at Formosa and
Romaine by the Goldwyn Studios, but it looks awfully close in this photo.

Photo is c.1960-1962.

[Scott Charles]

Happy birthday, ER! And thank you so much for all that you do!

And happy Independence Day to everybody else!

[Ed Workman]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

.

The photo is looking south from Sunset Blvd. right near the intersection at La Brea. The parking lot with the colorful array of cars is for the
Safeway store to the left. There's three differently painted mailboxes on the street. What were they all for? (Besides the right one being the
obvious one for letters.)

Photo is c.1960-1962.

Possibly one box was used to place mail from a truck for the local deliveryman who walked his route

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by Ed Workman

Possibly one box was used to place mail from a truck for the local deliveryman who walked his route

That would be the middle box. The one of the left looks like a newspaper box to me.

Cheers,

Earl

[tovangar2]

Happy Birthday to
our Fearless Leader

[Lorendoc]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I have somewhat of another 'mystery' folks. (surprise!)




\

Happy birthday, e_r. I went to the plaza today but the church was closed. Here is the closest I could get, by sticking my camera through the locked grate:



I'm pretty sure it's the right spot. The narrow window looks the same in each. But no crucifix visible today.

[Mstimc]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I have somewhat of another 'mystery' folks. (surprise!)

I happened upon this postcard awhile back on ebay. [postmarked 1913]



A couple of things:

#1 "The Old Crucifix".
I thought for a cross to ba a crucifix it had to include the body of Christ nailed it.
I was raised a Methodist [agnostic now]. We didn't dwell on the crucifix as much...as say, the Catholic Church.
[half my aunts and uncles..and cousins are Catholic]

#2
I am unfamiliar with the crossed silver swords(?), or whatever they are, that are attached to the cross shown in the postcard.
Do they have something to due with the early Spanish/Mexican inhabitants of Southern California?

#3 [THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT]
Does this crossed still exist? Is it somewhere on the grounds of the Plaza Church?
If not, has it been placed inside?
____________________________________________________________


I tried to located the cross with the google-mobile. I checked every nook & cranny that's visible from the car.

If you like, you can check for yourself HERE
__


Have a great day!

Happy 4th!

Here's my take....former Roman Catholic and now Episcopalian...

The sword/spears symbolize the spears used to 1) prod Jesus along as He carried His cross, and 2) the spear the Roman guard used to pierce Christ's side after He died on the cross. They look like they may have different heads, but that's my guess.

And you're 100% correct--a crucifix has Jesus's body on it. A cross doesn't. Very important when warding off vampires.

[tovangar2]

Here's three crosses, all from lapl, on the east side of the building:


"Exterior shot of the northerly wall of the Plaza Church and rectory. Palm tree [if they mean the plant at the left margin, I think that's a yucca] and cross in yard in front of rectory. One Priest is standing in front of the rectory under the overhang of the rectory" n.d.

tessa


This one's a Herman J Schultheis from 1937: "Cross in the courtyard, Plaza Church"

tessa (detail)


The cross in this drawing, dated 1857, has the diagonal going for it:

lapl

[Lorendoc]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Here's a couple of others (?), both from lapl, on the east side of the building:

Thanks for those. I'll try to get there when the church is open to look for the crucifix. Lots of homeless people with tents around it atm.

I was looking through more Calisphere images and liked this one (apologies if already seen). It must have been taken from some building just south of the 6th street viaduct.


calisphere.org

I had not seen the proposed replacement, maybe it's been posted before?



Looks like someone went berserk applying control-c control-v to the St. Louis arch.

[tovangar2]

I added a 3rd image to my last post.


I don't know why the new 6th St Bridge design looks as it does Lorendoc. If it had to be replaced we have the original plans. Why not just rebuild it?

It was fine by me:

google maps

[Otis Criblecoblis]

Happy Birthday, ER! Many happy returns! Thanks for all you do to keep this place copacetic.

[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

I added a 3rd image to my last post.


I don't know why the new 6th St Bridge design looks as it does Lorendoc. If it had to be replaced we have the original plans. Why not just rebuild it?

They're adding better pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes, so just rebuilding it wouldn't work.

[Hollywood Graham]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

.

Steak Sale (and Tomatoes!) for your July 4th celebrations!

Among other things, like all those cars, the Skelton Studios sign caught my eye here. That's definitely an image of Red Skelton on that sign.

LINK

I thought I knew about the history of the Chaplin Studios, but I did not know that Red Skelton had filmed his television program here for about
three years and that he purchased the place, but sold it to CBS in 1962, after about 3 years. (Then Perry Mason was filmed there for several years.)

The photo is looking south from Sunset Blvd. right near the intersection at La Brea. The parking lot with the colorful array of cars is for the
Safeway store to the left. There's three differently painted mailboxes on the street. What were they all for? (Besides the right one being the
obvious one for letters.) There are a couple lovely street lamps and also an air raid siren. The gasometer must be the one at Formosa and
Romaine by the Goldwyn Studios, but it looks awfully close in this photo.

Photo is c.1960-1962.

The box on th right is a mailbox for deposite of mail, the middle box is a drop off box for mailman (letter carrier in todays terms) to get his letter for delivery. The third box, I believe is for depositing waste. The stand alone air raid siren by the gasometer is interesting.

[Ed Workman]

Originally Posted by BillinGlendaleCA

They're adding better pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes, so just rebuilding it wouldn't work.

So how much does gaining walks and bikes cost?
Answer- an egregious amount
The ostensible reason was reaction between the cement and the aggregate [alkali-silica] that causes cracking over a long term in conditions of heat and moisture. There are remedies that don't require demolition.
I detect a distinct odor similar to that of Farmer John's place downriver

The 6th St bridge is arguably the most photographed bridge in the known world albeit not the most recognizable to the untrained eye

It's been in a Gazillion teevee commercials, many moves, and the underneath has stood-in for -wait for it- noir scenes of crime and violence in the other major cities of the US and ??
One of the nearby businesses had a sign on their fence to advertise parking for production crews.

Back when I watched commercial teevee I can't recall any significant teevee watching time that didn't have a snippet or more of that bridge
Well I have told myself a million times that I exaggerate.
The new bridge is an ego trip and an excrescence.

Why not replace , say the Washington Monument with a Frank Gehry Horror because the elevator is too small and the stairs don't comply with ADA?

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by BillinGlendaleCA

They're adding better pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes, so just rebuilding it wouldn't work.

So, rebuild it a little wider, instead of replacing it with that ridiculous Fruit Loops thing that's claimed to be a homage to the old bridge. Or, as EW said, they could've just remedied the concrete problem.