noirish Los Angeles

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by odinthor

e_r, At least in 1890, there were facilities for display at the C of C--indeed, exhibition rooms (plural) . . .


LA Times July 6, 1890, via ProQuest via CSULB Library

In trying to pin down the supposed N. Main St. original location of the Chamber of Commerce, I found the following (A History of the Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, California, by Charles Dwight Willard, 1899).

https://books.google.com/books?id=k4wpAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inauthor:charles+inauthorwight+inauthor:willard&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwitxYWcjojbAhVLjlQKHRYNArgQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q&f=false

A quick glance-through revealed many things of interest, such as an illustration of a Liberty Bell constructed of--or at least decorated with--Oranges. The C of C is not to be confused with the Board of Trade, at the quarters of which latter ("in the old building on the corner of Broadway and First street," p. 58) the first meeting to organize the C of C took place; but an item of negative interest was that I could not find--in my glance-through--reference to an early N. Main St. location. Pages 58, 78, and 87 yielded C of C location data (there may be more on other pages).

Happy reading!

(PS: LOL, the preview shows a smiley in the URL; but the link stills works . . . at least, it does for me clicking on it in the preview.)

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

1889 original photo AGRICULTURAL FAIR LOS ANGELES CALIF

note the room appears to have an upper and lower row of windows on the sides and a stage at one end.


EBAY

"An 1889 photo by Dewey, 147 South Main St., Los Angeles, Cal., apparently of an indoor agricultural fair display.

Originally Posted by odinthor

e_r, according to the whimsical site http://web.csulb.edu/~odinthor/socal6.html, and talking about the most familiar site (well, to me) of the C of C:

"The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce building, on the east side of the 100s block of Broadway. The building, also known as the Southwest Building, had 130 S. Broadway as its address; the Chamber of Commerce, which moved here in 1903, and stayed until January 31, 1925, used 138 S. Broadway as its address. Previously, the Chamber, founded in 1888, had been sited initially on N. Main Street, then at what was to become the Tajo Building lot at 1st and Broadway, moving in 1890 to the Mott Building at 131 S. Main Street, and moving in 1894 to the then-new Mason Building at the southeast corner of Broadway and 4th."

Could e_r's photo show Armory Hall in the T. D. Mott Block? The hall had a stage at one end:



1888 Sanborn @ ProQuest via LAPL


The 1894 Sanborn notes that the Chamber of Commerce is upstairs (the building has been renumbered):



1894 Sanborn @ ProQuest via LAPL


T. D. Mott Block, c. 1905:



gpf.4615 @ Seaver Center

[Earl Boebert]

ethereal_reality asked:

"Miss Infra-Red Paint Job.....what the heck is a Infra-Red paint job?"

Probably paint dried under heat lamps, pretty common in that day.

Cheers,

Earl

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Pavement on West 64th Street marks the borders of Los Angeles and Inglewood. [June 5, 1961]
[...]
"The inferior pavement - the one with the holes on the right - is in Los Angeles. The left side of the street is Inglewood. -JOHN MALMIN

[...]

Believe it or not they're still doing it the same way after all these years.
___________________________________________________________________

I believe it. I have a friend who lives on the north side of Willoughby Ave. in West Hollywood. The south side is Los Angeles. A couple years ago the street needed repairing for some reason. Instead of some arrangement being made, the north side was dug up for a long period of time and after a long period, the south side was then dug up. Half the time could've been saved if some arrangement between entities could've been made.

You can see the same kind of road discoloration here: GSV LINK.


In that GSV link above, I just noticed, is this intersection where you see three street names and only two streets. I've occasionally pondered about drivers wondering WTF?

[HossC]

Originally Posted by odinthor

In trying to pin down the supposed N. Main St. original location of the Chamber of Commerce...

Looking through the CDs, the information seems to agree with what FlyingWedge found. The 1891 CD has an entry near the start which says:

Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles--Organized October 15, 1888.
Present membership, 450. Location, Main street bet First and Second.

The alphabetical listing says:

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF LOS ANGELES, C. M. Wells president, H. Jay Hanchette secretary, L. N. Breed treasurer, Mott Block.

I found the Mott Block on the 1910 Baist map:


www.historicmapworks.com

Originally Posted by odinthor

The C of C is not to be confused with the Board of Trade...

The 1890 CD hadn't caught up with the C of C move to the Mott Block. It shows George W Van Alstine as immigration agent for the Los Angeles Board of Trade and Chamber of Commerce, so maybe they shared some staff/facilities. The address is given as "NW cor West First and North Fort [N Broadway]". However, the Chamber Of Commerce Of Los Angeles, with Edward W Jones as president, is listed at office 11 St Vincent Building. The address of the St Vincent Building was "W s South Fort [Broadway] bet Sixth and Seventh.

[Noir_Noir]

The LA COC website has these images of the early offices -



LA Chamber - Historic Images

"Livery Stable at First and Broadway where the Chamber was founded in 1888 is now the present site of Los Angeles County Law Library. "


This appears to have been the Board of Trade Building.


Scripophily



The website has this as the second location -


LA Chamber - Historic Images


"February 1889, the five-month old Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce moved from its birthplace to the second story corner of First Street."


It then lists the third move to the Mott Building on March 22 1890.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Speaking of unsolved postwar murders and disappearances...

We don't seem to have ever seen on NLA the "fruit murder"--to quote LAPD detective Ed Jokisch, in a late-in-life interview late with Larry Harnisch--of William H Bonsall II.... I came across the case while researching the house (still) at 1315 West Adams Boulevard (story here). The Harvard-educated lawyer apparently shopped for companionship in Pershing Square one too many times. Found naked, beaten, bloody, and about to die in the driveway of the house his great-grandfather, an owner of the Times-Mirror Co, had built at the sec of today's West Third and Lucas. There seems to have still been plenty of money, so it seems odd that the family would return to the declining neighborhood--and allow a filling station to be built in the front yard--after living in West Adams and Beverly Hills... family noir....

Has anyone got anything on this victim of his times?


LAT Feb 17, 1946

Here's an article from the February 26, 1946 issue of the Los Angeles Herald.









"Bonsall's clothes were found draped over a chair, apparently preparatory to retiring for the night." -Yeah, right.

_

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

Could e_r's photo show Armory Hall in the T. D. Mott Block? The hall had a stage at one end:

detail / FW

Originally Posted by HossC

Looking through the CDs, the information seems to agree with what FlyingWedge found.
The 1891 CD has an entry near the start which says:

Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles--Organized October 15, 1888.
Present membership, 450. Location, Main street bet First and Second.

VERY INTERESTING FW & Hoss.
I wasn't aware of the armory hall on the second floor of the Mott Block.

FW's plan also shows a balcony that appears to match the one in the 1889 photograph.

BALCONY OUTLINED IN BLUE



1889 for comparison

detail

If this is Armory Hall in the Mott Block...is it the first time that we've seen a photograph of the interior?

_

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' water tower

Former model, 21 yr. old Theresa Cundall, threatens to jump from water tower. Boyfriend talks her down. [c.1959]


EBAY

info.


I don't remember a water tower of this type in Santa Monica.

Does anyone know where it was located?

MORE CLUES IN NEXT POST.


_

[ethereal_reality]

I just found more clues.

This article says the water tower was on a hill.


cdnc

It says Theresa (Terry) C. McKinney 20, INSTEAD OF THERESA CUNDALL 21. [obviously one of the articles is incorrect]



PAGE 2

cdnc

and she was MARRIED! hooo boy

__

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

If this is Armory Hall in the Mott Block...is it the first time that we've seen a photograph of the interior?

_

Yes, I believe this would be our first look at the hall in the Mott Block, so nice find, e_r! And if it's some other hall, it's still
a nice photo.

On January 21, 1888, Los Angeles had a 75th birthday party for The Pathfinder, General John C. Fremont, at Armory Hall
in the Mott Block, so it would be fun if your vintage photo shows that venue.

Unless it's been sent off for restoration, the Native Sons of the Golden West, Ramona Parlor, has on display the carriage that
supposedly dropped Gen. Fremont off at his 75th birthday party at Armory Hall in the Mott Block.

To be clear, the hall above the Mott Market was not always known as Armory Hall. In 1890 a new "Armory Hall" opened on the
west side of Broadway, just south of 6th Street. Prior to the construction of the Mott Block, "Armory Hall" was at the NW corner
of Requena and Los Angeles Streets, and its address was 17 Requena.

Also, the ebay seller may have misdated the vintage photo as 1889. The photographer, Dewey, is at 41 S. Main in the 1888
and 1890 LACDs, an address that looks to have converted to 147 S. Main (the adddress on the vintage photo's frame) following
the city-wide changeover in numbering (which eliminated most two-digit addresses) during 1890.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I just found more clues.

This article says the water tower was on a hill.


cdnc

It says Theresa (Terry) C. McKinney 20, INSTEAD OF THERESA CUNDALL 21. [obviously one of the articles is incorrect]



PAGE 2

cdnc

and she was MARRIED! hooo boy

__

Didn't some unfortunate starlet jump off the Hollywoodland Sign in the 1930s when her acting career didn't work out like she though it would? Any info on that? Vaguely recall reading about it decades ago in Ken Anger's "Hollywood Babylon" tell all. I think her name was Entwhistle or something like that. Maybe she should have changed her name and her career would have taken off. Anyway, the whole thing was sad. People visiting the sign should think of her and leave a flower or something.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by CaliNative

Maybe she should have changed her name and her career would have taken off.

The name didn't seem to have any adverse effect on the career of the The Who's bass guitarist, John Entwistle!

The actress was Peg Entwistle. Here are a couple of previous mentions:

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Pictures showing the Pig n Whistle have always always reminded
me of poor Peg Entwistle and her leap from the "H"...

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/...ywood_sign.jpg

LAPL http://jpg1.lapl.org/spnb01/00007118.jpg

LAPL http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics44/00041562.jpg
(That's not Peg.)

A full history is here: http://www.hollywoodsign.org/the-his...-sign-is-born/

Originally Posted by HossC

I found a video about the sign on YouTube. In Part 1: A History of the Hollywood Sign, 1923-2009, the contibutors discuss the sign's creation and the suicide of Peg Entwistle.

[GaylordWilshire]

Had a look into this sad story...stuck with two little kids and no hubby, not making it in pictures after basking in all that stardust while spending all those hours--maybe--with her father in the projection booth at Grauman's. (Reminds me of Betty Schaefer: "I come from a picture family. Naturally they took it for granted I was to become a great star. So I had ten years of dramatic lessons, diction, dancing....") Looks like Theresa (or Teresa) Jean Cundall became 'Teresa Peters'--perhaps another husband's name, or maybe she was thinking of Jean Peters and decided that she might have better luck in show biz with that name. She was born in LA on November 3, 1932...married Leo McKinney on August 10, 1949...(and would become Mrs. Kaplan in 1969). Widening the lens a little, it looks like Leo might have gotten remarried in July 1953, two months after Teresa's tower escapade. Could his engagement have driven her to do it? Anyway, a few Teresa Cundall items....



56 CD



obit from LAT June 30, 1960

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's an article from the February 26, 1946 issue of the Los Angeles Herald.
_____________________________________________

That's pretty wild. And harrowing.

That story and the "tower-sitter" story...thanks E_R and GW; interesting finds.

[ethereal_reality]

You're welcome martin pal.
___


Take a look at this atmospheric amateur slide from 1957.


flickr

"FOUND SLIDE 12-3-57- L.A."

__

[ethereal_reality]

A hazy morning in 1953. Looking east from Bunker Hill.


flickr

As most of you know, the Los Angeles Times building is on the right. (which means we're looking down 1st Street)



..and a closer look at the building under construction. (not sure


detail

Despite the haze, the orphanage in Boyle Heights is visible on the horizon.



__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

"Theresa (or Teresa) Jean Cundall became 'Teresa Peters'--perhaps another husband's name, or maybe she was thinking of Jean Peters and decided that she might have better luck in show biz with that name. She was born in LA on November 3, 1932...married Leo McKinney on August 10, 1949...(and would become Mrs. Kaplan in 1969). Widening the lens a little, it looks like Leo might have gotten remarried in July 1953, two months after Teresa's tower escapade."

Thanks for the additional information on Theresa/Teresa Cundall "I'm gonna jump" McKinney GW.
It's interesting that her father was the projectionist at Grauman's Chinese for 35 years!

SIDENOTE:
I searched for a photograph of her on IMDB, using every variation of her name, but came up empty.




and I wasn't able to find the damn water tower.
__

[ethereal_reality]

"1880 Beauty Parade Los Angeles Photo Floyd Clymer" Beauty Parade?


autolit

"Original photograph, 8 x 10 , photo has been heavily retouched near top for publication , soiling at borders near edges,
stamp on reverse,"Security First National Bank of Los Angeles", printed in the 1920's. This original photograph
was obtained from the collection and estate of Floyd Clymer, the famous automobile book and magazine publisher
who died in the 1970s . This photograph is probably one-of-a-kind and may have been published by Clymer
in one of his many publications."
________________________

We have seen numerous photos from the Floyd Clymer estate, but I don't believe we have seen this one on nla.

I'm perplexed by the 'beauty parade' description...or whatever that's suppose to mean.

-And I'm not even sure what kind of wagon that is.

_

[ethereal_reality]

We have seen so many photographs of Westlake Park over the years that it's nearly impossible to remember what has been posted and what hasn't.

That said, I believe this amazing photograph is new to nla.

"1890s LOS ANGELES WINTER SCENE LADY w/PARASOL in WESTLAKE PARK~BEST & CO."


picclick




There is so much to see, I've decided to post it gigantic for your viewing pleasure.



Note the people in the observation tower.

odinthor, can you tell us what kind of ground cover that is?

I'M GOING TO TAKE A GUESS. CREEPING PHLOX?



-