noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

:previos: Wow! Good sleuthing Bill! I didn't realize Pasadena had a casting club.



...and they had their own man-made casting pool. -that's pretty cool.

Originally Posted by BillinGlendaleCA

The "swimming pool" is what the club used for casting, it seems to be bigger now than in ER's photo.

It looks about the same size to me Bill. (& there's no water now).....or am I seeing things?

Wait. I just noticed it's in the wrong position.

OK, now I see why you said it's larger. It takes me awhile.







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[ethereal_reality]

Thanks for matching the Americus Club marching band with the mystery marchers Noir Noir.



Yep. Definitely the same uniforms.


In 1898...the club was located at 23 North Fair Oaks Avenue. (the old Pickwick Club quarters) -per the article

Read the article HERE

Hopefully we'll be able to locate a phototgraph of the building.

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[Noir_Noir]

This is the building in 1910. Known as the Mary Bartlett Building, it dates from 1894. The facade of the building was remodelled in 1923.



Downtown Pasadena's Early Architecture


Here is the ground floor which housed The Model Grocery in 1902. The Americus Club had it's rooms upstairs.


Downtown Pasadena's Early Architecture


Could be one of the Americus guys, interrupted from plotting a parade, in the window?





GSV

[Harry's Place]

1933, new library opened on board a californian train


1933, CA, a home among redwood trees

[Harry's Place]

1932

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Noir_Noir

Mary Bartlett Building, it dates from 1894.

Could be one of the Americus guys, interrupted from plotting a parade, in the window?

Could very well be.

[Martin Pal]

The Crosby Building (Bing) has recently been submitted for historic preservation because a developer wants to build another hotel there.

I believe the Crosby Building at 9034 Sunset Blvd., near Doheny, has been mentioned on NLA previously:

1938 image from Playground to the Stars:


This is what the developer wants to build, complete with a helipad on the roof: It's a twister!



May I ask, have architects lost their minds lately? Are they inspired by Frank Gehry?
This looks like a melted version of the Capitol Records building.



If you look at the above rendering it looks like they either surrounded and remodeled the Crosby building or just paid an homage to it.
Because of the Crosby Building being submitted for historic preservation, the developer has submitted a design proposal, below, to keep the building, but move it over to the east.

[ethereal_reality]

Never before seen [on NLA] souvenir photograph from Florentine Gardens, May 1, 1944.

Whenever I come across souvenir photographs from the Florentine Gardens I search the room to see if Elizabeth Short among the patrons.





with signatures!

Date stamped on back. MAY 1, 1944


Found a couple months ago on EBAY.

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[ethereal_reality]

Here's a closer look at the signatures.



How many can you decipher? (most are pretty easy...a few others, as you can see, are rather difficult)

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[Handsome Stranger]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

The Crosby Building (Bing) has recently been submitted for historic preservation because a developer wants to build another hotel there.

I believe the Crosby Building at 9034 Sunset Blvd., near Doheny, has been mentioned on NLA previously:

1938 image from Playground to the Stars:

My favorite Crosby Building story: it was once home to Daystar Productions, one of the production companies behind the original Outer Limits show. Some sound effects work was done there, and the equipment they used (exotic for the time) had the unintended effect of broadcasting the sounds a short distance. So if you happened to be driving by the Crosby Building at the right time in 1963, and if your car radio happened to be on, you might have heard a very distorted and distinctly alien voice intoning: "Electromagnetic forces underlying all. Matter, space, time, all the same. Infinity is God."

Also, I love how the artistic renderings of the proposed new building depict almost no traffic whatsoever. That's some genuine science fiction!

[BDiH]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Never before seen [on NLA] souvenir photograph from Florentine Gardens, May 1, 1944.

Whenever I come across souvenir photographs from the Florentine Gardens I search the room to see if Elizabeth Short among the patrons.

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I do the same, but Elizabeth Short was in Florida from December, 1943 until December, 1945, with trips to Georgia and Massachusetts in between. She wasn't in California in 1944.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

It's a twister!

Giphy

[Martin Pal]

LOL! Man, that movie came out 39 years ago!

With all the changes in air travel since then, they certainly could come up with another one or do a remake!

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's a closer look at the signatures.

How many can you decipher? (most are pretty easy...a few others, as you can see, are rather difficult)
______________________________________________________

I can't decipher the actual name, but I wonder which woman is the "Siren of the Miracle Mile?"

[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Giphy

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.

[ethereal_reality]

Man, wearing a rather short neck tie, posing next to an automobile in Los Angeles, 1930. [note the unique headlights]


EBAY no longer listed


There is something interesting that I didn't notice until I happened upon this next photograph. [below]






What, pray tell, is that fan-shaped 'contraption' under the car? (next to, and behind, the woman's leg)

If the car was parked on a hill..I'd say it's to stop the car from rolling. (but, as you can see, the street is perfectly flat) -see above


HERE'S A CLOSER LOOK.

detail

It looks likes something you'd find in front of a fireplace.

Has anyone seen one of these contraptions before?

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[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

The Crosby Building (Bing) has recently been submitted for historic preservation because a developer wants to build another hotel there.

I believe the Crosby Building at 9034 Sunset Blvd., near Doheny, has been mentioned on NLA previously:

1938 image from Playground to the Stars:

Is that a Packard at the right in the photo? Anyone know?

[ethereal_reality]

my mom says it's a Packard. (but she can't see very well)

[GaylordWilshire]

Your mom is correct. The car with the Woodlites and the who-knows-what under its right front is also a Packard. I thought we'd seen them more recently here on NLA, but here are 2014 priors of yours and mine ER:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Any of you car connoisseurs want to wager a guess on this one?


old file/probably ebay
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Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

That's a Ruxton. Front wheel drive and also a make that used the unusual "Woodlite" headlights. Who's the gal? Hmmm...somewhere on the thread I think we might have seen this pic--the "45th St" and what appears to be "1st Ave" signs look familiar. Looks like a movie lot.

More here

https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hm...o/1705167.html

http://theoldmotor.com/?p=121304

[Beaudry]

Ok, my brain is having some issues, so am throwing myself on the mercy of the most excellent researchers there are. I'm doing some work on early Hill Street and a couple pictures are confounding me. Any input would be appreciated.

These two Widney houses. Here's this image of Joseph Widney's pad at 321 S Hill.

usc

Problem is, here's the 1888 Sanborn. 321, bottom, doesn't look much like it, other than the bay window on the south side. I'm thinking the image was shot earlier in the 80s (JP seems to have moved to 321 in '83, see below) and then made an addition to it (stretching out the north side of the facade to the east) between then and '88. Thoughts? And what do we think is up there on the hillside?



Now also at USC is this image of "Judge Widney"'s residence. See how much it looks like 321's neighbor, on the Sanborn.

usc

Sure looks like 317 (or whatever that address is between 321 and 309) to me, but there's no listing for a Widney there, but there is a listing for a Widney at 309 (they say Robert lives there but in the same '83 listing say he lives on Hill "between Fourth and Fifth"), but 309 doesn't look like this on the Sanborn. Opinions?

A roundup of Widneys moving about in the 80s:



Thanks in advance!

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

my mom says it's a Packard. (but she can't see very well)

Mothers know things.

That ''thing'' under the car could just be a random newspaper.