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Since Crossroads of the World was brought up yesterday I thought I would revisit it.
For some reason I always forget about the back section facing Selma Ave. (as you can see it's just east of the
recently discussed Baptist Church)
It is surprisingly quite some distance from the better known group of buildings
at Sunset Blvd. (where the iconic rotating globe is located)
GSV - Sunset at bottom - Selma at top
If I'm not mistaken the original plans for the area between the two groupings was going to be a 'Crossroads of the World' theater. (?)
UPDATE!
I just found this map that includes the proposed buildings that never came to fruition and
, yes
, one of them was going to be a theater.
I also see that the segment on Selma Ave. was called the Continental Villa.
The unrealized buildings are in a lighter shade.
findinglostangeles
As you can see the development was going to extend west, over to Las Palmas Ave.
(top of map)
I imagine the empty gap, as a result of the unbuilt buildings, contributed to development's struggles in popularity. Shoppers were supposed to lose themselves in a fantasy world
but to get to the buildings in the back (the Continental Villa) you had to cross an expanse of. . .umm. . .parking lot(?) . . .empty space(?) I'm not sure which.
AND the parcel of land that eventually became Crossroads of the World was the site of a very noirish double murder! (more on that later) or if anyone else wants to tackle the subject feel free to do so.
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