noirish Los Angeles

[GaylordWilshire]

'59 Buick 2-door hardtop

[HenryHuntington]

What is that large box-like thing for on the roof?

Looks like a cooling tower.

[AlvaroLegido]

Happy Birthday to GW.

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

LAPL http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068483.jpg

[transitfan]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here are a couple 'mystery' locations.



eBay

I think that's a small barber shop on the corner -also, there's a nicely shaped hill in the background.





I am pretty sure I haven't posted this one before.


eBay

Somewhere in Silver Lake?....or Los Feliz?
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The first pic seems to be of RTD (now MTA) Division 3. That was a LARy/LATL streetcar yard and was converted to bus use in the 50s. It is located on Avenue 28 a few blocks north (west?) of Figueroa St.

Here is the approximate current view: (sorry, couldn't get the Embed to work)

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0867...8i6656!6m1!1e1

GSV

As for the other pic, I don't have a location, but the Silverlake area seems to be correct, as the old 65 line did serve that area, via Silverlake Blvd. It is now MTA line 201.

[HossC]

Thanks, transitfan. I can't duplicate e_r's original photo with GSV, so here's an angled aerial view. The light green house just above and to the right of center appears to be the house above the buses in the vintage shot.


Google Maps

I'll have to keep looking for the Silverlake location.

[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I am pretty sure I haven't posted this one before.


eBay

Somewhere in Silver Lake?....or Los Feliz?

Originally Posted by transitfan

As for the other pic, I don't have a location, but the Silverlake area seems to be correct, as the old 65 line did serve that area, via Silverlake Blvd. It is now MTA line 201.

With a known bus route to check, it didn't take long to find the location. We're looking north on Silver Lake Drive by the junction with Shadowlawn Avenue.


GSV

The building in the background of e_r's picture is on the corner of Rowena Avenue. It's still there, and even retains its small awning over the rear door. I think the original photo shows the entrance to a pedestrian underpass on the corner. That has now gone.


GSV

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by AlvaroLegido

Happy Birthday to GW.

Thanks, AlvaroLegido-- took another look at the intersection of Wilshire & Hoover-- I assume that the palms in the current
view below are those seen in the vintage view. I don't remember that there was a "Wilshire Center" sign there-- the only
other one I know of is (or was as of the March 2015 GSV) outside of
3974 Wilshire Boulevard. I think they've been mentioned on NLA before, but I couldn't locate the references.


GSV

[CesarG]

For years the Arlington Manor sign was covered in ivy.

apartments.com

A few years ago it was uncovered but it is not the same as in this 1935 photograph:

http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics14/00026704.jpg


http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics14/00026663.jpg

[GaylordWilshire]

Great find CesarG & congratulations on your first post. Looks like the 1928 Arlington Manor's beard comes and goes and shifts around.... below is the view in July 2007, and below that, May 2011. By August 2012 the north wing had lost its ivy and been painted whatever that color is--while the southside still had its ivy then, and as of March 2015. Is all of it gone now?


GSV July 2007

GSV May 2011


LAT July 3, 1938


LAT Feb 6, 1955


LAT Apr 5, 1988

[HossC]

I'd also like to wish GW a happy birthday.


-------------


Today's Julius Shulman photo comes with its location in the description, which is lucky, because there's not much else to go on. It's "Job 145: John Kewell, 4424 Santa Monica Boulevard Building (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1947".


Getty Research Institute

It looks like the building survived until 2004, which is the date of the aerial view below and the online demo permit. The 2005 view shows the parking lot which is still there today. For reference, N Hoover Street runs down the right of the image below.


Historic Aerials

The 1946 new building permit says it was built for manufacturing ceramics. The 1956 CD lists a potter by the name of Richard G Block at 4424. I found this example of his work on eBay. The description includes the following: "The Block Pottery wad [sic] founded by Richard G. Block in Los Angeles, California. They produced figurines, ash trays, animals and birds, vases, bowls, wall pockets, banks and baby novelties from 1940 until 1950." Maybe that should say the 1940s until the 1950s.


eBay

[CesarG]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Great find CesarG & congratulations on your first post. Looks like the 1928 Arlington Manor's beard comes and goes and shifts around.... below is the view in July 2007, and below that, May 2011. By August 2012 the north wing had lost its ivy and been painted whatever that color is--while the southside still had its ivy then, and as of March 2015. Is all of it gone now?

It pretty much still looks like the 2015 GSV.

I still remember making a right onto W 21st St as a shortcut to Washington Blvd and escape from Arlington Ave traffic. The residence on the corner of Arlington Ave and W 21st St was not restored at the time. Eventually W 20th St and W 21st St were blocked off around the same time the blocks started getting some love and attention.

[CesarG]

Has anyone been able to find any period images from the two Alpine Craftsman homes (Dr. Grandville MacGowan House and the Briggs Residence) on 3726 and 3734 W Adams Blvd?

My own photograph.

The only image I found was this undated image of the McGowan House:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4038/...685d4347_o.jpg

[ethereal_reality]

Happy Birthday GaylordWilshire!




Here is a slide taken from the Southern Pacific pedestrian bridge in 1953.


http://spsbsub.blogspot.com/2012/04/...ailroader.html

The slide was taken by a family that had been downtown visiting Olvera Street and Chinatown. The billboards you see would be along North Broadway.



I've been trying to figure out what the obsolete structure is that you see below.

detail

detail

It extends from North Broadway down to the first set of tracks. -there's appears to be a substantial concrete foundation half way up.


If you look closely, you can see it in this vintage aerial. (just below my red arrows)


detail from http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7811





On that same outing, the father also took this photograph of his kids on the pedestrian bridge.



http://spsbsub.blogspot.com/2012/04/...ailroader.html

So darn cute!

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

With a known bus route to check (thanks to transitfan), it didn't take long to find the location. We're looking north on Silver Lake Drive by the junction with Shadowlawn Avenue.

The building in the background of e_r's picture is on the corner of Rowena Avenue. It's still there, and even retains its small awning over the rear door.
I think the original photo shows the entrance to a pedestrian underpass on the corner. That has now gone.


GSV

Thanks for locating my two 'mystery' locations transitfan and HossC.




below: I noticed that there might have been an underground pedestrian tunnel beneath Rowena Ave. (Ivanhoe Elementary School is across the street)


detail / eBay


Well, today there's no trace of a tunnel, but the building on the corner has some interesting art-deco touches (I'm not sure if they're original, or added in the 1930s/40s)


gsv



Here's a slightly different angle.


gsv




And there's a white building next door that also has some interesting art-deco flourishes.


gsv



gsv

The white building is Moby's new 100% organic Vegan restaurant, Little Pine.

http://www.littlepinerestaurant.com/

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Now if I can only find that pedestrian tunnel.

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' location.

This intersection appears to be higher than the surrounding area.


eBay

"Washington Thrift & Loan"

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[ethereal_reality]

And here's one more 'mystery' location for this evening.


eBay

Oh, it looks like Jimmy Smith is playing at the "Zebra Lounge". (not to be confused with the "Zebra Room" in the Town House Hotel on Wilshire)

[ersatz01]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

And here's one more 'mystery' location for this evening.


eBay

Oh, it looks like Jimmy Smith is playing at the "Zebra Lounge". (not to be confused with the "Zebra Room" in the Town House Hotel on Wilshire)

I believe the Zebra Lounge was located at 8505 S. Central, Los Angeles, near Manchester Ave. This makes sense with the photo, as there is Central Farms grocery store in the shot. This shot would be looking southerly along Central, towards Manchester, the intersection being obscured by the street car. Apparently, John Coltrane played there a few times in 1961.

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' location.

This intersection appears to be higher than the surrounding area.


eBay

"Washington Thrift & Loan"

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Wish I could say I found it.... To make a long story short, Washington Thrift acquired Guardian Thrift and its various SoCal locations in 1968 and then became Amfac Thrift in 1972... I looked into all the addresses I could find, especially down around Long Beach and in coastal towns since I get the sense that this pic is not in LA proper but near a coast... and then sort of lost interest. Maybe someone will find it eventually....


LAT March 18, 1969

Includes former Guardian Thrift locations....



LAT

1973

[HossC]

You found more than me, GW. Here's an article about the takeover of Guardian Thrift & Loan from the July 4, 1968 edition of Valley News from Van Nuys. It only names an address at 14764 Ventura Boulevard.
NB. I've rearranged this into two columns to make it more screen-friendly.


www.newspapers.com

[ethereal_reality]

This one is proving much more difficult than I thought.

I just spotted something I hadn't noticed before.

below: I believe there is a theater down the street. (circled below)


detail




and if anyone has an electron microscope handy , I bet the address is on the window (see arrow) -hmmmm, on second thought it might only be the business hours.

* I just noticed the signs in the corner window (to the left of the neighborhood Y sign). There's a word or two (red letters on orangish background) that are almost legible.


detail


Keep sleuthing, my friends.


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