noirish Los Angeles

[HossC]

There's a Nathan Masters article about the Pasadena trees on the Los Angeles Magazine website - it's called CityDig: The Oak That Grew Out Of Orange Grove Avenue. There are only three paragraphs, so I decided to quote them all:

It was no accident of haphazard surveying. It was a deliberate act of town planning that placed a massive oak tree in the middle of a major Pasadena intersection. When Calvin Fletcher laid out the San Gabriel Orange Grove Association subdivision in 1874, he oriented the main thoroughfare, Orange Grove Avenue, so that it would wrap around at least two ancient live oaks. Shade was a precious commodity on Pasadena’s mostly treeless mesa, and Fletcher’s plan saved these sprawling oaks by incorporating them into the avenue’s landscaped median.

As Fletcher hoped, they would become landmark specimen trees. One grew from the middle of Orange Grove Avenue near Columbia Street. Another—seen above circa 1905, courtesy of the California Historical Society Collection at the USC Libraries—rose from the center of Orange Grove’s intersection with California. Here, the orange growers who would found Pasadena reportedly picnicked under the oak’s boughs shortly after arriving from Indiana. Later, the tree’s limbs would shade the town’s first schoolhouse, and a local artisan built a rustic bench that sat against the trunk.

But Fletcher’s gesture of respect ultimately doomed the landmark tree at Orange Grove and California. Improvements to the roadway—first dirt, then paved—came at the expense of the tree’s roots, which struggled to draw water from the ground. It didn’t help that around 1895, a group of boys had accidentally set fire to the branches while trying to smoke out a hive of bees. As the tree sickened, Pasadena took extraordinary measures to save it. The local water utility installed a hydrant to quench the tree’s thirst, and concerned residents brought in two tree surgeons to excise the oak’s decay and seal its wounds. It wasn’t enough. In the summer of 1911, workers removed the dying tree from the place it had stood for decades, maybe centuries—long before Pasadena appeared on the map.

[ethereal_reality]

Very interesting. -thanks Hoss!

[ethereal_reality]

Richard Neutra, Sinay House, built 1947.


http://darquitectura.tumblr.com/post...ra-sinay-house

1861 Heather Court, Beverly Hills CA



And today.


gsv


interior.


http://jonasgrossmann.tumblr.com/pos...rly-hills-1947

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks for letting me know pwrof3.

Imageshack has been having difficulties for about a week now (the site was completely offline for several days). Many user's photograph have now gone missing.
Hopefully the photographs will show up again once Imageshack gets it's act together.

I'm sorry to say, but it's pretty much out of my hands at this point.
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ER: I did some investigation about your photos. It appears to me that your missing old images directly or via imageshack from ebay [''have expired'']...whatever that means. The images from ebay you enlarged or changed in some manner are still visible.

[HossC]

I think I've now covered all the Julius Shulman Bank of America photosets from the early '50s (there are a couple from outside LA that I'm ignoring), but there are two or three later ones which I'll post. This one is "Job 4427: Hugh Gibbs and Don Gibbs, Bank of America (Long Beach, Calif.), 1968".



This is the Belmont Shore branch on East 2nd Street in Long Beach, between Granada Avenue and Nieto Avenue.



Here'a a view along the E 2nd Street side.



There are no long shots in this set, but it does come with a couple of interior photos.



I assume we're looking towards the Granada Avenue entrance in this shot.



All from Getty Research Institute

The color scheme has been lightened, and the signage updated, but I think the covering for the entrance is the only notable change.


GSV

In case you thought I was ignoring the maritime flags on the back wall of the bank, I'm not. Here they are with their corresponding letters. Reading down the columns you get "BANK OF AMERICA BELMONT SHORE BRANCH Q". I can't see any reason for the trailing "Q" - it may have been a plain white panel (it's tricky differentiating yellow from white in black and white shots!). Does anyone know if they're still there, or how long they lasted?

[ethereal_reality]

It wouldn't have occurred to me to decipher the flags behind the counter. Good job Hoss!
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Rainy day in Sherman Oaks, 1952.


http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...lifornia-1952/

note the Cherry House on the corner. (and that funny lookin' miniature car )



Look out! Splash!


http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...lifornia-1952/


I located the Cherry House in the 1961-62 Van Nuys city directory.




The buildings are all pretty much still there. (northwest corner of Ventura & Woodman Ave.)


gsv

Even the house that is visible down the street in the 1952 photographs is still there.


detail / gsv




below: Same intersection; different angle.

This is looking north on Woodman Ave. from Ventura Blvd.

See the small building (red arrow)

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...lifornia-1952/

...it's still standing as well.

now grayish-green

gsv


empty, and ready to rent.



Art's Automotive Center on the southwest corner of Ventura & Woodman (across from Cherry House)


http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...lifornia-1952/


Art's again (at far left) and a few more buildings in view.





same view today.

Art's is gone, and it's difficult to tell if the other buildings are the same ones in the 1952 photograph.



___

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

:

Rainy day in Sherman Oaks, 1952.

note the Cherry House on the corner. (and that funny lookin' miniature car )

___

That car is a Crosley. Powell Crosely also made radios, ran a radio network, and owned the Cincinnati Reds.

Cheers,

Earl

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks Earl. A Crosley you say.





This is probably that same rainy day in 1952, but a different intersection.



http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2...lifornia-1952/

I can't quite make out the name of the Drug Store (it's in neon above the word DRUGS). The street sign obviously tells us this is Vantage Avenue (at Ventura Blvd.)


I believe this is the same view today.


gsv

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[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Earl Boebert

That car is a Crosley. Powell Crosely also made radios, ran a radio network, and owned the Cincinnati Reds.

Cheers,

Earl

The 26 hp wonder car. It got huge mileage but had little pep. The problem was that gas was cheap then and people needed
lots of room in a car. Today in 2015 its considered a very ''green'' car.

Powel Crosley was well known for his inventions and consumer products.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powel_Crosley,_Jr.


crosleyautoclub

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

which led me to it's location at the old Hotel Lafayette at 2731 Beverly Boulevard.

GSV


Alas, the 'Zimba' sign is now painted over (in blue).


GSV/detail

ornate entrance/hotel lafayette inlaid in the sidewalk at doorway.



Hotel Lafayette est. 1927

http://www.you-are-here.com/



http://www.franklinhills.org/
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a lot of images can be "fleeting" Fingers crossed that they will reappear. Zimba Room 2735 Beverly Blvd.


http://www.franklinhills.org/sunsetpacific.html


http://www.you-are-here.com/building/lafayette.jpg




http://www.franklinhills.org/lafayette74.jpg



A short distance (west) from Hotel Lafayette was the 2755 Beverly Blvd. - Baer Bros Service Station. Source mentions "1928" but this date seems erroneous considering the much later vehicles at the station. (There are 1928CD listings for the Baer Bros (Fred and Harry) but these appear to be for grocery stores: 7119 Beverly Blvd and 8090 Santa Monica Blvd) There are listings listings for the 2755 location from '56 though '69.




2755 Beverly Blvd, - Baer Bros Service Station
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics46/00057689.jpg


http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics46/00057681.jpg


http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics46/00057688.jpg




1949 - Max "Slapsie Maxie" Baer Sr. and "Jethro" Jr. (Not aware of any relation to the Baer Bros.)
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics39/00054068.jpg


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...onshipBelt.jpg




http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...tten/Baer1.jpg


http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...tten/Baer2.jpg




Max Baer Jr.
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps71aad4d2.jpg

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

a lot of images can be "fleeting" Fingers crossed that they will reappear. Zimba Room 2735 Beverly Blvd.

I don't know what else I can do Tourmaline.
None of my imageshack photographs should be "fleeting." (I'm a paid subscriber)

I also noticed that some of Gaylordwilshire's imageshack photographs are missing too, and have the same message..."This Image Has Expired."


Here are a few recent complaints from just the last several hours concerning the problems at imageshack. http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/imageshack.us.html


http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/imageshack.us.html



below: I hope this is true. (posted one day ago)


http://www.isitdownrightnow.com/imageshack.us.html


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[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I can't quite make out the name of the Drug Store (it's in neon above the word DRUGS). The street sign obviously tells us this is Vantage Avenue (at Ventura Blvd.)
__

I think the slanted script neon says, "[Pres]cription Drugs", but I cannot read the word in all caps below it.

I assume the business is "[Vanta]ge Drugs"

[ethereal_reality]

I believe you're correct about "prescriptions" t2.

detail


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[HossC]

I concur on the [Pres]criptions. I think the word under it is "FOUNTAIN". Given the address, and the part of the sign that's visible, I'd guess the name is "VANTAGE DRUGS".

I think this is the other side of the sign (before the neon) in a circa 1939 Herman Schultheis photo.


LAPL

[Tourmaline]

I wish I had a decent suggestion, short of recreating the images or possibly reposting - if they were saved on a hard drive. Not my intention to harp on the situation. However, in reading one of your posts, there was a slight chance that this is a temporary problem, somewhat akin to a server being down.





Stumbled across this Texaco Station image, but unable to find any listing for it or similar imagery. Source repeats the information written on the image, e.g., S Olive Street. Since Southwestern University looms in the background (1121 S. Hill Street), it is a fair bet that this Texaco station was at or near Tenth or Eleventh Street and Olive.


http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics46/00057684.jpg



Undated image of Southwestern University construction (Building permit for this location appears to have been approved in 1923, so construction may be from late '23. 1973 demolition permit provides the sad end to this structure.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics25/00032471.jpg





November 1931 - Southwest University on Hill Street



http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...5/id/933/rec/1




November '31









A related image (previously posted on NLA) part of the same panoramic series as http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...5/id/933/rec/1 includes a curious roof structure. Is it a prop camera? Or does it have some utilitarian function? Somewhat evocative of Martin Pal's post http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=21279


November '31





















http://hollywoodphotographs.com/photos/lrg/RN-080-2.jpg

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by HossC

I concur on the [Pres]criptions. I think the word under it is "FOUNTAIN". Given the address, and the part of the sign that's visible, I'd guess the name is "VANTAGE DRUGS".

Pfft, LA curbed beat us to it

[ethereal_reality]

While looking for the name of the drug store at Ventura & Verdugo, I happened across this ad in the 1961 Van Nuys directory.


http://rescarta.lapl.org/ResCarta-We...50604/00000013



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[tovangar2]

Looking for a silver lining, maybe Frank Gehry's Master Plan for the LA River will save us from that hula hoopy replacement for the Sixth Street Bridge. I'm still hoping for a replica of the current one. I'm sure they've got the original plans around somewhere:


uscdl


.........................................................................................


According to "Lucy A to Z, The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia", daughter Lucie Arnaz took dancing lessons at the Gay-Fay School in 1955, for $1.25 a pop.

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' locations.

Four 1960s negatives that were on eBay a few months ago.


#1

eBay



#2

eBay





#3

eBay

#3a detail / looking past the Rodeo Bowl at the businesses down the street.


Best Buy Pies on the left (topped with a mid-century 'Saturn').....but the horizontal rectangular sign a bit further down the street is a mystery (_ _ UUM?)

On the right, there's an interesting 'noirish' sign, "The Stake Out, West" (red arrow). I'd say that was probably a neighborhood bar; wouldn't you?
And there's also a vertical "TOYS" sign visible with jabberwocky letters.





#4 (this one obviously has the best clue; you can clearly see an Eighth Street sign)

eBay


#4a detail (there's a hotel down the street)

eBay

#4b...and there's another hotel on the opposite side of the street.

detail


Here's the intersection today


gsv

red arrow on the right = old 'hotel' sign



here the sign, close-up. (does that say "Olive" beneath "Hotel"?)

detail


Here is the hotel entrance we could see in the 1960s photograph (#4b)

gsv

detail #4b
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But I still need some help on the other locations.
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[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' locations.

Four 1960s negatives that were on eBay a few months ago.

#3

eBay

__

I'm pretty sure this is looking east on Rodeo Road at La Cienega, just north of the Baldwin Hills.