noirish Los Angeles

[Tikiman]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I didn't know that. Thanks CBD.

The LAFD had 163 horses in 1911. (the most ever)

Think what all that entails: -like, where did the department buy the hay to feed all those horses?
Did the department have its own farm on the outskirts of the city or did they contract with various farmers?
How much hay could be stored at each individual engine company?
Was it stored at a warehouse and then divvied out to the engine companies?
Why do I ask so many fucking questions?

As a matter of fact; the Los Angeles Fireman's Relief Association has a good article about this.
https://www.lafra.org/lafd-history-fire-horses/

[ethereal_reality]

That's an amazing article with all kinds of interesting information. Thanks for the link Tikiman.

so once the horses (crossbred Morgan & Percherons) were purchased (from midwestern and southern states) they arrived by rail in Los Angeles
and were corralled at the LAFD's yard on Pasadena Ave. between Ave. 19 and 20. Good to know.

[ethereal_reality]

Since we recently discussed the Occidental Center and now we're talking about fires and the LAFD

I thought I'd combine the two subjects in one photograph(s).


lapd/lafra

The Ponet Square Hotel fire on September 13, 1970.

We have, no doubt, covered the Ponet tragedy in the early days of NLA. (but I don't believe we have seen these images)

"At 5:31a.m. dispatchers received the call stating that there was fire in the lobby and all over the building. The four-story Ponet Square Hotel, built in 1907
was located at 1249 So. Grand Ave. very near Fire Station 10. On that fateful morning the hotel was occupied by over 117 people. Task Force 10, Heavy Duty Task Force 9
and Battalion 1 were dispatched at 5:32 a.m. The firefighters at 10’s could see the smoke and flames from the Ponet from the second floor of the station."





later that day

lapd/lafra

"A total of 19 victims were found during the next several days as the building was systematically demolished.
Thirteen of those victims were found to have resided on the top floor."



To help get your bearings: I've outlined the old location of the Ponet in red...the Occidental Center is the tallest building at left.


google_earth


I'll post a few more photographs of the fire later this evening. (that show the front of Ponet Square Hotel)

[ethereal_reality]

In the meantime........ how about a UFO story.



In January 1957, actress Gloria Swanson and a group of friends heard that a spaceship had landed in the Hollywood Hills. So, off they trekked through mud and dark of night to an area off Lakeridge Road. (History does not record what they had been consuming before they set out.) In a shallow hole at the end of their hike, they found a 12-foot-diameter disk, which purportedly had knocked down a lamppost upon landing. The cockpit seats were upholstered in coral Leatherette, and two electrical cords dangled to the wooden flooring.

Amazed by their find, they called The Times.

After a careful inspection, Times aviation writer Dewey Linze not only found that the “spacecraft” was lacking an engine and controls, but — after interviewing neighbors — learned that it was a prop that had been discarded after a documentary was filmed on the site.

from L.A. Times




Yeah, so what. I fell for it.

gloria giphy

[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

The reason for the Dalmatians was to keep the horses calm. Without horses, there is no need for Dalmatians...except for nostalgia.

Are dalmatians better at calming horses than other breeds of dogs?

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Bristolian

Are dalmatians better at calming horses than other breeds of dogs?

The fire horses are staged a half block away at a fire. The Dalmations are a large breed and have a calm temperament. Their bright color makes them easy to see on a dark street.

Other breeds?....good question. Don't know...maybe.

[ethereal_reality]

STEREOTYPES ON PARADE

"1959 Hollywood, California Children's Parade Los Angeles, Orig. Photo Slides"

Despite the seller's description above, I am certain this is PASADENA.


EBAY


"Injun"

EBAY



Whale






Sheriff




Mermaid thingy HERE

Octopus HERE

Cowboy needing a shave HERE

Giant Turkey HERE

[GaylordWilshire]

From the 1954 Pasadena CD...Hines was at the sw corner of Colorado & Hudson




toward the sw corner of Colorado & Hudson, Dec 2017



Per the 54 CD, the Big Ben Shoe Outlet was in the next block east, at 814 E Colorado.... John's Shoe Repair was at 810 E Colorado (the blockfront is gone).

[Handsome Stranger]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

...it was a prop that had been discarded after a documentary was filmed on the site.

Huh? Documentaries have props? Who knew? Anyone know what the title of said documentary might have been?

PS - I once had an opportunity to purchase the spaceship prop from My Favorite Martian. I turned it down because (a) I had nowhere to put it, and (b) gasp...it didn't actually fly!

[ethereal_reality]

Yep, that's it GW.



WORLD'S LARGEST LEMONS

Pacific Citrus Products Co., Fullerton, California


ebay?



The Pacific Citrus Products Co. was located at 336 Santa Fe Ave. (recently torn down)


gsv

The decrepit building once served as the manufacturing plant for two national brands – Hawaiian Punch and Wham-O Superballs.



Remember this guy?

"How'd you like a nice Hawaiin Punch?........................................Sure!................................................WHACK!"


The comments on youtube
were all pretty much in agreement.






And here's their other national product....another 1970s favorite! I loved my superball!



So why was a citrus company making Superballs?

...and what the heck is ZECTRON?

__


If you're a millennial, and haven't seen a Hawaiin Punch commercial...you can watch it HERE

Pacific Citrus Products Co. info from coastdaylight

[ethereal_reality]

ZECTRON Laboratory


giphy

[acorn8332]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

Acorn8332 used to work in the Occidental Building.




Acorn8332, did you ever eat in that restaurant?

Sorry--I was away for a few days and am just getting caught up.

We never dined at The Tower. But we did go up for drinks a few times when I worked at Occidental Center.

There was another restaurant on the ground floor on the East side of Hill Street in the "Broadway" building. That seemed to be the official "First Day of Employment" spot for the incoming Transamerica employees. Never ate there again after my first day.

[MartinTurnbull]

[QUOTE=HossC;8328063]Interesting comparisons, MartinTurnbull, I didn't know so many buildings had been copied. The only one I'd question is this one:



I think the Disney one is based on the Baine Building at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Whitney Avenue.


Thanks Hoss. Somebody contacted me to point out the which building it was really modeled after. It's a pretty good facsimilie, isn't it?



I also added this one:

[acorn8332]

Originally Posted by HossC

It's been a while since I've said this, but here are a few images from a Julius Shulman photoset. This one is from 1965, and it's titled "Job 3876: William L. Pereira and Associates, Occidental Center". I'll start with the restaurant.



I believe that this is the previously mentioned Japanese garden below.



And from the other end.



The last one shows the walkway raised a couple of feet above the floor.



All from Getty Research Institute

The whole set is 44 images (with some duplication between black & white and color). I don't have time to go through them all today, but I'll try and pull a few more together for another post tomorrow.

By the time I worked in Occidental Center (for the Transamerica Insurance Group), the observation deck had long been closed to the public. A senior manager in our office had a key and, if memory serves me correctly, a stack of passes--one of which he could fill out to authorize employees to go up to the deck. In August 1977, we finally took him up on that offer for an employee going away event. After drinks in The Tower, we headed down the two floors to the observation deck. Wish I had taken some more interesting shots than this one!

[acorn8332]

Just adding a few memories of my own from when I worked here: August 1974 to December 1977.

Originally Posted by HossC

As promised, here are some more images from Julius Shulman's 1965 photoset "Job 3876: William L. Pereira and Associates, Occidental Center". The set includes some great shots of the exterior, but they don't add much new to the thread. I wonder how many of these features remain. I'll start with this large theater.

Until I saw this shot, I didn't even know that there was a theater in the building! The height of the ceiling suggests it was on the first floor. I haven't a clue as to where it might have been.



I'm guessing that this is a dining area, although I can't see a food counter.

This was a dining area; the cafeteria was off to the right in this view. There was another dining area on the other side of the cafeteria.

By the time I joined Transamerica in August 1974, Occidental Center was still reacting to the Energy Crises of 1973-74. In the dining area, that meant turning off half the lights, and the indirect lighting above the dropped- down portion of the ceiling (which I didn't even know existed until I saw this shot). That made for a rather gloomy dining experience. The other dining area that didn't have exterior windows was particularly noirish.

The view is toward the atrium; the stairs lead up to 12th Street.





Here's a very fancy-looking boardroom.

I believe this was the 22nd floor--the executive floor. It was suggested that gentlemen made sure their suit coats were buttoned when visiting the executive floor.

The entire floor was destroyed by a fire that broke out the evening of November 18-19, 1976. Two more floors were damaged. Oddly, I've been able to find very little about the Occidental Center fire of 1976. Maybe a topic for future Noirish L.A. research?



And a more modest meeting room.



There are a couple of pictures of this garden taken from level with the base which made me think it might be the Japanese garden, but then I found this elevated view.



A lower angle shows the three pools flowing into each other.



The garden continued along this tiled area.



These are the walkways above.



The atrium was a favorite location for our going-away photos. And there were a lot of people leaving in 1977 (I left in December). This is my shot from 04-25-77.



The elevator lobby looks quite plain when compared to examples like the Richfield Building. Of course, the Richfield was torn down three years after these photos were taken.

The elevator lobbies were particularly hard-hit by the reduction in lighting. About half the lighting on the first floor was turned off. It was worse on floors 2 through 20. Just a small sliver of these luminous panels was left functioning.



I'll finish with this one which appears to show the bar area leading to the restaurant which started the recent discussion of this building.



All from Getty Research Institute

Thanks for letting me chime in!

[ethereal_reality]

Your insights to Hoss' Shulman photographs were very informative (not to mention, interesting!) acorn8332.

They helped me understand the layout of the building and what it was like to work at an office during the 1970s (the energy crisis...the fashions )
I got a kick out of the observation deck photo with your office cohorts wantonly pointing in all kinds of misdirections. They remind me of the group
I used to work with at Lorimar. We had a lot of fun. (despite our tedious jobs)

I wasn't able to locate any photographs of the fire yet. In fact, I didn't know there was a fire. (I didn't know there was an observation deck either)
What I did find is a case study of the fire HERE, but it isn't digitalized. (as far as I know)

_

[ethereal_reality]

Did most interiors look alike in the 1970s and 80s?

My boss (at Lorimar) took the staff to lunch at the Playboy Club in Century City. (I was reminded of it by the last pic in the Shulman photographs)
Dark wood paneling...a plethora of ashtrays...barstools with chrome legs...the whole schmeil.

I've been looking for a photograph of the place (Century City Playboy Club) but, so far, I haven't hit pay-dirt.
If anyone has a photograph of the place please post it. I'd really appreciate it.

_

[HossC]

Originally Posted by acorn8332

I believe this was the 22nd floor--the executive floor. It was suggested that gentlemen made sure their suit coats were buttoned when visiting the executive floor.

The entire floor was destroyed by a fire that broke out the evening of November 18-19, 1976. Two more floors were damaged. Oddly, I've been able to find very little about the Occidental Center fire of 1976. Maybe a topic for future Noirish L.A. research?

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Your insights to Hoss' Shulman photographs were very informative (not to mention, interesting!) acorn8332.

I wasn't able to locate any photographs of the fire yet. In fact, I didn't know there was a fire. (I didn't know there was an observation deck either)
What I did find is a case study of the fire HERE, but it isn't digitalized. (as far as I know)

There isn't a lot, other than passing references, but I did find a couple of good bits of information. This is from the November 19, 1976 edition of the Oxnard Press Courier:


newspaperarchive.com (rearranged to be screen-friendly)

I also found a reasonably detailed article about the fire at fireengineering.com (NB. when I first accessed the article through a Chrome image search I had no trouble seeing it, but when I went back to the same address in Firefox I was prompted to log in to see the full article ).

The article says:

More than 325 fire fighters from 58 companies under the overall command of Acting Chief Engineer Anthony Giordano, controlled the fire on the 20th and 21st floors of the city’s first modern skyscraper after an hour and a half battle. The fire, investigators report, was of incendiary origin with preliminary damage estimated in excess of $1.5 million.

Here are a couple of photos. The first is a better version of the one which accompanied the text above.


www.fireengineering.com/Wide World Photo

The melted plastic ceiling tiles ended up looking like stalactites - I find them strangely beautiful.


www.fireengineering.com/Wide World Photo

A couple of the passing references indicated that the fire was arson, but I haven't found a definitive article about that yet.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by Handsome Stranger

Huh? Documentaries have props? Who knew? Anyone know what the title of said documentary might have been?

PS - I once had an opportunity to purchase the spaceship prop from My Favorite Martian. I turned it down because (a) I had nowhere to put it, and (b) gasp...it didn't actually fly!

I was wondering that, too, and what the documentary was about!

I wonder where the My Favorite Martian spaceship went? I know that sometime in the 1990's there was a space in the New Orleans Square building in West Hollywood (before or after that the space was a "Crown Bookstore" and currently it's a pet supply store) that was opened as a new wave kind of art gallery and one night I was walking by it and peered in the front glass doors (it was closed) and against the wall nearby was that spaceship from My Favorite Martian! I tried taking a photo of it through the glass (I had a regular camera with me) but it did not come out very well. When I went by a few days later to see it, it wasn't there and the one person in there did not know what I was referring to.

But I have that shadowy photo somewhere!

If anyone wants to look up the history of that New Orleans Square building I'd be interested as to it's original purposes. I've always considered it pretty unattractive, which is probably why I never thought much about it's past, but it might not have been when it was originally built. There have been many different businesses in the place over the years and it has a "New Orleans" style courtyard in the middle of it, not visible really from the street, and there's usually a restaurant or two around that. There's probably a few addresses for the place, for various businesses. The current pet supply store's address is 8555 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.

[Martin Pal]

Uncle Odie's

I found some youtube videos about the My Favorite Martian spaceship.
This first one was dated 2013 and is a series of photographs that look
like someone has acquired the prop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqGCgxCMjP4

The second is titled: My Favorite Martian Restoration - EP01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IavPmgmjmWs

I haven't watched these videos, just glanced at them, but there's at least two more episodes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IavPmgmjmWs

I was trying to find out where it is now.