noirish Los Angeles

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by rick m

This would be the driveway shared by the cluster of structures that was the successful Charles Beach Art School (had a run of about 20 years- a hub for the Echo Park arts community) and the adjacent 2 story home of the infamous Evelyn Nesbit-NYC sex scandal adolescent in the pre WW1 era-- She was a patroness of Charles and taught there for a period. This school was also a scene for gay creative types--

Thank you for that reminder rick m.

It was actually the Grant Beach School of Arts and Crafts. This LAT article details Evelyn Nesbit's relationship to the school.

There's also an interview w/ Nesbit (byline "Hedda Hopper's staff") in the 6/28/55 Chicago Tribune archive


pinterest

Charles Beach was famously J. C. Leyendecker's life partner and model for many of his illustrations, including the Arrow collar man.
George Lucas has a collection of Leyendecker's work, which will be included in his Exposition Park museum.



.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Thank you for that reminder rick m.

It was actually the Grant Beach School of Arts and Crafts. This LAT article details Evelyn Nesbit's relationship to the school.

There's also an interview w/ Nesbit (byline "Hedda Hopper's staff") in the 6/28/55 Chicago Tribune archive


pinterest

Charles Beach was famously J. C. Leyendecker's life partner and model for many of his illustrations, including the Arrow collar man.
George Lucas has a collection of Leyendecker's work, which will be included in his Exposition Park museum.
Is ''rick" confused on this name?




.

Artist's model and best friend of J C Leyendecker...Charles Beach died in 1952. I don't believe there was any connection between famous model Beach and Nesbit.

[HossC]

This Julius Shulman set is simply titled "The Penthouse". It's "Job 3648: Kenneth Lind, The Penthouse (Santa Monica, Calif.), 1963". There are two color shots in the set, but I've stuck with the black & white.



Here's a different angle.



A view from the roof.



Initially I wondered why there were cars on the roof, but all is explained below.



All from Getty Research Institute

This higher angle shows the entrance to the rooftop parking from the road behind (the ramps are just above the "101 Ocean Building" label).


Google Maps

Rather than posting loads of other pictures, here's a short video. The description says:

101 Ocean, built in 1963, sits at the north end of Ocean Avenue, where its distinctive round tower captures unobstructed views of the sea. In 1993, the building was completely renovated, winning two awards for architects Felderman Keatinge + Associates: "Urban Beautification Award: Best Remodeled High-rise" from the Los Angeles Business Council; and "M.A.M.E. Award for Best High-rise Unit Plans" from the Building Industry of Southern California.

• Video Link

[GaylordWilshire]

All roads lead to Bette

Originally Posted by MichaelRyerson

Yeah, I'm not getting anything on any of my maps. I think an unnamed alley. Here's a detail from a much larger image I've posted before...

From ER's post 39114:




We were just in this neighborhood--

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Pretty convenient to both the Shasta and the Norfolk would have been Edie's Bar--or a version of it-- Edie's being owned by a woman who killed her rich twin sister, assuming her identity...figuring into the late-noir film Dead Ringer that we've discussed here before....






Views looking south on Figueroa... the apartment houses would have been a block or so over the hill or under the Temple Street overpass. The arrow in the image below indicates the door bar-owner Edie is about to enter...her sister's chauffeur has just dropped some crucial information.... Cranes for the DWP building, under construction during filming, rise above the driver's head in the shot above. The controversial DaVinci apartments are now on the site of the bar.

And some from Hoss's post 23532, pre-underpass:










PS-- I googled around to find more about Grant Beach-- his address in some references came up "413 N Figueroa"--which fits.

There was this in the LAT of 3-28-48:



A fairly recent bit about Evelyn Nesbit, including her tenure at the Beach school: http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com/201...er-anneke.html



As for other images when looking for Grant Beach, there were mostly just this sort of thing, no doubt seen here before... famous "just roommates" Cary & Randy....

[Martin Pal]

.

Thanks for the interesting posts related to using or owning sewing machines!
_______

Originally Posted by Lorendoc

Driving into work today, I encountered the following: Someone's back yard, patio, and retaining wall slid 100 feet down to the roadway. The source of the slide, 8189 Gould Ave., was red-tagged. It was built in 1926/9 says the assessor. (Houses lost to landslides are relatively rare, right?).
________________________________________________________________

I guess we'll see what happens with some other places this weekend. Since SoCal has had little rain the past seven years, they are telling us that the ground all over is shaky because plants and their roots haven't been able to hold the earth together as well as they might have with some periodic, normal rainfall. Three storms are expected, the first one Wednesday night. The NBC weatherman, Fritz Colman, said last night, "Though we are telling you that three storms are coming, it will seem to most of you like one long storm, starting Wednesday night and continuing through Tuesday morning!

The storm we had last week damaged CBS's (Channel 2) broadcasting equipment and they've been using back-up equipment which is much weaker. It's affected not only their over the air signal, but cable channels as well. Part of their statement: "If you are having trouble receiving the KCBS signal, currently there is an issue at our transmitter at Mount Wilson and we are working to correct the problem, but weather has been hampering our efforts. We are currently on our back-up transmitter at Verdugo Peak east of Glendale."

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by HossC

This Julius Shulman set is simply titled "The Penthouse". It's "Job 3648: Kenneth Lind, The Penthouse (Santa Monica, Calif.), 1963". There are two color shots in the set, but I've stuck with the black & white.

I see why you stuck with the b&w images.

Originally Posted by HossC

Rather than posting loads of other pictures, here's a short video.

I enjoyed the video, but that music!

Originally Posted by HossC

"M.A.M.E. Award for Best High-rise Unit Plans"

"What an honor it is to have you in our little home... though I wonder if it does make the
best first impression on a sensitive young mind to see you drinking during business hours."

[corriganville]

Originally Posted by HossC

When I saw the first thumbnail of this Julius Shulman set, I thought it was the Lytton Savings Bank on Sunset Boulevard. It's actually "Job 3791: William H. Harrison, Monte Vista High School (Whittier, Calif.), 1964".



This appears to be a different building.



Now the black & white images. I've left out a different angle on this corner. The only extra information it gives is that the little object at the front of the roof is a cluster of lights.



There's only one interior shot.



All from Getty Research Institute

As far as I can tell, the Monte Vista High School was only open from 1964 (Wikipedia) or 1965 (article below) until 1979. The following is from a blog post at My Whittier:

Back in 1978 the Whittier Union High School District’s board of trustees met and made a landmark decision that would change the landscape of Whittier forever: the closure of Sierra High School and Monte Vista High School.

This decision completely changed the make-up of the district forever. Sierra High School, located at 9401 Painter Avenue, was only open from 1957 – 1979. It will always be linked forever with Monte Vista High School, located at 11515 S. Colima Road which was open from 1965-1979.

[...]

Monte Vista High School, whose school nickname was the “Mustangs”, was located on the south side of Whittier. It was eventually sold to the Los Angeles County and is the location of the Sherriff’s [sic] academy.

I've compared the current buildings to those that were there in 1973 (the first Historic Aerials image after 1964), and they all seem to be original. The site still appears to be the Explorer Training Academy at the Sheriff’s Training Academy and Regional Services (STARS) Center. Unfortunately, the building with the zig-zag roof is now hard to see from the road. Where's that chainsaw, GW?


GSV

Monte Vista High School opened in 1964 with only freshman, sophmore, and junior classes--no seniors. This was MY high school and I was part of the first 4-year graduating class in 1968.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Artist's model and best friend of J C Leyendecker...Charles Beach died in 1952. I don't believe there was any connection between famous model Beach and Nesbit.

None, but wondering if there was any family connection between Charles and Grant.

Norman Rockwell was obsessed w/ Leyendecker. More here




P.S.

BTW, it's the 50th anniversary of Evelyn Nesbit's death today. She's buried at Holy Cross in Culver City.


heaven...

[VictorAtomic]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

Ask and ye shall receive!




(Not that I'm the seller of this eBay item; I just like to keep one on my desk at all times!)

Pontrellis Ballroom, 1866 E 1st St
Los Angeles, California.

My grandfather bought the location sometime in the early 70's and turned it into the Leon de Oro Cantina. Any one have more information on the property?

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

None, but wondering if there was any family connection between Charles and Grant.

Norman Rockwell was obsessed w/ Leyendecker. More here

JC Leyendecker and Charles Beach occasionally would have fights....[lovers quarrels]. Afterwards, JC would rush to Norman Rockwell's nearby home, complaining bitterly about how mean and cruel Beach was being. Norman, being naive, did not understand the nature of their relationship. Rockwell gives a detailed account of these visits in his autobio book.

Of course Rockwell had his own concerns at the time as his wife was suffering from serious mental illness.

Photo of JCL., unidentified woman and Norman Rockwell, 1925, NYC.

cdfile

[GaylordWilshire]

Doesn't seem to be any relationship between Charles & Grant Beach... as for Grant, he was living with his parents at 413 N Figueroa at age 5 by 1920....


(As for Charles...while this particular illustration doesn't seem to be based on him, there was this famous Leyendecker Ivory Soap ad "with a little something extra":

)

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

BTW, it's the 50th anniversary of Evelyn Nesbit's death today. She's buried at Holy Cross in Culver City.


heaven...

Well that's serendipitous!
The noirish Gods are smiling. Glad you noticed the date t2.

Originally Posted by tovangar2

pinterest

Here's a second photograph of Evelyn, this time wearing her artist's smock, from around the same time period.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...y-photo-2.html

" Evelyn Nesbit is "shown working over a bust she created. She has a booth at the ceramics show at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, July 30, 1954." -latimes_blog
_____


And sadly, there's this....


"The sparsely attended funeral of Evelyn Nesbit at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Brentwood, Jan. 20, 1967."


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...y-photo-2.html

[Tourmaline]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Well that's serendipitous! Evelyn Nesbit finally makes her debut on NLA & it's the 50th anniversary of her death.
The noirish Gods are smiling. Glad you noticed the date t2.

https://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum...ostcount=33557

[ethereal_reality]

So sorry I forgot your previous post Tourmaline. my apologizes.

although.. my two photographs are new to the thread.
__

[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' street, Los Angeles


"Cars from far-off states crash in Los Angeles"


ebay

"After traveling numerous miles without mishap, these cars, one from Wisconsin, and the other from Illinois, crashed on Los Angeles streets, recently." 5/12/37








Here's a close-up of the buildings.


detail

Do any of these buildings look familiar?

__

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

And sadly, there's this....

"The sparsely attended funeral of Evelyn Nesbit at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Brentwood, Jan. 20, 1967."


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...y-photo-2.html

That is sad, but maybe it didn't draw more mourners b/c Nesbit had lived in obscurity her last years.

Re that other photo:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's a second photograph of Evelyn, this time wearing her artist's smock, from around the same time period.


http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thed...y-photo-2.html

" Evelyn Nesbit is "shown working over a bust she created. She has a booth at the ceramics show at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, July 30, 1954." -latimes_blog
_____

I was confused by her son's quote from that LAT article:

"She was rediscovered by a Times reporter in 1954 at a Long Beach art show, where she displayed a sculpted nude bust of a young girl.

"My mother hated her nude sculptures and never allowed them in our house," Russell Thaw said."

Do you think he meant his grandmother? Mrs Nesbit was torn between her puritanical disapproval of Evelyn's modeling for artists and her stage appearances and the family's need for the money it brought in. She may have not liked undraped statuary either.



.

[ethereal_reality]

I was confused by that statement too t2.

He made it sound like she hated her own works of art.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by odinthor

I can only vouch for the numerous Banana trees (Musa). At this distance, some of the others look kind of Ficus-y--not the usual Ficus nitida or benjamina, but maybe youthful macrophylla or something close. Ficuses of various sorts had a long vogue (I think of the ones in the L.A. Plaza, and at Pt. Fermin Park, some even manage to hang on in the disused portion of PFP); but in the long term they're fairly destructive, and in the short term they're messy. The wispy things feebly trying to cover up the church/auditorium are likely Eucalyptus citriodora.

Thanks for your expertise odinthor.

When I posted the Pershing Square slide last night I mentioned that the park looked quite lush at this point in time.

But what had slipped my mind, was that the majority of the plantings were along the perimeter of the park.

I believe this amateur slide is new to NLA.


old file / ebay



I could be wrong, but I don't believe we've seen this one either.


photo: Sean Ault Collection at https://sites.google.com/site/downto...s/metropolitan

So how long was this design in place?





Some earlier posts

Kodachrome slide, Pershing Square 1940?
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=33459

Ditto
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=17295

Pershing Square Underground Parking construction
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=16782

Pershing Square Redesign
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=30835

[HossC]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Does anyone know anything about the Pollyanna Club?


Los Angeles Herald, Number 37, 14 December 1920

I found the Pollyanna Club in the CDs of the 1920s, which list the address as 324 Clay Street.

The 1922 CD has 324 Clay Street as furnished rooms belonging to Belle Corder. By 1923, 324 Clay Street is listed as Christian Mission (Pollyanna Club), which are furnished rooms managed by E W Campbell. The 1926 and 1927 CDs misspell the name as the Pollyana Club. In the 1928 and 1929 CDs, it becomes the Christian Mission and Industrial Association Pollyanna Club. The last mention of the Pollyanna Club or 324 Clay Street is 1930.

Here's the building on the 1921 Baist map, sitting above the American Legion. Now I'm wondering what the Electric College was!


USC Digital Library

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

I was confused by her son's quote from that LAT article:

"She was rediscovered by a Times reporter in 1954 at a Long Beach art show, where she displayed a sculpted nude bust of a young girl.

"My mother hated her nude sculptures and never allowed them in our house," Russell Thaw said."

Do you think he meant his grandmother? Mrs Nesbit was torn between her puritanical disapproval of Evelyn's modeling for artists and her stage appearances and the family's need for the money it brought in. She may have not liked undraped statuary either.

He was probably quoted accurately-- if that bust is any indication of the quality of her other work, I can see why Evelyn would have wanted it to stay in the studio. It's terrible.