noirish Los Angeles

[Martin Pal]

p.s.: I didn't check to see if any of this was covered before...

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Do you think this small dive bar down in San Pedro could be the place where they were arrested?


gsv

216 W. 11th St.

Here's a closer look at the blade sign.


detail

note that the bar was established in 1936.
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San Pedro: Block by Block

The author writes: "You may already know this, but it is called City Hall Market because this building served as City Hall from 1905 to 1908 when the domed City Hall was built. This is actually the only City Hall Building standing from when San Pedro was still its own city. Had I known its history, I would’ve taken a picture of the whole building.

The Alhambra Bar is attached to the City Hall Bldg on the 11th Street side. I had never seen or heard of his bar until I was walking by…at nearly 9 in the morning. Obviously I didn’t know that most dive bars open at 6am."

From another website:

Swap Meet Lives

Caption: City Hall Market, structure redone 1912 after slight fire damage.

Does he mean 2012? It's definitely been earthquake retrofitted, in any case.

Also says: City Hall Market located on the corner of Palos Verdes and 11th st, this spot has a lot of history.
At one point it was actually the first City Hall building from 1905 to 1908.



And on the two sites it was noted by some people:

"[...] the city's oldest bar, the Alhambra bar, it is also said underneath the Alhambra the old jail still is intact."

and

"Rumor has it that there is a trap door behind the Bar that leads to the old city Jail. I as well have heard about trouble at the Alhambra Room from time to time but I have been it there about half a dozen times now with no incidents. They have a great Juke Box and strong drinks. It’s worth a visit. Probably best when the sun's still up, but I have been there at night."

[ethereal_reality]

Ah, very interesting Martin Pal. Thanks for the follow-up.

"there is a trap door behind the bar that leads to the old city jail." -sooooooo cool.

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[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/1...iedbuildin.jpg

If I remember correctly, this is our other elusive NLA mystery.

We have never been able to locate this building, right?
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Tourmaline, your second image isn't showing up so I don't know what the far-fetched Disney connection with Wurdeman & Becket was.

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[Tourmaline]

Pic of M Mouse. Since deleted. KWeber - nexus.

I thought it was resolved that the structure was at 4032 Wilshire. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=21045

[HossC]

Thanks for identifying Wurdeman and Becket in yesterday's pictures, GW. As for e_r's follow-up on the harpist on the wall, I hadn't even noticed it!


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


Even though it's another Wurdeman & Becket design, I nearly skipped over this Julius Shulman picture of the General Petroleum Building because we've seen similar pictures many times before. Then I found the photoset of the Superior Oil Building (below), and thought it would add some context. In this 1949 shot, it looks like the shops on the first floor are yet to be occupied. This is "Job 428: Wurdeman & Becket, General Petroleum Building (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1949".


Getty Research Institute

Fourteen years later, and we have a couple of pictures of the General Petroleum Building's neighbor, the Superior Oil Building. Despite the title, Mr Shulman failed to capture much more than the entrance in this photoset. Are these tiles still under the canopy? The Googlemobile's camera is just too high to see. This is "Job 3503: Claude Beelman, Superior Oil Building (Los Angeles, Calif.), 1963".



The second shot looks away from the entrance and down Flower Street. On the right is the Southland Hotel. You can read a lot more about the Southland (and its previous incarnation as the Snow) in Beaudry's post #2099.



Both from Getty Research Institute

I posted an earlier color photo of the whole Superior Oil Building by Julius Shulman last month in post #33131.

[Martin Pal]

I love that canopy, HossC, in the photo anyway. (Wonders if it was b&w or colored.)
_____

Also, thanks, Tourmaline, for reminding us that the mystery building was at 4032 Wilshire.
Love that building! I, too, thought that hadn't been resolved! Although I didn't care to
remember it had been demolished!

[Kenchiku desu]

The underside of the Superior Oil canopy is clad in stainless steel panels that have a linear, brushed texture that alternate at right angles giving the effect of a checkerboard.

It is faintly discernible today (the building went through a nice adaptive re-use as the Standard Hotel), though the panels now have a patina and the canopy drain has a leak that the hotel is too cheap to fix -- so the panels get wet when it rains. The terrazzo sidewalk is largely intact, as well.

Superior Oil was the LA-based company where W. M. Keck, the philanthropist, made his fortune. Superior was sold to Mobil Oil, whose LA office (formerly General Petroleum, another Mobil acquisition) was across 6th Street, where my grandfather was Chief Draftsman -- now the Pegasus apartments.

[HossC]

Thanks for the extra information, Kenchiku desu. Here's a picture I found at lagunadirt.com. It shows the view looking out from the entrance of the Standard Hotel (Superior Oil Building). The alternating brushed panels looked more striking in the Shulman photos, but I guess that's why he's famous! This shot also shows the oil-themed 3-D mural above the doors. The article includes other pictures of the Standard Hotel, as well as various other Downtown buildings.


lagunadirt.com

[HossC]

The title of this Julius Shulman photoset refers to this building as Financial Indemnity. The street signs and numbers identify the location as 5856 Wilshire Boulevard. The lettering on the first floor windows is for The Colwell Company. This is "Job 1621: Stiles Oliver Clements, Financial Indemnity (Los Angeles, Calif.),1953".



These pictures were all a bit washed-out. I've done my best to adjust the contrast and brightness, but even so, the white block on the right side of the roof would not show on the image above.



The acute angle of the corner isn't an optical illusion - the building is shaped like a parallelogram when viewed from above.



All from Getty Research Institute

Given its location and relatively small size, I was pleasantly surprised to find the building still standing.


GSV

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

I thought it was resolved that the structure was at 4032 Wilshire. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=21045

You're right T! It slipped my mind that we finally found the location back in 2014.

My apologies to GaylordWilshire for forgetting his great find.
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[ethereal_reality]

'mystery' mound, Los Angeles County [1903]


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Photo-1903-L...UAAOSw-vlVhf4~

The seller mentions San Jose Creek, which I believe is visible in the extreme foreground along the bottom edge of the photograph.




I found a 'San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant' on google maps, but I haven't be able to located the prominent hill that's visible in the center of the 1903 photograph.


google_map

Anyone feel like lending a hand in finding the stand-alone hill?

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[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

HossC gave us a look at the intersection of Alvarado and Temple Streets here: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=17519

TIme for a second viewing?


Nine years later in 1932.



1932 - Alvarado and Temple Streets




Nine cent/gal "Flash" and a familiar Richfield sculpture at Hillside Service Station, 2101 Temple Street.























Nine cents/Gal for "Green Streak"





















MRyerson picks up the story five years later, 1937.






Shell and Atlantic RICHFIELD are still at cross corners to each other.

1930 - Same Temple-Alvarado intersection. From: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../id/1410/rec/1


It may seem like it, but not all of the prior images are reposted here. If these have been seen before, use call box and report problem directly to WigWag.



































Wedding Rings 1929





Matrix Shoes





Hercules






Cough

[BifRayRock]

1934 - 1919 Hillcrest located in a nice neighborhood - even the unleashed dogs look friendly. From http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/61704/rec/1















Could Cycad be 80+ years old?
GoogGooog

GooGooGle

[ethereal_reality]

Good find BRR. -note the heavy chain is missing from the porch-roof to the side of the house.





Accident involving an Alpha-Beta truck. (late 1960s)


eBay





I've been trying to read the square white sign, thinking it might hold some clues to the location.


detail

....also, down the street there's a building with a tall pylon.
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*I just noticed the young boy has a shopping cart. So maybe this is near an Alpha Beta store.

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[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

'mystery' mound, Los Angeles County [1903]


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Photo-1903-L...UAAOSw-vlVhf4~

The seller mentions San Jose Creek, which I believe is visible in the extreme foreground along the bottom edge of the photograph.

I found a 'San Jose Creek Water Reclamation Plant' on google maps, but I haven't be able to located the prominent hill that's visible in the center of the 1903 photograph.

I found a smaller version of the vintage image on Pinterest with the caption "View down San Jose Creek from Pomona Park. Los Angeles County, California. 1904". This appears to be the hill in question. It's next to the Pomona Water Reclamation Plant.


Google Earth

[ethereal_reality]

Which direction are you looking? I still can't find the damn hill.

[HossC]

My shot is looking roughly south-west. I had the camera near Waste Stream Solutions for my Google Earth view.


Google Maps

[BifRayRock]

I am certain we have discussed the former Calmos service station at Alexandria and Hollywood Blvd., yet it seems presently elusive.
http://waterandpower.org/7%20Histori...ion_ca1932.jpg

http://waterandpower.org/7%20Histori...ice_ca1924.jpg









Looks like the same minarets from Edgemont.


Curiously, the "Nite Lite" has a listing at nearby 4916 Sunset in '36. Although it is 4916 Hollywood in '38. Misprint or migration?


1931
From USC Digital







From the same 1931 - USC Digital image "Edgemont and Hollywood Blvd."




Ditto

Pluto Water





http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/def...?itok=JC0bKZDh



http://www.monon.monon.org/frenchlic...owater-ad1.jpg

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Stellar Restorations/LAT


Looks like Y. C. Hong was a lawyer who in 1932 lived at 1045 S Gramercy in the Country Club District (as in the former LACC). The houses in the background don't match that address, however. Neither do any of the houses in the background match what appears to be his 1927-30 address, 533 East 33rd St. He was working as an interpreter for the US Immigration Service in 1927.

Turns out he was a civic leader with a very impressive résumé, including work as a developer of the new Chinatown:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Chung_Hong

http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/landin...n/p16003coll12


In a shot similar to the one of his father with Hupmobile, here's Y.C.'s son Nowland with his '49 Ford and his brother Roger:

HDL



Mabel Hong--Mrs. Y. C.--in the back yard of 1045 S Gramercy, which is the not the house in the background... 1045 is at left in the GSV. (No indication which of the three ladies is Mrs. Hong.)


HDL/GSV

Another Gramercy Place and another time 1931.


A handful of original homes still exist on the 900 block of South Gramercy Pl. (From USC Digital "926 S. Gramercy.")









Pointy Roof

[BifRayRock]

1935 Garlic Rolls on Vermont?

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/58450/rec/1



1935 - Bella Napoli, 711 N. Vermont