noirish Los Angeles

[Hollywood Graham]

The "Dime" must have had good food or probably cheap as the van parked outside is one of LAPD Central Division's two "Paddy Wagon"s.

[BifRayRock]

537 N Fairfax - They tore down a Sphinx and put up a parking lot? (Sphinx-fatigue?)

Unclear exactly when this structure was erected ('20s ?). BPs suggest the owner demolished pre-'41 and obtained new construction permits in 1941 and 1945 for a store and/or garage. These structures were eliminated in '57 and '61, making way for current parking lot and adjacent northern structure.

Originally Posted by Godzilla

1920 - 537 North Fairfax Avenue
Lapl

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

1920 LA Limited.

n the 1950s ridership on the Los Angeles Limited declined rapidly. Sleeping car passengers could enjoy more modern streamlined sleeping cars on a faster schedule on the City of Los Angeles, which took 39-3/4 hours Chicago to LA while the Los Angeles Limited needed 45 hours. In January 1954 the once-proud flagship was replaced by a new Challenger with lightweight coaches and sleepers on a fast schedule.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Limited

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...wspaper_ad.png



http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...coll2/id/17766







http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compou...coll2/id/17763







Google SVU

[Ed Workman]

Originally Posted by HossC

I've stitched together two plates of the 1921 Baist map to try and show the layout of the various buildings mentioned.


www.historicmapworks.com/www.historicmapworks.com

I must have my compass out by 90
Now then, it is customary to place NORTH at the top of the page

Thanks for the Baist, but see line above
South of the equator, who knows?
I think the Sanborn maps are similarly rotated, but usually they carry a north arrow
I have to lie down now, with a wet washcloth on my forehead
thanks

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by Ed Workman

I must have my compass out by 90
Now then, it is customary to place NORTH at the top of the page

Thanks for the Baist, but see line above
South of the equator, who knows?
I think the Sanborn maps are similarly rotated, but usually they carry a north arrow
I have to lie down now, with a wet washcloth on my forehead
thanks

That "driveway" in the middle of block 3rd-4th-Hill-Broadway catches my eye. There has to be a story behind that...

[ethereal_reality]

And I'm curious about the narrow pathway leading to the DRIVEWAY marked B. C. St. (what does B. C. stand for?)--and why call it a street?

[oldstuff]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

I tried to look West up, but the references state he married someone else in 1902, between the time of the two pictures with Mertie. Maybe oldstuff will sort it out, I can't.

As near as I can tell from Census information and family trees, Henry Hebard West, born in 1872 and died in 1958, married first Mary Adelbert Teel, born in 1883. They appear living together in 1910 and in 1920. Then, in 1930, Henry and Mertie appear in the census, living with her parents and listed as married. They are then found in the 1940 Census, living in Los Angeles. Mary Teel West died in 1960, and I don't find any divorce between them, nor do I find a marriage between Mertie and Henry. That does not mean there wasn't one, just not one I can find. Mertie, was born in 1876 and died in 1972. Both wives are buried in Forest Lawn Glendale, but Henry is buried in Evergreen.

One family tree shows that Mary and Henry had a son, Clifford West, born in Iowa in 1899. Mary and Henry then married in California in 1902. This is not really sorting it out, but it is the best I can do

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Wow, the Follies Village with neon. What a treat.

I hadn't noticed the blade sign hanging diagonally over 'Follies Village' until I enlarged it.


detail

And I thought it was the Morgan Hotel, but at this point in time (1950), but it appears to be the The Paul Hotel. (sign at far right---->
__

One more thing, the design over the P in PHOTOS looks like pool cues to me. I wonder if it was a billiard parlor before it became a photography studio.

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by HossC

It took me a while to confirm it, but this is indeed Hollywood Boulevard at La Brea Avenue. The "massive neo-classical building in the background" is the old Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist building at 7107 Hollywood Boulevard. The view below is from 1952.


Historic Aerials
___________________________________________________________________

Handsome Stranger posted this color slide of the church back in 2011.

Originally Posted by Handsome Stranger

More eBay finds. Someone auctioned several original color slides showing Hollywood in the 1940s; here are ten of them. Bidding ended earlier this evening and most of the slides went for quite large sums of money.

1948: Fifth Church of Christ Scientist. (Anyone know where this was located?)

[source: eBay]

The other slides of Hollywood & vicinity are worth seeing, too, if you have not.

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Label this one under 'kitsch'.

The Jail Cafe at 4212 Sunset Blvd. in 1927.


lapl

below: Notice the faux guard in the central tower. The 4212 address is on the white globe below the 'tower'.


lapl

below: Cells for nonsupport and speeding?? This has to be the worst idea for a restaurant ever!


lapl


What did they serve....bread and water?

Get 'em while they're cold!

Within a year the proprietors of The Jail opened a second place. This location, or perhaps the first, became the set for two movies which have subsequently fallen into obscurity: Sweet Daddies (silent, 1926) and Ragtime (1927).

The Jails featured chicken dinners. Diners were furnished with no knives or forks, thus carrying on the beefsteak dungeon’s “caveman” tradition of eating with the hands. In 1930 a newspaper columnist named The Jail as one of the “seven wonders of Hollywood,” along with the Hollywood Bowl and the residence of Harold Lloyd. That honor may have marked its swan song as it seemed to disappear around then. https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory...rants-prisons/

The ad mentions a second "6th street Jail" at 1207 6th Street (across from The Good Samaritan Complex). The earliest CD listing for that address appears to be 1923 and does not mention the Jail. Nor do the '25 and '28 directories. All reference a produce store.


Real Coffee. Rather than commonly used coffee substitutes, e.g., Postum? Chichory? Nestle Caro? Ersatz? Muckefuck? Dandelion? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_substitute Many sources indicate coffee was in great demand due to the Depression. (Probably even greater demand if mixed with Bushmills.)




4212 Sunset - unusual topography. Presumably the actual jail was down the hill (much like the former Butterfield's - also mentioned on NLA). Currently occupied by the "El Cid." Wonder if El Cid's facade makes use of the former Jail wall.

http://static.rogerebert.com/redacto...x281-32013.jpg



http://www.jitterbuzz.com/furn/yama_syphon.jpg

Silex commercial coffee service
http://www.jitterbuzz.com/furn/silexcom1.jpg



1920 - 8901 W Pico (Real Coffee?)
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics45/00042121.jpg

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Hoss, thanks for figuring this out the which church was in the mystery pic.

Here's the church today.


https://horizonskyline.files.wordpre...saic-front.jpg
___________________________________________________________________

A little something seasonal on the church grounds...

[ethereal_reality]

Here's a second photograph from that group of 1950 ebay photos.

The first one had the noirish sounding 'Big Dime Cafe', this one has the equally noirish 'Torch Cafe'.


ebay

If I remember correctly, the seller thought this was the 100 block of W. 3rd Street.

I just checked, and the seller was correct (see below)

lapl



Here's a closer look.

detail

-----

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by riichkay

H. H. West and Mertie Whitaker stand in the Whitaker's front yard, Los Angeles, about 1898



H. H. West poses with his wife, Mertie Whitaker West, and son, Los Angeles, 1941


Link: http://www.library.ucla.edu/taxonomy/term/840/node/1942

Originally Posted by oldstuff

As near as I can tell from Census information and family trees, Henry Hebard West, born in 1872 and died in 1958, married first Mary Adelbert Teel, born in 1883. They appear living together in 1910 and in 1920. Then, in 1930, Henry and Mertie appear in the census, living with her parents and listed as married. They are then found in the 1940 Census, living in Los Angeles. Mary Teel West died in 1960, and I don't find any divorce between them, nor do I find a marriage between Mertie and Henry. That does not mean there wasn't one, just not one I can find. Mertie, was born in 1876 and died in 1972. Both wives are buried in Forest Lawn Glendale, but Henry is buried in Evergreen.

One family tree shows that Mary and Henry had a son, Clifford West, born in Iowa in 1899. Mary and Henry then married in California in 1902. This is not really sorting it out, but it is the best I can do

Thank you oldstuff.

I looked again and there was a Clifford West born in 1899 in Iowa, just a year after the first photo of H.H. and Mertie, when H.H. and Mary Teel were 27 and 16. He may have been left behind when H.H. and Mary moved back to California (where she was originally from). Clifford died in 1958, predeceasing both of his parents (if I've got the right Clifford). He's buried in Des Moines.

A daughter, Elizabeth Wihelmina West was born in 1903, a year after H.H. and Mary married, and a son, H.H., Jr., fourteen years later. Junior, then about 24, is probably the uniformed man in the second photo. He made it through the war, married three times and lived on until 1998.

Mary Teel West's last name was Shepard at the time of her death, so maybe she remarried.

Mertie must have had a lot of patience.




Is 240 Griffin Ave still there and recognizable? There's no street view:

google maps

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

SE cnr of 4th and Olive? This/these?

lapl under "William Widney"

Thank you Beaudry! It's populated and with a name attached: William Widney. There is a William Widney (1850-1921), originally a Buckeye, buried out at Angelus Rosedale with his wife, Elizabeth. Hard to believe the day would come when elephants would be rounding this corner.

Big contrast with the image of the house Flyingwedge posted and I cropped. By circa 1905 the home had gained a side porch, but lost most of its fence:

Originally Posted by tovangar2

uscdl (detail)

Judge Widney, of USC fame, lived in a two-story home on S Hill between W 4th and W 5th, according to USCDL. That house, they say, eventually became part of the site for the Subway Terminal Building. On the other hand, LAPL has a C.C. Pierce image of another (?) house on Hill, between 4th & 5th. They say it belonged to Dr P Widney and fell for the Pacific Electric station. Lotta Widneys on that block.

Thank you MichaelRyerson for all your photos of the house and environs.

[HossC]

We've had a few auditoria from Julius Shulman lately. This one is "Job 3633: Flewelling and Moody, Robert L. Frost Memorial Auditorium (Culver City, Calif.), 1963, 1964, 1965".



The stage, complete with piano.



I've had to switch to black & white for this wider shot.



As the title suggests, this set covers 1963, 1964 and 1965, which means that it also incudes the construction phase.



There are more constructions pictures in the set, but I thought this was the most arty.



All from Getty Research Institute

The Robert Lee Frost Memorial Auditorium is part of Culver City High School at 4601 Elenda Street, Culver City. You can read a little about its history at laconservancy.org. I like the tree on the right.


GSV

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by HossC

We've had a few auditoria from Julius Shulman lately. This one is "Job 3633: Flewelling and Moody, Robert L. Frost Memorial Auditorium (Culver City, Calif.), 1963, 1964, 1965".



GSV

Of note: For a humble high school auditorium this building is very ambitious and timeless.

Originally designed by local architects Flewelling & Moody, the building has one of the most formidable structural concrete domes in the city.

Each roof rib was cast in place on a sculpted mound of earth and individually lifted into position, then joined to other ribs via another concrete pour. We see the joining elements in the photo below.


twitterfiles

[Beaudry]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Thank you Beaudry! It's populated and with a name attached: William Widney. There is a William Widney (1850-1921), originally a Buckeye, buried out at Angelus Rosedale with his wife, Elizabeth. Hard to believe the day would come when elephants would be rounding this corner.

Big contrast with the image of the house Flyingwedge posted and I cropped. By circa 1905 the home had gained a side porch, but lost most of its fence:


Judge Widney, of USC fame, lived in a two-story home on S Hill between W 4th and W 5th, according to USCDL. That house, they say, eventually became part of the site for the Subway Terminal Building. On the other hand, LAPL has a C.C. Pierce image of another (?) house on Hill, between 4th & 5th. They say it belonged to Dr P Widney and fell for the Pacific Electric station. Lotta Widneys on that block.

Thank you MichaelRyerson for all your photos of the house and environs.

I got excited for a second, I thought the house still stood! Seems that Wm Widney's house at 430 W 4th was, according to permits anyway, moved to 242 E 79th in 1923. But either that idea was abandoned, or it was moved and then demolished three years later, because the stucco/Spanish there now is 1926.

On a related note, about 1906 A L Haley designed an apartment house for that very corner, which never came to be:



(pictured in his book Modern Apartments) I think it bears a bit of a resemblance to his ill-fated Ponet Square of 1906.

The Zahns, of course, didn't build Haley's design at 4th & Olive, but instead waited a few years and tore down their own house at 427 S Hope, and hired architect F M Tyler to design the "Zahn Apartments" which they finally instead named the Rubaiyat.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

I got excited for a second, I thought the house still stood! Seems that Wm Widney's house at 430 W 4th was, according to permits anyway, moved to 242 E 79th in 1923. But either that idea was abandoned, or it was moved and then demolished three years later, because the stucco/Spanish there now is 1926.

I missed that entirely. All I saw was this:



ladbs

The Mumford & its neighbor to the east got demo permits at the same time. They had to go so LA's newest, now oldest, garage could be built.

The proposed Zahn rendering is delightful. What ever happened to AL Haley? He seems to have evaporated.


P.S.

Speaking of unbuilt Haleys and W 4th St:

Originally Posted by tovangar2

cdnc

[ethereal_reality]

Two hole-in-the-wall eateries in 1950 Los Angeles.


The 'Panchitas Cafe' and the 'Civic Cafe'.


ebay

As well as the "Call me Jack!"resale shop, and a view of St. Vibiana's.




Just for fun, here's a closer look at the Panchitas Cafe and Civic Cafe.

detail







below: I believe this is the same view today; the dark building is the building that housed the 'Civic Cafe' (minus the top floors)


100 Block of E. 3rd Street

gsv

If you look closely, you can see the tower of St. Vibiana's in the distance down Werdin Place.

[ethereal_reality]

"Woman Drunk Driver" 6-17-60


ebay



ebay



for search purposes:

Officer C.F. Kuehn, Elsie C. McDonald 465 N. Western Ave., Officer J.L. Haag.

Herald Express photograph, Photographer Rutherford.

[Beaudry]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

I missed that entirely. All I saw was this:



ladbs

The Mumford & its neighbor to the east got demo permits at the same time. They had to go so LA's newest, now oldest, garage could be built.

The proposed Zahn rendering is delightful. What ever happened to AL Haley? He seems to have evaporated.


P.S.

Speaking of unbuilt Haleys and W 4th St:

Yeah, weird, they get the demo permit in January, and the relocation permit in February—



And yes, what happened with Arthur Leonard Haley? From what I can garner through records, he lands in LA in '90, marries Blanche in '97, so one assumes she went on the lam with him! They're both in the census living in San Francisco in 1900. By 1910 and through at least 1913 they're here, but he's in Portland, and divorced, in 1920. Then he dies, 61yo, in LA in 1927.

There's 200+ mentions of him in the Times and one of these days I'll organize them into some sensible story...