noirish Los Angeles

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Los Angeles, south from the Belmont Hotel (2nd & Belmont) in the 1890s.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1890s-Photog...-/400659098870

back / with information

What a great photo er! I think that's the earliest photo I've seen of that part of Los Angeles. It was probably taken between September 1884 and December 1887.

The Belmont Hotel building opened as Ellis Villa College on Sept 16, 1884, following the laying of the cornerstone on May 28, 1884. Rev. John W. Ellis of the First Presbyterian Church
founded the college:

May 29, 1884 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=1


June 28, 1884 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=1


Sept 17, 1884 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=4

Rev. Ellis subsequently built a new building for his college near the old building:

Sept 5, 1886 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=3

The old college building reopened as the Belmont Hotel:

May 4, 1886 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=1

Apparently, different management opened the hotel a little ahead of schedule:

June 12, 1886 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=1

The Belmont Hotel burned December 16, 1887:

December 17, 1887 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=7

On July 2, 1888, the second Ellis College also burned down (the "wicked woman" is from another story):

July 3, 1888 Los Angeles Daily Herald @ http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lc...arRange&page=1

GW posted what might be the only extant photos of the Belmont Hotel (it's on a hill in the distance in the first one) and a link to the LA Fire Dept account of the fire that destroyed the hotel:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=5408

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

I could be discombobulated but is that Oliver Hardy....the other half of Stan Laurel?

Full original post with id: #10205



Dodson Ltd., successor to MacDonald-Dodson founded in 1925, was in business downtown for a long time:


LA Times Nov 14, 1943/April 8, 1953/Sept 15, 1974

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

What a great photo er! I think that's the earliest photo I've seen of that part of Los Angeles.
It was probably taken between September 1884 and December 1887.

Here are two more I found in another file of mine. I believe they were taken on the same day as the Belmont Hotel photograph.

old file/ebay

smaller size






old file/ebay




for some reason I could only find one caption. (and like you said Flyingwedge, these are prob. pre-1890)



..by the way, great sleuthing on the Ellis Villa College FW. -thanks for that.

__

[Godzilla]

http://jpg1.lapl.org/00104/00104585.jpg

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

The Vogue Tyre 3D billboard reminds me of a couple of prior pics here--

All 1935. LA, exact location unk.

Buick


Ford



Chrysler


Auburn





http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...d/44048/rec/10

[GaylordWilshire]

NHMLAC


I didn't recognize the Natural History Museum at first--it appeared to me to be some sort of Soviet government building. Once I realized I was in L.A., I noticed the texture of the facade...

Seems it was awaiting the the installation of smoother panels, door frames etc...


LAPL

LAPL

LAPL


GSV

trekaroo

[Graybeard]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

http://jpg1.lapl.org/00104/00104585.jpg





All 1935. LA, exact location unk.

Buick


Ford



Chrysler


Auburn





http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...d/44048/rec/10

This may aid in finding the exact location...

coolonsale.com

[Lwize]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

http://jpg1.lapl.org/00104/00104585.jpg

I didn't think people drank iced coffee in 1941. Starbucks grandfather must have been in the shadows...

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by Graybeard

This may aid in finding the exact location...

coolonsale.com

GSV


That Vogue "shadowbox" billboard was at the southwest corner of Wilshire and Stanley....

[CityBoyDoug]

Typical school room scene during the Cold War of the 1950s Los Angeles. This is supposed to save you from an atom bomb attack. The psychological impact was suspect.



Atomic city

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

rare color shot

http://porlacalledealcala.blogspot.c...ke-it-hot.html
__

I've never seen that! Great!

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by HossC

The picture was taken near the intersection of Wilshire and Serrano Avenue. Fashion Trends Beauty Salon was at 3717 Wilshire (1956 CD). The picture below is dated 1930/1940.


USC Digital Library

That block is now the location of Chase Bank and Pacific City Bank.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VxZ5XrL6GE...n.postcard.jpg

[Graybeard]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Typical school room scene during the Cold War of the 1950s Los Angeles. This is supposed to save you from an atom bomb attack. The psychological impact was suspect.



Atomic city

I have often wondered what effect that had on my generation.. The constant reminder of possible global nuclear annihilation, the Doomsday Clock and "Duck and Cover".

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by Graybeard

I have often wondered what effect that had on my generation.. The constant reminder of possible global nuclear annihilation, the Doomsday Clock and "Duck and Cover".

Plenty, IMHO. I went from "Duck and Cover" to a young Sea Scout acting as "radar tell" Sunday mornings at the Ground Observer Corps Filter Center in Oakland, then out of college and into the Air Force just in time to sweat out the Cuban Missile Crisis on a SAC base.

At my 40th birthday party a young 'un asked me what it felt like to turn 40. I replied "Amazed."

BTW, we used to pass tracks off to the Filter Center in Pasadena that covered the LA area. Anybody remember where it was?

Cheers,

Earl

[HossC]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

I was actually looking for a wider shot of the Vogue Tyres premises when I found another shot similar to the one above. This one has the name "Pennsylvania Tires" on the window. It's dated 1932.


USC Digital Library

I also found pictures of their competition a block away at 1221 South Hope. The "Standard Stores Inc." signs dominate the front, but "Bershon Tire Co." can be seen on the awnings. Both companies belonged to Nathan Bershon of 1179 South Highland Avenue. This one is dated 1930.


USC Digital Library

Three years later, and a new tire company has taken over. There seems to be a patch on the awnings where the Bershon Tire Co. signs have been painted over. It looks like it really was a temporary location for Kelly Springfield Tires, because in the 1936 CD they are listed at 1025 South Flower and 660 South Anderson.


USC Digital Library

Just like 1317 South Hope, we have another survivor, although its neighbors to the right have all gone. The building to the left (1225 South Hope) looks reasonably old too, but isn't there in the 1933 picture above.


GSV

[Graybeard]

Originally Posted by Earl Boebert

Plenty, IMHO. I went from "Duck and Cover" to a young Sea Scout acting as "radar tell" Sunday mornings at the Ground Observer Corps Filter Center in Oakland, then out of college and into the Air Force just in time to sweat out the Cuban Missile Crisis on a SAC base.

At my 40th birthday party a young 'un asked me what it felt like to turn 40. I replied "Amazed."

BTW, we used to pass tracks off to the Filter Center in Pasadena that covered the LA area. Anybody remember where it was?

Cheers,

Earl

Exactly. I for one wondered whether 40 years-old was in my future and I too was amazed when I reached 40.

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

GSV


That Vogue "shadowbox" billboard was at the southwest corner of Wilshire and Stanley....

The other address given for a Vogue billboard was on Wilshire near Mansfield. (Conveniently located near Lou Ehler's Cadillac.) Can't readily locate it on this thread, but I thought there was a posting of another Wilshire and Mansfield billboard. Similar moldings to those in the 1935 images?

Wilshire and Mansfield, unk. date
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ngQ3iBKx2G...tBillboard.jpg


1930 Looking east on Wilshire near Mansfield. Forget the water, notice the Chrysler billboard.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics19/00009335.jpg



West view of Wilshire near Citrus (1 blk east of Mansfield) Vogue billboard may be hidden on the right (North) side of this picture.
May 1950,
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00104/00104336.jpg

Address for the Prospect 6159 number in the '35 billboard is illusive. A listing for Vogue Tyres in '56, the year of the Corvette billboard, is for 1323 S. Flower.http://rescarta.lapl.org:8080/ResCar...00001/00000001

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by HossC

I was actually looking for a wider shot of the Vogue Tyres premises when I found another shot similar to the one above. This one has the name "Pennsylvania Tires" on the window. It's dated 1932.


USC Digital Library

Great finds, eric, er, Hoss-- re your first pic: that's a Nash, a '32 I believe. I wonder if the driver is a celebrity, and how many of them may have posed in their Vogue'ed cars in front of 1317 S Hope. As for the Pennsylvania sign-- I assume this was a brand of tire-- 1317 S Hope was the home of MacDonald-Dodson after it spent a couple of years (1925-25) at 433 W Pico, well into the '50s (as Dodson Ltd). Haven't looked into when the move to Flower Street was made.

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

As for the Pennsylvania sign-- I assume this was a brand of tire-- 1317 S Hope was the home of MacDonald-Dodson from 1925 well into the '50s (as Dodson Ltd). Haven't looked into when the move to Flower Street was made.

Pennsylvania Tire had a history as old if not older than Vogue's. It was famous for its vacuum cup tread design. Could it be, that at the time of the photo, Pennsylvania Tire was making some or all of private label/custom Vogue Tyres? The linked article suggests the tires were, at some point, made by Kelly-Springfield for Vogue. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=215 Of course there are any number of other reasons why Dodson and his partner would have associated with larger, possibly better known tire manufacturers, e.g., Pennsylvania Rubber, US Rubber and Kelly-Springfield.

1914 - Notice that Penn advertised an LA connection. "An independent company with an independent selling policy" ?



War Bonds suggests date is probably post 1917. (Probably unnecessary for the competition to make any efforts at debunking the notion of road sucking tires. First, the vacuum principle probably worked best on nonporous glass or steel streets. Second, unlike an octopus, which has the ability to relax its tentacle's grip, additional force would be needed to overcome the tread's "presumed" vacuum adhesion. Thus, if things worked as advertised, the car's tires would have been a real drag. My money is on Boron, Chevron F-310 and the recently posted pellets that increase compression.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2804/4...1c14cc24_o.jpg

[Martin Pal]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

an astonishing view of the set from Ben-Hur. August 18, 1925 (under construction)
ebay

The enormous chariot race arena was constructed at what is now the intersection of La Cienega and San Vicente Boulevards.
__

This is a great shot! (It was at the corner of La Cienega and Venice Boulevards, by the way.) I am currently reading the book M-G-M HOLLYWOOD'S GREATEST BACKLOT and they mention this site where the Ben-Hur set was constructed. The photo they use of the completed set pales in comparison to one or more of the aerial photos that were posted on this thread previously and I have been looking for them, but I cannot locate that post or posts. Can someone help?

Some of the fascinating text from the M-G-M book (page 133) related to this parcel of land seen in the above photo:

In 1925, after the three-way merger that had created the company, Thalberg was forced to shut down production on Fred Niblo's spectacularly out-of-control Ben-Hur. The entire unwieldy project then limped back home to Culver City to await redemption and completion. But once cast and crew had been transplanted onto the lot, Thalberg (with Mayer looking over his shoulder, no doubt) realized that the Lot One backlot was too small and already too congested with standing sets to contain the massive coliseum which, Griffith-like, would have to be built for the picture's chariot-race climax.

The solution was an abandoned lot several miles up the road at the intersection of La Cienega and Venice boulevards. Unfortunately, in a potentially disastrous oversight, no one bothered to actually rent the property from anyone, and when a city bulldozer started to disassemble the still-unfinished set for a county construction project, it took a great deal of pleading and probably greasing of more than a few outreached palms in order to postpone the project so set construction could continue. At a cost of $300,000, a most generous budget for an entire picture at the time, the Roman Circus Maximus was eventually recreated and thousands of extras (including then unknowns Myrna Loy and Marion Davies) were called upon to watch several dozen gladiators (actually local cowboys) tear around the track as recorded by an unprecedented 42 cameras.

When the dust had settled on the spectacle...Mayer and Thalberg realized, sadly, that they could not keep the magnificent set, and, in fact, it was soon bulldozed. Knowing they would need area to shoot equally epic scenes for the forthcoming The Big Parade, the idea of a second, expanded backlot, a magnum opus of backlots--Lot Two--was born.

For those interested in this type of thing I heartily recommend the book. (E_R, when they mentioned Lorimar, I thought of you.) And in a related item in a recent post, there was an anecdote told by Esther Williams about Joan Crawford, but can we believe her?

[HossC]

I finally found a shot showing the whole front of the MacDonald Dodson tire shop, and it looks like they had a small roof sign in 1933. It also shows that the "simulated tire tracks" (mentioned by GW in post #10205) went up both sides of the building.


USC Digital Library

What a difference a year makes. In the original Vogue Tyres post, GW noted "The building still stands, although its façade has been ruined". You can imagined how surprised I was to see this 1934 picture showing that MacDonald Dodson "ruined" their own façade with a Deco makeover. Of course, this façade has also subsequently been ruined.


USC Digital Library