noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

gsv / black 'n white



Thanks Hoss. (I see I have a missing photo in that link. I'll correct it)

Originally Posted by srk1941

Those are the only photos I've been able to find online too... I was looking because I'm researching landscape architect Tommy Tomson, and this was one of his projects. It was a high-end Hollywood Regency apartment building, built around a garden court with pool. Red Skelton bought it and owned it for some time... The Maynard Parker collection has, I believe, photographs, but they aren't digitized. I just have to get over to the Huntington to access them... And yes, Ava lived here with Mickey.

You're correct srk1941. The Huntington has photographs of Wilshire Palms but they're not on online.
I noticed it the other night when I was purusing the Maynard Parker collection. (but I found a lot of other neat things)

__

[Flyingwedge]

I don't know where this home is/was:

UCLA -- http://lit250v.library.ucla.edu/isla...ilyNews%3A5649

This home is similar (e.g, the house and garage windows), but I don't think it's the same home as the other photo:

UCLA -- http://lit250v.library.ucla.edu/isla...ilyNews%3A5657

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Matt Maxwell

Having grown up about two miles from Dana Point, I can safely assure you that there were neither golden nor blue lanterns to my recollection except as street names.

1927 Dana Point publicity photo


http://www.ebay.com/itm/DANA-POINT-L...item19d77a1bbe

"This is a Woodruff Syndicate publicity photograph thought to have been taken by Mack Sennett (a friend of Woodruff). The unidentified young woman
is pointing to the lantern for which the streets are named."

In 1926, Sidney Woodruff, Harry Chandler (publisher of the Los Angeles Times and M.H. Sherman (director of the Pacific Electric Railway Co.) created the Dana Point Syndicate. They invited other investors, company presidents, movie producers, and real estate investors to join them in purchasing 1,388 acres of land. The syndicate promised tree-lined and paved streets, electricity, telephones, sidewalks, water mains, storm drains, sewers and other amenities. Woodruff built 35 homes and a number of commercial buildings. (thirty-four of the original Woodruff residences are still occupied)

Lanterns:

Most of these "Woodruff" houses are concentrated in the Dana Point historic-core, also called Lantern Village (currently about 12,000 residents).
The streets are named after different colored lanterns, like Street of the Violet Lantern, Blue Lantern etc., because colored lanterns were used by ships 200 years ago to advertise their wares when in the Dana Point natural harbor.

A Legacy of Lanterns by Nathan Wright for the Dana Point Times, July 2008.

One lantern stands outside the home of a prominent Dana Point developer. Two others outside historical S.H. Woodruff homes. A fourth rusts on a city sidewalk on Violet Lantern, while a fifth has been temporarily ripped from the ground by a construction crew renovating a home on Valencia Place.

The five lampposts are all that remain standing of the more than 150 lanterns that once lined many of the original Dana point streets in the 1920s, 30s and 40s before they fell into disrepair and were sold for scrap by the county. While most of the copper lanterns and iron poles have been lost, a handful remain.

Of the five lampposts, three still have lanterns attached. Fifteen more lanterns stand atop modern poles in the Dana Point Plaza, restored and installed in 1989 after sitting in Marjorie Kincade's basement for four decades. Others are prized possessions in personal collections.


Mixed memories of the color lanterns.

One old timer remembers: Of the 150 lanterns, the famed colored lights were located only on Roosevelt Highway (now Pacific Coast Highway) and that the lanterns themselves weren't colorful. There were glass domes atop these select lamppost. The old timer went on to say, "The lanterns were all clear glass. The domes were made of colored glass." (I'm having trouble picturing this in my mind)

Mel Pierce, 84, still remembers the domes from his childhood. His family moved to Chula Vista Avenue in 1930, and as a youngster he played in the lantern-illuminated streets. "The green lantern had a green dome, the blue lantern had a blue dome, down through all the colors" he said.


The lanterns and street names even made the Los Angeles Times on January 16, 1927, although the report seems to go contrary to the old-timer's belief that the lanterns themselves were not colored and Pierce's recollection of domes:

"One of the interesting innovations at Dana Point is the unique system of lighting and naming of streets. The Roosevelt Highway, as the major traffic artery of Dana Point, is crossed by a series of streets with street lights of special design, each having a beautiful ship's lantern in various colors. The first is the Street of the Golden Lantern, and is entirely lighted by golden lantern. The second is Street of the Green Lantern, and is lighted by green lanterns. Next is the Street of the Amber Lanterns, and so on, and as the streets wind up the hillcrest, giving brilliant colorful effects," the Times reported.
__



I also found this:


http://www.danapointhistorical.org/d...-designations/


The building still stands! -at 34091 Pacific Coast Highway in 2013.


gsv


these two lanterns are very similar to the lantern in the 1927 publicity photo. That said, I'm still trying to figure out all this talk about "domes".


detail / gsv
__

I'm still searching for an old postcard that shows the colored lanterns. (and perhaps an explanation of the 'elusive' domes)

[HossC]

Originally Posted by Flyingwedge

I don't know where this home is/was:

UCLA -- http://lit250v.library.ucla.edu/isla...ilyNews%3A5649

This home is similar (e.g, the house and garage windows), but I don't think it's the same home as the other photo:

UCLA -- http://lit250v.library.ucla.edu/isla...ilyNews%3A5657

Both houses were designed by William Kesling. There's loads more information and pictures about these Kesling houses and others at thesilverlakenews.com.

The 1936 Vanderpool House at 1536 Easterly Terrace, Silver Lake.


GSV

The 1937 Skinner House at 1530 Easterly Terrace, Silver Lake.


GSV

[tovangar2]

Here's a few more photos of Percy Parke Lewis' charming 1935 Chateau Colline. It's a survivor from the time before the Wilshire corridor was a condo canyon and instead was lined with luxe and lovely one-of a-kind apartment buildings. Westwood's answer to N Rossmore:







There's six garages around the back:

bsv

...and two more garages on the Wilshire side:




One of the 8 1bed/1ba units sold for $1 million last year. Not much really, considering what the land must be worth.

(All pix, except that one street view are from here. There's more at the link.)

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks t2!

[Matt Maxwell]

I only moved to OC in 1972 or so (and I was very young.) Pretty sure the old-style lanterns were gone entirely and only the names remained until I left for good by 1990. I'd like to see evidence of the old colored lanterns myself, so post 'em if you find 'em.

[ethereal_reality]

I realize that Matt. Your post inspired me to do a little more digging.

I didn't find a clear-cut answer about the colored lanterns, but I did discover that Mack Sennett connection (the Dana Point photographs he took for his friend Woodruff).
__

[tovangar2]

Have we seen this one yet?



"The Dana Point Historical Society has located some of the original street lanterns "from the original Dana Point development days," in a neighboring city. These are the same lanterns (each a different color) from which many of the city's streets take their names. The Society hopes to save and restore the lanterns for future public display. The 1928 photo above shows one of the original lanterns, with construction on the new Coast Highway taking place in the background. The image comes from Doris Walker's latest book about Dana Point history. (See even more photos of early Dana Point at light-headed.com.)" -OC historical society

[ethereal_reality]

No we haven't t2! Thanks for finding this. Good sleuthing.

[Flyingwedge]

At 1:03 p.m. on May 7, 1915 (about six hours after the Lusitania was torpedoed), a Pacific Electric
streetcar was struck by an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe locomotive just west of the Aliso Street Bridge
across the Los Angeles River. Five people on the streetcar were killed and about 40 people injured (some
accounts say there were 34 injuries).

The 1914 Baist Map below shows Aliso Street running left to right across the center. The Santa Fe main line
crosses Aliso Street at the intersection with Keller Street. The Santa Fe freight line crosses Aliso just west
of the west end of the Aliso Street Bridge over the Los Angeles River (the river is the narrow blue area at
right). There is a streetcar line running down the middle of Aliso Street:

Historic Mapworks -- http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/19089/Plate+004/

There were two flagmen responsible for controlling traffic at the rail crossings. The Pacific Electric
flagman was a double amputee with limited mobility. The Santa Fe flagman, who covered both the main
and freight line crossings (210 feet apart) was 77 years old. Here's the area on the 1906 Sanborn Map,
which shows the bridge layout, the main line crossing (left) and the freight line crossing (right):

LAPL

The accident occurred when both westbound and eastbound streetcars on Aliso approached the Santa Fe
freight crossing around the time a Santa Fe engine, running reversed, was moving south on the freight line,
approaching Aliso. The motorman of the westbound car claimed to have received the signal to proceed
from the PE flagman.

However, the PE flagman claimed to have not even seen the westbound car until it was about to be struck.
The Santa Fe flagman said he did not see or hear either the locomotive or the streetcar. At the last
moment, the PE motorman accelerated from 8 MPH to about 20 MPH in an unsuccessful attempt to
avoid the collision.

With the locomotive moving at about 8 MPH, the rear of its tender struck the streetcar broadside and pushed
it back about 25 feet into a utility pole, crushing the streetcar and snapping the pole. Killed instantly were
Mrs. Grace Gaylord, her infant son Clarence, and her aunt. So was Stanley Jordan, who left a widow and
four children (a jury would award Mrs. Jordan and her children $15,000 in October). Mrs. Harry Hurlburt died
soon after the accident at the city receiving hospital:


Annual Report of the Board of Public Utilities, City of Los Angeles, July 1 1914-June 30 1915 @ Hathitrust -- http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?i...iew=1up;seq=75

A Los Angeles Times article on the accident noted that the engine was Santa Fe No. 480 (you can see the
number in the photo above), and that a plate on the engine read, "Rhode Island Locomotive Works No. 3250."
The accident was re-created on May 11, not with engine 480, but with Santa Fe No. 481 (you can see the
number in the newspaper photo below). Did rehearse and reenact use to have the same meaning?:

May 12, 1915, Los Angeles Times @ LAPL

Here's Rhode Island Locomotive Works No. 3251/Santa Fe No. 481:

Rhode Island Locomotive Works -- https://sites.google.com/site/rhodei...-0-1/h-4-6-0-2

A coroner's jury on May 11, 1915, determined that Pacific Electric, due to the negligence of either the motorman
or flagman was responsible for the accident, although Santa Fe was faulted for having one flagman covering
two crossings. The accident was also investigated by the Interstate Commerce Commission, whose thorough
report can be read here but was summarized in the July 4, 1915, Los Angeles Times:

LAPL

The dangerous crossings at the Aliso Street Bridge were apparently addressed the following year when
the Salt Lake (whose tracks ran along the east bank of the LA River, at the east end of the Aliso Street Bridge),
Santa Fe and Pacific Electric agreed to split the cost to install an "interlocking signal system and derailers."

# # #

Thanks HossC for the Silver Lake home IDs!

[ethereal_reality]

I thought I had finally found a photograph of one of the color "domes"used to manipulate the light of the Dana Point street lanterns.


http://www.danapointtimes.com/its-hi...he-oil-please/

In actuality, this is the beacon that was atop the 125-foot Richfield tower at Dana Point!!
*The beacon was donated to the Dana Point Historical Society by Richard Deffenbaugh (the man in the photograph)

You can read the entire story here:
http://www.danapointtimes.com/its-hi...he-oil-please/



below: ProphetM's earlier post showing the Dana Point Richfield tower at it's original location.

Originally Posted by ProphetM

Dana Villa, circa 1930 - I have this because of the Richfield Beacon captured at right.


(source unknown)

The beacon was taken down in 1971.

[ethereal_reality]

Paramount Studios......heavy rains, March 5th, 1938. -sandbags around the studio 'Chuck Wagon'.


eBay
__

[ethereal_reality]

Comparing the size/stature of Hollywood starlets, 1944.



eBay





eBay / paper




eBay / paper




eBay/ paper
__


Veronica Lake's diminutive size reminded me of this photograph.


http://theredlist.com/wiki-2-24-525-...hy-lamour.html

above: Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour and Veronica Lake on the set of Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)

It's just amazing how small Ms. Lake was! -no wonder she was teamed up with Alan Ladd.

__

[tovangar2]

Another from the same source. Between the utility poles and the vastness of the landscape, the lanterns aren't having much impact in this shot:


"...In the late 1920s, real estate wheeler-dealer Sidney Woodruff set out to develop Dana Point into a beach town. Woodruff was a master of marketing gimmicks, and the street names and lanterns were a good example. Each north/south street was named for a different color lantern (e.g. "The Street of the Blue Lantern.") Then, lanterns of corresponding colors were hung along each street. I suppose the idea was that lanterns were nautical.
.
Another example of a Woodruff gimmick was the enormous hillside sign he had built to advertise his "Hollywoodland" development in Los Angeles. Eventually, the "-land" part of the sign went away, but on clear days the now-famous "Hollywood" sign can still be seen from as far away as Anaheim.
.
The onset of the Great Depression meant that Woodruff's plans for Dana Point were stalled in their infancy. Streets, lighting, and other infrastructure were in place, but few were buying lots. It would be decades before Dana Point would resume its growth in earnest.
.
For a clearer and much more detailed telling of the story of Woodruff, the lanterns, and history of Dana Point, I recommend Doris I. Walker's book, Home Port for Romance (alternately titled, Dana Point Harbor/Capistrano Bay: Home Port for Romance.)"
oc historical

And an interesting follow-up "Comment" (I was wondering what we are looking at. I can't figure out the POV though):

"That's a great view of Folsom Ridge in its natural form. The first hill, on the left, used to be called Window Hill, and the steepest part facing the camera is where they used to have uphill motorcycle races back in the thirties and forties.

The middle hill (unnamed) is the hill I grew up on. In between Window Hill and that hill, Deep Canyon can be seen bisecting the two.

The far NW edge of the Capistrano Palisades can be seen in the center right of the picture, delineated by rows of very young date palms."


P.S.

Are these all of the "Lantern" streets?

Green
Blue
Ruby
Amber
Violet
Golden
Silver
Copper
Crystal

[pwrof3]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

That article on the Alexandria 'wing' is sooo interesting. Thx for posting it Lwize.


Just a reminder of the opulence of the mighty Alexandria (amid all that grandeur is a porcelain spittoon).


http://www.homerlea.org/photoarchives5.htm

above: I'd like to see the light at the end of that chain at far right (obviously it's down in the lobby). Lobby pic anyone?





The magnificent stained glass in Palm Court (still in place in the old Alexandria ballroom)


http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.c...ria-hotel.html
__

Hello, E_R!
I'm still digging around back on page 502! Recently, everything you have posted through Imageshack has been replaced with these images.

I know just about two months ago your images were all there, but not anymore. I guess a change in Imageshack's expiration policy?

[tovangar2]

!!!!!


Not only does that pair of homes have sadly mismatched landscaping, but their view (and any view of them) has been walled-off by a row of giant cypresses.





gsv

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by pwrof3

Hello, E_R!
I'm still digging around back on page 502! Recently, everything you have posted through Imageshack has been replaced with these images.

I know just about two months ago your images were all there, but not anymore. I guess a change in Imageshack's expiration policy?

Thanks for letting me know pwrof3.

Imageshack has been having difficulties for about a week now (the site was completely offline for several days). Many user's photographs have gone missing.
Hopefully the photographs will show up again once Imageshack gets it's act together.

I'm sorry to say, but it's pretty much out of my hands at this point.
__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Is this all of the "Lantern" streets?

Green
Blue
Ruby
Amber
Violet
Golden
Silver
Copper
Crystal

That's quite a kaleidoscopic list! I think you've got them all t2.

Here is one of the fifteen original lanterns that were restored (they had been in someone's basement for four decades! ) and installed at Dana Point Plaza.


gsv

(just the lantern were in Marjorie Kincaid's basement; the poles are new, built to match the old design)
__

[ethereal_reality]

I happened across these two postcards quite by accident.

Has anyone heard of a large tree that used to stand in the middle of Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena?


eBay






eBay


Maybe it belongs in the same company as El Aliso and the Aoyama Tree.
__