noirish Los Angeles

[3940dxer]

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Past

3940dxer and I were supposed to combine our two resources into one shared archive (I had all the early stuff, he had everything up to that date), but the swap never occurred. I'm still more than willing to do that. If 3940dxer happens to be reading this, please send me a PM!

-Scott

Done, and sorry it took me so long. I still have all the stuff that I archived last year and would be glad to help with some repair work in the coming months though the amount of missing material is somewhat overwhelming, and I'm not sure how much can be restored. Even with the original images saved, I can only repair my own posts, and could only repair others if the OP's gave me their login, of if admin here gave certain of us moderation privileges. I'm open to suggestion.

[thingsbuilt]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Somehow we missed this impressive building on noirish.


Installing windows on the ground floor of the Westchester Apartments.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/90030/rec/1






The building today/northwest corner of Pico Blvd. and Westchester Place

GSV
__

I just lived there for the last three years... it's kept pretty tidy,
and there is an award-winning bike shop on the ground floor.
We had a great view of the Hollywood Hills from Sunset Strip to downtown.

It's said that it was built in 1926 as a hotel for the LA Country Club, but
other history suggests that the Country Club had already moved to Beverly Hills by 1909.

It's the only "prosperous-looking" block on that stretch of Pico
(ie, no trash, graffitti, no chained-up storefronts)

sr

[gemnewt]

Hello Everyone
I'm new to the forum here and I like what i've been reading, you all should be praised for your wealth of knowledge in regards to the city of L.A. and surrounding areas. I'm a native to Los Angeles myself, I was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital on Lucas and Wilshire Blvd. and I was wondering if you might help me by locating the House my wife's father and grandmother lived. The street's name was Clover St. and it was very close to Main St. in Lincoln Heights. Now for a couple of landmarks to help you, she said she remembers walking to a Lanza Brothers Market with her grandmother and she remembers her father would walk about a block or so to a place called San Antonio Winery on LeMar or Lamar St. and buying wine for dinner.
She lived there from 1946 to 1957 when her grandmother passed away and her parents bought a new home in Alhambra.
Thank You Very Kindly in Advance

[ethereal_reality]

welcome gemnewt! -hopefully we'll locate that house for you.
__



I came across this photograph on an old cd of mine today. At first I thought it must be a city hall
or some other municipal building.


unknown

It turns out, this impressive Mission Revival structure is the first filtration plant built by the Metropolitan Water District.
(we discussed the water district's downtown headquarters only yesterday)

Today it's known as the F.E. Weymouth Treatment Plant. Located in La Verne CA on the eastern edge of
Los Angeles County, it processes 520 million gallons a day.


below: HDR images of the treatment facility. (I'm not a big fan of HDR, but these are impressive)







http://www.mwdh2o.com/peopleinteract...ly/main07.html

The Metropolitan Water District's website says the filtration plant was expected to become a tourist attraction.
Accordingly, the Zeolite (softening) Building is the plant's most ornate, with cathedral-like ceilings and an alter-like fountain
of extravagant tile work. The plant's tower rises 120 feet and disguises a large tank that was part of the process of softening
the mineral-rich Colorado River water.
__

[Albany NY]

Originally Posted by gemnewt

Hello Everyone
I'm new to the forum here and I like what i've been reading, you all should be praised for your wealth of knowledge in regards to the city of L.A. and surrounding areas. I'm a native to Los Angeles myself, I was born at the Good Samaritan Hospital on Lucas and Wilshire Blvd. and I was wondering if you might help me by locating the House my wife's father and grandmother lived. The street's name was Clover St. and it was very close to Main St. in Lincoln Heights. Now for a couple of landmarks to help you, she said she remembers walking to a Lanza Brothers Market with her grandmother and she remembers her father would walk about a block or so to a place called San Antonio Winery on LeMar or Lamar St. and buying wine for dinner.
She lived there from 1946 to 1957 when her grandmother passed away and her parents bought a new home in Alhambra.
Thank You Very Kindly in Advance

Welcome gemnewt! Well, I'm afraid there's no good news about the old homestead. As you can see from the Google aerial view, Clover Street is now completely commercial....not a house in sight.
Google Maps

There is one thing still in the neighborhood, though. Lanza's Market is just across from Clover Street, on North Main at South Avenue 17.
Google Street View

You mentioned a liquor store somewhere on Lamar Street. At the corner of Lamar and Plaza San Antonio there is the San Antonio Winery, which boasts a restaurant and gift shop. That is just a block or so (as the crow flies) from Clover Street.
Google Street View

I hope this helps, but I know how disappointing it is when a residential neighborhood is erased. I guess it is literally true here, you can't go home again.

[ethereal_reality]

Here is a 1920s* photograph of the San Antonio Winery on Lamar Street.


http://sanantoniowinery.com/winery/history/

It probably looked more like this when gemnewt's grandfather went to buy his wine for the family.

*During prohibition, the winery was granted permission by the Archdiocese of LA to produce sacramental and ceremonial wine.
__

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here is a 1920s* photograph of the San Antonio Winery on Lamar Street.


http://sanantoniowinery.com/winery/history/

It probably looked more like this when gemnewt's grandfather went to buy his wine for the family.

*The winery was granted permission to produce sacramental and ceremonial wine during prohibition
by the Archdioces of LA. (I didn't realize they had that power)

!

[ProphetM]

Originally Posted by Albany NY

Welcome gemnewt! Well, I'm afraid there's no good news about the old homestead. As you can see from the Google aerial view, Clover Street is now completely commercial....not a house in sight.

I took a look at historicaerials.com, which has aerial photos for the area from 1948, and Clover St. used to go all the way to the railroad tracks from Main. So not only are the residences gone, but the southern half of the street is gone as well.

Gemnewt: go to historicaerials.com and search for: clover & main, los angeles.
Once that loads, you can adjust the drop-down menus. Set the Overlays menu to 'All roads' and set the 'Compare' menu to 'Dissolve'. Then you can see the streets marked, and there will be a slider bar that you can drag back & forth to fade between the 1948 view and the modern view. Nearly the whole street (both sides plus the street itself) has been taken up by the giant UPS facility.

[ethereal_reality]

Safeway meat counter, 1934

Los Angeles

ebay

What do you suppose is in the large cans/buckets hanging on the wall? It looks like the labels say White Ribbon.

I just noticed one of the kids has an apron on. He's lucky to find a job in the middle of the depression.
__

[Tourmaline]

http://reignofterroir.com/wp-content...dre-Elixir.jpg


http://reignofterroir.com/wp-content...ry-bottles.jpg



Unrelated, 1963
http://img1.etsystatic.com/020/0/605...65431_t3k0.jpg


http://img1.etsystatic.com/017/0/605...65537_sjzi.jpg

[CityBoyDoug]

!

[ethereal_reality]

Looking west on 5th Street at Crocker Street. In the distance you can see the heart-shaped rooftop signs of the Rosslyn Hotel and annex.

1970s

unknown


today

GSV

This was once a fine looking building.
__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

[ignoring the phony numbers put out by the current regime.]

There is NO room for politics in this thread CBD. Noirish has succeeded for four-plus years without any mention of contemporary politics.
This is one of the most civil threads on skyscraperpage.com and we're going to keep it that way.

__

[GaylordWilshire]

Hear, hear.

[jaco]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

Hear, hear.

^^^
Dig

[Tetsu]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0jl48hjaQ0

click on the link above/I wasn't able to embed the video.
__

...also, thanks for the information on the Leslie house Tetsu.
__

No problem! Thanks for the YouTube link! I seem to remember hearing somewhere that the Palms Depot was moved from a location right next to the 10 Freeway where a storage unit facility sits now.

And was that taxi in the beginning of the clip a Plymouth Fury, of the "Christine" variety (though it looks like a '59 and Christine was either a '57 or '58, I forget)? I know there's a few car experts on here so I thought I'd point that out too.

[Tetsu]

One of the most noirish images of the Hotel Green in Pasadena that I've ever seen (except for the modern-era car and trash bin).

The Regardist

[ethereal_reality]

I have to agree with you Tetsu.
I wonder what was located atop the Hotel Green's round towers. The lighting is quite elegant; perhaps it's the ballroom.
__


below: I just came across this video featuring the iconic stack of Pacific Electric railcars. (the movie is unidentified)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX90KwM6SRY

click on the link above. (watch LARGE, it's amazing)
__

[Beaudry]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Los Angeles/address unknown

ebay

Notice that the dandy man on the sign is missing in the second photograph.
__

Still there! Well, I think, and only sort of. The '49 white pages lists Burton's of Hollywood and Burton's Studio Clothes at 414 South Main...and there's the 412 address next door.

Today:



calstatelib

No, not the Hotel Alcazar. The wee little building to the north, sandwiched between it and the San Fernando building. You can see it a little better in this earlier image (and before it had its top floors lopped off):
lapl

And the tripartite nature of what's extant matches the original entry formation --


That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

[Beaudry]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

http://misstrafficla.wordpress.com/

This may be a stupid question, but what was this parcel of land back in the 1940s?
Is this the site of those iconic black and white images of Bunker Hill pensioners sitting on benches overlooking downtown?
__

.

When you mention the pensioners sitting on the benches overlooking town, ten'll get you twenty you're referencing the Ansel Adams pix shot of the old timers above the Hill Street tunnel looking south down Hill across First St (and beyond). To wit:

lapl -- see others here and here

Now, Adams's 1940 images are all fine and good, and he's the Greatest American Photographer or whatever, but I'm rather fond of the Hylen shots from about ten years later:

calstatelibrary

In case anyone is wondering where these tunnels were that allowed such a perch over Hill Street -- it's difficult to wrap your head around if you're familiar with the area -- the 1909 LA Pacific tunnel and its later vehicular twin were familiar as anything until that whole part of the world was flattened in 1955-6.
private

googlestreetview

(While on the subject of benches, we won't so much as mention those at Third and Bunker Hill Ave...)
calstatelib
(...or what to do with parks full of undesirables -- though the CRA sure schooled us -- because hey, we're keeping politics off the blog!)