noirish Los Angeles

[Beaudry]

So about a month ago Rick Prelinger was in town and presented Part 2 of Lost Landscapes. I assume you've seen Part One (which at 13:30...dear Lord).

Now you can see Part Two right here! The film itself begins at 10:54.

This guy at 18:59 just slayed me. Looking west on Fourth. You NEVER see shots of 356 South Bunker Hill, which was built by Myra Hershey in 1899 and designed by Oliver Perry Dennis; demo'd in June of '54 for the cut. And there it is! Across BHA is the Crestholme, and behind you can see the parapet of the Gibson at 4th and Hope.




Also look out for the footage of the Frontenac demolition, and the process plate stuff going up Hill in the spring of '61. But that's just me, I'm partial to Bunker Hill, but it's all great.

[nadeau]

.

[nadeau]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Here's an absolutely fascinating rppc photograph of a balloon launch in Highland Park. [c.1910]


found on eBay quite some time ago





Here's a closer look.


detail

There appears to be two men (one large, one small) in the basket and another man (in white) manipulating the balloon with a tethered rope.
The scattered onlookers, some standing. . .some sitting, create a configuration worthy of a painter.

I'm still looking for evidence of a hot air balloon event in Highland Park, CA.



I hope I haven't already posted this photograph. I apologize if I have.

Wow, spectacular photo. Costumes and so many technical details in the background. I look forward to the sleuthing

[Preston Reese]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

So about a month ago Rick Prelinger was in town and presented Part 2 of Lost Landscapes. I assume you've seen Part One (which at 13:30...dear Lord).

Now you can see Part Two right here! The film itself begins at 10:54.

This guy at 18:59 just slayed me. Looking west on Fourth. You NEVER see shots of 356 South Bunker Hill, which was built by Myra Hershey in 1899 and designed by Oliver Perry Dennis; demo'd in June of '54 for the cut. And there it is! Across BHA is the Crestholme, and behind you can see the parapet of the Gibson at 4th and Hope.




Also look out for the footage of the Frontenac demolition, and the process plate stuff going up Hill in the spring of '61. But that's just me, I'm partial to Bunker Hill, but it's all great.

Thanks for that photo of 4th street, west of Bunker Hill Ave. That is a seldom photographed part of 4th street.

[ethereal_reality]

This mystery building (Griffin Block?) was just listed on eBay.




........................................................................................................ WRITTEN on the BACK:

........................................................."Aunt Abbie's husband, Jim Griffin, in Los Angeles owned this building."


eBay



detail of the back






Let's take a closer look noirishers!


enlargement

Does anyone know where Mr. Griffin's building was located?



.

[Lorendoc]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

This mystery building (Griffin Block?) was just listed on eBay.




........................................................................................................ WRITTEN on the BACK:

........................................................."Aunt Abbie's husband, Jim Griffin, in Los Angeles owned this building."


eBay



detail of the back


Does anyone know where Mr. Griffin's building was located?



.

San Pedro.


8/27/40 - San Pedro News-Pilot via newspapers.com


6/11/01 - Los Angeles Herald via UCR

This Griffin Block was at 5th and Beacon. The newspapers suggest it had a tendency to combust. There was another, earlier Griffin Block in Los Angeles at 110-114 S Main.

[HossC]

"Birdseye view of San Pedro looking north towards Wilmington from Beacon Street, ca.1903".


USC Digital Library

I think this is the Griffin Block near the center.


Detail of image above

[odinthor]

The savory part of downtown San Pedro has been "redeveloped" (= "obliterated and replaced with boring stuff"), which sent me for a short random sightseeing drive on the Googlemobile through uptown San Pedro. An old palm tree on Amar St. loomed, and I thought there might be something of interest on its lot:


gsv: 341 W. Amar, San Pedro.

No doubt this structure was a little more interesting once upon a time in its youth.

San Pedro's modest four-blocks-long Amar St. has, in its LA Times appearances, an odd vibe: First of all, there's a sudden outcropping of eight marriage announcements between February, 1936, and June, 1937; and addresses 260 and 262 Amar St. were, in 1934 and 1937, the homes of persons arrested for perceived misdeeds related to Union activities. Structures on the north side of two of the blocks (including addresses 260 and 262) were removed to accommodate the looping exit from the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

[CityBoyDoug]

tumblr

This humble Fruit & vegetable stand, was at South Western Ave, Los Angeles, 1932

[Bristolian]

I love this one and am thinking the stand was located on the east side of Western Ave somewhere around Imperial Highway. The Auto Club sign shows Vermont Ave 1 mile east and Hawthorne 3 miles west which would confirm the Western Avenue location.
I can't make out everything on the smaller part of the sign above but I see it showing Los Angeles to the north and Torrance to the south.
The mystery to me is Bellevue Public Golf Course 1/2 mile west. That would put it somewhere around Van ness Ave. I can find no information or record of the course.
I know, I admit I'm probably the only one on here who cares about old golf courses.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Bristolian

I love this one and am thinking the stand was located on the east side of Western Ave somewhere around Imperial Highway. The Auto Club sign shows Vermont Ave 1 mile east and Hawthorne 3 miles west which would confirm the Western Avenue location.
I can't make out everything on the smaller part of the sign above but I see it showing Los Angeles to the north and Torrance to the south.
The mystery to me is Bellevue Public Golf Course 1/2 mile west. That would put it somewhere around Van ness Ave. I can find no information or record of the course.
I know, I admit I'm probably the only one on here who cares about old golf courses.

Bristolian.....based upon the shadows, are your sure the Stand is on the East side of Western?

[Bristolian]

I'm not sure but with Vermont Ave behind it and Hawthorne and LAX to the left, that makes sense. The small trees look like they are getting the prevailing wind from the west. The shadows don't look like the sun is south but could be just about due west in the summer.
Is there any more info at tumblr? You didn't post a link.

[odinthor]

Originally Posted by Bristolian

I love this one and am thinking the stand was located on the east side of Western Ave somewhere around Imperial Highway. The Auto Club sign shows Vermont Ave 1 mile east and Hawthorne 3 miles west which would confirm the Western Avenue location.
I can't make out everything on the smaller part of the sign above but I see it showing Los Angeles to the north and Torrance to the south.
The mystery to me is Bellevue Public Golf Course 1/2 mile west. That would put it somewhere around Van ness Ave. I can find no information or record of the course.
I know, I admit I'm probably the only one on here who cares about old golf courses.

Last mention I see of it in the LA Times comes on May 11, 1932, when we find that "Don Stafford has entered the finals in the championship flight in the match play tournament at the Bellevue public course on South Western avenue by virtue of a 1-up win on the nineteenth hole over O.W. McBain."

[HossC]

The Bellevue Golf Course made it onto this 1932 tourist map. I notice that the word "Public" is missing from its title, but I assume it's the same place.


www.historicmapworks.com

[Bristolian]

Thanks Odinthor and Hoss,

I posted about The Western Avenue Club Golf Club in 2016 -post#33306
It had two locations, first at Western & Manchester and shortly thereafter at Western & El Segundo which is the current Chester Washington course.
Neither of these seem to match the location in the articles posted by Odinthor. I think that was halfway between the two. Also, I can't find a Bellevue Avenue, past or present, in the area.
The map posted by Hoss shows the course west of Western but nothing more specific than between Manchester and Redondo (Beach) Bl. which could be at Imperial?

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by Bristolian

I'm not sure but with Vermont Ave behind it and Hawthorne and LAX to the left, that makes sense. The small trees look like they are getting the prevailing wind from the west. The shadows don't look like the sun is south but could be just about due west in the summer.
Is there any more info at tumblr? You didn't post a link.

Maybe my source is incorrect. I don't see any other info on tumblr. The sign is confusing. Maybe its some other street in the So. Western St. area.

Its amazing how much of LA was grasslands and farming in the 1930s. The two new houses that I lived in when growing up had been built on an orange grove and an old airport.

[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by CityBoyDoug

Maybe my source is incorrect. I don't see any other info on tumblr. The sign is confusing. Maybe its some other street in the So. Western St. area.

Its amazing how much of LA was grasslands and farming in the 1930s. The two new houses that I lived in when growing up had been built on an orange grove and an old airport.

I think Western Ave. is correct and the info on the sign is what confirms that to me. The gentle rise to the north and east also looks about right too.
I've been looking at a bunch of old aerials trying to find the elusive Bellevue Golf Course and yes, there was tons of farming in this area and beyond.

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Martin Pal

This Los Angeles Times column, Skylarking, from June 5, 1953, indicates Adolphe Rempp showed films at his Thistle Inn restaurant in Silverlake.

M P, I couldn't help but notice the blurb about Hal Hayes' dying tree. (outlined it in RED. below)


Originally posted by MARTIN PAL

LINK.
_________________________________________________________


Well, here's one of Hal's indoor-outdoor trees. .....(although I don't know if this is the dying one)


Popular Mechanics, 1953




As a reminder, Hal Hayes' home was known in 1953 as the "HOUSE FOR THE ATOMIC AGE".

You can learn more about it in this earlier skyscraperpage post, HERE.




I'll go ahead and post this image since it isn't included in the older post.



It's an amazing place. -note the cantilever parking place. (I'd imagine a "double naught" spy would feel right at home in a place like this)

Here's the best part.

The "atomic" home is still there! GSV


.

[Hollywood Graham]

Originally Posted by Beaudry

So about a month ago Rick Prelinger was in town and presented Part 2 of Lost Landscapes. I assume you've seen Part One (which at 13:30...dear Lord).

Now you can see Part Two right here! The film itself begins at 10:54.

This guy at 18:59 just slayed me. Looking west on Fourth. You NEVER see shots of 356 South Bunker Hill, which was built by Myra Hershey in 1899 and designed by Oliver Perry Dennis; demo'd in June of '54 for the cut. And there it is! Across BHA is the Crestholme, and behind you can see the parapet of the Gibson at 4th and Hope.




Also look out for the footage of the Frontenac demolition, and the process plate stuff going up Hill in the spring of '61. But that's just me, I'm partial to Bunker Hill, but it's all great.

Begining of film shows Michaeltorena going down hill to Sunset Bl.. Passing Michaeltorena Elementary School of which I am an alumni in late forties early fifties. Still there.

[LA Kitty Kat]

Hollywood Graham,

I also attended Micheltorena for kindergarten in 1956. Thanks for pointing it out!