noirish Los Angeles

[ethereal_reality]

I appreciate the correction t2. (& the dome answer of course)
__


more kids playing in the Venice canals.


mr rollers 1975 / flickr

can you imagine being a kid and having a barge to play with! ...on a canal!



See the 1950s/60s color slide from a few days ago HERE

[Mstimc]

Originally Posted by Scott Charles

With the help of you fine people, I now believe that I could easily navigate old LA if I were thrown into a time machine. I could explore the beautiful, long-gone tunnels on Hill and on Broadway. I could make my way around the much-missed Bunker Hill, visit the Bradbury Mansion, and ride down Court Flight. And I could find myself a good lunch in the original Chinatown. And boy, would it be a pleasure to do it!

Anyways, here’s my thanks to all of you people who have made this such an amazing thread‼



PS: If any of you would like to tell us how you became such experts on the history of Los Angeles architecture, I’d love to hear your stories!

I comment occasionally because I can't seem to get the hang of posting pics (maybe just as well given the treachery of Photobucket). I was born and raised on the other side of the Orange curtain but my mom was an L.A. girl who grew up in an apartment on Laguna Ave., straight across the street from Echo Park and St. Athanasius church (now the Episcopal Diocese of L.A.). I spent many pleasant Saturdays playing on the side of the hill behind my grandmother's apartment.

I've always loved DTLA and the old places like St. Joseph's Church on Los Angeles Street (burned in the 80's). When I was in college in the late 70's and early 80's, I had a job driving back and forth from the OC to the Red Cross HQ on Vermont and Pico. I drove past the spectacular Young Apartments next to the 10 freeway a million times, and a couple of years ago I decided to Google its history. Lo and behold, the search hit NLA and I've been a nightly addict ever since!

[sadykadie2]

Originally Posted by Mstimc

I comment occasionally because I can't seem to get the hang of posting pics (maybe just as well given the treachery of Photobucket). I was born and raised on the other side of the Orange curtain but my mom was an L.A. girl who grew up in an apartment on Laguna Ave., straight across the street from Echo Park and St. Athanasius church (now the Episcopal Diocese of L.A.). I spent many pleasant Saturdays playing on the side of the hill behind my grandmother's apartment.

I've always loved DTLA and the old places like St. Joseph's Church on Los Angeles Street (burned in the 80's). When I was in college in the late 70's and early 80's, I had a job driving back and forth from the OC to the Red Cross HQ on Vermont and Pico. I drove past the spectacular Young Apartments next to the 10 freeway a million times, and a couple of years ago I decided to Google its history. Lo and behold, the search hit NLA and I've been a nightly addict ever since!

Nightly addict here as well. I get the shakes if I don't get on NLA

[ScottyB]

Originally Posted by HossC

For anyone not familiar with the old aerials site that e_r is talking about, go to mil.library.ucsb.edu.

Type "los angeles" in the search box in the top-left corner and press "Enter" to reposition the map and then drag/zoom to the desired area. Each colored dot indicates an aerial photo, with the darkest red being the oldest (circa 1928), and the lightest yellow being the most recent. Click a dot to see the details. If the box says "Scan: Download", just click the "Download" link and choose how you want to open/save the file. If the image isn't yet available, it will say "Scan: Request Scan".





A couple of words of warning. All of the files download as TIF images, and some are multi-layered, so check that you can open them. Secondly, file sizes vary considerably from around 20Mb to over 250Mb. Finally, the images don't give any indication of orientation, so you'll have to work out the correct rotation.

I have found it useful to use the "time slider" (little button with the clock icon under the search box) to limit the number of files by specifying a date range. Otherwise all those little dots can be a bit overwhelming!

[ethereal_reality]

lol. I freaked out when I saw all those dots.

I appreciate the explanation (again) Hoss...and for the pointer ScottyB.
___







"Echo Park 1975"


mr roller / flickr






the same view in 2016



GSV lemoyne st looking northwest toward sunset blvd.

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by sadykadie2

Nightly addict here as well. I get the shakes if I don't get on NLA

I certainly understand your dilemma Sady. When I feel that way I simply channel Miss Desmond from the Great Beyond. She gives me advice on all aspects of my noir life.
Last week she advised me to always use a steel razor blade instead of the electric shaver....more noir. See how it works...and now my nerves are all calm.
What satisfying relief.


https://vickielester.files.wordpress...sunsetblvd.gif

Not guaranteed but a drink from this glass [Anchor~Hocking Barrel] from the 1930s may help. One has to attack this
crise cérébrale from all angles. Your drink could be anything...even a glass of ice water.

https://www.instawares.com/products/...31411_full.jpg

[Lorendoc]

This is another Harry Adams photograph from the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at CSUN. It is captioned "Street scene with police, Los Angeles, 1957."


Tom & Ethel Bradley Center at CSUN via Calisphere

At first glance, there's not too much to work with. It looks like the street number 1055 might belong to some kind of printing establishment.

Doing a proximity search for "1055" and "printing" in the LAPL CDs, though, gave a hit in the 1964 directory at 1055 E. 41st street:


lapl.org

Here is a 1964 aerial:


historicaerials.com

The building appears in all views of the area at historicaerials.com from 1948 on. The county assessor dates it to 1906.

Looking at the LADBS permits for this address, there is a familiar name connected to the print business:


LADBS

Charlotta Bass was the publisher of the California Eagle, one of the two main African-American newspapers in Los Angeles. oldstuff and HossC posted about her in 2015.

The building is a survivor. The Wadsworth Avenue Elementary School is seen at the left edge of both the "then" and "now" views.


GSV

[acorn8332]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Thank you!!






The ever popular "Urban Light", at LACMA on Wilshire, inexplicably does not include "Wilshire Specials".

There doesn't appear to be a "Wilshire Special" at the City of Los Angeles Street Light Museum either.

While there is no "Wilshire Special" inside the Los Angeles Street Light Museum itself, there is one on display in one of the nearby corridors of the LA Bureau of Street Lighting (LABSL) offices. My photo, 09-11-15.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I appreciate the correction t2. (& the dome answer of course)
__




more kids playing in the Venice canals.


mr rollers 1975 / flickr

can you imagine being a kid and having a barge to play with! ...on a canal!



See the 1950s/60s color slide from a few days ago HERE

Judging from the cars and the long hair on the boys, looks like an early/mid 1970s pic. 1970s version of Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer and friend.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

No longer Sunset and Main. That's the Simpson-Jones Building at the Plaza. The dome is the Methodist church.

Most Chinese restaurants from the 1950s & before had a "Chop Suey" sign, at least in the movies. "Jake, it's Chinatown".

[HossC]

If you look at some of the older posts, we used to play "spot the 'Chop Suey' sign" whenever someone posted a picture of Chinatown.

Originally Posted by ScottyB

I have found it useful to use the "time slider" (little button with the clock icon under the search box) to limit the number of files by specifying a date range. Otherwise all those little dots can be a bit overwhelming!

Thanks, ScottyB, I can't believe I've missed the "time slider" in all the times I've used the UCSB site. In my defense, those controls are half hidden until I click the "X" in the search box. I'll definitely be using it in the future.

[esotouric]

I sure hope those kids don't take a dip in the canals! I was a Venice tot who did just that around that time, and ended up hospitalized with a mystery infection that caused high fever and hallucinations. (Obviously, I survived. My husband calls me "Duck Girl" and says this trial by fire is the source of my superpowers.)

[AlvaroLegido]

Originally Posted by sadykadie2

Nightly addict here as well. I get the shakes if I don't get on NLA

Nightly addicted too !

[GatoVerde]

This is a photo from the California Historical Society's site http://californiahistoricalsociety.b...s-angeles.html

And deatial of the buildings across the river:

I apologize if the photo is a repeat, but I was intrigued by the industrial buildings in the photo and perhaps someone knows what they are or have already been identified. Maybe they're still there.
The caption on the photo reads "Looking northwest from west of Mission Rd., pipe yard in foreground, Los Angeles: 1932-1933 by Anton Wagner, PC17, California Historical Society." I imagine these buildings were on the L.A. River close to where the Main Street bridge is now.

[ethereal_reality]

mystery photograph

"1910 Downtown Los Angeles Street Scene Original Photo"


EBAY


Los Angeles is written on the back...but the three-globe streetlight doesn't ring a bell for me.



reverse

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by esotouric

I sure hope those kids don't take a dip in the canals! I was a Venice tot who did just that around that time,
and ended up hospitalized with a mystery infection that caused high fever and hallucinations.

esotouric, there were a lot of different chemicals in the canals back in the 1970s

...might help explain the hallucinations





Venice Beach 1970

howard gribble



Big Brother is watching.

howard gribble


Hiding in plain sight

howard gribble



more Venice 1970 snapshots HERE

sorry you got sick esotouric.

_

[ethereal_reality]

I came across this slide while looking for Fred's Gilmore service station on Griffin.

"Mobilgas, Olympic Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, 1948" (if we have seen this slide before...just disregard)


ssilberman on flickr

There appears to be a drive-in directly behind the station...you can see the pylon above the roof of the station

and if you look just above that bright red car there is a "Fountain - Sandwich" sign as well.

I imagine the sign on the pylon says "Good Food".
_________




oh, and what do you think that maintenance man is doing?

[Martin Pal]

Bob's Drive-In

I like that sign on the corner, too:

Where to go.
How to get there.
What to do.
ASK HERE.

[ethereal_reality]

Excellent Martin Pal!





"3959 Coolidge Ave. Culver City 1948" (brand new)


ssilberman on flickr

I like that interesting horizontal strip of wood.







"3959 Coolidge Ave. Culver City 1950"


ssilberman on flickr




"3959 Coolidge Ave. Culver City 1950"


ssilberman on flickr

_________





and in 2016. oops. not the right house. see t2's post (it's next)


GSV

looks like GW attacked that poor tree with his chain saw.


time sure has taken its toll. (buckled siding & broken shutter)

[tovangar2]

I think this may be 3958. 3959 is not a match.

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

"3959 Coolidge Ave. Culver City 1948" (brand new)


ssilberman on flickr

The wood paneling is vertical rather than horizontal though. Pity about the street lamps.

gsv