noirish Los Angeles

[Bodin]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Oh mah gah this is bugging me too!!! I'm wondering if the dark building on the right has since been "reskinned," and has a different look to it, and I'm wondering if the low brick buildings in the foreground have since been demolished. They kind of remind me of some buildings in Old Town Pasadena, but this couldn't possibly be there. Also, the way those old buildings are right up to the sidewalk...

I've noticed a lot of chatter about the black building, but does anyone recognize the "ank" building on the left? Likely a bank building. Maybe that will help?

[Martin Pal]

Bodin, I've thought the font looks like US Bank's font, but that hasn't helped me.

[ethereal_reality]

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re: The two buildings in the background of the Robby Muller polaroid.





What about these two buildings? (circled below)


IMDB

This is a screengrab from To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) Cinematographer, Robby Muller







But I'm having difficulty finding the two buildings in real life.

google-earth

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[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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What about these two buildings? (circled below)


IMDB

This is a screengrab from To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) Cinematographer, Robby Muller







But I'm having difficulty finding the two buildings in real life.

google-earth

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The building(s) on the right is the Broadway Plaza, the one of the left may be 651 Flower.

[jerry1656]

After staring at that green building long enough me thinks that the woodwork windows appear to me to look slightly Japanese. Thus I would throw a guess that it could be Dntn LA, - Little Tokyo or the Toy District. That could also account for the red brick classic old type that was repainted over, and the 1 way street would be one of the East West streets, and the shadows show it to be late morning or early noon. That's all I can come up with.

[ethereal_reality]

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"1965 Los Angeles Young Men Dog in &On 1939 Dodge Jalopy"


eBay

This was going to be a mystery location until the seller mentioned what's written on the back.





But there's a conundrum.



First, lets look at the present-day buildings that appeared in background of the 1965 photo. They're the same.


GSV



But now let's look at the opposite side of the street where the jalopy was parked in a drive.

The building you see is St. James Episcopal School. (hence the young gentlemen in the 1965 photograph / they were probably students)


GSV

The school obviously doesn't match the arts & craft-like structures we see on either side of the jalopy in the old pic.
At first, I thought the brick & wooden building(s) in the vintage photo was an earlier version of the school - BUT the present-day school building appears OLDER than 1965.


for search purposes: 615 So. St. Andrew's Place - April 28th 1965- Los Angeles
,

[ethereal_reality]

Oh, and one more thing. . .


What is this thing in front of the jalopy's right front tire?


detail


Mickey Mouse ears?




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[Noir_Noir]

This 1956 aerial shows the space between the two buildings where the jalopy was parked.



mil.library.ucsb.edu


The site is cleared in a 1972 aerial. St. James Episcopal School moved to the site in 1981.

[ScottyB]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Oh, and one more thing. . .


What is this thing in front of the jalopy's right front tire?


detail


Mickey Mouse ears?






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That is the tire! The wheel is turned to the left showing some of the side of the tire.

[Bristolian]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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"1965 Los Angeles Young Men Dog in &On 1939 Dodge Jalopy"


eBay

That looks more like a '34 Ford to me. There's a cat there too and the dog might be looking for it.

[Martin Pal]

Meow:

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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"1965 Los Angeles Young Men Dog [and CAT] in & on 1939 Dodge Jalopy"


eBay

for search purposes: 615 So. St. Andrew's Place - April 28th 1965- Los Angeles
,
_________________________________________________________________

Bristolian, in looking up car photos online, I'd have to agree with your assessment of it looking more like a 1934 Ford.

(In 1965 the car would be around 31 years old. A 31 year old car now would be from 1990. Just seems weird.)

By the way, I looked up the eBay link and the seller advertises this as:
"1965 Los Angeles Young Men Dog in & on 1939 Dodge Jalopy African American Gay interest"

? ? ?

I notice this a lot on photographs on eBay. Any photo of guys together...the guys are always labeled "handsome" and/or "affectionate" if they're near each other. I guess the "gay interest" label gets results for sellers? How do they know that it doesn't turn off other buyers? Just pondering this noticeable pattern on eBay.

[Bristolian]

Martin, I didn't know what a '39 Dodge looked like but thought if the caption was correct, they had a grill nearly identical to the classic '34 Ford. The Dodge actually has a very different look.

I also do those time span comparisons and they can often be pretty hard to fathom.

[Earl Boebert]

Originally Posted by Bristolian

Martin, I didn't know what a '39 Dodge looked like but thought if the caption was correct, they had a grill nearly identical to the classic '34 Ford. The Dodge actually has a very different look.

I also do those time span comparisons and they can often be pretty hard to fathom.

That sure looks like the Ford "V8" symbol at the top of that grill.

Cheers,

Earl

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by Noir_Noir

This 1956 aerial shows the space between the two buildings where the jalopy was parked.


mil.library.ucsb.edu

The site is cleared in a 1972 aerial. St. James Episcopal School moved to the site in 1981.

Thanks for the aerial Noir Noir!...So the school is obviously newer than it looks.


I would have guessed it was built around the time of the W.P.A.



The white vertical areas (pilasters?) between the windows and framing the front entrance made me think of art deco.



Here's a closer look at the entrance.



If the architects were aiming for a neo-deco look they succeeded.

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[ethereal_reality]

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mystery location.



"1900'S NEGATIVE..VICTORIAN LADIES,REAL ESTATE SIGNS SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA"



eBay

If you look closely there is a smallish house or bungalow behind the 'Mountain Crest Estate' sign and another building along the left edge of the photograph. (perhaps the two structures are remnants of an old farm)

There also appears to be a very large sign on the crest of the hill but all we can see of it is an A and one third of the 2nd letter (R?) I thought it would spell out 'Moutain Crest Estate' but obviously it doesn't.

Also note that at the bottom of the 'Mountain Crest Estate' sign it say. ."Inquire at Store" with a finger pointing [B]- - - - >



Oh, and one last thought:
I wonder if the women just bought property there. They seem quite jubilant.
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[HossC]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Thanks for the aerial Noir Noir!...So the school is obviously newer than it looks.

I would have guessed it was built around the time of the W.P.A.



The white vertical areas (pilasters?) between the windows and framing the front entrance made me think of art deco.

The new building permit is dated September 21st, 1979, and says that there were no existing buildings on the lot. The architect is given as Leidenfrost-Horowitz & Associates - you can see a list of some of their other projects at www.emporis.com.

[ethereal_reality]

Thanks Hoss.



oops. . .I forgot about the smaller sign in the 1900s neg. ...Here's a closer look if anyone is interested.



detail/eBay

FIREBREAK...."Extends from Topanga Canyon to Laurel Canyon"

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[Lwize]

Probably also says "Extinguish your cigarettes"?

[ethereal_reality]

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Boy! 'Mountain Crest Estate' is a tough nut to crack!...I just finished an hour or two of searching.


Let's review:
We're talking about an early subdivision, right? And, per the 'firebreak' sign, the location (560 acres) has to be somewhere between Topanga Canyon and Laurel Canyon.

My guess is. . the 729 Central Building is in downtown Los Angeles. (or perhaps Santa Monica?)





Although I didn't find any information on 'Mountain Crest Estate' I found a half dozen or so rabbit holes that I plan to revisit. Fun times!

[Snix]

I remember hearing at the time that the midcentury style screen block was added to the Warner Bros. theater building as set dressing for the film "Ed Wood."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ10wLxSYUs

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

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Here's another slide from Nov. 1974 (no doubt taken by the same tourist)

"Star’s Deli Restaurant Hollywood Blvd 35mm Photo Slide Nov 1974 Vtg Los Angeles."


eBay

This is the northwest corner of the old Warners Theater building on Hollywood & Wilcox.





Here's the corner of the building today.



It appears they have restored the original grillwork and tlles.

Here


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