Quote:
Originally Posted by Lwize
Hollywood Park race track is shutting down in two weeks and will be demolished.
Any noirish historic images of the race track to post in its honor?
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My thoughts exactly,
Lwize. It's sad, but I think the end was foretold when Churchill Downs sold Hollywood Park to a land development company -- the same one that tore down Bay Meadows
race track (thanks, Churchill Downs). December 22, 2013, will be the last day of racing ever after 75 years.
Anyway, here's Hollywood Park under construction:
LAPL --
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00097/00097843.jpg
The track opened in 1938; here's a 1946 aerial view looking east. Prairie Avenue runs across the bottom of the photo:
lafire.com --
http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/1...odParkFire.htm
A wide view of the clubhouse, June 16, 1938. Stiles O. Clements designed the clubhouse and grandstand, and Edward Huntsman-Trout was the landscape architect:
Huntington Digital Library --
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...id/32254/rec/5
A closer shot of the clubhouse entrance:
LAPL --
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00101/00101561.jpg
South end of the grandstand, c. 1938:
LAPL --
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00101/00101602.jpg
Clubhouse betting windows, June 16, 1938:
Huntington Digital Library --
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/single...id/32258/rec/9
Cigarette girl:
LAPL --
http://jpg1.lapl.org/00101/00101569.jpg
This aerial view is dated c. 1950, but was definitely taken prior to 1950. Century Blvd. runs across the top of the photo:
USC Digital --
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/10912/rec/2
On the night of May 5-6, 1949, the original clubhouse and grandstand burned down:
lafire.com --
http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/1...odParkFire.htm
The things that look like little stop signs are actually folding seats:
Calisphere --
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...and=calisphere
A closer shot:
lafire.com --
http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/1...odParkFire.htm
LAFD Truck 66 firemen operate a portable monitor:
lafire.com --
http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/1...odParkFire.htm
The fire made the cover of
The Firemen's Grapevine:
lafire.com --
http://www.lafire.com/famous_fires/1...odParkFire.htm
But the plant was rebuilt in 1950; here's a 1961 aerial. The clubhouse entrance is on the right:
Calisphere --
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...and=calisphere
Clubhouse entrance, 1960:
Calisphere --
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...and=calisphere
1960:
Calisphere --
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...and=calisphere
A new aluminum rail was installed in 1954:
USC Digital --
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../83050/rec/105
Here's Hollywood Park's 1959 Goose Girl (their title, not mine):
USC Digital --
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co.../77145/rec/101
Hollywood Park was known as the Track of Lakes & Flowers, as seen in this September 1969 photo:
Calisphere --
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...and=calisphere
If you can take your eyes off that brown AMC Hornet, you'll see the outside of the track in May 1977:
Calisphere --
http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/...and=calisphere
But the large crowds stopped coming. Here's opening day 1959:
USC Digital --
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...id/77121/rec/2
Next four are December 20, 2013, by me:
Looks like Desi had a winner: