noirish Los Angeles

[tovangar2]

Yes, they run from Alma to Soto. I've never seen that type before either.


...................................................


Thank you Flyingwedge for the history of 720 S Westlake. I'm curious as to how the relocated house lost its second story and whether the small house behind the Westlake Hotel pre-dates it:

gsv

[HossC]

At last, a Julius Shulman photoset with a manageable number of images. This is "Job 2246: Harry MacDonald, Harry MacDonald Office Building, 1956". The set's prints and contact prints mostly duplicate each other, so I've picked the best six (IMHO ).



A closer look at the entrance.



The corner, showing the State Farm Insurance sign.



This must be the rear of the building.



A look inside the offices.



I'll finish with this great shot of men with bow ties, and one with a pipe, looking over blueprints.



All from Getty Research Institute

The summary for this photoset says "Location unknown. Shulman note: Irving Meyers." They can't have looked very hard, because one of the contact prints has a sign for the 5700 block of Hillcrest Drive, with what must be the 3600 block of West something Avenue pointing the other way. The avenue is actually W Slauson Avenue, with State Farm Insurance at 3633, and the offices of architects Clifford K Denman and Harry T MacDonald at 3635 (from the 1956 CD). I originally thought that the building had gone, but I think it's still there behind the newer brick wall with the three holes. The rear is even more modified, and now has virtually no windows. It's now the Peoples Tabernacle of Faith Baptist Church.


GSV

The white building on the far right of the image above also appears to be a survivor (see the far right of the third Shulman image). Beyond that is this vintage-looking car wash. Have we covered it before?


GSV

[Flyingwedge]

Originally Posted by tovangar2

Thank you Flyingwedge for the history of 720 S Westlake. I'm curious as to how the relocated house lost its second story and whether the small house behind the Westlake Hotel pre-dates it:

gsv

You're welcome! The little house at the rear of 720 Westlake is not on the 1894 Sanborn, but two-story 716 Westlake is.

[ethereal_reality]

odinthor mentioned there used to be a diving bell near the spot where I was standing in the casino photograph.

Is anyone else familiar with the diving bell? (I wasn't)

Here's a snapshot of a couple posing on the 'diving bell platform'. (but no actual diving bell )


September 13, 1950.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Avalon-Catal...-/361203361891

"Noah and I on the Diving Bell Platform. This is back of the casino."


reverse


"After this we left for the Airport in the Sky."

I had to giggle at this. (sounds like they passed away. )

__

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by HossC

All from Getty Research Institute


The white building on the far right of the image above also appears to be a survivor (see the far right of the third Shulman image). Beyond that is this vintage-looking car wash. Have we covered it before?


GSV

The white building, No. 3623 was built in 1947 as an "office". Its neighbor, now painted yellow, was erected in 1938 as a "real estate office". The car wash was added in the 60s.


gsv

The two homes on Hillcrest (visible through the window in the quoted Shulman image above) are still there:

gsv

.......................................................



I haven't found a picture of the Diving Bell e_r, but this little map shows where it was:

timwagg

The underwater park is outlined with buoys and lines:

google maps

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by HossC

Mateo Street near E 4th Place.


Google Maps

Thanks for finding this 'mystery' location Hoss.

Good job.

_

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by Chuckaluck

I thought about shopping on Larchmont at the Safeway http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=9181 and then was later disappointed to find out that the matinee at the Larchmont Theater had been canceled due to the theater's previous demolition.

Larchmont Theater 149 North Larchmont.

The (long-gone) Larchmont Theater, 149 N. Larchmont Blvd., circa 1930. Curious antenna.







All from http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/27120



Now playing.

In Old Arizona Film was released ~late 1928, early 1929 -. Arguably, the first major Western Talkie and first sound film to be shot outdoors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Old_Arizona
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...oldarizona.jpg






Albert T Balzer Grocery Store. 133-135 N Larchmont Blvd. 1930




http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/27120






"I wonder Al, will the next reposter list the credits?"

[jbange]

Originally Posted by 59imperial

Hard to believe that the tower-like structure seen in the Taube Plumbing photo (not the ship but the one on Wabash Ave) of both the historical and GSV has survived. At first I thought it was a support structure for an overhead sign, much like what you'd see as a gateway sign to a small town Main Street business district. But upon closer inspection on GSV the structure is a power pole. Never seen anything like it.

They're still around in a few places. Highly over-engineered design, way stronger than they need to be. Probably why they stuck around. There's a whole line of them down Marengo St. in front of the new County-USC hospital complex. I used to stand out front and marvel at the labor that must have gone into assembling that intricate trusswork. Also surprised I never saw anyone climb one. They're practically a ladder, and there are some pretty crazy folks on Marengo...


GSV https://goo.gl/maps/8F2EUcgZYHw

[CityBoyDoug]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

odinthor mentioned there used to be a diving bell near the spot where I was standing in the casino photograph.

Is anyone else familiar with the diving bell? (I wasn't)

Here's a snapshot of a couple posing on the 'diving bell platform'. (but no actual diving bell )


September 13, 1950.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Avalon-Catal...-/361203361891

"Noah and I on the Diving Bell Platform. This is back of the casino."


reverse


"After this we left for the Airport in the Sky."

I had to giggle at this. (sounds like they passed away. )

__

gorillas blog

I suspect the Bell was gone by the time Bruce [ER] was visiting the famous art-Deco Casino.

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/27120

The strip of shops south of the Larchmont Theater is still there (Balzar's later became Jurgensen's Grocery):

gsv

The Larchmont Theater opened in 1922. Here it is in 1950 with an updated marquee:

cinema treasures

The theater was replaced in 1960 by this (no longer a) bank building (I remember it as a Security Pacific). The old bank building , next door to the north is still a bank:

gsv

The Safeway (which Chuckaluck mentioned), now a Rite Aid, was once a billiard parlor:

silentlocations

[BifRayRock]

We've seen The El Royale (450 Rossmore Ave) and its neighbor to the north, the Ravenswood (570 N. Rossmore Ave.) numerous times. Time for a re-exploration of Rossmore and Rosewood intersection, circa 1931. Well before Rossmore Ave became a grand canyon of apartment living. Like it or not, these canyons are spreading in all directions.

Worth noting that many of the once-ubiquitous, original, non-imposing and low street lamps still exist in the neighborhood. Why were these ever removed in adjacent neighborhoods? Did their replacements really deter crime or prevent accidents and help find lost keys in the dark? HollywoodGraham: notice the proliferation of self-illuminated stops signs. All from: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/41911


1




2



3
GoogleSVU




4




5




6





7




Where have all the awnings gone? . . . Long time passing.



8



9
GoogleSVU






10





11




12




13





14





15
GoogleSVU



16
GoogleSVU



17
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=31916


Mae who?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2tFvKpSU3h...ae_at-home.jpg



A location from where Mae obtained provisions, 133 Larchmont Blvd., the former Balzer's and later Jurgensen's.
http://hollywoodphotographs.com/photos/reg/LB-029.jpg



18
Looking southward on Rossmore Avenue.
GoogleSVU


19
GoogleSVU

[tovangar2]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

8

You've caught 410 N Rossmore, there on the right, in the midst of its confusion.

[BifRayRock]

Recently noticed a daylight view of the Shell Gas Station at the SW corner of Wilshire and Crenshaw Blvds., 4200 Wilshire Blvd. Now, it seems to have escaped my gaze. In any event, here is what appears to be the grand opening of the same station, circa 1935. BPermits indicate the structure was constructed in '35 and went through various iterations. It was torn down and rebuilt in '71, but by 1982, the structure was gone and the property became a Christmas Tree lot and parking lot, for approximately three decades. The final Google SVU image shows a parking lot as of February 2014. A new single-story structure has since eclipsed the Christmas Trees.

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/78686













GoogleSVU

[Blaster]

Thanks so much of those pictures of Larchmont, Ravenswood and El Royale. That's my 'hood. I drive and walk those streets every day.

My 90 year old neighbor recalls seeing many films in her girlhood at the Larchmont Theatre.

[ethereal_reality]

this

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

re: "Mae West's Apartments"

Earlier this evening I happened across this exceptional postcard on eBay.

At first I thought this was the back side of the Ravenswood Apartments as viewed from Arden Boulevard.


ebay





But after checking google_earth, I realized it's actually a side view taken from Clinton Street.






Believe it or not, back in the day, the lighted Ravenswood sign and the giant revolving "R" (now gone) were visible from Hollywood and Vine.


http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si...id/21393/rec/1




In case you have bad eyes like me, here's a close-up with some pointers.


detail

I don't know what that lighted area is above "Ravenswood" (it almost looks like a bat)

__

Now I realize the 'bat-shaped' light is the El Royale.


http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=41072

_

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by Tourmaline

Curious about the street car's location. Could it be the Vineyard Junction /Pico-Rimpau turnout?

Coincidentally, Car 3151 seems to be heading toward East First Street. Similar style car, No. 3144, pictured below, also has the same East First Street indicator. The street car's orientation may not completely match up in my mind's eye; however, a certain "W.E. Cooper" retail lumber and building materials was once located at 4650 W Pico Blvd. HossC and others explored the area without mentioning WE Cooper, not that there was much reason to do so. http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/...04#post6554104 In the early '80s, the same 4650 address was occupied by Builders Emporium. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7538


"Cars Leave Here"
http://i809.photobucket.com/albums/z...icoRimlau5.jpg


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e...405%2520PM.jpg


http://harrymarnell.net/rimpausky.jpg http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/show...ostcount=22050

More Rimpau Loop ('48 ?)
http://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-co...loop-10-48.jpg



Vineyard Junction appears to have been home to many building suppliers, including W.E.Cooper. Look carefully. (Pay no attention to the fire extinguishing apparatus. Wig Wag reminds everyone to extinguish all smoking materials near the Junction! Photo likely taken from San Vicente-Pico viaduct)
http://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-co...co-undated.jpg


http://www.pacificelectric.org/wp-co...2/MP-00442.jpg


More on Vineyard Junction Tragedy >> http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb....cs/7141913.htm

Can't get enough of that Vineyard Junction Stuff? As one who remembers the Sears, and the strange configuration of nearby streets and at least one bridge, it remains a fascinating neighborhood, to be sure. Sorry, but the two wide shots are too good not to repost.

Curiously, Cooper retail Lumber and Building materials may have replaced another enterprise, Wilner Plumbing Supply, (4650 Pico [Street] Blvd. and J.D. Halstead Lumber Co. "A foot or a mile." From http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/co...ll170/id/47848



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4

[ethereal_reality]

George Raft posing in the bedroom of his penthouse apartment at the El Royale, 420 Rossmore

#1

https://www.facebook.com/bizarrelosa...type=1&theater

"When I lived at the El Royale, there were two penthouse suites. Mack [Gray, Raft's bodyguard and close friend] and I had one and Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia,
had the other. He was separated from his wife at the time. Many times as a gag, we both left our front doors open. I used to watch the stream of broads
that went up to his place, and I found out later that he would check me out. Sometimes we would compare notes. I think between us we had every hooker
in town. But if I ever saw a broad I had been with go to his suite -- that would finish her with me." -- George Raft

from Bizarre Los Angeles






update:

Here's another.

#2

http://sadhill.photoshelter.com/image/I00005Bp69v0GwgY

George Raft in the den of his top floor penthouse at the El Royale Apartments (450 N. Rossmore Ave) in 1936.

_


#3

https://www.facebook.com/bizarrelosa...type=1&theater

He has one of those Radiobars I posted about earlier.

Here:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...ostcount=40867


__

[Blaster]

Does anyone know when the "R" on the Ravenswood went away?

And did it really revolve?

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by Blaster

Thanks so much of those pictures of Larchmont, Ravenswood and El Royale. That's my 'hood. I drive and walk those streets every day.

My 90 year old neighbor recalls seeing many films in her girlhood at the Larchmont Theatre.

I have heard that in its day, Larchmont Village really was a sleepy village, when a parking space in front of Jurgensen's, did not seem as though it required a reservation and when a few of Jurgensen's female patrons wore hats with veils and full length gloves, directly out of the fashionable '50s. When Jurgensen's left, along with Quinn's, down the street, in the '80s, it marked the end of an era.

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

266 N. Larchmont. Before Quinns, in '67 Safeway.
http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com...locations.html

Master of disguise, the late Bob Hope in "Eight on the Lam" at 1st and Larchmont.

http://dearoldhollywood.blogspot.com...locations.html

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

A location from where Mae obtained provisions, 133 Larchmont Blvd.,
the former Balzer's and later Jurgensen's.

I never knew where Mae shopped for groceries. (maybe she sent down her bodybuilders to pick them up )

Thanks for the info BifRayRock.

__

Blaster, I don't remember where I learned that the R atop the Ravenswood revolved. -sorry.

(it was probably a video) I'll see if I can find it again.

_