noirish Los Angeles

[BifRayRock]

ER posted these two photos of the Belmont/Beaumont Cafe on Main Street near Fifth Street. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=3964


1901
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9...nhotelwasb.jpg


1907 -
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics18/00008646.jpg


Perhaps even more impressive is what the street looked like when it was more residential - in 1888. Before the restaurants, there was the John H. Jones residence - Main Street looking north from 5th Street. Home was built in 1869. Area looks well cared for. Gardeners had to be very busy. Trees evidence maturity.

1888



Taking a much closer look (Can't see it, go here: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../id/6035/rec/6 )

View looking north on Main Street from near 6th Street. The middle of the trees lining the left side of the wide dirt road is where the John Jones home used to stand and where later the Rosslyn Hotel was built. The second house north is where the I.W. Hellman Bank now stands, and where he lived for many years.

190_?
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics09/00014179.jpg

[ethereal_reality]

This somewhat comic book entrance caught me by surprise. (a suburban 'Daily Planet')

Douglas Aircraft, 3855 Lakewood Blvd. Long Beach CA

ebay


-three airplanes circling the globe. (they're barely noticeable in the photograph above)





-The globe and the three airplanes (later modified to jets) were even featured on the company dinnerware.

ebay




As the Douglas Aircraft Company entered the Space Age, a rocket ship was added to the logo.

http://glostransporthistory.visit-gl...%20Douglas.htm




-much to my surprise a replica exists.....with the original three biplanes.



Greg Bishop at http://flickriver.com/photos/konabish/5466848713/
__



-all this reminds me of...

click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCSdzSouUI
__

[Lwize]

Cecil B. De Mille found 1850 census of L.A. in trash dump

By Sid Gally, Pasadena Museum of History volunteer

Posted: 09/08/13, 2:58 PM PDT |

In June 1915, the famous movie director Cecil B. de Mille was filming in the San Fernando Valley. Nearby was an old house where trash was being burned. De Mille noticed a thick pad of folded papers and saved it from the fire.

De Mille thought it might be important and brought it to the attention of a historian friend, and it eventually came into the hands of the sons of historian Harris Newmark and was given to the Southwest Museum. It turned out to be the original 1850 census document prepared by hand by John R. Evertsen, the census taker for Los Angeles city and county.

This 1850 census was the first made after California became part of the United States. Los Angeles County then included what is now Orange County. There was no Pasadena at the time.

The census after being edited by the Newmark brothers, and with a commentary by the late Hector Alliot, director of the Southwest Museum, was published in book form in 1929.

The census taker went from house to house, listing all the occupants and numbering the houses in order. It is difficult to tell where he was. On January 25, 1851, everyone in Rancho San Pascual was counted, including communities know known as Altadena, Pasadena, South Pasadena, etc. Names, age, sex, race, place of birth, occupation, and value of their land were listed. Only domesticated, tax-paying Indians were counted.

Five hundred and eighteen habitations in all were visited. Most of the people had Spanish names.

Hugo Reid from Scotland had house number 381, was 39 years old, a merchant, his land worth $12,500. His 42-year-old Indian wife, Victoria, was not identified as an Indian. There were eight more in the household, three children identified as Indian.

House 402 held Andres Duarte, a 48-year-old farmer with property worth $1,500. His 30-year-old wife Gertrudez and two laborers, Felipe and Estaban Perez completed the household.

Abel Stearns, 59, and his 28-year-old-wife, Arcadia, was a “Gentleman” with land worth $80,000.

Total county population counted was 3,530. A total of 650 were “laborers.” There were 15 blacks.

The editors were surprised that there was no mention of saloons and gambling dens as they were known to be common.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/gene...-in-trash-dump

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

[COLOR="Indigo"][COLOR="Indigo"][SIZE="2"][FONT="Tahoma"]

As part of a recent digital-zanja expedition, I neglected to specially mention two photos of Horace Bell's pampas-preferred Figueroa residence (1337 Figueroa Street, just below Pico). Easy to overlook the small print on one of the pictures with his name printed at the bottom and even easier to overlook his name on raised stone markers near the sidewalk, at the bottom of each photo.

fhammon and others have noted that Bell was a colorful character who had more roles than an opium addicted fiction writer could imagine. He wrote about early LA History, including the Bella Union. For more Bella Union, see http://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5131064 ; http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=4541. Nathan Masters of KCET fame also wrote about the Bella Union here: http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_fo...l-history.html The City of Bell was not named for Horace. That distinction goes to James George Bell and family whose 1876 home is pictured at bottom. One more tangent, Horace Bell's 1337 Figueroa address and its pampas was later developed for bowling.

Thank you so much BifRayRock for picking this up.
Bell's name should well be marked at his zanja address and anybody else in the neighborhood since he paid out of his own pocket to have it brought down Figueroa to his property according to the Maj's bio "Fortune Favors the Brave".

I have seen those house photos before in the same book but not as stand-alone photos. Good find! That was the 2nd house, the first having been burned in a fire.
Biddy Mason (Aunt Biddy) was relied upon heavily in times of need in that house long after her own need to profit financially, I'm sure.
He and Georgia had 13 children in total not all of which survived early childhood.

Opium addicted? What''s this?
He fell under his horse once while scouting for the Union in The War which caused him back problems for the rest of his life, worsening in old age. He tried everything from drinking sulfur water to letting a doctor singe the small of his back with a hot poker. I never did hear-tell of any sort of drug addiction on the part of the Major. He seems more the sort to just bear the pain with little fanfare.

I have tried to find their grave at Rosedale Cemetery before but never found it. I think I'll have better luck next time now knowing what it looks like.


"Fortune Favors the Brave" - Benjamin Samuel Harrison

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by fhammon

Opium addicted? What''s this?
He fell under his horse once while scouting for the Union in The War which caused him back problems for the rest of his life, worsening in old age. He tried everything from drinking sulphur water to letting a doctor singe the small of his back with a hot poker. I never did hear-tell of any sort of drug addiction on the part of the Major.

I have tried to find their grave at Rosedale Cemetery before but never found it. I think I'll have better luck next time now knowing what it looks like.


"Fortune Favors the Brave" - Benjamin Samuel Harrison

Sometimes fortune favors the lucky, too.

Horace Bell seems to have led more than his fair share of adventures, hence "the opium-addled fiction writer's" imagination comment. I did not mean to suggest Bell had any specific connection with alcohol or drugs, as I do not know that many details about him. However, he did have plenty of opportunity to learn about vice. While I was not referencing it directly, as you know, Bell had a well earned reputation for defending some of society's bottom feeders and along the way he must have learned a thing or two. (see news clip below). To balance the story, Bell had a reputation for attacking, via his newspaper, "The Porcupine," some of society's powerful, e.g., LA's then police chief who attempted to shoot Bell. http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jan/16/local/me-54583


Like so many characters mentioned in this thread, Bell could have been equal measure scoundrel, hero, sinner and saint. The formula mostly depends on who you ask.

June 5, 1889
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6...0b5d130970b-pi

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

I did not mean to suggest Bell had any specific connection with alcohol or drugs, as I do not know that many details about him. However, he did have plenty of opportunity to learn about vice. While I was not referencing it directly, as you know, Bell had a well earned reputation for defending some of society's bottom feeders and along the way he must have learned a thing or two. (see news clip below). To balance the story, Bell had a reputation for attacking, via his newspaper, "The Porcupine," some of society's powerful, e.g., LA's then police chief who attempted to shoot Bell. http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jan/16/local/me-54583

Like so many characters mentioned in this thread, Bell could have been equal measure scoundrel, hero, sinner and saint. The formula mostly depends on who you ask.

He was all of that for sure. I believe one of his own sons came up on similar charges of drugs and debauchery. Horace Jr. I think, not Charles. Charles turned out well, became an attorney himself but lost an arm due to shotgun blast in an altercation.

Most of Bell's cases noted in the papers when he wasn't defending himself against the likes of Lucky Baldwin etc, he was defending some perceived down-trodden person for which he sometimes was well compensated such as the case of the disenfranchised widow of the Miguel Leonis contesting his will for which he won the entirety of the smallish Rancho El Escorpión. (Bell's Canyon)

Keep in mind that he constantly complained in the Porcupine about the Chinese (historical context) and their enterprises on the Calle de los Negros (Nigger Alley) and lobbied the city to clear Los Angeles St. all the the way through to Marshault St, entirely wiping out the alley as a separate entity. He was definitely anti-drug and anti vice after he became a family man but he did enjoy his liquor and postprandial cigars. He also went to bat for the prostitutes as well (inconsistently re: Chinese) when it became a matter of graft "pay or jail". That he would not tolerate. He hated the corrupt city government. He was a Republican.

You'd never know by looking at this guy, that for all of his obvious faults, he had a huge sense of humor, pathos and irony focused into a keen, personal and entertaining narrative as judged by his writings. (books)



http://www.fold3.com/page/527300898_horace_c_bell/
http://www.thenativeangeleno.com/201...dfly-angeleno/

OK, then.
Let's get back to buildings....

[GaylordWilshire]

LAPL

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

James George Bell and his wife Susan Abia Hollenbeck Bell, and their two children, Maude Elizabeth and Alphonzo Sr. moved from Los Angeles where they lived for a short period with Susan's brother, John Hollenbeck, in their Victorian style home — the Bell House, now a historic landmark located at 4401 East Gage Avenue.

http://www.streetgangs.com/wp-conten...Bell_House.jpg

I'm reminded of Bel-Air... little Alphonzo Sr's creation.... somewhere on this thread there are a number of good posts about the district's creation, but I can't find them. Anyway, here's a link to Alphonzo Bell Jr's reminiscences, with some info about how "Bell" was combined with "Aires" to create the name. (Don't forget the hyphen!)

http://www.marclweber.com/www.marclweber.com//albell/

Online there are conflicting stories of Capo di Monte, Bell's Bel-Air house--the old Danziger house given the name by Mrs. Bell when they moved in. Some Atwater Kent info claims that he built it in 1936. Anyway...

[Godzilla]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

LA Times July 10, 1920

Someone at the Railsback firm probably listened to radio on an Atwater Kent crystal set. But, the Kent name may have been familiar to the firm for another reason.

[Godzilla]

Originally Posted by fhammon

I have seen those house photos before in the same book but not as stand-alone photos. Good find! That was the 2nd house, the first having been burned in a fire.


He and Georgia had 13 children in total not all of which survived early childhood.

Tempting fate?

Flood that zanja!

You mentioned the first home was destroyed by fire. Was Bell under the impression that pampas, especially dry pampas, are fire resistant? The roof may have been metal clad as its simplicity suggests the archetypal tin roof often seen in the Southern US. This was probably safer than wood shake, yet safety is a relative term.

Reading your list of Bell's bad back "treatments," was this before or after he fathered 13 offspring? Maybe hot poker treatments do have value that is beyond therapeutic. Had Bell lasted long enough, medical science might have offered a cure via gland transplants. Didn't I read on this thread that another newspaper publisher, Chandler, was a proponent of this form of medicine, so much so that he caused his employees to try it? (Wonder if he tried acupuncture or any Chinese herbal medicines? Hee Hee.)

[ethereal_reality]

VERMONT SQUARE tract


Los Angeles Herald 1909

Chronicling America





google aerial

Hmmm...Vermont Avenue isn't included in the Vermont Square tract. What gives?*



The Vermont Square Park and Library are just east of the tract.

Google Earth

GW has a vintage photograph of the library here:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7006
and I have a couple contemporary photographs of the library here.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7007


The Vermont Square bungalows are now over a hundred years old. Here are some interesting examples.

quaint and low-slung.

gsv



patriotic neighbors

gsv



nice stone work, but it's missing a porch support column.

gsv


-where's the foundation?

gsv


stone work II, with graceful 'bay' window. (what's up with painting the stones white?)

gsv



no comment

gsv



asymmetrical





pink

gsv




simple and pleasing

gsv


I love the 'stacked' jingo-like arts n' craft porch pillars.

gsv





transportation options/Los Angeles Herald June 1909

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/


I noticed that many of the bungalows on corner lots have dual entrances. (more than a simple side door).

gsv

side view. (designed as a duplex?)

gsv






gsv




janus-like

gsv


finally unpainted stones




FOUR entrances!?




very esoteric

gsv


gsv




-reminds me a bit of New Orleans

gsv





a new school/Los Angeles Herald 1910


http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/




The following three examples need some tender loving care.

I especially like this one.

gsv


needs a fresh coat of paint...and new owners!

gsv



sad in so many different ways.

gsv



later ad, June 1910


http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/



As with any tract there are architectural anomalies.

-this one towers over the neighbors.

gsv




a touch of victorian-

gsv



this is beautiful (and about twice as large as the majority of the bungalows)

gsv



another larger example. (with a side entrance)

gsv



-last but not least.

gsv
__



*I just realized there was an earlier Vermont Avenue Square tract. (as opposed to the later Vermont Square tract)



1906





Now I am confused.

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

Tempting fate?

Flood that zanja!

You mentioned the first home was destroyed by fire. Was Bell under the impression that pampas, especially dry pampas, are fire resistant?

Where's that "like" button?

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

Tempting fate?

Flood that zanja!

You mentioned the first home was destroyed by fire. Was Bell under the impression that pampas, especially dry pampas, are fire resistant? The roof may have been metal clad as its simplicity suggests the archetypal tin roof often seen in the Southern US. This was probably safer than wood shake, yet safety is a relative term.

Flood indeed.
The zanja waters flowed in gutters, when directed, down certain avenues.
One had only to "lift the gate" to allow the irrigation to enter one's property.
If one forgot to shut the gate after a time....
This did happen, according to the biography, at the Bell's residence. Mrs. Bell stepped out of the house one morning to go to town and found herself marooned with her home surrounded by water. I doubt that by the time the water got to the Bell's residence on Figueroa, from the river just north of the Cornfield, it was any too pure.

[ethereal_reality]

Union Pacific's 'City of Los Angeles' leaving Chicago.

unknown/probably ebay
__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by kanhawk

Don't think this was shown before. The Tumbleweed Theater, in El Monte

Here is a daytime view.

http://digital.library.ucla.edu/scle...502&FULLSIZE=y


Believe it or not, El Monte's Tumbleweed Theater was designed by art deco master S. Charles Lee in 1939.

The theater was meant to resemble a barn.

http://digital.library.ucla.edu/scle...501&FULLSIZE=y

It appears S.C. Lee had no idea what a barn looked like. A fireplace in a barn of all things! (barns are generally full of hay)
It's fun though, and a place of fantasy, so no harm done Mr. Lee.
__

[ethereal_reality]

Eighty Four Los Angeles Railway negatives for sale on ebay. (circa 1954, 1955)


go here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/84-Los-Angel...-/251336735960
__

[ethereal_reality]

Originally Posted by BifRayRock

Gates Hotel, 830 W 6th has been mentioned before. Lasted from '12 to '72.

Jim Jeffries recommends the Gates Cafe's undercooked meatloaf, for those in training.

'15
http://catalog.library.ca.gov/exlibr...95M866D2SQ.jpg

I came across this postcard of the Gates Hotel lobby tonight on ebay BRR. (note the piano)


http://www.ebay.com/itm/D679-CA-LA-G...-/121173734342

-undercooked meatloaf?

[fhammon]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

Union Pacific's 'City of Los Angeles' leaving Chicago.

unknown/probably ebay
__

Where's that "like" button?
What a cool photo for us Angelinos to behold this summer!
Thanks, E_R.

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

VERMONT SQUARE tract


Los Angeles Herald 1909

Chronicling America





google aerial

Hmmm...Vermont Avenue isn't included in the Vermont Square tract. What gives?*







The Vermont Square Park and Library are just east of the tract.

Google Earth

GW has a vintage photograph of the library here:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7006
and I have a couple contemporary photographs of the library here.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...postcount=7007

_____________________________

Comforting to know that paving used the petrolithic method. Crushed rock and asphalt, said to be of So Cal origins, circa 1900. http://books.google.com/books?id=Q6T...paving&f=false

_____________________________

Looking, without success, for a catalog or catalogs of the various floor plans available for the this area. Curious whether developers limited various styles to certain areas or portions of each block to avoid row house repetition. How many choices/models were available and whether exceptions (build to suit) were made. The area had to be overflowing with large river rocks. Rock farming?

1912 - Bungalow style, LA Investment Co.
http://www.antiquehomestyle.com/img/...-craftsman.jpg

_____________________________

The library is 100 years old, having been built in 1913. It has the distinction of being the oldest of LA's library buildings. Its history touched the lives of many, in unexpected ways.

During World War I, the local exemption board conducted its operations at the library, making their headquarters in the story room for 20 months. Thousands of physical examinations were given in the library, and there were stenographers pounding out their reports in the reading room. The building was one of the most widely visited in the southwest section of the city in its early years. During the year 1917-1918, there were 368 meetings in the branch's auditorium. One report stated that "Monday mornings was the only time in the week free for tuning the piano." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Square_Branch

1920s


Can't see it? Look here: http://jpg1.lapl.org/00086/00086106.jpg



1930
http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/si.../91109/rec/413

[BifRayRock]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I came across this postcard of the Gates Hotel lobby tonight on ebay BRR. (note the piano)


http://www.ebay.com/itm/D679-CA-LA-G...-/121173734342

-undercooked meatloaf?

(A lot of pugilists swore by eating raw meat? Some still do.)

The similarities between the cafe and the lobby suggest they occupied different areas of the same floor. It looks like they shared some of the same furniture too. Never gave it much thought, but those utilitarian lobby chairs are probably not conducive to lengthy relaxation. (Picture over-stuffed chesterfield) Better than hanging out at a train station? Hard to tell the composition of the floor/s ( tile, wood, linoleum*?) and what is on those columns. Real marble?

Unless those patrons using all of those stand-alone chairs and rocking chairs could synchronize their movements, the piano player probably had to pound extra hard on those ivories to be heard.

*Linoleum was commercially available in the late 1880s.

[Krell58]

Here's a 22 part long and interesting read on Laurel Canyon called
"Inside The LC -
The Strange but Mostly True Story of Laurel Canyon and the Birth of the Hippie Generation". Links to the sections are the second group down on the page.

http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/