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  #6101  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2012, 10:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Horthos View Post
All taken this morning, starting around 5AM to about 6:30AM. Sunday mornings around that time are fascinating, as there are quite literally less than zero people out on the streets, and it is really creepy and cool at the same time, to be in the middle of what feels like an abandoned city.

Over on Los Angeles street between 9th and olympic, theres the gerry building, which I am not sure has been covered on here...








http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/D...wdate=&hidate=




http://you-are-here.com/los_angeles/gerry.html


This is such a rare example of 'streamline-moderne' in the downtown core.

I really enjoyed the rest of your photos as well Horthos. I love those old rusty signs (I believe the one says 'clothing on credit') .
____

Great 'Alex in Wonderland' post FredH! It was very interesting. You filled in some gaps for me about the Vogue Theater.
I was surprised by how beautiful it used to be...especially in that 1935 photo.

____

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Jan 23, 2012 at 1:15 AM.
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  #6102  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2012, 11:29 PM
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What I think is really cool about this photo is the building just above the one you're discussing. The Bozzani car dealership. I always hear commercials for Bozzani Motors on the radio, so it's fun to see the dealership from so long ago. They've since relocated to Covina, CA. This is a link to their history on their website.
http://www.bozzanivw.com/History
I'm new here, but I'm looking forward to exploring more and more. Thanks for the awesome posts!


Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
^^^GaylordWilshire, JohnnySocko & Sopas-ej

All your comments have made the photos that much more interesting to me.

sopas-ej, your explanation of the first photo (below) was great.
I didn't realize the building at the bottom was the one we had discussed earlier in the thread.



usc archive





I remembered the earlier post because you mentioned it was the building with the long gone Broadway tunnel behind it.



lapl posted earlier by sopas-ej




lapl


It's cool that the building had a giant sign for the Paris Inn, which GaylordWilshire had pointed out.






Below is a re-post of the illustration that started our conversation about the building in the first place.


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  #6103  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2012, 11:33 PM
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Originally Posted by sopas ej View Post
Here's an aerial image of Union Station from 1940. That retaining wall is near the upper right-hand corner, where the curved ramp for the roof parking is. The old postcard photo was taken from there. The MWD headquarters building now occupies that site.

USC Archive



below: Sopas_ej, are these obelisk-like lights on the south side of the MVD Building left overs from a retaining wall that used to be there
or were they always stand alone lighting fixtures?


http://www.movie-trains.com/laus.html

You would like the above link sopas_ej. It's directions to a 'garden' located at Union Station...but for the life of me I don't see any 'garden'.
Unless he's calling an area where they keep old train cars a 'garden'.

____

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Jan 23, 2012 at 12:11 AM.
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  #6104  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2012, 11:36 PM
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this is AWESOME! I live in the Young Apartment Building, which is actually what led me here. I was trying to search some history about it and what a find! Once I get a chance, I'll upload some photos from the inside of the building. Anyway, it was renovated in 1994 and now it houses mostly studio apartments and some one bedrooms. They still have a lot of the original character, built-ins, molding, etc. and the lobby is awesome. Thanks for posting these and like I said, I'll get some pics of the interior up as soon as I can!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Beaudry View Post

http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/search...=1296853575049
maps.bing.com

Malumot is talking about the Young Apartments. Which I love, as I love much of this area, since I would roam about in it ca. 1983 as a wayward youth frequenting punk rock shows at the Olympic.

mine

Surprised we haven't mentioned the Young. It's a nice slice of remaining early LA. Never been inside; it having been a slum for so long means it's either remarkably intact, or horribly butchered. I need to check it out. Largest ballroom? Disappearing beds? Mahogany?

proquest July 28 1912

Of course there is assorted drama over the course of its long life.

proquest
(Vilalee Goddard was despondent because her husband George cruised off to visit his mother in Walnut Park on New Year's Eve. New Year's! [1938] So Vilalee, 38, takes a .38 and commits suicide, or so ruled County Autopsy Surgeon Wagner. But twice in the chest and THEN one through the head? Damn.)

The Young became vaguely famous in the early 80s for being owned by former San Diego councilman graduated to notorious LA slumlord Michael Schaefer. Schaefer was in court lots, and thus in the papers, for his rubble-filled, rodent-infested apartments. Tenants in his structures (including the Young) faced eviction as Schaefer elected not to pay DWP et al. utility bills for the properties.

proquest

He wouldn't install smoke detectors or repair fire doors and was sentenced to 45 days in jail; served ten. The building is sold to one Bradley Thrasher, who doesn't do much better -- in 1985 he gets a million-dollar loan from the CRA to fix life-threatening problems, doesn't, and thereafter faces six months/$1,000 fine for code violations. In 1986 the Young lights on fire, and 40 tenants had to be rescued from the fire escapes by hook n' ladder because the fire escape drop-downs didn't work. Thrasher serves 60 days concurrent with other code violations at the Young.

That said, a few months later in January 1987, it is made LA Historic-Cultural Landmark #317.

Again, no idea as to its interior awesomeness. Its exterior never ceases to delight when heading to that 110 onramp.

maps.google.com
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  #6105  
Old Posted Jan 22, 2012, 11:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andrew_scot View Post
this is AWESOME! I live in the Young Apartment Building, which is actually what led me here. I was trying to search some history about it and what a find! Once I get a chance, I'll upload some photos from the inside of the building. Anyway, it was renovated in 1994 and now it houses mostly studio apartments and some one bedrooms. They still have a lot of the original character, built-ins, molding, etc. and the lobby is awesome. Thanks for posting these and like I said, I'll get some pics of the interior up as soon as I can!

Welcome to the thread andrew_scot! Can't wait to see your photos of the interiors.
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  #6106  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 12:08 AM
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A beautifully restored fountain on the grounds of Union Station.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/7294653@N07/2169741130/
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  #6107  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 12:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
I had all but forgotten about the Gerry Building (1947) until your photograph Horthos.


http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/D...wdate=&hidate=
I am in lust with a building. I love you, Gerry. What the hell have you been doing hiding from me way over on Los Angeles Street?

And just up the street is another building I wasn't familiar with--the Marion R. Gray building at 824. According to the USCDL labeling, "...the five-story Marion R. Gray Building at 824 South Los Angeles, has just been purchased from its namesake by Arthur L. Gerry." Is this my Gerry?

USCDL

Google Street View
Unless the downtown gentrification is much more advanced than I realize, somehow I don't
think that the Top-Shop on Los Angeles Street is the same as the trendy British chain....
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  #6108  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 1:08 AM
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OK, I have to come clean. Since Gaylord_Wilshire had the balls to say he wasn't aware of the Gerry Building...I have to admit that I didn't know it existed either. I bent the truth in saying I had forgotten about it. My bad.
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  #6109  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 1:19 AM
3940dxer 3940dxer is offline
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A very DTLA Saturday

Yesterday and I and a friend (a lurker who has read this whole thread but has not posted) made a day of it downtown and had a fantastic time.

We started by joining the L.A. Conservancy's Historic Downtown tour, one of many that are regularly scheduled. The guide was extremely knowledgeable; we thoroughly enjoyed it and learned so many great things about L.A. history. Highlights were seeing the Bradbury Building (our first time inside) and the Edison Building (aka One Bunker Hill), which was absolutely amazing! A great way to spend 2 1/2 hours on a Saturday morning, and I hope to do more of their tours. Here's a link: http://www.laconservancy.org/tours/tours_main.php4

After the tour we had lunch at Coles, again a first for both of us. The interior is certainly steeped in history and it was a great place to spend some time. In the hallway by the rest rooms, almost as an afterthought, some very old posters hang from the walls including one that advertised trips to Mt. Lowe (next weekend's destination). The hostess was nice enough to show us the "Mickey Cohen table" down at the end of the bar. Probably the least comfortable table in the place, but was fun to see it.

I liked their French Dip better than Phillipe's and the pecan pie was excellent, but the service was a little indifferent and prices seemed a tad high. I understand that there's a sort of "secret" bar near the back, but it wasn't open at the time. Still a tasty and enjoyable lunch.

After that we walked up to MOCA (past the Rosslyn so I could get a couple more outside shots) and saw the Weegee exhibit, which is outstanding! I thoroughly enjoyed all of it and the time passed quickly. This one is really a winner and MOCA has done a great job of putting it together. Lots of wonderfully amusing images, a fair bit of L.A. Noir, and there's an old 7 minute film of Weegee walking around Hollywood & Vine, talking about his techniques and generally goofing around.

We took the Red Line from NoHo, a bit of a freak show, but it was a good way to start and end the day.

I thoroughly recommend the Conservancy Group tours and the Weegee exhibit to all!

Last edited by 3940dxer; Jan 23, 2012 at 1:50 AM.
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  #6110  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 1:23 AM
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I know the feeling, e_r, wanting so much to know all there is to know about the city ... but that's the great thing about Los Angeles. Iin spite of all that has been lost, it just keeps giving. And I do firmly believe that there is a tremendous amount awaiting discovery east of Main Street. It's a whole 'nother L.A. I know this is true from my West Adams researches--there is so much east of what we consider West Adams today--vast tracts of intact Victorian cottages, for instance. There isn't much in the way of vintage photography, so it's hard to conjure what these areas were like when newer, but these neighborhoods are still there, and lived in by Angelenos....
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  #6111  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 2:03 AM
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The Gerry Building seems to be something of an enigma. LAPL has only one photograph and the wrong address.


http://photos.lapl.org/carlweb/jsp/D...wdate=&hidate=





below: The sexy lines of the Gerry Building at 910 S. Los Angeles Street.



google street view








google street view


To see intact curved glass in this neighborhood is remarkable. Long live the Gerry Building!

____

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Jan 23, 2012 at 2:22 AM.
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  #6112  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 2:12 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3940dxer View Post
We started by joining the L.A. Conservancy's Historic Downtown tour, one of many that are regularly scheduled. The guide was extremely knowledgeable; we thoroughly enjoyed it and learned so many great things about L.A. history. Highlights were seeing the Bradbury Building (our first time inside) and the Edison Building (aka One Bunker Hill), which was absolutely amazing! A great way to spend 2 1/2 hours on a Saturday morning, and I hope to do more of their tours. Here's a link: http://www.laconservancy.org/tours/tours_main.php4
Sounds like a fantastic Saturday 3940dxer! Did you take photographs for us poor slobs outside the city?

___

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Jan 23, 2012 at 2:24 AM.
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  #6113  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 2:49 AM
3940dxer 3940dxer is offline
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Bradbury Building Interior

Well, my mediocre camera and lame photographic skills were hardly up to the task, but here are a few inside shots from the Bradbury. The "bird cage" elevator still operates. One Bunker Hill is pretty dark inside and all that incredible marble is so reflective that I had really had no way of getting anything good, but I hope to go back with a pro photog friend one day.















My photos

Last edited by 3940dxer; Jan 23, 2012 at 6:05 AM.
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  #6114  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 3:03 AM
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WOW I think your photographs are great 3940dxter. It's much more beautiful than I imagined.
Is the elaborate wrought iron actually blue, or is that an issue with your camera?

____

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Jan 23, 2012 at 5:27 AM.
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  #6115  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 4:26 AM
3940dxer 3940dxer is offline
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e_r, I'm surprised you haven't seen interior photos before...but then, I hadn't either! I would say the wrought iron is matte black, and maybe the bluish tint was caused by the sunlight being filtered by the ceiling glass. You can also see this on some of the upper edges of the terra cotta (I think that's terra cotta.) In any case yes, the place is totally mind boggling. The guide explained that supposedly, the architect's vision was inspired by a science fiction book he'd read that described life in the year 2000 and was striving for a "futuristic" look. The building dates to 1893! (Gasp.)

The lobby of One Bunker Hill is quite astounding too...I had NO idea. Not sure if anything has ever been posted here before but if not, maybe there are some public images that could be added, while I wait for a chance to go down there with my friend.

Last edited by 3940dxer; Jan 23, 2012 at 6:03 AM.
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  #6116  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 4:56 AM
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3940dxer, I've seen photographs of the interior before but they were mostly from movie or t.v. productions that were shrouded in darkness and shadows. No straight forward 'tourist' photos per se (except for mediocre examples on flickr and other photo sharing sites).
____

Last edited by ethereal_reality; Jan 23, 2012 at 5:32 AM.
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  #6117  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 6:17 AM
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3949dxer: I agree with ethereal_reality. These are the nicest interior shots of the Bradbury that I have seen. I did not know there was so much detail in the iron, stone, and wood work. Of course I'm mainly going by Blade Runner, where it was all kind of dark and wet.

Last edited by FredH; Jan 23, 2012 at 6:28 AM.
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  #6118  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 10:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post
LAPL

It's still there at 6640 Sunset, more or less. Same palm out front, and you can still see the outlines of the little gable windows...

Google Street View

One hallmark of Golden Age Hollywood movies is the name Westmore in the credits. I noticed that there were several Westmores--Perc, Bud, and Wally were the names you see most often--but apparently there were alot of them. Bud was at Universal, Wally at Paramount, and Perc at Warners... one site refers to the scandals of the clan, but doesn't elaborate other than to mention the third wife of this one or the fourth husband of that one. Anyway, I was curious about the reflection in the windows...

Google Street View

...and found school and church buildings I've never really noticed before. The Blessed Sacrament:

Google Street View

LAPL

Blessed Sacrament was two blocks north at Hollywood and Cherokee until 1924:

lapl.org
Wow. Thanks for the pics GW! Believe it or not, I was actually trying to find a picture of Blessed Sacrament that showed the entrance of the old pedestrian tunnel seen at the very left of the LAPL picture. I remember it still being around for a while when I attended Blessed Sacrament school. The gate was locked throughout the week and was rarely unlocked on Sundays. I remember running through it once as a child. It was dark, smelled like urine, and had graffiti all over the walls. My older siblings, which also attended Blessed Sacrament, don't remember the pedestrian tunnel and thought I might be going crazy when I brought it up. I'm glad I stumbled across your post, which proves I haven't lost it yet.

The pedestrian tunnel has long been sealed off. Unfortunately, I don't remember exactly when that happened...
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  #6119  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 1:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality View Post
below: The sexy lines of the Gerry Building at 910 S. Los Angeles Street.

google street view

Stop, please, e-r... you're making me crazy. Those curves!


Quote:
Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire View Post
johnjohn: Welcome to the thread. I hadn't noticed the subway fence at the left. Thanks for pointing it out, and for the memories. I went looking for any evidence of the subway entrances in Google Street View--hard to see any that way. (But I did notice an oddity there--see the bottom photo here.)

Now 3940... Would you please take your jackhammer and try to get into the Blessed Sacrament tunnel? And let me say--great Bradbury pictures...I don't know about the camera, but you're wrong about your skills as a photographer-- I love seeing the detail you shot, especially the perforated iron bracing holding up the staircase flooring. Fantastic. There have always been stories about the architect and his interest in science fiction and how it might have inspired his design--a novel set in the future and a Ouija were somehow involved.

----------------------

When I went looking for the pedestrian subway in street view, I noticed this place. I love the sign over the door.... What's it all about?

Google Street View
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  #6120  
Old Posted Jan 23, 2012, 2:00 PM
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more stuffs.

I really dig the gerry building, at night especially with the way its lit up, on such a dead street with no activity whatsoever (except the bum in his wheelchair rolling backwards down the sidewalk asking me if I would sell him a cigarette as I was taking pictures).



Also, there was talk of one bunker hill. I could not get into the lobby (due to the fact I go out to take pictures at unholy hours), but I got a few here (taken around christmas time).

The chandelier at the entry way...


the door, and a semi ok view of the lobby (sorry about the reflection)




During the december artwalk (which if you have never checked out, you really should, even if art isnt your thing, many of the buildings are open to the public, and you can just walk right on in. 2nd thursday of each month), I went into cliftons cafeteria, as it seems to be open on artwalk nights only, as they are still renovating it (the big cheese grater on the front is still there sadly). They were not serving food, they just had a bar in the back, so I decided to take a few pictures, but it wasnt easy, since it was very dark inside. Anyways...









Also from that december artwalk night...







And for the hell of it, a quick view from inbetween the blinds out my window.



I am going to go out this minute and take some more pictures, in particular, "brack shops", they have been restoring a chandelier inside, Ive been meaning to take pictures, since the ceiling has a fantastic mural (what is brack shops anyways? 7th st between olive and grand)



All photos by me.
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