noirish Los Angeles

[GaylordWilshire]

LAPL/GoogleSV

Originally Posted by jg6544

Anyway, what I was trying to post, was a picture of my church, St. James' Episcopal at the corner of Wilshire and St. Andrew's Place. It's celebrating its centennial this year (not the building; it's only 75 years old).

[GaylordWilshire]

USCDL
Phillip Jones and James Bednar built their new law offices at the n-w corner of 3rd and Poinsettia, moving in in 1957.


Both GoogleSV

Sometimes I would love to ban all but palms from L.A.

[jg6544]

Originally Posted by GaylordWilshire

LAPL/GoogleSV

Thank you! The three biggest changes between the two pictures are (1) we built a new parish hall; (2) all of the windows are now stained glass (and beautiful), and (3) Perino's is no longer next door.

[jg6544]

And one more thing, the little spires on the tower were casualties of one of the earthquakes since it was built (just like the ones on the National Cathedral). There's some talk of eventually replacing them with ones made out of molded plastic or some lighter material that is less likely to be fatal to anyone who happens to be walking by at the wrong moment.

[austlar1]

Two questions. Those amazing animal faces sculpted on the side of the Hollywood dam? I can't tell whether it is the face of a dog, a cow, or some imaginary critter. Does anybody know?

Does anybody have more information about the fate of the El Mirador. That has always been my second or third most favorite building along Fountain in Weho. I figured it would be highly desirable and quite difficult to score an apartment in that building. What happened?

[KevinW]

Just did a little hunting and found this in Hollywood Remembered: An Oral History of Its Golden Age By Paul Zollo:

"Construction of a mammoth , curved concrete embankment commenced in August of 1923 and continued until December of 1924. At a height of 200 feet, it rose to a height taller than any other structure then standing in all of Los Angeles. Its crest was appointed with curved arches separated by a succession of stone busts depicting the California brown bear, which is featured on the state flag. Officially called Mulholland Dam by the city, Mulholland preferred for it to be know by a name that called attention no to the structure itself, but to the blue bayou that he had created in the canyon, Lake Hollywood."


P.S. Zollo

I still love the look of it looming when you can't see the water at all:


LAPL

[Fab Fifties Fan]

Originally Posted by austlar1

Two questions. Those amazing animal faces sculpted on the side of the Hollywood dam? I can't tell whether it is the face of a dog, a cow, or some imaginary critter. Does anybody know?

Does anybody have more information about the fate of the El Mirador. That has always been my second or third most favorite building along Fountain in Weho. I figured it would be highly desirable and quite difficult to score an apartment in that building. What happened?

Hi austlar1,

We are visiting WeHo and having dinner tonight with a good friend who is on the West Hollywood city council (he is also a former mayor). I already warned him that I was going to pump him for as much information as I can get on the El Mirador. He said he has a lot to tell, so we'll see.

He and I actually had a close mutual friend who lived there for a number of years and we went to many a soiree at his El Mirador apartment. He was on the eighth floor and had a spectacular view from his corner unit!

Oh and e_r, the ceiling height was not an illusion, I am freakishly tall and I always appreciated their awesome height as well

~Jon Paul

[ethereal_reality]

I found a photograph on ebay of Columbia Square that I hadn't seen before. It prompted me to learn a bit more about the area
(I was just there in my recent Dillon's Copper Skillet post).

It turns out Columbia Square was built on the site of Hollywood's first ever studio!



below: The Blondeau Tavern on the northwest corner of Sunset & Gower soon to become Nestor Studios.


http://felixinhollywood.blogspot.com...lebration.html





below: Hollywood's first film studio home of the Christie Film Co. and Nestor Comedies at Sunset and Gower in 1915. (pan----> )



http://american-nostalgia.tumblr.com...e-christie-and




below: Christie Film Studio in the 1926.


http://felixinhollywood.blogspot.com...lebration.html






below: A great view of the Christie Studios in 1927.


http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/...?c=42&i=1&r=24




http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/...?c=42&i=1&r=24




http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/...?c=42&i=1&r=24



below: The large buildings in the distance are at Hollywood & Vine.


http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/...?c=42&i=1&r=24






below: Demolition of Christie Studios begins, to make way for Columbia Square.


http://felixinhollywood.blogspot.com...lebration.html






below: The grand opening of Columbia Square April 30, 1938.


http://felixinhollywood.blogspot.com...lebration.html

____



Here's is the photograph from ebay that sparked by interest. Notice that KNX has been added to the CBS sign.




below: detail




Most photographs of Columbia Square show only the iconic 'tower' bldg. when in fact it is a much larger complex.
I thought this aerial helps show it's true size.


google street view

[GaylordWilshire]

FFF: Please let us know what you hear about the El Mirador. I've read as much as I can find about the fight between Jerome Nash and the city, but the news seems to have stopped sometime last fall. I don't want to believe that the impasse could end up with the demolition of the building, but I've seen it happen in my own neighborhood--the Village--in NYC.

[GaylordWilshire]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

I found a photograph on ebay of Columbia Square that I hadn't seen before. It prompted me to learn a bit more about the area

Here's the photograph from ebay that sparked by interest. Notice that KNX has been added to the CBS sign.

I think maybe the "KNX" sign was on the east side of the CBS blade sign from the beginning....







All: gsjansen

[Albany NY]

slide/ebay

Looking at Dillon's, I can't help but think that the building used to house a Pontiac dealership. The main part of the sign is identical to the Pontiac logo, but I can't find any reference to a car dealer at that location. Any ideas?

http://www.autoguide.com/gallery/d/4...ntiac_logo.jpg

[Albany NY]

Both GoogleSV

"Sometimes I would love to ban all but palms from L.A."[/QUOTE]

I don't know. As a New Yorker, I think the trees add a nice "small town" touch to a very urban setting. I'm much more troubled by the Prius taxi. I would never ride in a Prius taxi. I would want to get to my destination TODAY, thank you very much!

[ethereal_reality]

slide found on ebay

Good eye Albany_NY !
It's certainly a possibility, but the window seem wrong for a car dealership (of course the 'showroom' could have been remodeled).

Thanks G_W for pointing out that KNX was always on the CBS sign (I didn't expect the two sides of the sign to differ).

____

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by ethereal_reality

The ROBOT CAFE at 5903 Hollywood Blvd.



matchbook/ebay

What caught my eye about this was the "SPECIALIZING IN CHINESE FOODS."

So it was a non-Chinese proprietor or proprietors serving up esoteric regional Chinese food? Jimmie Cox was just the manager after all...

[sopas ej]

Hello, Dahlia!

L.A. Morgue Files on Facebook

For anyone in the LA area and interested, James Ellroy will be conducting tours at the L.A. Police Museum in Highland Park tomorrow, March 17, 2012, for the Black Dahlia exhibit, which opens March 19 and runs until June 16. Tomorrow is a special event--$100 for tickets.

L.A. Morgue Files on Facebook

[ethereal_reality]

I agree with you sopas_ej, this place seems very bizarre. I would love to go back in time and visit this 'greasy spoon'.

___


When all the 'rock' commotion this past week I thought I would post this excellent photograph of Rock Hudson leaning against a very attractive automobile. Can anyone figure out where this photo was taken? I believe the three Rock Hudson-Doris Day vehicles were distributed by Universal Studios. Could this be a parking lot at Universal Studios?


http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr....3tfCPpcCFqg%3D

___

[sopas ej]

Well hello, Rock!

[ethereal_reality]

I forgot to post this impressive photograph of the Columbia Square lobby circa 1938.


http://felixinhollywood.blogspot.com...lebration.html

___




below: The 1,000 seat Studio A at Columbia Square. The pilot episode for 'I Love Lucy' was filmed at Columbia Square.


http://felixinhollywood.blogspot.com...lebration.html


Special thanks to the wonderful 'Felix in Hollywood' blog.
http://felixinhollywood.blogspot.com/

____

[ethereal_reality]

A 1920s snapshot of three women posed on a fence along Mulholland Drive.


found on ebay

So is that an observatory in the background?

___

[Mark L]

Originally Posted by 3940dxer

Clifford E. Clinton, founder of Clifton's, begins a daily radio program over KEHE, titled "Civic News Forum."





http://www.lapl.org/

Wow! What a shot. very Third Reich