I’ve seen plenty of shots of the May Company Department store on the corner of Wilshire Bvld and Fairfax Ave, but none quite so dramatic as this one (taken 1948.) Maybe it’s the stark black-and-white photography, but I looked at this and half-expected a dramatic flourish of trumpets from Max Steiner over at Warners. The building itself opened in 1940 and is still around. It will soon be the home of the Academy Museum. (And when it does open, I’m sure there will be a dramatic flourish of Steiner-esque trumpets!)