I’m sure that the big white slab holding Ralph’s vertical blade sign has a technical, architectural name—but I don’t know it. Whatever it’s called, I like the way adds a little dramatic oomph to an everyday business like a supermarket. This building was on the northeast corner of 3rd Street and Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, and this photo was taken in 1940.
Architects call the flat vertical for a building’s sign a “tower wall”. I’ve also heard it colloquially called a “marquee slab”.
Thanks, David. I was hoping you’d weigh in!
Sorry but I think you meant to identify this as the Southwest corner, not the Northeast? I’m wondering if it’s actually the Southeast corner. Would someone double check please. Thanks
Hi Gary, someone on Twitter said that they thought that Ralph’s was on the southeast corner, so I suspect you’re right.
If that’s a remnant track of rail in the road, then 3rd is running left to right in the image meaning the market must be on the NE corner (or looking the other way, the SW one)? There was no electric trolley line on Wilshire so that must be the other road heading away. ???
Amazing how Ultra Modern, er Ultra Model Railroad, these kinds of places looked set against the existing background of the era. If it wasn’t for humpy roofs you could almost believe this came from a Bachman Brothers kit for O-scale Plasticville adornments for the Lionel or American Flyer layouts in the attics and basements of cozy homes in the neighborhood. Imagine the Ralphs supermarket under the Christmas tree with dimestore cars parked outside.
SE corner was JC Penney: https://martinturnbull.com/2024/10/05/j-c-penny-store-1202-3rd-st-santa-monica-california-1949-2/