Those Pacific Electric Red Cars must have really packed a visual wallop as they rolled around the streets of L.A. This in circa mid 1950s photo, we see a pair of Hollywood Blvd streetcars at the three-way intersection of Hollywood Blvd, Vermont Ave, and Prospect Ave. I love that sign on the bench for the nearby Dresden Room. It’s a restaurant and live music venue that opened in 1954 and is still around today, having survived the Covid pandemic.
This is that same intersection in February 2021. It’s a little dull without the Red Cars, isn’t it?
My thanks to Reymond for his help on this photo. (@Beatle_wolf)
Cool that you can see the Griffith Observatory up on the hill.
My brother and I often took the red car to fish from the Santa Monica pier or swim at the beach. We also traveled Downton trough the tunnel to Central Market or Angels Flight and ride up to Bunker Hil.l
More Black Dahlia: Stan’s Drive In was just by here on Prospect and Elizabeth Short had reportedly gone there in those days that they track her final movements. Concievably, she could have used the Red Cars from or to this stop. The Santa Monica line also branched off from Sunset nearby (south) at Sanborn Junction, easily walkable.
Based on a 1920 map showing the street numbering system, all blocks north of Hollywood Boulevard (along the entire original Prospect projection) begin at 1700 North. Odd numbers are on the west, with even in the east. Now the Regal Theater at 1715 N. Vermont, opening in 1939, was situated at the corner of Hollywood & Vermont and had a red tiled roof very much like the building seen beyond the trolleys. The Regal was later known as the Studio Theater. Reports seem to have it lasting until 1960 before being replaced by a bank. This photo might suggest the year would be 1950 and that bank would be Security First National Bank (later known as Security Pacific by merger)…we see the letters “ATION” just beyond the front of the red car. [A 1975 photo shows that a modern Security Pacific was located there with Bank of America up the street on the opposite side somewhat below the Los Feliz Theater site (up at the corner of Franklin).] As far as I know, an auto servicing facility was located on that 1715 corner well before the theater was opened. It probably replaced a house seen there in the 1914 image taken next to the Hastings Place store & express office. Given the 1954 date for the bench advertisement, this shot must be nearing the final days of the Hollywood line trolley service. The pioneering Santa Monica Boulevard line had ceased operations in 1953.