The 130-foot tower atop the Richfield Oil Company building really was a sight to see when all lit up as we can see from this photo, taken circa 1959 from above the Harbor Freeway looking east across downtown Los Angeles. Not only was there no other tall buildings around it, but it was so bright that night-prowling Angelenos must have been able to see it for miles around.
Looking east across downtown Los Angeles from the Harbor Freeway toward the Richfield Tower, circa 1959
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Growing up on Bunker Hill in the 1950’s, the Richfield Tower and LA City Hall were the coordinates that defined Los Angeles for me.
I loved the old Richfield building. It was so cool looking with the black and gold. There was also an old Richfield gas station on Motor Avenue in Palms that my dad used because he knew the owners. Such an old place. And the Gourd Lady was across the street!
What and/or who was “the Gourd Lady”???
She was a lady who lived in an old frame house on Motor Ave, who decorated and sold gourds. I think she might have grown them herself, too. She was (very) locally famous when I was a kid. I tried googling to see if I could find anything online. But it was probably too long ago and too specific to a place.
Are you saying the all-knowing googlemachine doesn’t actually know *everything*???
Nope!
The Richfield Building might be the closest analogy Los Angeles has to Manhattan’s loss of the old Madison Square Garden. I wish I could have seen it in person.