The photographer who took this shot in around 1950 was standing at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave with the Hollywood Hotel behind him. That Red Car was heading north into the Cahuenga Pass en route to the San Fernando Valley. It’s a shame the photo isn’t in color because the streetcar would have been a bright splash of red. Behind it, we can see the “FA” in the sign for the Max Factor building. These days, it’s a wonderful museum to Hollywood’s history, but back then it was still an active makeup store and salon.
This is that same corner in February 2019. The Bank of America building is now a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not with a dinosaur on the roof, the Coffee Dan’s is a McDonald’s, and the streetcar tracks are long gone. Will someone please beam me back to 1950?
Stood in the safety zone (hidden behind the Red Car) many times after leaving Hollywood High School, not to catch the Red Car but to hitchhike to the Valley where I worked and lived. (1950-52)
Ventura Boulevard to where it dumps you off onto Highland by the Hollywood Bowl is still the best way to get from the Valley to Hollywood. You just don’t get to ride a Red Car while taking the trip.
I bet I would’ve liked Coffee Dan’s.
Look in front of the bank left of what appears to be a police call box. There is a movable sign (on weighted base) for four way viewing. Might be a No Left Turn sign which could have been shoveled out to the center of the intersection when traffic became a snarl. This was a major convergence point leading to and from Sunset & Santa Monica corridors, along with valley and eastside traffic, which could become overload on weekends or town nights. Completion of the freeway link didn’t necessarily stop the traffic flow through the district streets, but it may have attracted more people into the area as the apartment building boom continued to take out older houses long after that cement river began to flow.
Another possibility is a No Parking Zone sign, always useful when you don’t want the dead presidents gang pulling up to hit the bank.
Good spotting, Al. It’s hard to tell but it could easily be either of your scenarios.