The caption to this photo simply read “Boulevard – Hollywood.” It’s too close to the hills to be Hollywood Blvd, so my guess is Franklin Ave. But honestly, it’s just conjecture, so if anybody wants to weigh in on where this photo was taken, I’d love to hear from you. Judging by the cars we can see, this photo is circa 1913, the year before California started issuing its own license plates. But regardless of the actual specific location, it’s a bit mind boggling to think that “screwy ballyhooey Hollywood where any office boy or young mechanic can be a panic” ever looked like this.
** UPDATE ** – David W says: ‘Photographer standing at intersection of Laurel Canyon and Hollywood Blvd. looking east. That bend is still there. Fairfax would be roughly where the Pine trees are. The hills do run right next to that portion of Hollywood Blvd. you just don’t notice as much now due to lots scraped for homes.”
In which case this would be the current view (November 2021):
Foothill Blvd.?
Photos around 1800’s LA often show foothill ridges and canyons that were later leveled creating the impression of smooth transitions and alluvial plains rather than the “badlands” look that was naturally there (old ocean floor with submarine canyons). I’m thinking this might be Sunset Blvd. looking back to Hollyweeds with that “saddle & horn” spotting feature of those ridgelines not yet fully cut out by development activity. These were old ranchlands tucked away above those farming flats. That’s something the Auto Club might have held some images of when they started extending the roadways. But what might those structures be?
Hollyweeds, what’s that?
That movietime cowtown full of tumblin’ tumbleweeds blowing around the streets outside studio buildings..long gone now. Took a whole lot of gardeners and nursery people to change it.