In July 1934, Earl Gilmore (head of the Gilmore Oil Co) opened Farmers Market at Fairfax Ave and 3rd St to help Depression-era farmers sell their products. The original market had 18 little booths the farmers could sell from. I don’t have a date for this aerial photo, but there’s obviously more than 18 stalls there, so I’m guessing this photo is late 1930s? (The neighboring Gilmore Stadium opened in May 1934.) But we can see that to the east of the market, beyond that grove of tall trees lay empty fields where the Pan Pacific Auditorium would open in 1935.
Farmer’s Market is still there and is now neighbors with The Grove shopping mall. This satellite image is from January 2020.
Thanks, never knew the name of the “field “ but my folks took me to a baseball game at Gilmore Field in the late 40’s or early 50’s after having dinner at Farmers Market.
Pictured is Gilmore Stadium. Gilmore Field, for baseball, opened in May of 1939, and is where CBS Television City was located. How exciting you got to see a game there, Paul! I’ve always marveled that there used to be a baseball field, football stadium, the Farmer’s Market, the Pan Pacific Auditorium and the Gilmore Drive-In, all in that area!
The Grove has a small, but interesting, history section of the Gilmore footprint that used to be located around there, containing some photos, artifacts and memorabilia.
There’s a good little film noir from 1950 called Armored Car Robbery, starring Charles McGraw, which begins with the titular robbery outside Gilmore Stadium. Excellent views of the structure and the surrounding neighborhood.
That is a good film noir, Bill; sorry to correct you, though, but that scene took place outside of Wrigley Field, 42nd Place & Avalon Blvd. in Los Angeles.
Oops! Glad you corrected my mistake.
The Pan Pacific was also the site for the annual Ice Capades show…I saw Sonia Henie there, and remember the fun of eating a hotdog (forbidden fare any other time or place) with a cup of hot cocoa. A skating pair called “The Old Smoothies” were an elegant older couple who did beautiful waltzes and elegant foxtrots in a tailcoat for him and a jewel-tone velvet formal for her. A comic pair named Frick and Frack delighted everyone with slapstick on ice. Great annual treat for our family…good memories to this day!
That sounds like a wonderful night out!