The photographer who took this photo was standing on the building at the northwest corner of Sunset Blvd and Vine St that would later be home to Wallichs Music. The view is looking east across Vine to the northwest corner where the NBC Radio studios would open in 1938. But this shot is from 1932 when Carpenter’s Drive-In was the main draw of that intersection. We can see by the sign on right that most items were 15 cents—unless you wanted a hot chocolate fudge sundae, in which case you’d have to fork out 20. And in the lot next door you could get your brakes adjusted for 90 cents—probably while you had your 15-cent melted cheese sandwich and your 15-cent milkshake.
While am not a fan of the generic garbage on that corner, what strikes me is I can look at what they replaced this with with warmth and nostalgia without disdain for progress but can’t be satisfied with how our modern esthetics have just made our city uglier.
You’ll get no argument from me on that score!
Any relation to Willie and Beverly Dimmick?
These images throw me too! Okay, here’s the clue…the two cigarette stands are in the archway facing south to Sunset and with the 8000 block address posted facing the same. So, the photographer is across Vine looking east-by-northeast with Vine going uphill to the left. (I think you can see the building he’s on in the circa 1937 image taken from around Selma and then looking southwest to the intersection. It becomes the site of Music City later.) Behind Carpenter’s is a nursery facing Argyle but with price signs visible to the west. Sunset is actually out of view on the right where the trees are. The drive-in will be moved to the southeast corner (of the intersection) just prior to the RCA building going up on this site. (That new restaurant will become Stan’s much later.) A driveway to the auto shop runs behind this lot and meets Sunset. There’s another auto related thing to the left that has access to Vine…over by the signage in the photo border you can see a guy running or walking eastward in the dirt…maybe he thinks he’s Harold Lloyd doing a location shot.
The small building on the upper left side of the lot are the outdoor restrooms and supply storage for the drive in. Detached restrooms were very common
for restaurants and gas stations back in the day.
I really want to try some Ben Hur coffee!
Things sure were cheaper back then.