** UPDATE ** – I was later told that this photo is from 1948.
In this gloriously atmospheric color shot from circa late 1930s, we’re looking at the Ralphs supermarket that used to stand at 240-248 S. San Fernando Road in Burbank on the corner of Angeleno Ave. This shot was taken with Kodachrome, which explains the richness of color and the glow of those neon signs of all those stores. I especially love how the light from store window reflects in the parked car closest to the photographer.
My thanks for David G. for his super-sleuthing help to identify the exact location of this image.
David also found this advertisement showing every Ralphs Supermarket in Southern California in 1940:
And this is how that view looked in July 2022:
Once again we see beautiful buildings replaced by hideous shoe box looking buildings. I cannot believe all those wonderful stores were wiped away.
I enjoyed your books; and, like your Facebook page.
Thanks Jeffrey! I’m very glad to hear that.
Amazing..you already had two daylight photos of this block from both ends. San Fernando is Boulevard in here, rather than Road. And Verdugo is Avenue as opposed to Road over by East Glendale. The Pacific Electric line would be back of this block running parallel outwards. Bob’s Burbank then placed up the road a few blocks. “Toluca”, inside the Burbank border, is a later one. The old Glendale Ralph’s building on Broadway is seen in 1952’s Crime Wave. (The Verdugo Road and Colorado location is not very far from there.) After Hollywood Boulevard shut down, it became an early store for Pier 1 expanding out of the Bay Area. Ralphs relocated to Franklin at Western by Immaculate Heart.
Yes, the today’s shot is such a letdown. All the character is gone. Beautiful buildings just a memory!
I like the neon and the street lamps, but I wouldn’t call all those buildings beautiful.
They are compared to what is sitting there now.
Cool photograph, I am wondering if it was a high school student who took this photo for an assignment, if Burbank High had a photography class back then?
I’ll bet it was one of the Rosenbergs, who owned the Photo Art Shop camera store right on that same block, down towards Olive. Same side of the street. That store was there for years.
Turns out it was a Life magazine photographer who took this photo.
BTW…Are we looking in the right direction with the now image? Or should we be looking into flatlands up-valley with the hills to our backs?
Thanks , Michael. Great Photos