The caption for this photo said that this chap is standing the intersection of E. 42nd St and Long Beach Ave when this photo was taken in 1929. I’m not convinced because that corner is quite a distance from downtown Los Angeles. And yet in background we can see what back then was the new Los Angeles City Hall. But what concerns me more are all those power lines on the right. They’re leaning at an awfully dangerous angle. I can’t imagine it would take much to bring the whole lot of them down. It certainly isn’t where I would be standing if I were that guy.
Stanley G. says: “To the right is the 4-track mainline of the Pacific Electric. The poles on both sides of the track are canted outward from the track to balance the weight and tension of carrying all the span wires needed to support 4 parallel runs of trolley wires. Those poles carry electrical power lines for the railway, as well as telephone and/or telegraph lines for the railway.”
This is the May 2024 view looking north from E. 42nd St and Long Beach Ave. Those worrisome telephone poles are gone but I can’t see any sign of LA City Hall.
The above image was taken from Google’s Streetview, however on Google Maps you can see City Hall
The gent in the very cropped image is Los Angeles’ own famous commercial contract photographer Dick Whittington himself. In the full frame, a house on a coner sits left which may be his studio. The oddball placement of those rocks (?) on a curvature leads over to the curb beyond which is an open pad where a small structure (one car garage?) may have sat. It almost seems like he’s documenting the path of an auto that veered out of the road, but there might be another explanation.
Al, appreciate the possible explanation of why those rocks are there. They certainly had me wondering.
The power lines regardless of their angle, look absolutely hideous.