As an Angeleno motorist who regularly drives through the Hollywood and Vine intersection, I’d love it if once—just once!—it was this empty. In this 1932 photo, we’re looking west down Hollywood Blvd past the CoCo Tree Cafe on the northwest corner of Vine St. As far as I can tell, the Richard Neutra-designed CoCo Tree Café had opened that year and would occupy the corner spot until 1940, when Melody Lane took over. The white circle hanging from the lamp post was how Hollywood Blvd was decorated during the Christmas season when it was transformed into “Santa Claus Lane.” Each circular decoration featured a different motion picture star.
Here is a close up of one of those decorations:
This is a fantastic photo and all your details bring it to life.
Looking west to the Ivar southern extension, the Schwabs (menswear) name is visible on the building’s side. There appears to be no corner drugstore yet and cars seem to be parked in the open area, as they once were where the Dyas building came to be as well as this corner before the Coco Tree and the predecessor Cross Key Cafe building. Of course, they had to get rid of that Fish food palace and shave part of the next store east to squeeze in that new road. That’s show business!