Carpenter’s was a popular mini chain of drive-in restaurants around LA in the 1930s and 40s. Probably their best-known location was at the corner of Sunset and Vine. This one was at Wilshire Blvd and Western Ave. (The skyscraper in the background is the Wilshire Professional Building, which is still there. Across the street is the Wiltern Theatre.) A number of ads and postcards I’ve seen for Carpenter’s advertise their “Chicken in the Rough” which was a dish of half a fried chicken, shoestring potatoes, and a biscuit with honey. The vehicle in front is a 1937 Ford, so let’s call this photo circa late 1930s.
Bill M. said: “Carpenters also owned Henry’s Rite Spot diners with various locations. The original Rite Spot on Colorado on the border of Pasadena and Eagle Rock is where the cheeseburger was created.”
Carpenter’s stood on the northeast corner and you can see the Wilshire Professional Building in the background. This image is from May 2024.
This got me to cruise on google, around the corner to my surprise there is still an old house. I believe it was built in 1912, and next to an old building called Christ Church. The house is located at 627 s Manhattan.