Thanks to this Life magazine photographer, we get an idea of what it was like to drive east along Wilshire Blvd from the May Co department store on the northeast corner of Fairfax Ave. We can see the sign for Coulters department store featured in a photo I posted 5 days ago, but also the prominent sign for the Arthur Murray dance studio, which was on the corner of Stanley Ave. This photo was taken in March of 1949, and it looks like the Miracle Mile section of Wilshire was buzzing with activity. (Source: Life Magazine)
This is roughly how that view looked during the daytime in December 2022. The May Co building is now home to the Academy Museum and the silver-and-red building is the Petersen Automotive Museum.
Martin, what a treat! Both pix are fantastic, although I lean to the 2022 pix because its classy. Both museums compliment each other. The Peterson museum had offered me a job as host and guide, but I opted to go with Warner Brothers because there’s less traffic. It’s a congested area, but absolutely stunning to walk and drive through. I got the grande tour of the Peterson Museum and its remarkable. The building itself is an architectural marvel, let alone the prize autos inside. The history of the museum is worth noting also. A story within the story and a Hollywood connection.
Martin, something worth mentioning for all us Hollywood buffs. Robert Peterson was a PR person for MGM in the 40s. When he got laid off, and with a few other colleagues and friends, they got together and formed HOT ROD MAGAZINE, a salute to classic cars — and the rest is history. A smart move on his part because there were few sources to turn to when it came to historic cars and race cars. He lived in Beverly Hills, and he and his wife bought the home of producer Harry Joe Brown and Sally Eilers, a beautiful actress in her day. Many of the folks over at Peterson were appreciative of the info!
Thanks for that nugget, Tom. I didn’t know about that!
Another great night “noir” shot, Martin! Keep ’em coming.
What a wonderful picture. Every time I hear the May Co., I think of Mary Livingston, Jack Benny’s wife. They mentioned it several times on his radio show. Thank you for sharing the photo.
She worked in the hosiery department, right? That’s my memory for what it’s worth!
Yes, Paula, I believe she did work in that department.