The Disneyland Hotel opened on October 5, 1955, nearly three months after Disneyland opened, and this aerial photo was taken on July 16, 1956. These days, of course, the hotel is completely encircled by the gargantuan Disney resort, and beyond that the city of Anaheim. But back then it was pretty much all open farmland as far as the eye can see.
And here’s a satellite shot from 2021. It’s quite a change, isn’t it?
It’s not often we get precise information on when a photo was taken, but we do with this photo taken from the balcony of the Wiltern Theatre at the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Western Ave at 8.30am on Thursday May 2, 1946. That line of cars along Wilshire is, I suppose, 1946’s version of peak hour traffic. Those cars are heading east into, I’m assuming, downtown Los Angeles. That circular building on the far right was Carpenter’s drive-in, which stood on the northwest corner.
This is the NW corner of Wilshire and Western in March 2021. Yet another skyscraper has replaced a charming drive-in restaurant.
One of the most striking theaters during Hollywood’s golden age was the Carthay Circle Theatre, 6316 San Vicente Blvd. It opened in May of 1926 with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s “Volga Boatman.” The noticeboard out and marquee are advertising Fox’s “What Price Glory” which came out in November of that year, which explains why everything looks so fresh and clean and pristine. I’d love to have seen just one movie there – but especially during that first year when it was still brand new. The Carthay Circle was demolished in 1969 and was replaced by a pair of low-rise office buildings.
This is what occupies that site now. (This image is from May 2019.) Knowing what used to stand there, this is painful to look at.
This 1955 photo gives us a rather wonderful panoramic view looking north across Hollywood toward the Hollywood sign. At the very bottom we can see the sign for the Filmarte Theatre, which stood 1228 Vine Street on the corner of La Mirada Ave. From at that height, we can see the signs for the Hotel Knickerbocker, the Broadway department store, and the Plaza Hotel, as well as the Miller beer sign atop of the Taft Building at Hollywood and Vine. All four of those buildings are still with us, which for L.A., is a minor miracle.
In this aerial photo, we’re looking east across the Goldwyn movie studios in Culver City. That’s Washington Blvd on the left and Culver Blvd on the right. Sam Goldwyn bought the Triangle Studios (named for reasons that are obvious is this photo) in 1918 and this photo was taken in 1919. In the foreground we can see the back of an enormous set standing at what looks to be the western edge of the lot. And below that stretches completely empty land, which gave Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer room to grow when they took over the lot in 1924.
This must have been an exciting night to witness: After months of fundraising, cajoling, recruiting, organizing, and building, Bette Davis and John Garfield’s pet project, the Hollywood Canteen opened at 1451 Cahuenga (on the corner of Sunset Blvd) on the night of October 3, 1942. As we can see, bleachers were set up in the forecourt so that people could witness the parade of stars (Eddie Cantor was the MC that night.) And word had obviously gotten out already because that long lone of servicemen is already four men deep. From that night until November 2, 1945, the Hollywood Canteen hosted, entertained, and fed nearly 4 million grateful servicemen. According to the L.A. Daily Mirror, the building was demolished in December of 1966.
And now that site is the parking lot of the CNN building on the corner of Cahuenga and Sunset Blvd. This image is from January 2021.
I’m glad that someone was on hand to capture this moment—and in color. This may not have been the very final run, but it’s certainly one of the final Red Car runs on Pacific Electric’s North Hollywood line from the Lankershim depot in the San Fernando Valley. This photo was taken in 1952, which saw the beginning of the end of L.A.’s vast streetcar network and the rise of its freeway system crisscrossing the city. One spot of good news is that that depot is still around. It’s currently a coffeeshop and you can learn more about it here:
https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/lankershim-depot
This is how the depot looks now. This image is from May 2019.
The 405 San Diego Freeway runs from the northern San Fernando Valley and skirts through the western side of Los Angeles down past Long Beach. It is also one of the most congested freeways in the US. This photo (facing north heading into the Sepulveda Pass) was taken in 1962, a year after the main part first opened. I used to drive it every morning and at the Sunset Blvd off-ramp all six southbound lanes would be at a standstill—at 6 o’clock in the morning. So when I saw this photo, I actually gasped. What a joy getting around L.A. would be if its freeways still looked like this.
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In this photo we’re looking at the north side of Wilshire Blvd at the corner of Westmoreland Ave in 1928. It gives us a glimpse of what Wilshire looked like back then: large, graceful homes on spacious lots. At the time this shot was taken, more similar homes would have stood behind the photographer. But not for long. The Bullocks Wilshire department store would soon begin construction. Its opening in September 1929 recognized that large stores could thrive outside of downtown Los Angeles. These days Wilshire Blvd is a long commercial strip that goes for miles and miles.
Roughly the same view in December 2017. I know which view I prefer!
This photo of Angelenos strolling along the Venice Beach midway circa 1900s shows that things haven’t really changed much in 120 years. (Well, that is to say apart from the formal way people are dressed while at the beach.) Venice Beach is still filled with strolling tourists and tourist attractions. Those minarets were part of the “Streets of Cairo” attraction. You could take a camel ride down Windward Ave. Closer in we can see a 10-cent experience called “Darkness and Dawn” and features what appears to be a topless woman, which must have been very daring to those Victorians. Next door is the Electric Theater, advertising moving pictures. Being so early in the movies’ history, it was probably at this place that many people saw moving pictures for the first time.
Here are a couple of other views of the Venice Midway:
