When the Warner brothers first came to California to make movies, they rented space from various studios around town. Eventually, they figured it made more sense to build their own, so they went deeply into debt to buy a huge parcel of land at 5600 Sunset Blvd and put up this rather modest studio. That was in 1919 and this photo is circa 1923. The potted plants are a nice, homey touch. This is quite a humble start to a studio what would revolutionize the film industry by introducing sound five years later.Red Car streetcar heading east along Hollywood Boulevard at Whitley Ave, in front of the College of Beauty, Christmas 1952
In this brightly lit nighttime shot, we’re watching a Red Car heading east along Hollywood Blvd at Whitley Ave during the Christmas season of 1952. We can see the electric Christmas trees lit up along the sidewalk. In the background is something I’ve never noticed before, the College of Beauty, which I’m guessing was some sort of cosmetology school. The college’s building is still there and in excellent condition.
The college’s building in April 2019:
The intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave, Hollywood, 1907
The caption of this photo says that this is the intersection of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave in 1907. We’ll have to take their word for it because I can see no evidence of the Hollywood Hotel, which opened on that corner in 1903. Those look like the Hollywood hills to me, so regardless of whether or not that’s actually the right intersection, this photo does give us a glimpse into what Hollywood looked like in the first decade of the 20th century.
Color postcard of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, Culver City, California, circa 1930s
I’m guessing the photo of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios used in this postcard was taken in the 1930s. It tells us a few things about the era. The background art focuses on the Spanish history of California. I would have thought they’d have chosen the sun-and-surf aspect of West Coast life, but I guess to Easterners, the Hispanic thing was considered exotic. Also, we can see how much undeveloped land still surrounding the studio. There’s no wide open spaces, but there are an awful lot of large green fields. I also suspect that MGM’s soundstages weren’t painted bright orange in real life, but it sure makes for an eye-catching postcard to send to the folks back in Pittsburgh.
Looking south down Camden Drive from Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, circa 1927
This photo gives us a glimpse into what Beverly Hills looked like, circa 1927. We’re looking south down Camden Drive with Santa Monica Blvd behind us. That impressive building on the left is the Beverly Hills Savings Bank. One source identifies that gorgeous building on the left as the Hans Ort Bicycle shop. I don’t know what that building was on the other side of the empty lot, but it looks like a house!
Roughly the same view in March 2017:
Looking west toward the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and South San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, 1940
The sprawling intersection where Wilshire Blvd meets San Vicente Blvd marks the eastern-most part of Beverly Hills. I don’t even want to think what it was like to navigate it without traffic lights! This photo was taken in 1940. That windmill on the right is a Van de Kamp’s Holland-Dutch Bakery. They all had those eye-catching things on their roofs, which made a clever and effective advertising. I wish we could see more of that building on the far right, the one with the turret. It looks like it would have been a gorgeous piece of architectural eye candy.
Women’s Club of Hollywood headquarters on the southwest corner of Hollywood Blvd and La Brea Ave, circa late 1910s
The Woman’s Club of Hollywood was founded in 1905 by 20 wives, daughters, and sisters of Hollywood pioneers and wasted no time in helping to create the Hollywood Public Library and the Hollywood Studio Club, which gave a home to many hopeful young girls coming to Hollywood to make it in the movies. In 1914, work began on a permanent headquarters at 7078 Hollywood Blvd, where it meets La Brea Ave. I couldn’t find the date it actually opened, but I assume this was taken in the late 1910s. The building is no longer there, but the club is still around today and headquartered around the corner on La Brea.
This is the building that now stands at that address (May 2019):
Aerial view of the Bernheimer mansion (now Yamashiro restaurant) in Hollywood, circa 1915
In this striking aerial shot, we’re treated to a circa 1915 view of the Bernheimer mansion that sits atop a hill overlooking Hollywood north of Franklin Ave. The Bernheimer brothers finished building their home in 1914 so when this photo was taken, it would have been the most striking new thing in town. The mansion is now Yamashiro restaurant. That circular driveway near the bottom is for the chateau-style residence built by financier and philanthropist, Rollin B. Lane, in 1909. It’s now known as the Magic Castle, and is a club house and performance space for stage magicians.
Here’s a satellite photo of the same area in 2020:
A tour bus and uniformed driver outside the gates of the Luna Park Zoo, Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, 1928
These days, your tour guide to Los Angeles wouldn’t be dressed in a suit with jodhpurs, but back in 1928, when this photo was taken, sightseeing around L.A. was a different game. This chap and his tour bus are parked outside the Luna Park Zoo, which was at 3800 N. Mission Rd in Lincoln Heights, northeast of downtown L.A. Previously, it had been the Selig Zoo, where many of the animals who appeared in early silent films were housed. It also served as the Selig Polyscope film studio, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures. The zoo officially closed in 1940 and many of the animals were relocated to the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park.
Color photo of the Brown Derby restaurant, 3377 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, circa early 1940s
The grainy style of this photo of the original Brown Derby restaurant at 3377 Wilshire Blvd makes me wonder if it’s actually a frame from an old film. But color photos of the Derby are a little on the rare side, so I snap them up whenever I can because it makes the long-gone place seem all the more real. Someone told me that the car parked closest to the front door is probably a 1940 Buick, so I’m calling this circa early 1940s.
An unimaginative two-story mini-mall now occupies the site, but that dome you can see on the right is the Brown Derby. This image is from March 2020.
The building you can see in the background is still there. It’s called the Evanston. This image is from March 2020.
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