Looking east along Sunset Blvd from Crescent Heights Blvd toward Googie’s Coffee Shop and behind it Schwab’s Pharmacy, 1954

Looking east along Sunset Blvd from Crescent Heights Blvd toward Googie’s Coffee Shop and behind it Schwab’s Pharmacy, 1954The photographer who took this photo was facing east on the southeast corner of Sunset Blvd and Crescent Heights Blvd in 1954, looking at two places that took on legendary status in Los Angeles. At the rear is Schwab’s Pharmacy at 8024 Sunset, which had opened in 1932 and quickly became the place where Hollywood wannabes and madeits (I made that word up) gathered to see, be seen, swap gossip and information, grab coffee, read “The Hollywood Reporter,” and fill a prescription. Then, in 1949, Googie’s Coffee Shop opened next door at 8100 Sunset with such a weirdly angled style that it gave rise to a whole new trend in architecture to which it lent its name. When someone finally invites me to ride their time travel machine, I’m heading straight here.

I thought the auto-colorizer did a pretty good job bringing this image to life.

Looking east along Sunset Blvd from Crescent Heights Blvd toward Googie’s Coffee Shop and behind it Schwab’s Pharmacy, 1954 (colorized)

The structure that stood on this corner was called the Crescent Heights Market building. (There was a fairly large market next to Schwab’s.) It’s long gone and in its place now stands a mall anchored by a Trader Joe’s, a Starbucks, and Crunch gym. This image is from May 2022.

 

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Color photo looking north up Vine St from the southwest corner of Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, circa late 1950s

Color photo looking north up Vine St from the southwest corner of Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, circa late 1950sIn this glorious color photo we’re looking north up Vine St from the southeast corner of Sunset Blvd, circa late 1950s (as indicated by the brown 1957 Oldsmobile.) We can see signs for the USO, Sachson’s haberdashery, ABC TV, Santa Fe Railway, Plaza Hotel, The Broadway-Hollywood store, Miller beer, and NBC TV. But what *really* intrigues me that black stand behind the bus stop bench, and that other one on the other side of the bench with the red post and black box on top. What were they and what did they do? All suggestions, guesses, and information gladly accepted because I have no idea.

Alexis K says: “The box with the stripes is a combination call box, if you zoom in you can see the side facing us is blue and the opposite side is red. The red side is a fire pull box, pulling the lever sent a telegraph signal to the local fire house indicating location, and the blue side had a small door and a telephone inside. Policeman walking a beat would use it to call in to the police station (remember portable two-way radios weren’t invented until much later, and quite expensive). As a side note, as a kid in the early 80’s I remember a similar one up on hollywood/vine street. I saw the police call box door left open occasionally when waiting for the bus there. All gone by late 1980’s. I believe the stand contained paper bus schedules.”

David G. says: “It has long been a practice of Jehovah’s Witnesses to distribute their literature at bus stops. It has actually peaked in recent years. My guess is that these boxes had The Watchtower and other publications available. Bus schedules were shaped a bit smaller than a standard envelope so as to fit in an interior suit or coat pocket. The picture shows paper-bound booklets. They are almost certainly religious materials.”

John P. says: “I recall “Panorama Pacific” as the morning show on KNXT for two hours, either before or after ‘Captain Kangaroo.'”

This is how that view looked in May 2022.

 

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Liberty Theatre, 266 S. Main Street, downtown Los Angeles, September 24, 1929

Liberty Theatre, 266 S. Main Street, downtown Los Angeles, 1926The Liberty Theatre at 266 S. Main Street in downtown Los Angeles opened in 1910, which means it was around from pretty much the birth of the flickers. When this photo was taken on September 24, 1929, a Clara Bow 1925 picture called “The Primrose Path” (1925) was on a double bill with “Adventures in the Far North.” (1923) That same year the theater was torn down, so maybe this one was of the last photos of the place? According to the Los Angeles Theatre blog, that statue on the roof was 10 feet high, was gold-leafed and held an electric torch, which sounds pretty impressive to me.

Henrik H.on my Facebook page tracked the statue down to 1939: “Apparently, the statue was brought to the San Pedro Wrecking Co. warehouse where it still resided when proprietor George Linder sold his wrecking yard in 1939. (Clipping from the San Pedro News-Pilot, December 5, 1939.)”

This is how that stretch of Main St looked in June 2022. Not quite as memorable, is it?

 

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Los Angeles Railway streetcar #5 stops in front of Santa Fe Railway’s La Grande Station at Santa Fe Ave and 2nd St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1897

Los Angeles Railway streetcar #5 stops in front of Santa Fe Railway's Le Grande Station at Santa Fe Ave and 2nd St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1897Until Union Station opened on the edge of downtown LA in May 1939, Los Angeles had three major railway lines coming into the city: Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific, and each line had their own station. The one pictured here was Santa Fe Railway’s La Grande Station which stood where Santa Fe Ave terminated at 2nd St, several blocks south and east of where Union Station now stands. Parked out front is Los Angeles Railway streetcar #5, which would have taken rail passengers to and from the heart of downtown. The La Grande opened in 1893, and this photo is circa 1897. It looks like the streets weren’t yet sealed as the road seems to be dented with tracks made by horse-drawn carriages.

Norm A. says: “This station was the western terminus of the Santa Fe Railway’s “California Limited,” the first train that allowed passengers to travel all the way from Chicago without changing trains. Its running time of 72 hours seems quaint and sluggish today, but it was science fiction in 1893– many people still remembered when it might take 72 days to reach Los Angeles.”

Here’s a photo of the La Grande Station under construction, circa mid-1890s:

Santa Fe Railway's La Grande Station under construction at the intersection of Santa Fe Ave and 2nd St, downtown Los Angeles, circa mid-1890s

And here’s a later (undated) photo

Santa Fe Railway's La Grande Station at Santa Fe Ave and 2nd St, downtown Los Angeles (undated)

The La Grande station came down when Union Station superseded it. This is how that 1897 view looked in February 2023.

 

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Color photo of the southeast corner of 6th and Hill Streets, downtown Los Angeles, 1958

Color photo of the southeast corner of 6th and Hill Streets, downtown Los Angeles, 1958This color photo was taken in 1958, when Western Federal Savings were moving into the office building of the southeast corner of 6th and Hill Streets in downtown Los Angeles. The workers with window offices would have looked out on Pershing Square, which was behind the photographer. That sign for the Cunard Line makes me wonder if their offices were in the same building. (Aside from that mint-green Plymouth on the far right) what really sticks out in this photo is that woman in pink. She sure knew how to stand out in a crowd.

** UPDATE ** – Leonard W on my Facebook page sent me this advertisement, which confirms that Cunard did, indeed, have offices in that building. It’s from the Los Angeles Times, dated April 9, 1958, showing their offices were at 606 S. Hill Street.

Advertisment Cunard Line 1958

This is how that corner looked in February 2023.

 

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Currie’s Ice Cream parlor, 12101 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, 1942

Currie's Ice Cream parlor, 12101 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, 1942I wouldn’t say no to living in a Los Angeles that still has Currie’s Ice Cream parlors dotting the landscape. From what I hear, their ice cream was very good. Especially their famous 10-cent “Mile High Cones” which they advertised by placing a huge sign on top of their stores. This one (the photo was taken in 1942) looks like it’s taller than the building! This particular one stood at 12101 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, which places it on the northwest corner of Ventura Blvd and Laurel Canyon Blvd.

Currie’s is long gone, and in its place is a less interesting FedEx Print-and-Ship building. This image is from August 2022.

 

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Night shot of Sachson’s Haberdashery, 1523 Vine St, Hollywood, circa mid 1950s.

Night shot of Sachson’s Haberdashery, 1523 Vine St, Hollywood, circa mid 1950s.Back on January 27, I posted a circa 1950s color photo of Vine St in Hollywood in which I pointed out a sign of a store I’d never previously noticed. It was for a men’s wear haberdasher called Sachson’s that had originally been in the Huntington Hartford building closer to the Hollywood Blvd corner, but moved to 1523 Vine St in March of 1955. I later heard from Milt Sachson’s daughter, Rosanne, who sent me this wonderfully atmospheric photo of the window display at night. Rosanne said that her father’s store had a very British flavor to it, hence the Union Jacks and the model of the Queen Elizabeth. At some point, Rosanne started doing the window displays for her father’s store, which she told me changed every week. This store looks like it had so much charm, the type of which we rarely see these days.

The building that housed Sachson’s is no longer there. The building that stands there now houses 800 Degrees Pizzeria. This image is from May 2022.

 

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Color photo looking east along Sunset Blvd from Cahuenga Blvd toward the Cinerama Dome, Hollywood, 1965

Color photo looking east along Sunset Blvd from Cahuenga Blvd toward the Cinerama Dome, Hollywood, 1965This is a mid-60s shot of Los Angeles if ever there was one. We’re looking east along Sunset Blvd from Cahuenga Blvd, past a Texaco gas station toward the Cinerama Dome. The Dome opened November 1963 (with the premiere of with “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.”) and this shot was taken in some time in 1965, so Angelenos were probably still getting used to the novel sight of a dome-shaped movie house in the midst.

** UPDATE ** At some point, the corner where the Texaco gas station stood was once home to a Scrivner’s drive-in restaurant.

Scrivener's drive in on the corner of Sunset Blvd and Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood

This is roughly the same view in June 2022. The Cinerama Dome is harder to see now—it’s the glimpse of white in the background.

 

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Looking up Westwood Blvd from Bullock’s department store toward Holmby Hall tower on the corner of Weyburn Ave, Westwood Village, Los Angeles, July 9, 1941

Looking up Westwood Blvd from Bullock’s department store toward Holmby Hall tower on the corner of Weyburn Ave, Westwood Village, Los Angeles, July 9, 1941This is the sort of photo I want to jump into as we look up Westwood Blvd from Bullock’s department store in Westwood Village, which is near UCLA. That tower is the 110-foot Holmby Hall tower and stands on the corner of Weyburn Ave. This photo was taken on July 9, 1941, so six months later, the people we can see in this image were living in a country at war. But on that day, they were at peace, and what a genteel tranquility it looked to be.

Neil B. says: “There were actually two entrances to Bullocks, the Weyburn Avenue entrance and the La Conte entrance where the chauffeurs would leave the ladies. Crossing over La Conte Avenue there was an entrance to the UCLA botanical Gardens where I would go to eat my lunch every day. It was a small paradise quiet and beautiful at that time. All in all, Westwood at that time was a very civilized quiet and charming place.”

Holmby Hall is an historical landmark so it’s still standing. This is roughly how that view looked in October 2023.

 

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The Wich Stand drive-in/restaurant, 4508 W. Slauson Ave, Windsor Hills, Los Angeles, circa 1958

The Wich Stand drive-in:restaurant, 4508 W. Slauson Ave, Windsor Hills, Los Angeles, circa 1958I do enjoy seeing a prime Googie-style Los Angeles diner, and this one certainly is that. In 1958, the Wich Stand drive-in/restaurant opened at 4508 W. Slauson Ave in the Windsor Hills area of Los Angeles, around halfway between downtown LA and LA International Airport. I don’t know how tall that spike is (20 feet?) but I’m sure it was an instant local landmark, especially at night when it lit up. According to wichstand.com, the place was a the-boys-meet-the-girls “hot rodders’ paradise” which doesn’t surprise me in the least.

Here is another photo of The Wich Stand” also circa late 1950s:

The Wich Stand drive-in:restaurant, 4508 W. Slauson Ave, Windsor Hills, Los Angeles, circa late 1950s

Andie P. says: “That spike was near 30 feet.”

The Wich Stand’s menu:

The Wich Stand menu (1)

The Wich Stand menu (2)

Much to my surprise/delight the building is still there, complete with its eye-catching spike. It appears to now be a health food restaurant called Simply Wholesome. This image is from June 2017.

 

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