In 1958, three years after Capitol Records opened their iconic building, they started an annual tradition of decorating the top of their building with lights that resemble a Christmas tree. In this shot we’re looking south down Vine St circa 1970 (if that 1968 Chevrolet Bel Air on the right is anything to go by.)
Gail R posted this shot of the Capitol Records taken December 2023:
And in other news…I’d like to wish everyone who follows my vintage musings here a merry and bright Christmas and cheery 2024. I’m very happy to see your interactions and appreciate your interest so very much!
This is how that same view looked in August 2022:
From the angle of this photo, I’d say it was taken from the top of the building on the northeast corner of Hollywood Blvd and Las Palmas Ave looking west along the south side of the boulevard. We can see lit signs for the Gold Cup coffee shop, Union Pacific railway ticket office, a record store, the Egyptian Theatre, and the Hollywood Inn (formerly the Hotel Christie.) From the electrified Christmas trees decorating the store and the fact that “Hawaii” was playing at the Egyptian, we can narrow down the date of this shot to Christmas 1966.
Ever since I first saw the movie “American Graffiti” I knew that cruising up and down one of the boulevards in the San Fernando Valley part of Los Angeles was a popular Saturday night ritual. But I never quite realized that Van Nuys Blvd got *this* packed with kids looking for love, trouble, and adventure. The A-framed building on the right is 
According to the caption on this photo, some sort of sporting event was happening on the grounds of the Hotel Green, a large and luxurious hotel that opened in 1893 in Pasadena, where it quickly became a social hub. In the background we can see the turret of the nearby Santa Fe Railroad station, which was conveniently placed for guests arriving by train to escape the harsh winters back East. But what intrigues me most about this (I’m guessing circa early 1900s?) photo is that very tall pole in the foreground. Why is it so tall? Is it a streetlight? A beacon? Suggestions, anyone?
In this atmospheric nighttime shot, we’re looking north up Vine St from Sunset Blvd. It was taken on the night of July 27, 1948, and we can see all the neon signs that greeted Angelenos at the time: Broadway-Hollywood department store, Plaza Hotel, Tom Breneman’s restaurant, Capitol Records, as well as the semaphore traffic signal on the southeast corner of Sunset. But I especially love the way the streetlights look like starbursts (which I assume comes from a special filter on the camera.
In this photo from 1925, we’re treated to a glimpse of Wilshire Blvd’s wild west days, i.e. before traffic lanes were painted on the road. We’re looking east along Wilshire Blvd from the Gaylord Apartments. That construction site with the tower that resembles a rocket is the Immanuel Presbyterian Church at Berendo St. The streetlights known as Wilshire Specials (because they were only on Wilshire) have been installed, and those tress paralleling the sidewalk look like they haven’t been there long. But what is that thick white line painted on the road near the center of the photo? Suggestions, anyone?
I’m not 100% sure, but I suspect/assume this photo was taken on some high perch somewhere at the Hollywood Bowl (or perhaps zooming in from the 
Look how many Angelenos turned out to watch a Victory Loan Parade as it made its way northward up Broadway. The cross street here in 7th Street, where “Laura” was playing at the Loew’s State Theatre (where movies ran 24 hours a day to accommodate wartime workers. This photo was taken in December 1944, during WWII, when 4 of 5 street lamps were blacked out on top and instead of Christmas trees decorating the streets, we can see Santas sitting in the middle of a big “V” for Victory.
Until I came across this photo, I didn’t even know that Alhambra (roughly 7 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles) ever had an airport. But here we have a photo of the dedication ceremony that took place on April 17, 1930 when the airport terminal was covered in patriotic bunting. It was built by the airline known then as Western Air Express, which eventually became Western Airlines before it merged with Delta in 1987. But back in 1930, it was only 4 years old and still evolving from being a mail carrier. As we can see from this photo, the day attracted a sizeable crowd, but I wonder if maybe seeing the Good Year blimp up close might have a draw. It would have been for me.
The first thing I noticed in this photo was the United Artists blade sign, and the one for Texaco behind it, and then the “ERN” of the Eastern Columbia building. I was so focused on them that I didn’t notice the lit-up Christmas trees lining Broadway. We’re looking north from what was then 10th St but is now Olympic Blvd. It was taken during the 1930 holiday season, back when Broadway bustled with streetcars whose tracks we can see shining in all the electric lights.