In 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.
