Color photo of the demolition of the original hat-shaped Brown Derby restaurant, 3377 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, September 1980

Color photo of the demolition of the original hat-shaped Brown Derby restaurant, 3377 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, September 1980Oof! This one is hard to look at: the destruction of the original Brown Derby restaurant at 3377 Wilshire Blvd. Even though technically it wasn’t the actual original one—the very first hat-shaped Brown Derby was at 3427 Wilshire between Mariposa & Alexandria until it moved half a block east in 1937—it’s the one we all think of when we think of the restaurant where people got to “Eat in the Hat” as the neon sign said. In September 1980, this restaurant closed without warning, and despite efforts to preserve it, the place was demolished anyway. One concession is that the dome was preserved and added to the mini mall that went up in its place.

Tina S. said: “They pink-slipped the employees on their last night, and one called me at the LAC office. The next morning we had protestors, news and Gary Leonard. It helped raise awareness for the preservation/reuse movement. We really tried.”

In this May 2024 image, we can see the dome of the Brown Derby tucked away at the end of the mini mall that stands there now.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Aerial view of the Garden Court Apartments, 7021 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, 1924

Aerial view of the Garden Court Apartments, 7021 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, 1924This 1924 aerial view is a nice reminder of how residential Hollywood Blvd was before it became fully commercial. What we’re looking at here is the Garden Court Apartments at 7021 Hollywood Blvd a block west of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which the apartments predate by 10 years. Opening in around 1917, the 190-room building was advertised as “the most modern in the west,” and the L.A. Times called it “the most beautiful and complete apartment house.” It must have been something because among its more notable residents include Clara Bow, Louis B. Mayer, Carl Laemmle, Mack Sennett, Stan Laurel, and John Gilbert. It came down in 1984. (Source: waterandpower.org)

Advertisement for the Garden Court Apartments, 7021 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, circa 1920s

This is roughly how that site looked in June 2024.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Angelenos read about the D-Day invasion while waiting for the bus at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave, Hollywood, June 1944

Angelenos read about the D-Day invasion while waiting for the bus at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave, Hollywood, June 1944

We have caught these Angelenos on a very big news day. As they’re waiting for the bus at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave, they’re absorbed in reading about the D-Day invasion in Europe during WWII. D-Day took place on June 6, 1944 so I’m guessing the photographer snapped them on the 7th. Maybe this the moment these people first felt hope that there might be an end to the war. (Source: womansdays.com)

Rob B. said: “I have the LA Times edition with the INVASION headline dated 6 June ’44. Remember, the invasion occurred in Europe, many hours earlier, and the “Extra!” edition was on the streets of LA by mid-afternoon.”

Rob D. said: “Its entirely possible that the photo is from June 6. The first official announcement of the invasion, Allied Expeditionary Force Communique One, was issued in London at a little after 9:30AM local time. The UK was on British Double Summer Time (+2 hours) during the war, the US was on War Time (year round +1 hour daylight savings time), so I think 9:30AM in London would have been 12:30AM in Los Angeles. Every newspaper in LA would have rushed out extra editions immediately. If you want to know how Americans heard the invasion news on June 6, the entire broadcast day of June 6, 1944 for CBS and NBC was recorded and has survived. Its available for free on archive.org and is fascinating listening. To me the most interesting aspect of those broadcasts is that the US news organizations got the first hints that something was happening from the German foreign language radio service. In the early hours of D-Day the Germans were surprisingly honest in their reports.”

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Simon’s drive-in restaurant, 8801 Sunset Blvd at Horn Ave, West Hollywood, circa early 1940s

Simon's drive-in restaurant, 8801 Sunset Blvd at Horn Ave, West Hollywood, circa early 1940sI do love finding photos of drive-in restaurants in Los Angeles from back in the day (aka 1930s through 1950s.) They all had such atmosphere and character, and I especially love the cupola on the roof. This one had a great location: 8801 Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood at the corner of Horn Ave, which put it in the middle of the Sunset Strip. Apparently that dark car at the far right is a 1939 Mercury, so I’m calling this circa early 1940s.

Gary H. said: “That was actually the first Simon’s drive-in. Opened in 1935. Became Dolores in 1945.”

John J. pointed out that this place could have been the inspiration for Mildred’s restaurant in Mildred Pierce. (1945)

This is roughly how that view looked in May 2024. That site is currently occupied by a Supreme clothing store, but for a long while it was home to the always busy Tower Records.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Castle Glengarry on the northwest corner of Franklin Ave and Grand View Blvd, Hollywood, circa 1910s

Castle Glengarry on the northwest corner of Franklin Ave and Grand View Blvd, Hollywood, circa 1910sMost castles built in Hollywood were made of wood and plaster and stood behind movie actors swashbuckling their hearts out. However, there were a few honest-to-goodness castles here and there. This one was called Castle Glengarry and it stood Franklin Ave. One report I found said it stood on the northwest corner Grand View Blvd, but I could find no such street on any map, so I guess Grand View Blvd changed its name. Dr. Alfred Schloesser, who built it, owned a swath of land around Franklin, Argyle, and Vine Streets, so it must have been around there, and near his other castle—because yes, the good doctor built more than one castle!—which he named San Souci. Castle Glengarry was completed in 1912, and had 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, a medieval entrance hall, and two 150-year-old Carrara marble lions. All in all, it must have been a sight to see during one’s morning constitutional around 1910s Hollywood.

John J. said: “The “castle” was built on lots 21 and 22 of the Schloesser Terrace tract No 2. Argyle was named Schloesser Terrace. The tract south of Franklin was one of the most famous. It was the Grand View Boulevard tract. The section that curved north from Larquier Ave. and Ocean View Ave was Grand View Boulevard. It is now named Argyle. The curve was for the LAPR rail line.”

This is what that site now looks like:

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 8 Comments

Cordova Hotel at 808 S. Figueroa St, on the southeast corner of 8th St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1910s

Cordova Hotel at 808 S. Figueroa St, on the southeast corner of 8th St, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1910sI don’t know a lot about the Cordova Hotel which stood at 808 S. Figueroa St, on the southeast corner of 8th St in downtown Los Angeles other than the four-story building opened in 1913. But hey, what a stunning example of architectural art. The craftsmanship around the windows, especially along the top of the building, is impressively detailed. And I especially love those features on the tops of the corners. They sure don’t make ’em like that anymore, do they? (Source: Noirish LA)

Here’s what the foyer looked like:

Color photo of the lobby of the Hotel Cordova at 8th and Figueroa Sts, downtown Los Angeles

This is roughly how that view looked in June 2024.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A motorcar is parked out front of the Hollywood Hotel as seen in “Night Life in Hollywood” (1922)

A motorcar is parked out front of the Hollywood Hotel as seen in “Night Life in Hollywood” (1922)This image gives us a view of what the Hollywood Hotel on the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave looked like in 1922. It is, in fact, a screengrab from a 1922 movie called Night Life In Hollywood which is about a brother and a sister from Arkansas who arrive in Hollywood in search of wild night life. When this location shot was filmed, the hotel was nearly 20 years old already. (The hotel opened in December 1902 or February 1903, depending on the source.) Most color photos I’ve seen of the hotel show those awnings to be yellow and white, which the ones shown here clearly aren’t. But color photographs from 1920s are few and far between, so maybe we’ll never know.

Jerry J. said: “It’s possible that this is actually yellow and white stripes as red and yellow under some circumstance photograph as black especially depending on the film.”

Bill C. said: Here’s the film — well, missing two reels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3xtcsv9UQw

Here’s another shot from Night Life In Hollywood showing a Hollywood Blvd streetcar:

A Hollywood Blvd streetcar as seen in Night Life In Hollywood (1922)

And here’s the remarkable poster for the movie:

Color poster for "Night Life in Hollywood" (1922)

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

A partial view of Lick’s Pier, Ocean Park, Santa Monica, California, 1929

A partial view of Lick's Pier, Ocean Park, Santa Monica, California, 1929This partial view of Lick’s Pier in the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica (next to Venice), California, was taken in 1929. It shows two different ballrooms—the Egyptian and the Bon Ton—as well as a few thrill rides. This is the second Lick’s Pier. The first one only lasted from 1922 to 1924 before it burned down, as so many piers used to do back then, and rebuilt. But look at the beach in the foreground. It’s wall-to-wall umbrellas. How did anybody get to the shoreline and splash around the in Pacific on what must have been a hot day?

This is the full panorama shot. If you click on it, you’ll go to a larger version in which you can see more detail.

Panorama of Lick's Dome Theater, Santa Monica, California, 1929 (small)

Here is an advertisement for the Bon-Ton Ballroom on Lick’s Dome Pier from the “Evening Vanguard”, June 3, 1922

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Traffic heads east through the intersection of Sunset Blvd and Vine St, Hollywood, circa 1940s

Traffic heads east through the intersection of Sunset Blvd and Vine St, Hollywood, circa 1940s

Back in the first half of the 20th century, the busiest intersection in Los Angeles was Broadway and 7th in downtown LA. I don’t know what #2 was, but sometimes I wonder if it was Sunset Blvd and Vine St in Hollywood because so many photos were taken of it. This one captured traffic on Sunset heading east as it approaches Vine St. with the iconic NBC studios in the background. But what catches my eye in this photo are the two signs on the left. One of them is pointing along Sunset Blvd to California US Highway 101, and the other is a charming “Vine St” street sign with some lovely curly decoration. My friend at the Petersen said that the car in the lower left is a Buick that could be anywhere between 1942 and 1948.

This is roughly how that view looked in December 2024.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Oil wells tower over Sunnyside Cemetery in the Signal Hill section of Long Beach, California, circa 1937

Oil wells tower over Sunnyside Cemetery in the Signal Hill section of Long Beach, California, circa 1937After posting yesterday’s photo of the Signal Hill oil field near Long Beach, California, someone sent me this photo, also taken circa 1937. It’s the same oil wells, but this time we’re seeing them from across the Sunnyside Cemetery at 1095 East Willow St. It’s a good thing the deceased didn’t have to listen to all that noise or breathe in that heavy, oil air. I can only guess that the locals were used to them and didn’t mind visiting their relatives, but it strikes me as being a little off-putting to have all that going on in the background. Source: LAPL

This is how the entrance of Sunnyside Cemetery looked in February 2023. No more oil wells in sight!

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment