Tag Archives: Aerial photographs
Aerial photo of the old RKO studios rebranded as Desilu Studios Inc, Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, circa late 1950s
After Howard Hughes had bought, mismanaged, and bankrupted RKO studios on Melrose Ave, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s company bought it and rebranded it Desilu Studios Inc. That transaction happened in late 1957, so this aerial shot was probably taken … Continue reading
Aerial photo of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company, 6701 S. Central Ave, Los Angeles, 1923
When the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company factory built their factory at 6701 South Central Ave south of downtown Los Angeles between 1919 and 1920, the land around them was empty. And it was still largely empty a few years … Continue reading
Aerial view showing four pleasure piers – Santa Monica Pier, Crystal Pier, Ocean Park Pier, Venice Pier, Los Angeles, circa 1930s
In the 1930s, pleasure-seeking Angelenos certainly weren’t starved for choice when looking for some beachside fun. This aerial shot shows four “pleasure piers” built one next to the other. From the top down, there’s the Santa Monica Pier, Crystal Pier, … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Beaches, Santa Monica, Santa Monica pier, Venice Beach
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Aerial shot of Lakewood built to house up to 70,000 people, many of them Douglas Aircraft employees, near Long Beach, California, circa 1950s
Here we have a shot of the peak of post-war planned community housing. Lakewood was developed as a planned community near Long Beach, beginning in late 1949 and taking roughly four years to complete. Home buyers had a choice of … Continue reading
Aerial view of the Garden Court Apartments, 7021 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, 1924
This 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, … Continue reading
A forest of oil derricks sprouts up on the Signal Hill oil field, Long Beach, California, 1937
In yesterday’s photo of Vine St in 1960, I commented that I could almost hear the sounds and inhale the smells. This photo similar, but not in quite the same way. In this aerial photo, we’re seeing the forest of … Continue reading
Aerial photo of the mammoth outdoor set for “The Thief of Bagdad” at the Pickford-Fairbanks studios, south of Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, 1923
In order to film “The Thief of Bagdad” Douglas Fairbanks bought several acres of land behind the Pickford-Fairbanks Studios south of Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, which he co-owned with his wife, Mary Pickford. They needed that land for … Continue reading
Aerial photograph looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, circa 1930
In this rather striking aerial we’re photo, looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Sycamore Ave. It was taken around 1930 when a good proportion of the land north and south of Wilshire was still undeveloped. In the top right hand … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, La Brea tar pits, Oil, Park La Brea, Wilshire Blvd
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Aerial view of the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California, 1929
In my view, the Hollywood Bowl is fairly spectacular no matter which angle you shoot it from, no matter the time of day, no matter the season. But aerial shots of the place really do show how spectacular it is. … Continue reading
Aerial photo looking northwest across Beverly Hills, California, 1922
What a different 102 years makes. In this 1922 aerial photo, we’re looking northwest across Beverly Hills toward the Hollywood Hills. These days, of course, every square inch of all that empty land is filled in with manicured lawns, outsized … Continue reading