Tag Archives: Freeways
Cahuenga Pass connecting Los Angeles with the San Fernando Valley, circa 1920
The Cahuenga Pass has long been one of the main routes connecting Los Angeles with the San Fernando Valley. This photo is circa 1920, after it had been expanded from a dirt track to a streetcar line running alongside a … Continue reading
The Laurel Canyon Blvd eastbound off-ramp from the Ventura/Hollywood/101 Freeway, Studio City, Los Angeles, circa early 1960s
Right before the Ventura/Hollywood/101 Freeway opened in the early 1960s, photographer Leigh Wiener took this photo of his son Devik playing on the off-ramp to Laurel Canyon Blvd in Studio City. It was probably the first and last time any … Continue reading
Looking south down Vine St over the construction of the 101 Hollywood Freeway, circa early 1950s
Most views I’ve come across which take in the high-rise buildings around Hollywood and Vine—Taft building, Broadway department store, Hotel Knickerbocker—are usually seen from the south looking up Vine Street. In this shot, we’re treated to an unusual view looking … Continue reading
The 405 San Diego Freeway heading into the Sepulveda Pass in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, 1962
The 405 San Diego Freeway runs from the northern San Fernando Valley and skirts through the western side of Los Angeles down past Long Beach. It is also one of the most congested freeways in the US. This photo (facing … Continue reading
Looking north toward the intersection of Carlton Way and Van Ness Ave, Hollywood, circa 1929
In this circa 1929 photo, we’re looking at an intersection that no longer exists. It’s where Carlton Way meets Van Ness Ave in Hollywood. Carlton runs left to right (i.e. west to east); Van Ness runs from the bottom to … Continue reading
A couple of teenagers ride a Go-Kart on an empty and unfinished stretch of the 101 (Hollywood) Freeway near Woodman Ave, Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, 1960
I don’t know if it was legal for these kids to ride their Go-Kart on an unfinished stretch of the 101 (Hollywood) Freeway near Woodman Ave in Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando Valley, but you can’t blame them for … Continue reading
A Pacific Electric Red Car heading toward Hollywood as it travels through Cahuenga Pass, Los Angeles, 1950
I’m not sure who I’m more envious of in this photo of a Red Car traveling through the Cahuenga Pass en route to Hollywood in 1950: the people riding the Red Car, who didn’t have to deal with traffic at … Continue reading
Glamourous Hollywood color picture postcards
Okay so firstly, that’s not how you spell the word ‘glamorous’ so if you’re going to print 50,000 picture postcards, you might want have someone check your spelling. And secondly – if you want to use a glamorous shot of … Continue reading
The Los Angeles City Hall as seen from a largely empty Hollywood Freeway, circa 1950s
In this circa 1950s photo taken from an enviably empty Hollywood Freeway, we can see how the Los Angeles City Hall dominated the skyline of downtown LA. Its domination wasn’t an accident; until 1964 it was, by law, the tallest … Continue reading
Three vintage Fords get to be the first vehicles to ride a new freeway extension, Los Angeles, 1962
This was a cute idea – to celebrate the opening of a freeway extension by getting a trio of vintage cars to kick things off in 1962. My friend at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd tells me that … Continue reading