Tag Archives: Freeways
The Hollywoodland sign as seen from Vista del Mar Ave, Hollywood, circa early 1940s
In this circa early 1940s photo, we’re looking north up Vista del Mar Ave in Hollywood, toward the Hollywoodland sign. On the left, we can see the Hollywood Tower apartment building. It’s in the National Register of Historic Places, so … Continue reading
Homebound peak hour traffic on L.A.’s Arroyo Seco Parkway amid a smog-induced premature darkness at 4.55pm on November 27, 1954
This photo is quite remarkable when you know the context. This is the evening peak hour on L.A.’s Arroyo Seco Parkway on November 27, 1954. You’d think that it was taken at 7pm but in fact it was taken just … Continue reading
The opening of a segment of one of America’s first freeways, the Arroyo Seco Parkway, Los Angeles, December 30, 1940
When America’s first freeway—the Arroyo Seco Parkway—opened, it connected downtown Los Angeles with Pasadena. This shot was taken on when one of its segments opened. I can count at least 16 motorcycle cops and enough official cars to form a … Continue reading
Constructing a bridge over Cahuenga Boulevard during the construction of the Hollywood Freeway, 1952
I have driven past the Hollywood Tower apartment building (that’s the white one on the left) so many times it’s hard to imagine that urban landscape without the Hollywood Freeway slicing through it. But it was somebody’s job to imagine … Continue reading
Opening of the 170 Freeway stretch of the Hollywood Freeway, North Hollywood, 1962
Sometimes I find photos in the oddest of places – I came across this one on display in my doctor’s office. It caught my eye because I thought, “Since when did a section of the Hollywood Freeway open in 1962?” … Continue reading
Snow on the Cahuenga Pass, Los Angeles, February 7, 1948
Looking at LA’s weather these days, you’d be excused for thinking that Southern California never sees snow. And it doesn’t anymore but up until the 1960s, LA got a snowstorm about once a decade. This photo was taken on February … Continue reading
A Pacific Electric Red Car travels through the Cahuenga Pass, Los Angeles, 1940s
As much as I love the old-fashioned feel of black-and-white and sepia photos, there’s something so alive and real about color vintage photos. In this one from the 1940s, we’re treated to a glimpse of a Pacific Electric Red Car … Continue reading
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Tagged Cahuenga Pass, Color photo, Freeways, San Fernando Valley, Streetcars
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101 Hollywood Freeway from Vermont Ave overpass looking west, Hollywood, 1955
In this photo, we’re looking west up the 101 Hollywood Freeway from the Vermont Ave overpass. This was taken in 1955 when the freeway hadn’t been open for very long—maybe a year or so. According to one source I read, … Continue reading
The sign for the Melrose Ave exit off the Hollywood Freeway, 1954
The construction of the Hollywood Freeway (aka the 101) took from 1924, when plans were first drawn up to 1968, when the final section was completed. This photo was taken in 1954, not long after the section connecting the San … Continue reading
Aerial vista looking north across the Hollywood Bowl and the Pilgrimage Play Theatre on the other side of Cahuenga Pass, Los Angeles, circa 1940
In this circa 1940 photo, the Hollywood Bowl punctuates the open land of the Cahuenga Pass. Behind it, that diagonal line is the newly opened Hollywood Freeway (then known as the “Cahuenga Pass Freeway” with Pacific Electric Railway trolleys running … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Aerial photographs, Cahuenga Pass, Freeways, Hollywood Bowl, Theaters
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