Tag Archives: Oil
A forest of oil wells, Long Beach, California, circa mid 1930s
“Let’s go for a nice, long Sunday drive down to Long Beach,” they said. “We’ll get out of the city and take in some of that fresh sea air,” they said. “It’ll be fun!” they said. They lied. (Long Beach, … Continue reading
Oil Rigs on Signal Hill, Long Beach, California, 1941
In these days of environmental impact studies and ecological awareness, it would seen strange to go for a Sunday drive (in that fabulous red convertible Packard!) and park your car overlooking a jungle of oil wells. But if you lived … Continue reading
A view of Hollywood from the Bernheimer Mansion (later Yamashiro) in 1912
If we had stood in 1912 at the front of the Bernheimer Mansion (later known as the Yamashiro restaurant) atop the hillside overlooking Hollywood, this would have been our view. There’s still some open land, but homes have started to … Continue reading
La Brea Tar Pits on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles as seen from the air, circa 1924
These are the La Brea Tar Pits on Wilshire Boulevard as seen from the air, circa 1924. This stretch of Wilshire is now known as the Miracle Mile so it’s hard to imagine the land cratered with bubbling pits of … Continue reading
Aerial photographer of the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, 1920
These days the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave on the Miracle Mile is a busy one and will only get busier when the Academy Museum opens, But back in 1920 when this aerial photo was taken, it was … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Airports Aircraft Airlines, Los Angeles, Oil, Wilshire Blvd
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Richfield Oil building with its black & gold terracotta facade, 6th Street, Los Angeles
One of the gems in LA’s architectural panoply is the Richfield Oil building that stood at 555 Flower St in downtown L.A. on the corner of 6th Street between 1929 to 1969. With its beacon-topped tower and it striking black-and-gold … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Downtown Los Angeles, Oil, Richfield Tower
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Aerial view looking north of Wilshire Blvd, at La Brea Ave, 1922
This aerial shot from 1922 shows us view of a field of oil wells that dotted the land north of Wilshire Blvd at around La Brea Ave. What I find interesting is that we can see how development stops abruptly … Continue reading
Looking east up Wilshire Boulevard from Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, 1920
It’s hard to believe now, but if you were driving east along Wilshire Boulevard from the Fairfax Ave intersection in 1920, this would have been your view. Today, that stretch has the old May Company building, LACMA, the Petersen Automotive … Continue reading
Home of Ida Harazsthy Hancock at Wilshire Blvd and Vermont, Los Angeles, 1909 to 1938
It’s hard to imagine now, but Wilshire Blvd was once lined with large and beautiful homes. One of the doozies was this place: the home of Ida Harazsthy Hancock at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Vermont. It was built … Continue reading
Night view of oil wells in Wilmington, California, circa 1930
Who knew oil wells could be so pretty? This circa 1930s night view of the oil wells in Wilmington proves the old Hollywood adage: it’s all about lighting.