Tag Archives: Santa Monica
Night shot of Bundy Theatre, 3414 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, 1946
I love that this photographer thought to take a night photo of the glowing neon surrounding the Bundy Theatre in Santa Monica, silhouetting that car parked out front. But what I love even more is that several of the letters … Continue reading
Looking south along the bluffs of Santa Monica Beach, California, 1888
This photo from 1888, we’re looking south along the bluffs of Santa Monica Beach. To be honest, I’m surprised to see so many beach huts filling the shoreline (I assume that’s what they were, and that people owned them?), especially … Continue reading
Billboard for the Deauville Beach Club on Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles (undated)
I have no information about this photo of a billboard advertising the Deauville Beach Club on Santa Monica Beach. I don’t know when the photo was taken or where the billboard stood, but in a way, that’s beside the point. … Continue reading
Interior of Thrifty Drug Store lunch counter, Santa Monica, California, January 4, 1937
Most vintage photos of stores (at least, the ones I come across) are nearly always of the exterior, so it makes for a refreshing change of pace to see inside. This one shows us what the interior of a Thrifty … Continue reading
Looking along the Santa Monica pier to the huge La Monica Ballroom, Santa Monica Beach, California, 1936
These days, the Santa Monica pier is filled mostly with amusement park games and a big arcade of games. But back in 1936, when this photo was taken, the big draw was the La Monica Ballroom whose dance floor was … Continue reading
The California Incline under construction, Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles 1934
The California Incline, a steeply angled road connecting Ocean Avenue to the Pacific Coast Highway, was first built in 1905. In the mid-1930s, construction on PCH meant that the Incline got an upgrade by widening the road and adding a … Continue reading
The Santa Monica Pier opens to the public on “Pier Day,” September 9, 1909
The pier on Santa Monica beach has had several incarnations over the years—mostly because piers would all too often catch fire—but this photo goes back to the day when the first one (that is to say the first concrete one … Continue reading
Aerial view down Main Street after construction to widen the street, Santa Monica, California, 1930
Evidently, the city of Santa Monica decided to widen Main Street in 1930. What I don’t quite understand is what’s going on in this photo. It’s obviously wide enough now to accommodate angled parking on both sides and two lanes … Continue reading
Opening of the electric railway from Los Angeles to Santa Monica, April 1, 1896
In this photo we’re lucky enough to have had someone on hand with a camera, which I doubt would’ve have been too common in 1896. This scene shows us the April 1st opening of the electric railway from Los Angeles … Continue reading
Crowds line up for the Catalina Steamer on Santa Monica pier, Santa Monica, 1936
Yesterday, I was researching the cavernous La Monica Ballroom on Santa Monica pier (that’s the place with the ten turrets in the background) when I came across this photo. That’s when I learned that there was something called the Catalina … Continue reading