Tag Archives: Wilshire Blvd
Looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Lafayette Park toward the Town House Hotel and Bullocks Wilshire, circa early 1940s
The photographer who took this shot was standing at Lafayette Park on Wilshire Blvd as it curves gently to the left and heads west toward the Pacific. On the right we have the Town House Hotel and on the left … Continue reading
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Tagged Bullocks Wilshire, Hotels, Stores and Shopping, Town House Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, WWII
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Looking east along Wilshire Blvd from Normandie Ave toward the Gaylord Apartments, circa late 1940s
This east-looking vista along Wilshire Blvd from Normandie was taken in the mid-to-late 1940s. There are some buildings that are still there, such as the Gaylord Apartments, and the Wilshire Christian Church (known today as Oasis Church) whose palm trees … Continue reading
Pellissier Building at Wilshire Blvd and Oxford Ave, Los Angeles, 1931
The Pellissier Building on Wilshire Blvd is usually photographed from the Western Ave end, because that’s where the spectacular Wiltern Theatre stands. But it’s easy to forget that the building extends along Wilshire to Oxford Ave. It’s a block-long monument … Continue reading
Wilshire Blvd looking east from the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, circa 1940s
In what looks to be a circa 1940s photo taken from the dashboard of a car heading east along Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills, we can see the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on the right. It isn’t much different these days, … Continue reading
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Tagged Beverly Hills, Hotels, Restaurants, Theaters, Warner Bros., Wilshire Blvd
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Looking west toward the intersection of Wilshire Blvd and South San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, 1940
The sprawling intersection where Wilshire Blvd meets San Vicente Blvd marks the eastern-most part of Beverly Hills. I don’t even want to think what it was like to navigate it without traffic lights! This photo was taken in 1940. That … Continue reading
Ida Hancock’s Villa Madama, on the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, 1930
In 1909, Ida Hancock, the widow of Major Henry Hancock (owner of Rancho La Brea, which included the La Brea Tar Pits), built a 23-room home that she called Villa Madama on the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Vermont … Continue reading
Three women stand on Wilshire Blvd opposite the Beverly Theater in Beverly Hills, circa early 1940s
I look at photos like this circa early 1940s shot and wonder what those three women standing on Wilshire Blvd were talking about? Were they saying goodbye after lunch at Nate and Al’s or the Brown Derby? Were they saying … Continue reading
Mona Lisa restaurant and insurance building, 3343 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 1930
And in the “They Sure Don’t Build ‘em Like This Anymore” category, we’ve got this richly detailed office building that stretched the block of Wilshire Blvd between Kenmore Ave and Catalina St. This photo is from 1930, when the main … Continue reading
The Arthur Murray dance school on the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Stanley Ave, Los Angeles, 1948
Before television came along, causing us to spend most of our time sitting on the sofa, people would go out for an evening’s dinner and dancing. And where did Americans go to learn how to waltz, foxtrot, rumba, and cha-cha? … Continue reading
Color photo of the Ambassador Hotel advertising the Cocoanut Grove’s house bandleader, Freddy Martin, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, circa 1950s
Over the decades of its lifetime, the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd had many bands and many singers play the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub, but for the longest time its house band was led by Freddy Martin. His career started … Continue reading
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Tagged Cocoanut Grove nightclub, Color photo, Hotels, Nightclubs, Wilshire Blvd
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