Tag Archives: Wilshire Blvd
Color photo looking east along Wilshire Blvd from Ridgley Dr, Los Angeles, circa mid-1950s
Here’s a color snapshot of Los Angeles in all its mid-1950s glory. We’re looking east along Wilshire Blvd from Ridgley Dr., where the Mullen Bluett store (a mid-level clothing store) stood for many years. None of the stores we can … Continue reading
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Tagged Color photo, Restaurants, Stores and Shopping, Wilshire Blvd
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Advertising display outside the studio of photographer Melbourne Spurr at 3986 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 1934
Sometime after of Iowa-born portrait photographer Melbourne Spurr arrived in Hollywood in 1917, he got his big break when he impressed Mary Pickford. By the mid 1920s, he was one of the most in-demand celebrity photographers. In 1933, he opened … Continue reading
Giant Easter Bunnies stand outside Desmond’s department store, 5514 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 1947
Until I posted a photo last December of a lit Christmas tree outside the May Co. department store on Wilshire Blvd in 1963, I didn’t know those decorative trees had even existed. Similarly, until I found this photo of giant … Continue reading
Harry Belafonte playing the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, circa late 1950s
Here we have Harry Belafonte playing the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd. To headline at “the Grove” you had to be a pretty big deal, so I’m guessing this photo (and the two below) was … Continue reading
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Tagged Ambassador Hotel, Cocoanut Grove nightclub, Movie Stars, Wilshire Blvd
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LA city bus advertises the giant snowmen set up along the Miracle Mile section of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, circa 1950s
Yesterday, many of us Angelenos saw hail for the first time in who-knows-how-long, so I thought this circa 1950s photo might be appropriate today. Until I came across it, I didn’t know that in the 1950s, giant snowman were put … Continue reading
A Christmas tree decoration lights the May Company department store at Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, circa 1963
It’s hard to tell how big this Christmas tree decoration was but I’m guessing impressively large as it stood out front of the May Company’s flagship department store at the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax Ave. This photo … Continue reading
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Tagged Christmas, Night photo, Stores and Shopping, Wilshire Blvd
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Dusk shot of looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Detroit St toward Myer Seigel store, Los Angeles, circa 1930s
On the one hand, I wish this circa 1930s shot was sharper so that we could see the details more clearly. But on the other hand, the blurry murkiness adds to the atmosphere, doesn’t it? This photo was taken at … Continue reading
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Tagged Night photo, Restaurants, Stores and Shopping, Wilshire Blvd
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The soaring tower of Beacon Laundry, 9134 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, circa 1940
You’ve got to love a city where a dry cleaning business called Beacon Laundry (of course that’s what they called it) builds a 50-foot tower to bring attention to themselves. Earthquakes be damned! We have to let passers-by that we’re … Continue reading
Houses line Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, circa 1927
I haven’t been able to determine which stretch of Wilshire Blvd this photo was taken on, but wherever it was, it gives us a glimpse into what Wilshire looked like back circa 1927. One big, lovely house after the other, … Continue reading
Aerial photo of the Ambassador Hotel under construction, Los Angeles, 1920
From the moment it opened its doors on January 1, 1921, the Ambassador Hotel became a focal point for LA’s social life, especially at its premier nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove. This aerial shot shows it under construction in 1920. Wilshire … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Ambassador Hotel, Hotels, Wilshire Blvd
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