Vintage Los Angeles
I have some (hopefully) interesting vintage Los Angeles images for you today. I wish I had more of this kind of thing, but you'd be stunned at the prices that nice old L.A. slides can fetch. Hundreds, if they are really special!
This first view was taken by somebody who was standing in front of wonderful Union Station, the largest railway terminal in the western U.S. It's worth a visit if you ever find yourself downtown (it's within easy walking distance of historic Olvera Street), with beautiful Art Deco details. I sent a jpeg of this to my buddy Rich W. years ago, and he was enthusiastic! Here's his response: OMG! Yes, its the entrance to Union Station with the Plaza across the street. What has me nearly drooling in seeing this image is the ground level view looking NW towards the tall original hills of CHAVEZ RAVINE! In 1959, a massive year-long earthmoving project took place following groundbreaking ceremonies for Dodger Stadium that shaved the hill down.
I love seeing the people in their nice "traveling clothes", along with the helpful "Redcaps" who helped with luggage.
And since we're on the subject of Chavez Ravine, I have a number of slides that are very faded, but they were taken during the massive earth-moving project that Rich mentioned just moments ago. The removal of the Hispanic residents of Chavez Ravine was controversial (and frankly unpleasant); but it was all in the name of "progress" I suppose. In the distance you can see the early stages of Dodger Stadium - between the smog and the faded nature of the images, it's not easy to discern what's going on.
This next one is actually a merging of two separate photos. Almost all of the area right in front of us is the massive parking lot. I'm not really sure why dirt was piled into that odd-shaped hill in the middle, there must have been a good reason for it. Walter O'Malley's apartment?
Looking online, I found this black and white photo that showed Chavez Ravine, pre-Dodger Stadium, it's kind of pretty.
EXTRA! EXTRA!
GDB friend TokyoMagic! sent along a photo taken by his Dad back in September of 1965, from almost the east same spot as the first of my Chavez Ravine photos. You can even seen the same white house to the right! Thanks, TM!
19 comments:
Major-
Geez... some wonderful views, here. I can only image how beautiful Chavez Ravine looked prior to all the "progress" that took place. I suppose in the "good news/bad news department", had the area survived as residential, these times it would be an enclave for the übre-rich, pricing-out its original residents.
In the first image, that gent appears to be opening the trunk of a 1956 Buick, in either Bedford Blue or Cadet Blue - it's kinda hard to tell in this shot. As for that "odd-shaped hill in the middle", it was undoubtedly part of LA's very own 'strip mine'. Who knew-!
Thanks, Major.
In #1, the Lady In Black tipping(?) the Redcap looks especially snazzy with her fashionable black hat, black high heels, and black polka-dotted white neck scarf. To the right, I see some ruby slippers. (OK, high heels.)
Major, I think the two 'construction' photos were actually taken from the surface of Mars, not L.A. Here you thought you were getting some historic photos of Dodger Stadium being built, and you ended up with worthless photos taken by somebody on Mars. I'd try to get my money back if I were you.
Thanks, Major. And nice job merging the two photos.
@ JB-
That woman in black is having her palm read by the Redcap. (What, you didn't know they also provided that service-?) She's definitely 'dressed to impress'-!
I love vintage L.A. pics, almost as much as vintage theme park pics.
I checked to see if Google street view would let me into the parking lot of Union Station, and it does! Unfortunately, the view isn't that great. In recent decades, they allowed to big developments in the parking lot of Union Station. Not only does that one (apartment?) complex block our view of the hill, but when you are driving by on the street, both of the newer developments block the view of Union Station from the street, as you approach it from either direction. That white single story building across the street (with "Padre" and "Company" written on the front) is still standing today:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.056831,-118.2367113,3a,73.8y,335.12h,87.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s1GkQLSEpYu_DsK-zhA75jQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
And here's a close-up view of that building across the street:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0572002,-118.2371937,3a,74.5y,300.21h,95.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFAo1rvsihhkkoO1bnXSpcw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Major, my dad took some pics of Dodger Stadium back in the sixties, from almost that exact same angle. I couldn't figure out where he was standing when he took them. I'm going to look for those photos.
Thanks for a vintage look at L.A.!
Okay, I found the spot where today's photographer (and my dad) took their photos. They both took their pics from a road in Elysian Park. It looks like the park goes back to the early 1900s. I didn't know that Los Angeles Police Academy is located in that park. I just realized that's where they filmed the opening shot of the Charlie's Angels TV series. They would show the cadets marching under the police academy sign, with old stone towers on either side of the road.
Anyway, here's the location of where that Dodger Stadium construction pic was taken. Notice L.A. City Hall off in the distance. Also, notice the little structures (houses?) still standing on the hill, on the far right side of both the vintage pic, and the current view:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0820346,-118.2439069,3a,24.1y,161.1h,85.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sntVIOtuNpQtbPTPZGT6IuQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Okay, I'm obsessed with "then and now" views. Here is a close-up of that house on the far right side of the Dodger Stadium construction pic. It turns out that the other structure just below the house, is the garage:
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0780589,-118.2441656,3a,90y,153.26h,86.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdvQhL7FRUxiLGjWqRnUsgg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Well, I'm not a huge baseball fan, so I much prefer the hill. Sorry!
I almost remember what that pile of dirt is. It has something to do with huge loadeds dumping material into trucks...but I can't remember and am too lazy to do any real research. Darn Saturday morning sleepies, I guess.
Still, nice pics!
These are some neat photos. Of everything here, I’m oddly drawn to the fluorescent light fixtures underneath the “porch” in the Union Station photo.
I think that was taken in front of the main entrance to Union Station. That’s the only place on that side of the building where there’s a relatively narrow overhang that would allow a photographer to get both edges of the overhang in frame. While the fluorescent fixtures are no longer there, the painted design the fixtures were mounted under appears to have been continued to this day.
All of that modern development where the old parking lot had been reminded me that Union Station - which also included large rail yards and a lot of real estate intended for expansion when it was built in the late ‘30s, before it became apparent that passenger rail travel was on the verge of decline - was one of the potential locations studied in the search for a location for Disneyland. Had that location been selected, just imagine how different both downtown LA and the Disneyland experience would be today. I’m glad Buzz Price sold Walt on the Anaheim site.
JB, in answer to your question from yesterday, Walt and Art Linkletter were indeed pals going back to before the building of Disneyland. Here’s one description of that friendship written by Art Linkletter himself.
Chuck, I thought it was probably taken from a little further back, because of the overhang, but that white building across the street looked too far away from that point, in comparison to it's proximity in the vintage slide. I guess that's just how things appear on Google street view, because I've noticed that effect before on other current views.
There is also a development at the other end of the parking lot. It's an office building, and it's smaller, but it still blocks the view as you approach from the south. The same with the apartment complex as you approach from the north. You'd think that with Metro Link and Metro Rail now using Union Station, that they would have needed all of that parking. The money for developing must have been too good to turn down. Who cares if people taking Metro Link and Metro Rail don't have a place to park, right?
Major, these are very interesting. I had no idea of the stadium story.
TM thanks for all the research!
I’ve seen dirt piles similar to the one in the photo. Mass grading operations need a place to pile the leftovers (spoils). The motorized graders go out and cut until they are full, then drive to a designated location and dump in a long continuous action. This creates a linear pile with a “road” on top, usually curved, as the graders turn back to the operating area. This pile will stay until work advances to a point when it needs to be exported off to finalize the grade in that location, or sometimes redistributed on a low part of the same site.
JG
Nanook, I’m sure you are right, with those hills affording sweet views of downtown L.A., Chavez Ravine would be the next “Bunker Hill”, with every old historic structure being razed for either high rise office buildings, or luxury homes for the rich. “Bedford Blue”, ha ha, I love it. I guess the strip mine is where they discovered Dodger Dogs?
JB, yeah, imagine people dressing up like that to travel. I have a photo of my Great Aunt and her family arriving at Union Station in 1948, and they are also very dressed up. Sadly, my grandpa had the bad habit of taking blurry photos. I forgot about the baseball stadium on the surface of Mars, that’s what I get for watching TikTok videos all day!
Nanook, ha ha, are you saying she had her palm “red”? An old Bugs Bunny joke.
TokyoMagic!, funny, I had also tried to get a Google Street View shot to show how things looked today, but I wasn’t happy with the results. As you said, those big buildings now block the views that they had way back in the ‘50s. Thanks for pointing out that old building that is still there across the street, a rare survivor. L.A. does not appreciate old buildings. Thanks also for sharing the photo from your Dad!
TokyoMagic!, so funny that you recognized a “Charlie’s Angels” connection!! I barely remember that show. Once they were filming that show in Westlake (near Thousand Oaks), and my brother and our neighbor friend rushed over to see if they could get autographs. They both got Kate Jackson and Jaqueline Smith, but Farrah was not signing anything that day.
TokyoMagic!, I feel like I maybe once knew something about that house, but as usual I’ve forgotten whatever that was! Typical me. Good detective work, and interesting to see it close up. Think of the views from up there on a game night!
stu29573, I was a big baseball kid when I was growing up, but at some point I became disenchanted with it (along with most professional sports), though I do still occasionally like to watch a game. Not like I used to! You might be right about that material being piled up for trucks, it makes sense.
Chuck, I also thought that the photo was taken from the main entrance to Union Station, I didn’t even notice the fluorescent light fixtures! Jeez, I must have read that tidbit about Union Station being a potential location for Disneyland, but if so, I’ve completely forgotten it. I’m SO glad they didn’t put it in Downtown, what a nightmare that can be. And if there was a Dodger game going on (or just letting out), you might as well enjoy listening to podcasts or the radio, because you are going to be on the freeway for a LONG time. Thanks for that link to the Art Linkletter piece!
TokyoMagic!, I think the cameras used for Google Street View do change the way things look compared to most old photos. I’ve noticed that myself when trying to find a “today” photo that matches a vintage one. I agree with you about the need for parking, but hey, I’m just a world-famous blogger with millions of fans.
JG, well I am disappointed to learn that the pile of dirt is NOT Walter O'Malley's apartment, but I still found your description of earth-moving practices very interesting! ;-)
JB- That's it! I had the picture of the dirt haulers going up the road and then dumping, but I couldn't figure out why, lol!
I've always wanted to take the train from the East Coast to the West, and that first picture just makes me want it even harder. (Even though the view will be a little different stepping out of the station!)
The excavation/construction photos are staggering. In picture #2 it looks like that one feller dug the whole hole with his little shovel.
Chuck, thanks for that link! Fascinating stuff. I read it in Art Linkletter's voice. I've always thought of Walt and Art as being very similar types of people; showmen, with a sense of humor, among other attributes.
Union Station is super cool- in the 80's is was a regular haunt as most Sunday's I would go to Philippes down the street to have two French Dip sandwiches, a pickle, cheesecake and a .10 cent cup of Yuban coffee. I remember it being catty corner to Union Station, but it's actually down a bit further catty corner to Terminal Annex. It is certainly my most favorite sandwich in the world. They claim to be the birthplace of the French Dip. The downtown area in my time was where as an artist you could get a cheap loft, and also be certain that if you parked your car anywhere, it would be broken into. Now, it's become a very tony place to see and be seen, where back in the day, it was "what are you doing there?!" Across from Union Station is also Olvera Street. Another cool part of LA. The only part of Dodger Stadium I was into was the Charlie's Angels Driveway. That ravine I'm sure you could cook an egg on the sidewalk during summer. Decades later Jaclyn Smith was a client of mine. She insisted that a dye lot of two pieces of fabric came from different lots. Me: "Jaclyn, I'm sorry, there is no dye lot...they are white." "yes...I know! from different dye lots." Subsequently, I had fabric made especially for her. All was well, and Fantasyland is closed. (I'll stop that one day...)
Bu, what type of work did you do for Ms. Smith? I hope you don’t mind me asking.
Interesting post—thanks, Major and everyone.
TM and Major, thank you for posting that follow-up picture!
That really sets the scene doesn’t it?
JG
A little late here. But I remember families barricading themselves in their homes and apartments while, under eminent domain, they were required to leave. Some of it was televised live at the time, much like what they do today when there is a car chase on the freeway. And also, watching with my Dad the Dodgers play in there in '63. Even saw Sandy Koufax pitch his first no hitter. The place was quite an engineering feat. considering it's age today, the design and construction have kept it one of the premier baseball stadiums to this day. KS
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