Pershing Square, Los Angeles, March 1965
I'm a fan of vintage views of Los Angeles, and today I have three that were taken in Pershing Square. What is that? Pershing Square is a small public park in Downtown Los Angeles, California, one square block in size, bounded by 5th Street to the north, 6th Street to the south, Hill Street to the east, and Olive Street to the west. Originally dedicated in 1866 by Mayor Cristóbal Aguilar as La Plaza Abaja, the square has had numerous names over the years until it was finally dedicated in honor of General John J. Pershing in 1918. So now you know.
This first photo shows a monument to California's twenty Spanish–American War dead was erected in 1900; it is said to be modeled after a Spanish–American War veteran, 7th California Infantry volunteer Charlie Hammond of San Francisco, and it is believed to be the oldest work of public art in Los Angeles.
Notice the man with the picket sign to the left, some sort of protest was going on at this time - possibly an anti-Vietnam War protest. On March 3 of '65, the United States Navy and South Vietnamese air force began a 3½-year aerial bombardment campaign against North Vietnam.
If you are familiar with downtown L.A., you might recognize some of these old buildings, such as the Temple Baptist Church, the Equitable Life building, and that cool tower to the left is the 449 foot AT&T Microwave Tower, which ceased operation in 1993 - but the structure still stands, looking impressive. the buildings to the left of the Equitable Life building are all long-gone, replaced by a modern structure. If you look closely, you can see more protesters in front of the Baptist Church.
This is an odd photo; the photographer might have been aiming at Googie's Coffee Shop on the corner of 5th and Olive.
Here's a closer view; the original Googie's (on Sunset Boulevard) was a famous hangout for hip people like James Dean and Dennis Hopper. The buildings playful, daring style, by architect John Lautner, inspired the term "Googie architecture".
20 comments:
Isn't this about the time that the subterranean parking structure was put under Pershing Square? I thought I read in a Disney book somewhere, that the ficus trees in New Orleans Square, came from Pershing Square. Disney supposedly acquired them at the time of excavation project, for the parking structure.
I like that zigzag Googie roofline, and also the Googie font, but I also like the font and colors used for the sign next door. Is that "San Carlos"? A bar, perhaps?
And that building to the far left of Googie's Coffee Shop, is the Biltmore Hotel, built in 1923.
Major-
Every time I see images of Pershing Square, I'm always reminded of the 1948 "travelogue", produced by Standard Oil of California, entitled: Los Angeles "City of Destiny". The script is [laughably] syrupy and full of alliteration, as it describes the joys and wonders of the City of the Angels. When the 'story' finally arrives at Pershing Square, we see several crowds of folks - with the scene described this way: "... in a setting as exotic as the court of some ancient temple in a tropical jungle. Where sun worshipers are entertained by soapbox orators discussing ideologies and world politics..." I think that last sentence is 'code' for "drunken derelicts muttering out loud to no one in particular"-!
Thanks, Major.
Speaking of Thrifty Drug stores (Thursday's post), we can see a bit of a Thrifty's sign in photo #1. In the background, to the right of the statue. We get a better look at it in photo #2.
Speaking of photo #2, what are those people doing standing on the roof with the "Escalators" sign? Maybe they're watching the protesters.
Photos #3 and #4: Kinda neat to see the building that inspired Googie architecture. I always associate Googie style with curved elements and a space-age look or feel. This building has none of that. The angular awning looks to be the only thing that distinguishes it from any other building in the area. Plus that duct snaking its way up the side of the building. Maybe the term has changed its meaning over the years? Or, more likely, I just need to educate myself as to what makes Googie, Googie.
Thanks for the Saturday pics, Major.
JB, I see that the Thrifty signage also reads, "Serve Yourself and Save." I wonder if that meant that you could scoop your own ice cream and fill your own prescriptions!
Major, I just realized that these are dated only 5 months before my dad's pics of Los Angeles' City Hall and the Music Center!
Major-
Also of note - in the 2nd image is the sign for "Find it in the Yellow Pages". And in the 4th image next to Googie's, is the San Carlos Hotel - "Where you feel at home". Golly - I wish I was there right now...
Tokyo!, and help yourself to the cash register contents. You'd REALLY save, that way!
Nanook, you're not at home right now?
These are very beautiful. I, too, I would love to step through the screen and spend a pleasant afternoon In Pershing Square. The red-coated lady in #1 has a sort of Jackie Kennedy thing going on. And another lady in #3 has cleverly coordinated her blue babushka with her coat.
I remember walking by that Googie's in the 80's and being amazed by it. I think that particular one was designed by Armet & Davis. Lautner's building was on Sunset. Thanks for sharing Major!
TokyoMagic! hmmm, now that you mention it, I think I do remember reading that the ficus trees (or was it Magnolias?) came from Pershing Square. If you ever look at really old postcards (say, early 1900s) there were a LOT more trees in the Square. “San Carlos” is the San Carlos Hotel, though it is possible that the modern (Googie style?!) lettering could be for a bar or restaurant entrance.
Nanook, I might be mistaken, but I think you might have sent me a link to that travelogue on YouTube. Most of those old travelogues are corny, but that’s what makes them so great. And of course there is the joy of seeing Los Angeles when it was so beautiful. “Drunken derelicts (etc)…”, ain’t it the truth! I regularly saw those when I worked downtown, and also saw my share of “interesting” people shouting at nobody in particular about religion or the end of the world.
JB, I am glad to know that those protesters can get a delicious ice cream cone when they are done. Yum. I also wondered what those guys were doing on that low roof, it’s not impossible that they just wanted a good view of whatever else was going on nearby. The 5th and Olive “Googie” restaurant was obviously crammed (not a good word, but hey, I’m not a good writer!) into an old building, so I appreciate that they at least made an attempt at playfulness with that awning.
TokyoMagic!, a “self serve” pharmacy is a brilliant idea! “I’ll have a few of these, and maybe a few of those, and a BIG handful of those!”. Like one of those candy shops with the bins, you buy them by weight. Wow, neat that these are so close to when your dad took his photos!
Nanook, ah, the Yellow Pages, my mom still refuses to throw out her old phone books, even though she never uses them. I’ll bet the San Carlos Hotel had ice machines on every floor, the only amenity I care about.
JB, Nanook is a man of the world, a vagabond, wherever he lays his hat is his home.
Melissa, I might want to go to Pershing Square on a day when there was not a war protest (or whatever was going on)… or maybe it would be interesting to see an actual 1965 protest! I sort of miss my days of going downtown regularly… it was a pain to drive there, but once I got there, it was always kind of cool to walk around and see what there was to see.
Omnispace, you are right, and I can see that my writing did not make it clear that Lautner only designed the Sunset location. My bad!
Pershing Square has been TRE'd...but it was Tre'd when these photos were taken. In the 20's..yes...it was tropical, and an exotic oasis...but they pretty much paved paradise and put in a parking lot. Downtown LA in my childhood days was absolutely verboten. It was not nice, there were not nice things, nor nice people....but for a kid from the Palos Verdes Peninsula...I suppose downtown Lomita was rough too. ("Lomita": where Frank Gumm's kids did vaudeville at his theatre there...Frances Gumm was one of the kids...look her up, she inadvertently started a revolution this week 53 years ago.) Back to Pershing...as a young adult I discovered Downtown LA...it was not cool then...and wasn't truly cool until I left LA decades later...Downtown LA was for cheap property, artists in lofts, people screaming on street corners, Pershing Square was not to be "dilly dallied" in...you parked there and walked to the Biltmore across the street. The Biltmore is amazing and deserves it's own day and time on a blog. It was TRE'd just a bit, but is mostly intact. This was the hotel that the Black Dahlia was last seen in. Other cool things in downtown: The Library, Olvera St., Union Station, Phillipes Roast Beef, Dupars Pies, Clifton's Cafeteria, The Pantry...lots of cool stuff...just back in the day, don't walk around anywhere after dark, and in some neighborhoods during the day. Later on in life when I had my catering business I would go to the flower market on Wall at 4am, which was painful, but really cool all at the same time. You could get exotic flowers there for decent prices. The smell of the place was intoxicating. There was also the food market...which I have a faint memory of smelling oranges....Now, downtown is trendy and cool and unavailable for mere mortals. Glad I had my time there. MacArthur Park a short distance away was a more "strollable" park and had it's own "Biltmore" as well. Just watch out before it "starts melting in the dark with the sweet green icing flowing down because someone left the cake out in the rain"....RIP Donna Summer. She told me I was "fabulous" on a day I really needed it. The encounter was very random. When the queen of disco calls you fabulous, your life becomes "complete." LA has cool stuff, you just have to know where to look for it.
Major-
I don't know if this falls into the TRE category - or is actually an improvement - but, HERE is the building now occupying the 5th & Olive location...
The hotel, opening in 1911 and originally-named The Auditorium Hotel, was described as being designed in the "Modern Classic" style. The building is 60x162', faced with light-colored granite, lobbies lavished in marble, mahogany and mosaic tile. The six floors of 150 rooms are paneled in birch. "It will command a view of perennial green, unsurpassed in the heart of any great city!" Please don't hold back in your effusive praise-!
Bu, Pershing Square was redone in 1993 by Ricardo Legorreta - during the heyday of the "Starchitects". I recall it was a highly anticipated project and considered to be a huge improvement. Legorreta was so sought after that he could do no wrong - pretty much in the same category as Frank Gehry and Michael Graves. Whether one likes purple walls is up for debate but I think the emphasis was to create a destination out of Pershing Square.
Nanook, "Ugh" on that new building.
Major, I'm fine with John Lautner getting his due respect. Met him once at a lecture he was giving. He was an imposing man, stole someone's chair so he could sit through his presentation, great to listen to...!
That Googie building is cool, but I find myself wanting to 'straighten it out.' Great eye-catcher.
I'm enjoying all the history and stories everyone is sharing.
Bu, after you mentioned Donna Summer, I Googled her because I could not remember why she passed away. I didn't know it was because of lung cancer due to breathing asbestos from the collapsed buildings, being near the 9/11 site at the time. Sad. I loved her music.
I received a birthday card, a while back, that said something like:
On the front, with a drawing of a cake, with melting green icing:
"Someone left your cake out in the rain."
On the inside:
"Only someone old would 'get' this card."
Thanks, Major.
So the layout of the park has always been just awful!? I was supporting a recent project to resign Pershing ‘Square’ again, into a place far more inviting and pedestrian friendly, but nothing has come of those lovely renderings/plans. Surprised? Not really.
Now DTLA is on the skids Again (the drunkards never went anywhere, while nice cafes have come and gone), and this seems quite unlikely to get fix anytime soon.
On the other hand, fun to see such early googie, and if the camera could turn a little more to the right in 2nd photo - one of LA’s very loveliest spots is on the rooftop of the next tower over; gardens, brunch and live jazz.
Bu, it is pretty strange to see how gentrified some of downtown has become, at least some of the scary parts that were for poor artists and some unfortunate winos. Still, as a kid who loved punk rock and industrial music, there were some great venues that made it worth the more-than-an-hour drive. Al’s Bar especially, which I can only compare to the classic CBGBs in NYC. It was so fun to go down there, see a show, get out at 1:30 AM, and then head over to Gorky’s (which never closed) for a beer and something to eat. I’ve headed back to downtown less frequently over the past decade, but have gone to a few pop-up art shows. There were street musicians, and street food, and it all seemed very cosmopolitan compared to most SoCal experiences. There were still winos asleep in the planters, and one person in our party said that a guy pulled a knife on him, but chickened out (thankfully). It’s fun to go to Grand Central Market for a meal, so many options. And then take a ride on Angels Flight, and maybe go to MOCA or the Eli Broad Museum. Or go to Olvera Street, Chinatown, Union Station, all within close proximity. I only went to MacArthur Park once, when I had a friend who went to Otis Art Institute (nearby), and it was BAD, we got the heck out fast.
Nanook, well, if you ask me, that building isn’t an improvement, but it’s subjective. I suppose it’s more energy efficient! I love the ballyhoo about the Auditorium Hotel, it sounds like it was quite the place!
Omnispace, I don’t remember seeing Pershing Square looking markedly different from the way it is now, so I guess I missed out on its best times. Boy, Michael Graves sure was a thing in the ‘80s (just ask Michael Eisner), I gave one of his teapots to a friend as a wedding gift. I used to love that Memphis style that was popular for a while, the colors and geometric shapes, it reminded me of New Wave record covers. Very neat that you got to hear John Lautner give a lecture, a few months ago I went down a YouTube rabbit hole watching videos about many of the hillside homes he designed.
Lou and Sue, I knew Donna Summer had died of cancer, but did not know that it had been linked to asbestos from 9/11. She was beautiful, and an amazing singer, such a loss. I guess that card you got isn’t that bad, but I generally don’t like birthday cards with the general message, “You’re freakin’ old! It’s hilarious!”. Maybe I need to take a chill pill.
I don’t believe that the layout of Pershing Square has always been awful, but it has undergone some major changes over the years, including some from before I was born. It would sure be nice to make Pershing Square a more parklike, inviting place, but I guarantee that dissenting voices don’t want to spend millions “just to make a camp for the homeless”, or something like that. Nobody can have nice things I guess. What is the rooftop location you referred to?
Major, like you, I enjoy views of old Los Angeles. These fit the bill.
Yes, this is not the Googie's that inspired the term Googie's, I think of the Sunset location for that, but this one is still cool.
I heard Michael Graves speak once at an AIA Conference, such a nice man, such divisive style. In the early 80's you loved or hated it. I disliked the style, but could not dislike the man, and another tragic early death, although from a passing illness that he could have survived if he had gone to the doctor sooner.
I heard Robert AM Stern at another event, he hated Googie style, which proves his lack of taste. Although I liked his style, I thought it was also possible to love the 60's look, which is certainly popular again. I wonder if anyone will rush to save an endangered RAMSA design, I think not.
I've only been down here a couple of times, both long ago, late 90's. Had breakfast at the Pantry and rode the Angels' Flight. I'm sure the hobos and derelicts are the main continuity now.
Thanks for the post.
JG
Major-
So, you don't like birthday cards referencing 'old age'-? Good thing my step Mom has more stamina than you, as this is the message in the card she'll be receiving next month:
Sure you're a year older. But things could be worse...
You could be this old and pregnant!.
JG, I knew that this Googie’s was not the famous one, but my text obviously did not make that clear! I think I liked the Memphis style for furniture more than for buildings. I had a teacher in the 80s who made really beautifully crafted furniture, and he had that Memphis combination of colors and shapes. Obviously liking it is a subjective thing, so I can’t say you’re wrong. It’s odd to me that Robert A.M. Stern hated Googie, I feel like it’s a movie director hating a particular genre. A talented individual can do wonders with a style. I can’t say I’m super wowed by Stern’s output. Again, subjective.
Nanook, at least that one is funny! And it’s not mean like some can be. I guess I just don’t like mean things, like “practical jokes” or whatever.
On March 14, 1965, there was a civil rights gathering in Pershing Square to protest the beating of civil right marchers in Selma, Alabama. If that's what we're seeing here, either you got the castoffs from the roll or the photographer completely missed the action.
Anon, interesting, I'll bet you're right, this probably captured that protest involving the beatings in Selma. I don't think our photographer was there for the express purpose of taking pictures of the protest, but... I could be wrong.
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