Yeah, its still there. Its like a health food place now though. Mazooma, THANK YOU!!! these are awesome. where was the 1939, Simon's Barbecue Drive-In Fairfax and Wilshire Blvd located? That is a great shot.. I live real close to that intersection. There's the art deco "mayco" building from about that same time (now LACMA), then across the street was Romeo's Times Square (Now Johnnie's-but closed) designed by armet and davis in the 50's, then across the street is the Welton Beckett building from the 60's (Now the Petersen Museum) and across on the opposite corner is some 80's office building or something.. Which corner was that one on?
By the way, I just heard on the radio that "Angel's FLight" is set to re-open very soon. It was first built in 1901, closed down in the 60's, re-opened in the 90's then closed after an accident about 10 years ago where 7 people were injured and an elderly man was killed. Hopefully they have worked out all the bugs, its a really neat piece of LA history.
Mazooma- I love this! Born St. Lukes 1945, graduated Temple City High in 1963, running Mazzoma plates on my truck (seems like you should have them)- remember any of these names? -5 Points Shopping Center El Monte -Squareburger Restaurant Rosemead -Twoeys Drive-In (Home of the Stinko-burger) So. Pasadena -Nash's Department Stores -Hackett's Men Stores West Arcadia, Pasadena -Sticks Unlimited Pasadena -Clearmans/Northwoods Inn San Gabriel (still there I hear) -Go Kart Mfg/Bug Engineering/Steens/Palmini (I'm still playing with Go Karts) Great memories! Thanks, Steve
WOW...you must be my long lost brother! I was born at St. Lukes in 1950 Twoey's is still there Clearman's Northwoods is still there at Huntington and Rosemead "Sticks Unlimited" is gone, but I rememeber both locations. The first was on the north side of Colorado across the street from Caldwell Tires. Then they moved to the S/W corner of Colorado and Allen. I remember in the early 70's they had some fiberglass funny car bodies on the rooftop. Hackett's mens store I went to in West Arcadia in the late 60's. Great sweaters and Pendletons 5 Points, of course in El Monte I graduated from Arcadia High in 1968 ahhhh, high school... Nash's Departent store we went to was at Baldwin and Naomi in West Arcadia, south of Barrons, Hinshaws and Richards Mens Store How about Stoppels clothing in Temple City? Hastings Drive in, Pasadena Johns Bike Shop on Rosemead in East Pasadena? this is the Nash's today, being re-built as a fitness center still on Duarte Rd. in Arcadia after 43 years...MMmmmmm you must remember Ballards on Live Oak this was just north of Nash's on Baldwin St. Lukes looking north on Baldwin, Nash's on the left I'll bet you remember my Model A Panel and the Anglia behind it was Bob Hine's, a Temple City guy along with my buddy, Gary Lorenzini
Sorry, I have no idea..I scanned that from the book, "Los Angeles, Portrait if a City" 600 pages of photos that are just incredible. The book weighs nine pounds!
The Follies Theater in downtown Los Angeles in 1946. Sheesh, I can't imagine that this would be a big deal, but I guess in 1946 this was "risque". Some 22 years later when I was a senior in high school about 20 of us went to this place to see "the burlies" as we called the old burlesque house. We were supposed to be 21, but we 17 year olds were let in anyways. I'll tell ya, sitting there with my friends all with a belly full of beer, I still didn't know what the "big deal" was of going to the "burlies". For an hour, some 200 pound black chick had tassles on her boobs and she could make the tassles spin in opposite directions. Whoopie! I guess our generation just needed a little more excitement that the generation before us did.
1940, the grand opening of the "Arroyo Seco Parkway" freeway, now known as the "Pasadena Freeway". It was built in a natural wash bed, thus the many curves. It runs from Pasadena to the northern part of downtown Los Angeles in the Elysian Park area where Dodger Stadium is today.
Another view of Wilshire and Western and the Wiltern Theater, it is still there by the way. The big round dome building is a Jewish Temple.
If I remember my history correctly, the Arroyo Seco Parkway was the first freeway ever built...I haven't driven on it since about 1970, but I still recall the short, steep on/off ramps.
Ed, it still has onramps with a stop sign at the place where the onramp merges with the freeway The good thing is it's a great excuse to light 'em up to get up to freeway speed? "Well, officer, how would you expect me NOT to get clobbered if I hadn't floored it?" and, yes, it is considered the first freeway
Did ya all notice the hot rod in the pic? looks to be a fenderless duece roadster, judging from the other cars it's probably pre war. Kids in the rumble seat. Wow, LA hot rodding roots!
if you ever get a chance to make it out here, make a trip to the freeway, its always fun trying to get on. the on ramps are really short!!!!!!
I avoid it, but it can be fun for a short run to Chinatown for dinner...but you have to be looking in your mirror, the import idiots think that the freeway is Lemans. I don't know if any of you locals would remember the gas station at the end of the freeway, which was also the towing service for the freeway accidents. They would park "the wreck of the week" (as we called it) right on the corner of the gas station property as a warning to drivers who were about ready to get on the freeway. Back in about '69 or so, they had an red XKE Jag roadster that was cut in half on display.....yikes
Los Angeles County/USC hospital. Built during the era of the WPA, it has long been a fixture in Los Angeles. Most of us just refer to it as General Hospital, because it's image was used for so many years on the TV soap opera of the same name. There is a "new" hospital on the grounds, so much of the old building is now empty. It will remain as is for the reason that the cost of its demolition would be too expensive. There is tons upon tons of asbestos in the structure, so all of it would have to be removed before demolition could begin. My Dad always told me that this was the hospital that you want to go to if you had a bad traffic accident. This hospital deals with so much trauma, gun shot victims, and other traumatic injuries that they equiped to deal with life and death, urgent needs of the public. BUT, if you have insurance, you just want to be stablized and then transported to another hospital. Nobody wants to remain here because of the overcrowding and the wait for care. A guy down the street was showing off on his motorcycle in the desert and broke his leg. His friends took him to General Hospital because he, at 26 years old, didn't have any insurance. They set his leg, gave him pain pills, crutches, etc....all free, of course. And then he had the nerve to complain because he had to wait for two hours to be treated. I said, "if you weren't such a self-centered slacker who always had money for booze, bikes and strip clubs, then you could afford health insurance". He really didn't like it when I asked him how it felt to be "on welfare".....which is exactly what he got. Oh, Legion Ascot Speedway was just east of the hospital.
Yep, I remember it. Called Ward's Towing. I also remember the E Jag, supposed to be wrecked by some georgeous babe who lost her legs in the accident, not killed. Who knows how much "truth" to that story! There were some pretty bad wrecks on display there over the years.
Re: LAC/USC hospital.......I think it's also on the national register of "Historical Buildings" which would be another reason it will not be torn down.
Your probably right. It still has the operating room that is surrounded with class and medical students would sit in the "bleachers" and watch operations being performed. It still is "a teaching" hospital, that's why it has the affiliation with USC. The student/glass/operation room was used in the opening scene for the TV show.."Ben Casey".
Singer Abby Lane in front of "Ciro's" who was married to orchestra leader Xavier Cugat. This is from 1954. I remember in the mid-60's the Sunset Strip had it all. Whiskey-a-Gogo, Ben Franks, the Playboy Club, Pandora's Box, nightclubs for "adults" and the hot spots for the younger crowd.
1953. a family shows off the fruits of the new consumer wealth...no credit cards to speak of and the products were ALL made in America.... I'll always will have fond memories of the 1950's. There wasn't much not to like. Police and teachers were respected. Your parents made the rules and there were consequences if you broke those rules. I grew up in the suburb of Los Angeles, Arcadia, in a 900 sq. ft. house which we didn't think was small for the four of us. When we fell out of a tree or crashed our bikes, we'd dust ourselves off and wipe the small amount of blood on our Levis and keep playing. The whole neighborhood would celebrate everyone's birthday. The men, the wives, the kids, everyone's birthday. All neighborhoods were, themselves, small communities. Everyone took care of eachother. Summer brought out the barbeques and "Slip 'n Slides" and the winter's brought out the Christmas Carolers and popcorn around the fireplaces.
Wards tow.. The Pasadena end of the freeway. They shared the Highway patrol contract with Sid Langly tow in Highland park. In '73, My '57 Nomad was crashed on the ave.57 (now Via Marisol) off ramp. Wards Picked the car up from Langly to display. It sat on that corner for almost 3 weeks.
OMG, try getting into a pursuit chasing a dealer on a Friday afternoon around 4:30ish on this freeway...I got up to 90mph, still have no idea how there wern't a dozen t/c's...
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