Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Driving Wilshire Blvd in 1951 Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Wow, last week, I emailed this to my College attending Daughter in LA, working on her degree in architecture and design. It's a captivating look at an unspoiled, pre overpopulated Los Angeles 70 years ago. Look how immaculate the streets are! No trash, no homeless tents, graffiti, etc. People dressed up. It's a display of civic pride! Along with the cars, it's a great look at mid century commercial store architecture, signage and lettering styles, etc. Still some hints of art deco morphing their way into post war mid century. May Co., Ralph's, etc. Even the ground level billboards had some innovative artistic design with 3 dimensional ads, lattice trim on the billboard framing, etc. It's almost as if you were taking a spin through a movie set or 1/1 model railroad layout. This one of late 40's Burbank is interesting too. (notice the Helm's bakery truck). Residential Burbank looks much the same today.
Can you imagine the look on the (quite elderly) guys' face that has just seen the Petersen Museum after waking up from a very long coma.
Hello, Nice clear film from the 50s in Los Angeles. Those times were just great for a couple of kids growing up in Long Beach, just south of the downtown L.A. area. Our dad would take us to the Wilshire Blvd. area so that our mom could shop at the famous department stores, Bullock’s Wilshire and of course, the May Company. Back then, they both had good reputations as the premier department stores in So Cal. The drive from downtown LA to the Wilshire district was not long and it was fun for the two brothers in the back seat of the 49 Buick, or the 53, or even the 57 Buick that our dad used to get every 4 years. Sometimes, when our dad was working, our mom used to take us on the big Red Car Trolley from downtown Long Beach, up through Compton and Central Los Angeles to the main depot. From there, she would take us by cab to The La Brea Tar Pits, located on the next block over from the May Company building. That trip was a family tradition as my wife and I continued to take our little toddler and pre teen son up to the same location to see the Museum of Art (down the street) and of course the La Brea Tar Pits. May Company Department Store on Wilshire Boulevard. Jnaki My brother and I looked forward to going to Los Angeles anytime we could. It was a bigger place with more stuff to see and do, like the speedboats on Mac Arthur Lake/Park.. It did not matter how we got there, by street car, taxi or our dad’s Buick sedans, it was a road trip that we always enjoyed. These days, the area of famous old style buildings have been preserved and are still standing in their new found glory. But, across the street, people who drive by without any interest, may think that a giant peppermint candy sculpture has just arrived in time for the Christmas holiday season.
The Jalopy Journal
