I read a kool Blog today from Pat Ganahl's titled "the Gate." Be sure to check it out.... https://patganahl.com/2020/01/20/the-gate/
Pat's blog reminded me of my own attempt to revisit some of the old hot rod haunts. I've got a decent collection of old car magazines that I read and reread regularly. One of the things I have always payed attention to was the background and the locations in the photos. So many interesting locations of old have been remodeled or razed in the name of progress, too bad. Right before I retired I sat and made a list of southern California speed shops, custom shops, parts manufacturers, and photo locations so I could go out and find them when I retired. I took my list and did just that. I photographed the ones that were still there. I should have used my old Canon 35mm. Many folks on here have stressed the importance of having backup systems. Well I fell victim to that. All of my files including the photos from my search and events I attended were lost when my computer got corrupted and died. It's pretty cool that Pgan finally found that old location and that it was recognizable today. Sometimes the cars aren't the only stars in this hobby. Thanks Pat.
Love Pat's great eye for everything automotive......but also some great west coast architecture. Keep it coming. Have fun.
I like these sorts of "Then and Now" sightings. Whenever someone posts an old picture here that includes a specific address, I'll look it up in Google Street View to see what it looks like today.
Now that most of the hot rod and custom magazines are gone I highly recommend subscribing to Pat Ganahl's Rod and Custom blog. Pat is a wealth of knowledge and has thousands of pictures documenting hot rod and custom history. Please subscribe and support him so we can keep this history alive. https://patganahl.com/author/patganahl/
I read it with great interest today, as I've always looked at the backgrounds of early feature photos and recognized the gate in the lead photo. Dry lake photos many times have a plethora of cool stuff going on in the background. Love mid century Ca. design, breeze blocks and all. Love the fact that Pat found the long lost gate. If that plant ever gets a face lift, somebody please grab/save that gate!