Category Archives: Architecture

Black Dahlia: STILL Waiting for Soil Test Results From Dr. George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel’s Purported Murder HQ

Posted on March 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oh those Brits! The Express has jumped all over the story about Zooey Deschanel and Jamie Linden visiting the Sowden House, Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel’s purported Murder HQ. Naturally, since it’s a better story, they dub it the “Black … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1950, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Black Dahlia: STILL Waiting for Soil Test Results From Dr. George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel’s Purported Murder HQ

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Earl Carroll’s Swanky Sunset Boulevard Theater

Posted on March 18, 2013 by lmharnisch

Photo: Earl Carroll at the groundbreaking for his nightclub, with Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor and W.C. Fields. Courtesy of James Curtis. In the late 1930s, Earl Carroll reigned as Broadway’s exotic showman, producing splashy musical revues featuring statuesque, sultry showgirls. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Nightclubs | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: George Hodel Murder HQ Soil Tests Overdue – Week 4

Posted on March 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

I guess everybody has forgotten about this except for me. Let me remind you that Christine Pelisek wrote in the Daily Beast on Feb. 3, 2013, that test results on soil taken from the Sowden House (George “Evil Genius” Hodel’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1950, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Hollywood, LAPD | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: The Non-Smoking Gun – George Hodel Files Part 11

Posted on February 17, 2013 by lmharnisch

Thursday I may be going to Santa Barbara!!! And here is Part 11 of the Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel transcripts for Feb. 28, 1950. The George Hodel files Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 1950, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

San Xavier: The Mystery of the Mission’s Missing Lions

Posted on February 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

In 1982, two hand-carved wooden lions dating from 1797 vanished from the chancel at Mission San Xavier del Bac. In 1988, the reproductions shown above made by brothers Hector and Jorge Ortega were installed and fastened down to prevent theft. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1982, 1988, Architecture, Cold Cases, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Hodel ‘Murder HQ’ Test Results?

Posted on February 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

If you will remember (and of course you do) Christine Pelisek wrote in the Daily Beast on Feb. 3, 2013, that test results on soil taken from the Sowden House (George “Evil Genius” Hodel’s purported murder HQ) would be “expected … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Hollywoodland’s Kanst Art Gallery

Posted on February 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

  The Hollywoodland housing development possessed many unique features when it opened in 1923. The neighborhood was the first themed housing development built on hillsides, the first to include a shopping center in its environs, and the first to house … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Hollywoodland’s Kanst Art Gallery

Good Fellows Grotto – Found on EBay

Posted on February 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

At left, Good Fellows Grotto on Main Street in Los Angeles in a photo from the restaurant’s menu. Somebody swiped a teapot from Good Fellows Grotto, the famed Los Angeles restaurant. It’s listed on EBay with bids starting at $78.

Posted in Architecture, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Main Street | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Good Fellows Grotto – Found on EBay

George ‘Evil Genius’ Hodel and the Black Dahlia – Another Good Story Ruined

Posted on February 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Look who fell for the fake Daily News front page. Yes, it’s a fake. There are about a thousand things I would prefer to do besides shoot holes in the latest installment of the Dr. George “Evil Genius” Hodel franchise. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Architectural Rambling on Lemoyne Street in Echo Park

Posted on February 1, 2013 by lmharnisch

Above: 1548 Lemoyne St. via Google Street View. A vendor has posted photos of 1548 Lemoyne St. in Echo Park on EBay. Personally, I prefer the way it looked in 1911. Bidding starts at $12.99.

Posted in 1911, Architecture, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Architectural Rambling on Lemoyne Street in Echo Park

On Location: The May Co.

Posted on January 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

A little of Loretta Young (featured this month on TCM) goes a long way at the Daily Mirror HQ, but I noticed these shots of a department store in “Employees’ Entrance” and they reminded me of the sequence in “Public … Continue reading →

Posted in 1933, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Charlie Chaplin Comes to Hollywood

Posted on January 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

Oct. 16, 1917: An architect’s rendering of Chaplin’s studios in The Times Ninety-five years ago, comedian Charlie Chaplin constructed the first beautiful studio lot in Hollywood, the first to offer style to filmmaking. What had been merely an industry housed … Continue reading →

Posted in 1917, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Punk Rock Riot on Sunset Boulevard!

Posted on January 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

  How about this retro artwork on the ad for “Nicholas Nickleby?” Sort of Peter Max via “Yellow Submarine.” Jan. 10, 1983: A riot breaks out among an estimated 2,000 punk rockers during a concert at Studio Instrument Rentals at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Hollywood, Music, Spring Street, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: There Is a Lake in Toluca Lake

Posted on January 7, 2013 by lmharnisch

Photo: Janet Blair sits on the little platform off the banks of the Lakeside Golf Club. Courtesy of Mary Mallory Surrounded by homes and the Lakeside Golf Club, Toluca Lake is all but obscured from view by the public. Like … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Downtown Los Angeles – Broadway and 2nd

Posted on December 31, 2012 by lmharnisch

Broadway and 2nd Street via Google’s Street View. This picture showing the YMCA and the California Bank at the southwest corner of Broadway and 2nd Street has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $69.95.

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Downtown Los Angeles – 427 S. Broadway

Posted on December 30, 2012 by lmharnisch

This postcard of the Pin-Ton candy store, 427 S. Broadway, has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $29.97. March 4, 1909: How about an ice cream and a stop at the occult bookshop? The Pin-Ton appears to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1909, Architecture, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Schaber’s Cafeteria and Einar Petersen

Posted on December 28, 2012 by lmharnisch

This remarkable postcard postmarked 1941 of Schaber’s Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway, showing an Einar Petersen mural,  has been listed on EBay at Buy It Now for $6.99. The Schaber Cafeteria at 620 S. Broadway was built in 1928 by … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights — Frank S. Hoover, Portrait Photographer and Apartment Developer

Posted on December 17, 2012 by lmharnisch

  Early Hollywood portrait photography developed from the need of stars for portraits to send out looking for roles, and from studios realizing the value of selling their product through stars. Los Angeles and Hollywood photographers recognized for taking photographs … Continue reading →

Posted in 1935, African Americans, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Found on EBay – A 1947 Visit to the Biltmore

Posted on November 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

A lot of items from the Biltmore Hotel, including a bill for two days in August 1947, seven months after the Black Dahlia killing, has been listed on EBay. This map appears with a booklet titled “Guide to Biltmore Services.” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Downtown | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay – A 1947 Visit to the Biltmore

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – The Cahuenga Building

Posted on November 12, 2012 by lmharnisch

From its days as an elegant bank building to its abandoned and forgotten existence in the 1980s and 1990s, the former Security Trust and Savings Bank at Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard has served as both a local institution and … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments