Category Archives: Architecture

Long Beach: Cyclone Racer in ‘Half Angel,’ Part 1

Posted on April 22, 2019 by lmharnisch

Here’s the Cyclone Racer sequence in “Half Angel,” last week’s mystery movie, that begins about the 32-minute mark. Joseph Cotten and Loretta Young are promenading along what is probably a Twentieth Century-Fox set, judging by the lighting. Editing by Robert … Continue reading →

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Gentlemen, Your Wedding Photos Are Ready After 62 Years, Part 5

Posted on March 18, 2019 by lmharnisch

This is the last interior shot accompanying the photos of the 1957 wedding of two men in Philadelphia. Let’s see if we can detect anything that may shed some light on our mystery guests. Previously: Part 1 | Part 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Architecture, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Philadelphia, Photography | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Clarence Brown Provides Quick Shave to King Gillette Ranch

Posted on March 11, 2019 by lmharnisch

King Camp Gillette dies at the age of 77 in 1932. He gave architect Wallace Neff free rein to built an expansive ranch in Calabasas, but only lived there for a few years before his death. Tennessean Clarence Brown reigned … Continue reading →

Posted in 1928, 1932, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Olvera Street, Salute to Los Angeles’ Spanish Past

Posted on January 7, 2019 by lmharnisch

A postcard of the Avila Adobe, listed on EBay for $1.89. “A people that has lost touch with its historical past, forgotten its traditions and wasted its heritage is as unfortunate as a man who has lost his memory. Without … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dec. 29, 1907: The City Grows

Posted on December 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 29, 1907 Los Angeles The Times real estate pages feature homes under construction around Washington Boulevard west of Hobart Boulevard. “This section is just being built up with a splendid class … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Real Estate, Streetcars | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Architectural Ramblings

Posted on December 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Dec. 28, 2006 Los Angeles As promised, here are some photos of a few neighborhoods I visited recently.   Views of South Pasadena

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Cafe Montmartre Ushers in Hollywood Nightlife

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

  6757 Hollywood Blvd., former location of the Cafe Montmartre, via Google Street View. Constructed in 1922 as part of the expanding restaurant empire of impresario Adolph “Eddie” Brandstatter, the Cafe Montmartre ushered in Hollywood nightlife as its first swanky … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Dec. 15, 1907: Architectural Rambling to South Pasadena

Posted on December 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 15, 1907 Los Angeles Anybody who sets out to study the development of the city’s neighborhoods can expect to do lots of driving. My recent travels have taken me to an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Architecture, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Dec. 12, 1907: Recreation Center to Be Built in Heart of Industrial District

Posted on December 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec.12, 1907 Los Angeles In the gritty, industrial heart of the 8th Ward at Holly Street and St. John, officials are planning a large recreation facility “as an oasis in the wilderness,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1910, Architecture, Downtown | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hollywood Sign Built and Illuminated November-December 1923

Posted on December 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

The Hollywoodland Sign, in a photo published in the Los Angeles Evening Herald, Dec. 8, 1923. Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Originally constructed as a publicity gimmick and branding symbol to help generate sales for a real … Continue reading →

Posted in 1923, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dec. 2, 1907: Glendale Homes Built on Site of Glassell’s Vineyards

Posted on December 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 2, 1907 Los Angeles The Times real estate section features an apartment building at 2nd Street and Figueroa—no point in even going to look for it. But there’s also a large … Continue reading →

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Just Say No to Stucco

Posted on December 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a clip I did in 2006.

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Nov. 30, 2006: Architectural Rambling

Posted on November 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Here’s the former Calvary Presbyterian Church in South Pasadena, now the Grace Brethren church. Note: This is an encore post. Nov. 30, 2006 Los Angeles I don’t think anyone who knows both of us will ever confuse me with Nathan … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Actor Jack Donovan Designs Bungalow Courts for Hollywood Artistes

Posted on November 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Jack Donovan on the porch of his home, “Picture-Play Magazine,” April 1923.. From its beginnings, the Hollywood film industry has constructed elaborate sets and facades before demolishing them to build something else, such as David O. Selznick burning down old … Continue reading →

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Nov. 24, 1907: Roving to Monrovia

Posted on November 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 24, 1907 Monrovia The Times real estate section takes a look at what was then the distant suburb of Monrovia, 22 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The writer notes the increasing … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1911, Architecture, Downtown, Education, Film, Freeways, Hollywood, Real Estate | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Nov. 18, 1907: Historic Pasadena Presbyterian Church Moved to South Pasadena

Posted on November 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 18, 1907 South Pasadena Calvary Presbyterian Church at Center (now El Centro) and Fremont was dedicated in a service featuring prominent local religious leaders, including Dr. John Willis Baer, president of … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Little Miss Cornshucks; St. Paul Baptist Church Plans a New Building

Posted on November 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Nov. 13, 1947: Little Miss Cornshucks is at the Last Word, 4206 Central Ave. The Last Word opened in July 1947 and seems to have closed in 1951. Or at least it was no longer advertising in the Sentinel. On … Continue reading →

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‘Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood’ | One-Page Fact Check: Fail

Posted on November 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

The one-page fact check of Karina Longworth’s “Seduction: Sex, Lies, and Stardom in Howard Hughes’s Hollywood” was even more successful than I expected. Well done, Brain Trust. Grade: Fail. Ready? Here we go:

Posted in 1920, 1921, 1923, 1925, Another Good Story Ruined, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, One-Page Fact Check | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Nov. 10, 1907: Story of L.A. Real Estate Is Dislocation, Dislocation, Dislocation

Posted on November 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Nov. 10, 1907 South Pasadena What sort of monument do we leave for real estate developers? For John B. Althouse, who built hundreds of homes in the Wilshire district, as well as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1914, Architecture, Real Estate | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

November 3, 1907: A House With Curb Appeal

Posted on November 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. November 3, 1907 Los Angeles Mrs. E.N. Eskey is building this 10-room house in Pico Heights, on Van Ness just south of Pico. According to The Times, the two-story house (with basement) … Continue reading →

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