Water and Power Associates Informing the Public about Critical Water and Energy Issues facing Los Angeles and California

Historical Notes

The site of the Hollywood Bowl was chosen in 1919 by William Reed and his son H. Ellis Reed, members of the newly formed Theatre Arts Alliance who were dispatched to find a suitable location for outdoor performances.*^

Historical Notes

The Hollywood Bowl is known for its band shell, a distinctive set of concentric arches that graced the site from 1929 through 2003, before being replaced with a somewhat larger one beginning in the 2004 season. The shell is set against the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills and the famous Hollywood Sign to the Northeast.*^

Historical Notes

In 1939, the Hollywood Bowl’s “Muse of Music” entrance statue was erected by the WPA. It was designed by sculptor George Stanley, most noted for his design of the “Oscar” statuette.*

Historical Notes

The Greek Theatre, located in Griffith Park, was built in 1929. It was designed by architect Frederick Heath to resemble a Greek temple.*^

Historical Notes

The Greek Theatre was paid for with a donation from Griffith J. Griffith, who also donated the land for the park, named in his honor.*^

Historical Notes

The Greek Theatre’s opening performance was a double bill comprised of the grand operas, "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "Pagliacci."

Historical Notes

The map indicates principal highways and the route of the special bus service, which connects on transfers with the yellow "V" line and intersecting red cars and Sunset busses. Parking areas adjoining and near the theater with accommodations for 3,250 automobiles, also are shown, as well as location of playgrounds, pool, picnic grounds and other centers of diversion which are stressed by the park board as constituting the Greek Theatre sector of Griffith Park as an ideal week-end rendezvous.*

Historical Notes

The amphitheatre had a limited concert season during its first two decades and during World War II it was used as a barracks. In 1947, however, the theatre was used for the Broadway show Anything Goes for two weeks. During the 1950s, under the management of James Doolittle, a concert promoter, the amphitheater underwent a series of renovations that allowed the theater to compete with rival 1950s’ theaters.*^

Historical Notes

Although it is owned by the City of Los Angeles, the Greek Theatre is managed, operated and promoted by the Nederlander Organization. The theatre currently has a seating capacity of 5,700.*^

Historical Notes

The school is named after jurist John Marshall, who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States for three decades. It was designed by architect George M. Lindsey in the Collegiate Gothic style, and constructed in 1930.

Historical Notes

John Marshall High School first opened its doors on January 26, 1931, with approximately twelve hundred students and forty-eight teachers. Joseph Sniffen, for whom the auditorium was named, served as the first Principal, while Hugh Boyd and Geraldine Keith acted as Marshall's first Vice-Principals. The football field was named in honor of Mr. Boyd, while the library was named for Mrs. Keith.*^

Historical Notes

Franklin Hills borders Los Feliz proper on the northwest and west; Silver Lake on the northeast, east, and southeast; and East Hollywood on the south. The area is residential, boasting very well-kept homes set on the hills east of Los Feliz Village.

Franklin Hills is also home to the Shakespeare Bridge, a small 1926 built bridge on Franklin Avenue east of Talmadge Street that links Franklin Avenue between two tall, steep hills. To the east of the bridge begins the Franklin Hills public stairway system, which provides pedestrian linkages among the curvy streets, a series of 14 staircases originally built in the 1920s to provide hillside homeowners pedestrian access to the trolley lines below.*^

Historical Notes

The school's mascot is the "Barrister." The school's service organization is the Continentals. A bust of John Marshall stands in the center of the Senior Court.*^

Historical Notes

Following the Sylmar earthquake of 1971, some of Marshall's buildings were condemned. The cafeteria was torn down, but the Los Feliz community organized a group called "Citizens to Save Marshall" and campaigned to save the unique Collegiate Gothic Main Building. In 1975, this building was closed for structural strengthening and all classes moved to temporary bungalows. In September 1980 the refurbished Main Building was opened.*^

Historical Notes

The beautiful 1920s 'French Norman revival' building was located on the southeast corner of Sunset Blvd. and Crescent Heights Blvd., just east of the Garden of Allah apartments. The structure faced Sunset Blvd.

Historical Notes

Today, the 8000 Sunset Strip Shopping Center stands at the northeast corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights. The center includes Trader Joe's, CB2 (Crate & Barrel), Sundance Cinema, Crunch Fitness and several offices.

Historical Notes

Established in 1897 as a substitute for the university education that women were largely denied, the Ebell club had 2,500 members in its heyday in the 1920s, and activities included Shakespeare, gardening and art appreciation.

The Ebell was named after Adrian Ebell, a German professor who traveled around California forming study groups for women. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Ebell was one of the largest and most elite clubs in the nation, rivaled only by the Friday Morning Club in downtown Los Angeles.

Historical Notes

The club’s home — not its original but by far the longest serving — is an enormous, meandering building designed by the architect Sumner Hunt. It has an elaborate coffered ceiling with gilded rosettes, a grand entrance on Wilshire Boulevard made from 200 separate pieces of wrought iron, and all sorts of fancy sitting rooms.

The stairs maintain their original risers, which were built to allow women to hold their dresses while climbing them with grace.^#^#

Historical Notes

Since 1927, the Wilshire Ebell Theater has hosted musical performances and lectures by world leaders and top artists. Among other events, the Ebell was the site of aviator Amelia Earhart's last public appearance before attempting the 1937 around-the-world flight during which she disappeared, and the place where Judy Garland was discovered while performing as Baby Frances Gumm in the 1930s.*^

In 1982, the Ebell of Los Angeles Building was designated LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 250 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

In 1908, architect John C. W. Austin was hired by Ida Hancock, widow of Major Henry Hancock, to create Villa Madama, which was based on Florence’s Villa Medici. In 1909, the Villa Madama was by built in a subdivision called Shatto Place.*

Hancock Park was developed in the 1920s by the Hancock family with profits earned from oil drilling in the former Rancho La Brea. The area owes its name to developer-philanthropist George Allan Hancock, who subdivided the property in the 1920s. Hancock, born and raised in a home at what is now the La Brea tar pits, inherited 4,400 acres, which his father, Major Henry Hancock had acquired from the Rancho La Brea property owned by the family of Jose Jorge Rocha.*^

Historical Notes

After the passing of Ida Hancock in 1913, her son Captain George Allan, with his first wife, Genevieve, moved into the mansion and stayed there until 1938, when it was decided that Villa Madama would be razed. Prior to the demolition, four rooms, the Reception Hall, the Dining Room, the Music Salon, and the Library, of the mansion were dismantled and relocated in the Allan Hancock Foundation Building (1941) on the campus of the University of Southern California.*

Historical Notes

The gas station was demolished the following year to make way for the construction of the E. Clem Wilson Building. The brick-clad building facing La Brea Avenue in the left background housed an office and switching station for the Southern California Telephone Company, completed in 1925 to serve the city’s western neighborhoods. It was enlarged from three to five floors in 1942 and given a complementary Art Deco facade by architects John and Donald Parkinson. It continues to operate today under the ownership of AT&T.**#*

Historical Notes

Built in 1929, the E. Clem Wilson Building was designed by architects Meyer and Holler in Art Deco (Zigzag) Moderne style. It is also known as the Wilson Building.*

Historical Notes

Elihu Clement Wilson was born on July 5, 1870 in Harrison, Darke County, Ohio to Andrew Porter Wilson, Jr., a farmer, and Arabella Josephine Wiley. He lived for a time, ca. 1880, in Parsons, Kansas, where his father was an insurance agent. By 1888, the family was in LA, where Andrew was a bookkeeper and miner. Elihu was also a bookkeeper, though briefly, in the early 1890s, was a professor at Woodbury Business College. After doing bookkeeping for an iron works, he became a manufacturer of oil well tools (Wilson & Willard Mfg. Co./Wilson Oil Tools Corp.), held several patents and became wealthy. In addition to erecting the Wilson Building, he built a lavish residence on Fremont Place.^**

Historical Notes

The Wilson Building portrayed the Daily Planet building in the first Superman TV series.

Historical Notes

Because of its height and prime location on the northeast corner of Wilshire and La Brea, the Art Deco Wilson Building has attracted prominent signage over the years.

Historical Notes

Corporate names that adorned The Wilson Building included (in chronological order): General Insurance, Mutual of Omaha (until 1990), Asashi, and Samsung.

Historical Notes

The Dominguez-Wilshire building (also called the Myer-Siegel Building) was designed in 1930 by architects Morgan Walls and Clemens.   The property was named after its developers, the Dominguez family, the heirs to the first land grant given in California by King Carlos III of Spain.*^

Historical Notes

The same setup was used in the Wilshire Tower, two blocks west, with the symmetrical facade facing Wilshire Blvd, rounded corners on the intersections, and a parking lot with an entrance around the back. The 10 stories don't rise as high as the Wilshire Tower, but the building does make a statement among the other low rises along Wilshire Boulevard.*^*#

Historical Notes

Zigzag motifs and a main automobile entrance at the rear defined this Art Deco office tower, the second built on the Miracle Mile after the Wilshire Tower (Gilbert Stanley Underwood, 1929) at 5514 Wilshire.

The building's lower floors were leased by Myer Siegel, a women's clothing store known for showing the latest fashions from Paris.^

Historical Notes

The building consists of an eight-story Art Deco tower placed on a two-story base.

Historical Notes

Today, the Art Deco elements are still visible; especially the entrance has remained perfectly intact. Even the bronze chandelier and the bronze entrance door with many cross-decorations are still present.

Historical Notes

The building was built in 1930 just before Black Monday hit, and the Miracle Mile came crashing down as Angelinos fled from the city. Stores closed and the streets were again barren. In 1934, rebuilding efforts resurrected the Mile, and brought moneymen back to the city.*^*#

Historical Notes

Not to be confused with today’s McDonald’s fast food restaurants, McDonnell’s Restaurant and Drive-in sandwich stands were part of a chain of restaurants found in LA during the 1930s.

The McDonnell's restaurants throughout Los Angeles were: McDonnell's Monterey (7312 Robertson Boulevard); McDonnell's Wilshire (Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue); McDonnell's Fairfax (Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard); McDonnell's Gates Hotel (Sixth and Figueroa streets); McDonnell's Hill Street (454 S. Hill Street); McDonnell's Figueroa (4012 S. Figueroa Street); McDonnell's Adams and Figueroa (2626 S. Figueroa Street); and McDonnell's Pico Street (Pico and Hope streets).

McDonnell's "Drive-Ins" were located at Beverly Boulevard & Western Avenue, Wilshire and Robertson Boulevards, Yucca Street and Cahuenga Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, and Sunset Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.*

Historical Notes

The Dominguez-Wilshire building is one of the many buildings who were a product of spot zoning required by the city -- where structures were required to be beautiful and has to pass design review by the Fine Arts Commission.

The building was renovated in 2000.^

Historical Notes

This theatre at the corner of Wilshire and Mansfield opened in 1932 as one of several theatres commissioned by United Artists and Fox West Coast Theatres. It was designed by the renowned firm of Walker and Eisen, with Clifford Balch as architect.

The building's glorious Art Deco details include inscribed chevrons, stripes, and abstract figurative and floral motifs, as well as a central tower that rises in a series of staggered steps.

Historical Notes

The theatre reopened in 1933 as the Four Star Theatre, intended as "a haven where picture lovers, whether they be glamorous celebrities or obscure nonentities, may relax and amid simple settings [and] enjoy the entertainment they came to see," reported the Los Angeles Times.^

Historical Notes

The Four Star Theatre became a popular spot for glamorous movie premieres, with billboard-styled signage, klieg lights, and red carpets.

Historical Notes

The theater originally was owned by Albert Lee Stephens, Sr. (1874-1965) a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit  and his family who leased the theater to United Artists Theaters. In the family’s last years of ownership, from 1973 to 1976, the theatre was sub-leased to the Mitchell Brothers, infamously known for their production of adult films that were considered pornographic (no doubt to the chagrin of the local community.) Through the ’80s and ’90s the theater, under new ownership, showed independent and second-run films until it was sold in 1997 to the Oasis Church.^

Historical Notes

In 1997, the Four Star Theatre was purchased by Oasis Church and painted green and white. The building was renamed Oasis Theatre in 2007 and was available for rentals, with church services on Sundays.

The building was sold in 2012 and was demolished in early 2015 for a mixed-use development spanning the entire block, called The Mansfield.

Historical Notes

In 1929, architect Claud Beelman designed the Eastern-Columbia Building (aka the Eastern Building, Columbia-Eastern Building, or Eastern Outfitting Retail Store Building) in the Art Deco Moderne stepped-back style, clad in green and gold terra-cotta.

The Eastern Columbia Building opened on September 12, 1930, after just nine months of construction. It was built as the new headquarters of the Eastern Outfitting Company and the Columbia Outfitting Company, furniture and clothing stores. With the construction of this lavish structure, the companies could also boast one of the largest buildings constructed in the 1930s.

Historical Notes

Built at a cost of $1.25 million (1930) as the new headquarters and 39th store for the Eastern-Columbia Department Store, whose component Eastern and Columbia stores were founded by Adolph Sieroty and family. At the time of construction, the City of Los Angeles enforced a height limit of 150 feet, however the decorative clock tower was granted an exemption, allowing the clock a total height of 264 feet.*

Historical Notes

On August 2, 1938, thirty Eastern-Columbia stores throughout the Pacific Coast celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their founding. The first store of the group was established in 1888 at 9th Street and Broadway, now home to this building.

Historical Notes

The Eastern Columbia building was built of steel-reinforced concrete and clad in glossy turquoise terra cotta trimmed with deep blue and gold trim. The building's vertical emphasis is accentuated by deeply recessed bands of paired windows and spandrels with copper panels separated by vertical columns. The façade is decorated with a wealth of motifs—sunburst patterns, geometric shapes, zigzags, chevrons and stylized animal and plant forms. The building is capped with a four-sided clock tower emblazoned with the name "Eastern" in neon and crowned with a central smokestack surrounded by four stylized flying buttresses.*

Historical Notes

In 1985, the Eastern Columbia Building was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 294 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

Built at a cost of $1.25 million (1930) as the new headquarters and 39th store for the Eastern-Columbia Department Store, whose component Eastern and Columbia stores were founded by Adolph Sieroty and family. At the time of construction, the City of Los Angeles enforced a height limit of 150 feet, however the decorative clock tower was granted an exemption, allowing the clock a total height of 264 feet.

The Eastern Columbia Building has now been converted into lofts, including a pool on its rooftop, overlooked by the building's clock tower.

Historical Notes

The Claud Beelman designed Bankers Building (now the International Center) was built between 1929-1930.  The Art Deco/Streamlined Moderne style leans slightly toward the verticality of Gothic.  The Moderne marquee has been removed, but the entrance and elevator lobby still retains its Moderne elegance.  The building is now used by jewelers.*#^#

Historical Notes

The three tiered Art Deco design above the entryway is a Frozen Fountain, an architectural and interior design motif introduced in France around the time of the 1925 “Art Deco” Exposition.

Historical Notes

Built in 1930-1931, on the site of the California Club, the Title Guarantee Building was designed by The Parkinsons who also designed many Los Angeles landmarks, including Los Angeles City Hall and Bullock's Wilshire.*^

Historical Notes

For the detailing, architects John and Donald Parkinson followed the lead provided by the much-publicized 1926 Chicago Tribune Tower. In addition to such Gothic touches as shields and gargoyle-like drain spouts, the building is crowned with a Gothic tower complete with stylized flying buttresses.

The steel-framed building is clad in glazed terra cotta and rises from a granite base. Piers surround the recessed windows, accentuating the verticality of the structure and extending above the roofline to create a parapet effect.^#^

Historical Notes

The Title Guarantee building's interior elevator lobby is decorated with six murals by Hugo Ballin celebrating various phases of Southern California history. Saber-toothed cats are shown at the La Brea Tar Pits, and one panel illustrates the 1876 arrival of the railroad. The ‘modern’ panel depicts the elements that led to Los Angeles’ rise to power: the Owens Valley aqueduct, derricks, machinery, and a modern building – the Title Guarantee & Trust.^#^

Historical Notes

Everything above the twelfth floor is unoccupied space, a design feature that allowed the building to extend beyond the 150-foot height limit in effect at the time of construction.^#^

Historical Notes

In 1984, the Title Guarantee & Trust Company Building was declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 278 (Click HERE for complete listing). The building is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Historical Notes

Location shots of the building were featured in the CBS television drama series Lou Grant (1977–82), in which it was purported to house the Los Angeles Tribune, the fictional newspaper around which the series was based.

Vampire P.I., Mick St John purportedly lived and maintained his office on the top floor of the building in CBS' Vampire P.I. Drama, Moonlight (2007-2008).*^

The building is now loft-style apartments and is known as the Title Guarantee Building Lofts.

Historical Notes

Located on the northeast corner of Hollywood and Vine, the 12-story Equitable Building was built in 1929.  The Gothic Deco commercial tower was designed by Aleck Curlett.*^

When the Equitable Building was planned in 1927, it would be required to conform to a certain height limit of 150 feet on the NE corner which was for many years the site of a house and later a used auto lot. In 1926 a one-story bank building was built on the site and served the intersection there until the property was cleared for construction in 1929.

Historical Notes

The Equitable Building of Hollywood was the second high-rise office building built at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine and would be a symbol of the new money that was being invested in Hollywood. The Taft Building across the street was the first (built in 1927).

The planning and financing of the building was the work of Sam Kress of the drug store chain and he wanted to include a brokerage office that would connect Hollywood directly to Wall Street. The architectural plan designed by architect Aleck Curlett, would include a bank on the ground floor and its design would include gargoyle details and a copper roof.   

Historical Notes

The Equitable Building was completed at the end of 1930 and in November the powerful agent, Myron Selznick (brother of David O. Selznick) moved his agency into the building bringing with him such clients as Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, Boris Karloff, Carole Lombard, and others.*

Historical Notes

By 1939 with the success of radio in Hollywood, many advertising agencies leased space in the building. The giant Williams Esty and Company were responsible for the Camel cigarette ads and the sponsorship of the radio version of Blondie with Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake on CBS.*

Historical Notes

By 1942, Young and Rubicam Company moved into the building and did the advertising for the U.S. War Department on the radio. In 1945 Rudy Vallee had offices in the building along with the advertising agency, Benton and Bowles who sponsored the popular Glamour and Manor Show. By 1949 Belasco’s Restaurant opened at 1710 N. Vine Street on the ground floor of the building and remained there into the late 1980s until Collectors Bookshop took over the space.*

Historical Notes

By 1951 the ground floor of the California Bank was taken over by Bernard Luggage Company and four years later by American Airlines.

Historical Notes

Throughout the 1950s-1970s the Equitable Building went through many changes and tenants. With the coming of 2000 Tom Gilmour purchased the building and began a restoration program of two years. In 2002 The Hollywood and Vine Diner opened early in the year with a motif of vintage Hollywood. The interior was designed like the old Hollywood restaurants of yesteryear with wood paneled rooms and booths reminiscent of Musso and Frank and Henry’s.*

Historical Notes

Today, the mixed-use building is also known as The Lofts at Hollywood and Vine. The building underwent a $50 Million condo conversion in 2007 and is now 60 residential units.

Historical Notes

The six-story apartment building, designed by C.W. Powers, was built in 1928.*

In 2007, the Val D'Amour Apartment Building was dedicated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 875 (Click HERE for complete listing).

Historical Notes

This example of the Zigzag (Art Deco) Moderne, exhibits a wide array of characteristic cast ornament. At each side of the entrance two kneeling male figures (in relief) hold the heavy and elaborate ornament entablature on their shoulders and back. Other cast concrete decorative works occur in the recessed spandrels and upon the principal parapet. The vertical row of open fire escape balconies provide additional areas of sculpture and the major vertical piers terminate above the roof in stylized male figures.^*#*

Historical Notes

The church building stands on a v-shaped corner of Occidental Blvd. and Hoover St.  This one of the archdiocese's architectural gems, showing a beautiful rose window above the main entrance. It was dedicated in November 1926.*^

Historical Notes

The Italian Romanesque structure has three rose windows that offer a dim and religious life. Twelve large stained glass windows, six yellow windows and the Stations of the Cross Mosaics are over the nave.*^

Historical Notes

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles is a historic church at 540 South Commonwealth Avenue. Founded in 1867, the church is the city's oldest continuous Protestant congregation. The congregation moved around using a variety of buildings until it moved to its current location in 1932, with the first service being held on March 13, 1932.

Historical Notes

Designed by prominent Los Angeles architects Allison & Allison, the massive concrete structure was reinforced with more than 500 tons of steel. Its dominant feature is a tower soaring 157 feet above the street and weighing 30,000 tons. Four, three-ton pinnacles at the corners of the tower rise another nineteen feet, drawing one’s eyes to the heavens.*

Historical Notes

Supported by more than 150 caissons extending up to forty-five feet into bedrock, the tower stood strong for more than sixty years, until the Northridge earthquake struck in 1994.  Three of the four pinnacles cracked and shifted at their bases, teetering even more precariously in an aftershock twelve hours later.*

Historical Notes

The First Congregational Church sustained damage during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake when three of its four tower finials cracked and shifted their base.

The project to replace the pinnacles and restore other elements of the tower earned the church a Conservancy Preservation Award.*

Historical Notes

On March 15, 2002, the church was designated Historic-Cultural Monument No. 706 by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission.  Click HERE to see complete listing.

Historical Notes

The First Congregational Church is the longest continuous Protestant church in Los Angeles. The Commonwealth location seen above is the 5th home of the Protestant Church that was first dedicated in 1868 (on New High Street north of Temple Street.

Historical Notes

Designed by architects Allison & Allison, Kerckhoff Hall was completed in 1931. The hall is named for William G. Kerckhoff, a successful lumber and energy magnate, who died prior to the building's completion. Mr Kerckhoff's widow spent $815,000 to build and completely furnish Kerckhoff Hall.

Historical Notes

The Kerckhoffs visited the Westwood campus under construction in early 1929 and were told by the provost of the need for a student union. On his deathbed a month later, Kerckhoff told his wife that he wanted to build such a building.*

Historical Notes

Today, Kerckhoff Hall is one of the main student union buildings of UCLA. Among its offerings are: study lounges, an art gallery, a coffeehouse, meeting rooms, a salon and the student government offices.*

Historical Notes

For many Bruins, the iconic Gothic spires of Kerckhoff Hall, rising majestically high above campus, are second only to Royce Hall as a symbol of UCLA.

Historical Notes

The Van de Kamp's Bakery headquarters, designed to resemble a 16th -century Dutch farmhouse, located at 2930 Fletcher Drive in Glassell Park, served as the headquarters for the chain of bakeries and coffee shops whose trademark "windmill" buildings and neon signs prevailed throughout mid-20th century Los Angeles. The building was designed by New York architect J. Edward Hopkins in 1930 in the Dutch Renaissance Revival style, reflecting the company's Dutch corporate image.*^

Historical Notes

The Van de Kamp's Bakery building remains the only example of an industrial plant in the Dutch Renaissance Revival style. The bakery closed in October 1990 after Van de Kamp‘s filed for Chapter 11. The building was declared city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument No. 569 in 1992. Click HERE to see the Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monuments Listing.

This building underwent a $72-million renovation by the Los Angeles Community College District with the intent of being a Los Angeles City College satellite campus. The site is instead leased to charter school and job-training groups.*^

Historical Notes

Theodore J. Van de Kamp and brother-in-law Lawrence L. Frank were the owners and originators of the Van de Kamp Bakeries. Fondly known as the "Taj Mahal of all bakeries". Van de Kamp and Frank also founded both the Tam O'Shanter's (1922) and Lawry's The Prime Rib (1938) restaurants.*^

J. Edward Hopkins designed Van de Kamp’s headquarters in Glassel Park.  Harold Griffith “Harry” Oliver, a set designer by profession, designed the windmill stores.  Oliver also designed the Spadena Home/“Witch’s House” (1921) in Beverly Hills and the altered Montgomery’s Country Inn/Tam O’Shanter Inn of Los Feliz (1922).  The stores were portables!, designed to be moved from location to location if business just wasn't there.

Click HERE to see Van de Kamp's 1st Windmill Bakery Shop.

Historical Notes

The bakery was sold by the Van de Kamp family and acquired by General Baking Co. in 1956. The company was sold to private investors in 1979, and closed in bankruptcy in 1990. The Van de Kamp's brand is now owned by Ralphs supermarket chain and used for their line of private-label baked goods.*^

Historical Notes

Programmatic architecture momentarily dotted the Greater Los Angeles landscape as it catered to the area’s expanding car culture and commuters by utilizing a commercial building’s architecture to advertise what products consumers could expect to find inside. The programmatic style of architecture became popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and it was highly influenced by the exponential rise of the automobile, a trend that grew through the post-war era.^#^

Historical Notes

A rare remaining example of programmatic architecture, The Tamale was designed to advertise its products to passing motorists. It opened in 1928 as a restaurant that served “Tamale pies,” malts, and other “Spanish delights” along with hamburgers and chili.^#^

Historical Notes

Originally opened in 1928 as a restaurant that served “Tamale pies,” malts, and other “Spanish delights” along with hamburgers and chili, The Tamale is now home to a beauty salon and a dental laboratory.  In 1984, The Tamale was transformed from a restaurant and adaptively reused to meet the needs of its current tenants.  This particular building, which was designed to look like a wrapped tamale, has seen its exterior color change throughout the years but is largely intact. 

Increasingly rare, few examples of programmatic architecture exist in Los Angeles today. Other well-known, extant examples of this style of architecture are The Donut Hole in La Puente and The Darkroom in the Miracle Mile area.^#^

Historical Notes

The Pacific Mutual Building, located at 523 W. 6th Street, are actually three interconnected buildings built between 1908 and 1929. The original structure was designed and built between 1908-1912 by John Parkinson and Edwin Bergstrom.

The original structure has seen many changes over the years: a North Side addition was built in 1916 by William J. Dodd; a twelve-story structure was built in 1921 by William J. Dodd and his associate William Richards; the Garage Building was added in 1926 by Schultze and Weaver; and the West Side addition was erected in 1929 by Parkinson and Parkinson. The building underwent Moderne remodeling in 1936 by Parkinson and Parkinson.*

Historical Notes

In 1974, the building underwent an extensive restoration by Wendell Mounce and Associates, with Bond and Steward, which brought it back to its Beaux Arts revival. And in 1985, the entire building was renovated again by the Westgroup, Inc.*

The Pacific Mutual Building is still there today, but the facade of the building on the corner has been modernized. It is listed as Historic-Cultural Monument No. 398 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

In 1906, Horace Boos and three siblings opened one of Los Angeles' first cafeterias. Their idea of a fast food, self-service restaurant consisted of unheard-of impositions for that time: patrons would wait on themselves and return their trays and dishes to the kitchen. The brothers' downtown cafeteria was the first link, in a chain of seven that ultimately stretched from Los Angeles to San Francisco. They opened four more in the downtown area one in Santa Catalina Island, and two in San Francisco.

By the 1920s, the chain of cafeterias had become widely known. When Horace Boos died in 1926, the surviving brothers sold the seven cafeterias for a record $7 million to the Childs Corp. In turn, Childs sold two of the cafeterias to Clifford E. Clinton, who launched the Clifton's Cafeteria Chain. Eventually, Henry Boos bought back two, one on Hill Street (seen above) and the other in Avalon on Catalina Island.*

Historical Notes

The Boos Brothers offered inexpensive fare of a "40-cent dinner", but would call it quits in the 1950s, before cafeterias began losing popularity due to the arrival of luncheonettes, soda fountains, and fast-food restaurants.

Historical Notes

The California State Building, also known as the State Office Building, was a 13-story PWA Moderne building that was completed in 1931 and opened in 1932. It was located on the northwest corner of 1st and Spring Streets in the Civic Center district of downtown Los Angeles. The building was designed by architect John C. Austin and cost $1.25 million to construct.

The building housed various state government offices and was a prominent landmark in the area until it was deemed structurally unsound after the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and demolished in 1975-1976.

Historical Notes

The California State Office Building was designed by the John C. Ausin & Frederic M. Ashley.

Historical Notes

The State Building was completed in 1931 at a cost of more than $2 million. It was dedicated the day before the opening of the 1932 Olympics in a ceremony that featured Amelia Earhart.

Historical Notes

The Times building opened in 1935, the State Building opened in 1932, and the Hall of Records was built between 1909 and 1912. When the street grid was adjusted in the 1930s the Hall of Records was left at an odd angle against Spring Street.

Historical Notes

The State Building was damaged in the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and in May of 1973 the state authorized an "orderly evacuation" after testing found the building unsafe. The empty building was torn down in early 1976.

Historical Notes

In 1882, Germain Pellisier, a 33-year-old immigrant from the French Alps, purchased the Southern Pacific's 156-acre tract on the intersection's southeast corner for $3,200. At first Pellissier opened a sheep ranch on his new property, but he was less interested in the land for wool production than as a long-term investment; the foresighted Pellissier believed that a growing Los Angeles would soon spill over its city limits and reach his quarter-section of wilderness.

Events soon proved him right. In April 1885, the Los Angeles County board of supervisors designated one of the roads passing by his tract a county highway, bestowing on it the name Western Avenue. (The other road would later be named Sixth Street before becoming Wilshire Boulevard in 1897.) Pellissier shut down his sheep ranch, and, when Southern California's wild land boom arrived in 1887, parceled out part of his tract, which eventually became known as the Pellissier Square subdivision. By 1905, land that Pellissier had bought for $20.50 per acre was selling for $2,700.

Historical Notes

Construction began in November 1930.

Historical Notes

Completed in 1931, the Wiltern was designed by architect Stiles O. Clements of Morgan, Walls & Clements, the city’s oldest architectural firm.

Historical Notes

Clad in blue-green terra cotta with its tower facing the intersection diagonally, the Stiles O. Clements-designed complex featured offices with sweeping views of the city, street-level retail space, and an opulent, 2,344-seat Warner Bros. movie theater. Developer Henry de Roulet, who had grown up not far from the building's site on the former sheep ranch, named the building after his visionary grandfather, Germain Pellissier.

Historical Notes

With the grand opening of the Pellissier Building and the adjoining Warner Western theater on Oct. 7, 1931, Wilshire and Western acquired a gleaming ornament that set the intersection apart. And three years later, after a temporary closure due to slow business, the theater reopened with a new name that honored the crossroads: the Wil-Tern (now simply "Wiltern"), a portmanteau of Wilshire and Western.

Historical Notes

Narrow windows in the office tower, deeply set between soaring vertical piers, give the illusion of a much taller building than its actual 150 feet (the maximum height permitted by the City at that time).

Historical Notes

The entrance to the Wiltern Theatre is flanked by large vertical neon signs while patrons approach the ticket booth set back among colorful terrazzo paving.

Historical Notes

The Warner Theatre quickly became one of the most prestigious movie palaces in the city, hosting premieres and attracting the elite of Los Angeles. Its opening marked a significant moment in the development of the Wilshire district, which was rapidly becoming a key cultural and commercial area of the city.

Historical Notes

The design of the theater, which was heavily influenced by Art Deco and Mayan Revival architectural styles, was the work of architect B. Marcus Priteca. The theater's striking exterior and interior features, including elaborate mosaics and decorative elements, were designed to evoke the grandeur and opulence of ancient civilizations.

Historical Notes

The Wiltern Theatre was originally designed as a vaudeville theater and initially opened as the Warner Brothers Western Theater, the flagship for the theater chain. Quickly closing a year later, the theater reopened in the mid-1930s and was renamed the Wiltern Theatre for the major intersection which it faces (Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue.)

Historical Notes

The Wiltern Theatre's interior was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh and is renowned for its Art Deco design containing decorative plaster and tile work along with colorful murals painted by Anthony Heinsbergen.
The most dramatic element of the design is the sunburst on the ceiling of the auditorium, with each ray its own Art Deco skyscraper—G. Albert Lansburgh's vision of the future of Wilshire Boulevard.

Historical Notes

In the 1960s, as the movie industry shifted and tastes changed, the theater began to show a mix of films, and it eventually fell into disuse. In the 1970s, the Warner Theatre was saved from demolition by local preservationists, and it was renamed the Wiltern Theatre after a restoration effort. This preservation allowed the theater to continue operating as a cultural venue.

Historical Notes

It remained a functioning movie theater for many decades, but the Warner Wiltern's eventual closing in 1978 and subsequent plans for the Pellissier Building's demolition prompted one of the first triumphs of Los Angeles' preservation movement. After the Los Angeles Conservancy rallied around the historic structure, developer Wayne Ratkovich purchased it in 1981, renovated the offices and theater, and donated a preservation easement to the Conservancy. Reopened in 1985, the Wiltern today is one of Los Angeles' prized performance venues.

Historical Notes

Today, the Wiltern is a popular performance venue, hosting concerts, live events, and special screenings. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains a significant architectural and cultural landmark in Los Angeles. Its location at the intersection of Wilshire and Western reflects its place in the city’s history, and its continued operation as the Wiltern ensures that the legacy of the Warner Theatre lives on in the heart of the city.

Both the Wiltern Theatre and the Pellissier Building have been named to the National Register of Historic Places and declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles (No. 118). Click HERE to see complete listing.

Historical Notes

Wilshire Boulevard Temple, known from 1862 to 1933 as Congregation B'nai B'rith, is the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles. The building, located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Wilshire Center district, was completed in 1929 and was designed by architect Abram M. Edelman (son of the congregation's first rabbi, Abraham Edelman).

B'nai B'rith Congregation's previous Temple (their 2nd) was located at 9th and Hope in downtown Los Angeles. Click HERE to see more of B'nai Brith's 2nd Temple.

Historical Notes

The Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s immense Byzantine revival dome has been a Los Angeles landmark since 1929. It stands at 100 feet in diameter with its top 135 feet from the street, and was the grand vision of the building architect, A.M. Edelman (son of the congregation's first Rabbi, Abraham Edelman). Its base is flanked by 28 buttresses, or small towers, rising from the ring girder for support.

Historical Notes

The new temple was the dream of Rabbi Edgar Magnin who, over a career of seven decades, forged a Jewish identity for Los Angeles that joined pioneers and Hollywood moguls. Magnin came to B'nai B'rith as assistant rabbi in 1915 and from that time on he championed a new synagogue building. The involvement of the Hollywood moviemakers after World War I and Magnin's promotion to senior rabbi in 1919 allowed the building to go forward. Mostly displaced New Yorkers with marginal religious interest, the Hollywood producers were attracted to Magnin's image of a popular modern Judaism. Rabbi Magnin also foresaw the movement of the city, and especially its Jewish population, westward. In this, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple was both typical and prescient in anticipating the increased suburbanization of American Jewish life. Because the new synagogue was beyond the "car line," it presaged L.A.'s near-total dependence on the automobile, an urban-suburban transformation that would affect most Jewish communities only after World War II.

Historical Notes

Wilshire Boulevard Temple is one of the largest Jewish congregations in Los Angeles, and has been led by several influential rabbis, especially Edgar Magnin, who served for 69 years from 1915 to 1984. A second campus, on the Westside, opened in 1998.

Historical Notes

In 1973, the Wilshire Boulevard Temple was dedicated LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 116 (Click HERE to see complete listing.

The Wilshire Temple began extensive renovations of the historic facility in 2008, and the remodeled sanctuary reopened in 2013.

Historical Notes

The Wilshire Professional Building was built in 1929 in an Art Deco or zig-zag moderne style and was designed by architect Arthur E. Harvey.*

Historical Notes

The thirteen-story Wilshire Professional Building was intended mainly for doctors and dentists, but also housed the office of its architect, Arthur E. Harvey.

Even the sidewalk received special attention. The Portland Cement Company poured a custom terrazzo pattern in front of the entrance, which still exists.^#^

Historical Notes

Noted Bay-area architect Benjamin McDougall designed St. James' in the Gothic Revival style popular for ecclesiastic architecture in the 1920s. He used reinforced concrete (as was used for other Wilshire Center churches) but coated it with a thin veneer of stucco to conceal the lines of the formwork used in construction. The building was completed in 1925.

The redwood ceiling beams and trusses are said to resemble the inside of a ship's hull, and the floor is paved with tiles bearing the same motif of an ancient cross as those at Immanuel Presbyterian Church a few blocks east.

The building features large amounts of richly colored stained glass, designed and installed by the renowned Judson Studios over many years. The church also houses the rebuilt 1911 Murray H. Harris organ from St. Paul's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, built in 1889 and demolished in 1922 to make way for the Biltmore Hotel.^#^

Historical Notes

In 1962, at the height of his career, Nat King Cole was invited to sing a solo at the church's Easter service. The backlash from congregants was immediate and included the resignation of the reverend who had invited him, Robert Terwilliger.

Just a few years later in 1965, Cole's  funeral took place at the church, attended by notable figures including Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and Robert F. Kennedy.^#^

Historical Notes

The Original Brown Derby was built in 1926 on the site that later became the Chapman Park Hotel.

Historical Notes

The Brown Derby chain was started by Robert H. Cobb and Herbert Somborn (a former husband of film star Gloria Swanson). Bob Cobb is known as the inventor of the California Cobb Salad. He was also part owner of the Hollywood Stars baseball team.^

Historical Notes

The Brown Derby had to vacate its location on Wilshire between Alexandria and Mariposa when the land was requisitioned for the women’s village for the 1932 L.A. Olympic Games. So it was temporarily moved in 1931 five blocks west into the Bilicke Building located at 3927 Wilshire Blvd.

Historical Notes

Wilshire Boulevard was designated by The Octagon Museum of the American Architectural Foundation as one of the 'Grand American Avenues' was decorated with this Wilshire Special pole and lantern for nearly six miles of its length. Approximately 100 poles still remain over the distance of about one-and-a-half miles. The original lanterns are solid bronze and stand 7½ feet tall from the base of the lantern to the top of the finial.

Click HERE to see more Early LA Streetlights.

Historical Notes

This would be the Brown Derby's interim home, as a tenant in the Bilicke Building. It would remain at this location until 1937 when a new Brown Derby (resembling the original derby-shaped building) would be built on the northeast corner of Wilshire and Alexandria.

The Bilicke Building replaced the Harry Harrington house in 1929. Its design by Morgan, Walls & Clements followed the trend of commercializing Wilshire Boulevard, but differed from its predecessors in that each tenant's storefront was customized.

Historical Notes

In 1937, The Brown Derby would move out of the Bilicke Building to a newly constructed derby-shaped building at 3377 Wilshire Boulevard. The new location was at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Alexandria which, incidentally, was about a block east of the Derby's original home. 

After its departure, Perino's adapted and widened the Brown Derby's vacated space.

Historical Notes

The derby-shaped building as seen above remains the most famous due to its distinctive shape. Whimsical architecture (or Programmatic Architecture) was popular at the time, and the restaurant was designed to catch the eye of passing motorists. It is often incorrectly thought that the Brown Derby was a single restaurant, and the Wilshire Boulevard and Hollywood branches are frequently confused.^

Historical Notes

The Brown Derby chain also included restaurants in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the Los Feliz area. The Los Feliz Brown Derby at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd is the last remaining branch of the chain still extant and in operation.^

Historical Notes

After being sold in 1975 and renovated, the Brown Derby Restaurant on Wilshre Boulevard was finally replaced in 1980 by a shopping center known as the Brown Derby Plaza. The domed structure was incorporated into the third floor of the building and accommodates a cafe. A Korean mini-mall occupies the site today.^

Historical Notes

The postcard reads at bottom: "No, we are not giving something away-it's only the response to the call of Willard's dinner bell." The address is listed at 9625 Pico Blvd., in Los Angeles, and the phone number is OXford 2296. The postcard also asks "Have you tried the New Willard's, corner Los Feliz and Hillhurst?" The flip side reads "Private Mailing Card," and asks patrons to rate their Willard's dinner.

Historical Notes

Willard's Chicken Restaurant opened in 1929 on the corner of Hillhurst and Los Feliz. In 1940, the property and building was purchased by legendary director Cecil B. DeMille who brought in the Brown Derby fine dining and 24-hour car service in keeping with the drive-in restaurant fad of the era.

Historical Notes

In 1940, Willard's Chicken Inn Restaurant was purchased by legendary director Cecil B. DeMille who brought in the Brown Derby fine dining and 24-hour car service in keeping with the drive-in restaurant fad of the era. At the time, DeMille was also part owner of the Wilshire Brown Derby.

Historical Notes

This was the only Brown Derby with a "Car Cafe".

Historical Notes

This was the last of the four Brown Derby Restaurants to open around Los Angeles; the first was located on Wilshire across from the Ambassador Hotel; the second opened in 1929 in Hollywood , the third in Beverly Hills on Wilshire Boulevard in 1931. It was the only one of the the four with a "Car Cafe".

Click HERE to see more Early Views of LA Drive-in Restaurants.

Historical Notes

In 1960, the Brown Derby was purchased by actor Michael St. Angel (aka Steve Flagg) and became Michaels of Los Feliz, and in 1992, it was transformed into a nightclub known as The Derby. In the late 1990s, it became one of the centers of the resurgence of swing dancing, which launched the careers of modern swing bands such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Johnny Crawford. Oregon rock/swing/ska band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies recorded a song that cites the venue, titled "Brown Derby Jump", on their album Zoot Suit Riot.

In June 2004, when Hillhurst/Los Feliz LLC purchased The Derby and adjacent lots with a view to demolition and replacement by a condominium complex, the planned redevelopment became a cause celebre for historic preservation activists. An independent coalition called "Save The Derby" fought to prevent the demolition, and, on May 19, 2006, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to designate the entire structure an official Historic Cultural Monument of the City of Los Angeles.

In January 2009, the nightclub closed its doors. The current landlord chose not to renew the lease, not long after a shooting inside the club. The Los Feliz Brown Derby space is partially occupied by the gastropub Mess Hall Kitchen and a Chase bank, dividing the dome in half between the businesses.*^

Click HERE for contemporary view.

Historical Notes

The caption of the newspaper clipping that accompanies this photo reads "Building of hollow cement blocks, design in molded cement over doors, aluminum trim around windows and doors, tan awnings, black marble base, neon and flood lights in colors. Walls and Clements, designers and architects." *

The Nikabob restaurant was named for Nick ____ and Bob Cobb of the Brown Derby and “Cobb Salad” fame.*#^*

Historical Notes

Merritt Adamson established a dairy business in the San Fernando Valley, in Tarzana, known as Adohr Farms, the name representing his wife's name spelled backwards. The business became one of the country's largest dairies, operating one of the largest herds of Guernsey cows in the world.*^

Historical Notes

This Los Angeles Theatre was constructed in late 1930 and early 1931. It was commissioned by H.L. Gumbiner, an independent film exhibitor from Chicago, who also built the nearby Tower Theatre.  It was Designed by S. Charles Lee, and Samuel Tilden Norton.

Construction was completed in less than six months and cost $1.5 million. Charlie Chaplin helped fund the completion so that it would be ready to open with the premiere of his film City Lights in January 1931. With only thirty days to go before the scheduled premiere, the entire theater was constructed off-site and swung in, slotted between the existing buildings.*^

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Theatre, designed by S. Charles Lee working with S.Tilden Norton, features twin Corinthian columns which frame the central notched arch. Built in 1931, it was the last such movie palace built on Broadway, as the area began to feel the effects of the Depression and faced competition from Hollywood Blvd.*

Historical Notes

The theater features a French Baroque interior. With its grand central staircase, and gold brocade drapes it has for many years been considered to be among the city's most lavish landmarks.  The opulent interior is said to have been modeled after the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. A crystal fountain stood at the head of the grand staircase, and a restaurant and a ballroom were on the lower level.*^

Historical Notes

In recent years, the Los Angeles Conservancy has sponsored the showing of classic films at several of the Broadway theatres, including the Los Angeles Theatre. The Broadway Theater and Commercial District were added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1979.*

Historical Notes

S. Charles Lee is credited with designing over 400 theaters throughout California and Mexico. His palatial and Baroque Los Angeles Theatre is regarded by many architectural historians as the finest theater building in Los Angeles.*^

Historical Notes

The Los Angeles Theater is most often today used as a location for filming and is frequently seen in commercials, television shows and feature films. It has been featured in New York, New York (1977); Man on the Moon (1999); Charlie's Angels (2000) and its sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003); the AMC series Mad Men; among many others, and is used in the back drop on the new set of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.*^

Click HERE for contemporary view of the Los Angeles Theatre.

The theatre's facade and marquee design was used as the inspiration for that of the Hyperion Theatre at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, currently showcasing Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular.

On August 15, 1979, the Los Angeles Theater was designated LA Historic-Cultural Monument No. 225 (Click HERE to see complete listing).

Historical Notes

Berkeley architect, Bernard Maybeck designed this original wood-frame facility for Christine Wetherill Stevenson, a Philadelphia-born heiress to the Pittsburgh Paint Company fortune, for the staging of her work,"The Pilgrimage Play;" in 1920. Stevenson was an actress, playwright and arts philanthropist, and had the finances to build venues for her religiously-themed productions. Originally connected to the Theatre Arts Alliance building the Hollywood Bowl, Stevenson and her wealthy friend, Marie Rankin Clarke left that project c. 1920 in a dispute over the religious/spritiualist content that the two women favored. Stevenson bought 29 acres across the street from the Hollywood Bowl property, and established her Pilgrimage Theatre, where "The Pilgrimage Play" was staged each summer until 1929 when a brush fire destroyed the theatre.^

Historical Notes

The gates of the Pilgrimage Theatre #1 had an exotic look, with crenellated ramparts recreating Jerusalem's City Walls. The upper parts of the ramparts were cantilevered, adding to their apparent visual weight. Two battered towers standing well above the rampart walls, marked either side of the main entry. 

The Hollywood Cross (also known as the Hollywood Pilgrimage Memorial Monument) is a 32-foot high, steel cross and historic-cultural monument (#617) in Hollywood. Located just above the Ford Amphitheatre (originally Pilgrimage Theatre) and overlooking the Cahuenga Pass, it was originally erected in 1923 as a memorial for Christine Wetherill Stevenson.^

Historical Notes

An heiress of the Pittsburgh Paint Company and a patron of the arts, Christine Wetherill Stevenson had a vision to open an open-air theatre and produce her own plays. Stevenson realized her dream in 1920, when she opened the Pilgrimage Theatre and staged The Pilgrimage Play, her adaptation of the life of Christ. Stevenson died suddenly in 1922 - the Hollywood Pilgrimage Memorial Monument (aka the Great Hollywood Cross) was erected in her memory a year later. Her play would continue to be performed every summer until 1929, when the original wooden structure was destroyed by a brush fire in October.

A new theatre, built on the same site with poured concrete and designed to evoke the gates of Jerusalem, opened in 1931. The Pilgrimage Play was performed there until 1964, interrupted only by World War II. The land was deeded to L.A. County in 1941.*

Historical Notes

The gates of the Pilgrimage Theatre #1 had an exotic look, with crenellated ramparts recreating Jerusalem's City Walls. The upper parts of the ramparts were cantilevered, adding to their apparent visual weight. Two battered towers standing well above the rampart walls, marked either side of the main entry.^

Historical Notes

In October 1929, the original Pilgrimage Play Theatre was destroyed by a brush fire. However, within 2 years the Pilgrimage Theatre would be rebuilt in concrete at the same location.

Historical Notes

Made of cast concrete, the new amphitheater was designed to resemble the ancient architecture of the Holy Land for the purposes of the play performed there. The previous amphitheater on the site was built in 1920, but a brush fire in October 1929 destroyed that wooden structure.

Historical Notes

A new Pilgrimage Theatre was built on the same site as the original and opened in 1931. The new theatre was constructed of poured concrete and designed in the style of ancient Judaic architecture to resemble the gates of Jerusalem. 

Historical Notes

The Pilgrimage Play Amphitheater resembled the architecture of the Holy Land for the purposes of the play performed there. The religious-themed Pilgrimage Play, written by Christine Whetherill Stevenson, was performed every summer between 1920 to 1941.

Historical Notes

During WWII the theater was deeded to Los Angeles County and converted into dormitories for servicemen. After the war, the play resumed until 1964, at which time it was legally ordered to close due to its religious content.*

Historical Notes

In 1941, the land was deeded to the County of Los Angeles. The Pilgrimage Play continued to be presented until a lawsuit in 1964 forced its closure because of its religious nature.

In 1964, "Pilgrimage Play" had its final run at its original home. By that time, according to an L.A. Times article, one million people had seen the show.

In 1976, the Pilgrimage Theatre was renamed the John Anson Ford Theatre in honor of the late L.A. County Supervisor's significant support of the arts. John Anson Ford (1883–1983) helped found the L.A. County Arts Commission, encouraged the Board of Supervisors to support the building of the Music Center and led the County's acquisition of Descanso Gardens, among many other achievements.*^

Historical Notes

In the early 1940s, the Pilgrimage Play Theater was donated to Los Angeles County and the play for which this space was built went from being an annual phenomenon to a sporadic production. In the 1960s, the play fell under fire from authorities concerned that, because "Pilgrimage Play" received City and County funds, it was a violation of the separation of church and state. To save the play, a fundraising committee worked to get the money together for another season of the show. The person in charge of that endeavor was John Anson Ford, who was previously a County Supervisor (The venue itself was named after him in 1976).*

Historical Notes

What separates the Ford from other outdoor ampitheaters is that it doesn’t have a manmade shell.

Historical Notes

A new lighting and sound transform was added to heighten the technological capabilities of the Amphitheatre and to improve audience and performer experiences.

Historical Notes

“The [Hollywood] Bowl is fabulous, but the Bowl seats 18,000 people. We seat 1,200 people. Instead of looking at big screens, you're looking at an artist's eyes, and you get a completely different visceral experience when you see an artist at the Ford Theatre than you do at the Bowl. There's no bad seat in the house,” Ford executive director Olga Garay-English

Historical Notes

The intimate venue fresh off the heels of a $72.2-million makeover that brought in a new dining terrace, beautiful wood stage, and top-notch acoustics that block out the roar of the 101 freeway.

Historical Notes

In 1976, the Pilgrimage Theatre was renamed the John Anson Ford Theatre in honor of the late L.A. County Supervisor and his important contributions to the arts in Los Angeles. Among his many achievements, John Anson Ford helped found the L.A. County Arts Commission, encouraged the Board of Supervisors to support the building of The Music Center, and led L.A. County's acquisition of Descanso Gardens.

Historical Notes

In a later incarnation, the Roos Brothers building became the second Newberry five-and-dime located in Hollywood.*#^*

Historical Notes

J.J. Newberry's was an American Five-and-Dime store chain in the 20th century originally founded in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The company was a family business. J.J. Newberry was joined in management by his brothers C.T. Newberry and Edgar A. Newberry in 1919, at which time there were 17 stores with yearly sales of $500,000.^

Historical Notes

Over the years, the Newberry chain acquired other stores including Hested in Wyoming, Missouri, North Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska, and Lee Stores in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. At the time of founder J.J. Newberry's death (1954), the chain had 475 stores. By 1961, the company operated 565 stores with total yearly sales of $291 million. The chain also operated a larger department store called Britt's Department Store.

The Newberry chain was ultimately purchased by McCrory Stores, and then folded slowly as McCrory's downsized  and eventually entered bankruptcy. 300 McCrory stores, mostly Newberry's, closed in 1997.^

Historical Notes

The architects of the Hollywood J.J. Newberry's, now Hollywood Toys and Costumes, created this colorful example of Art Deco at its best. The "Zig Zag" patterns of chevrons and squares in colorful aqua and gold highlight the over-sized industrial windows of the upper stories.*

Click HERE to see contemporary view.

Historical Notes

The Walt Disney Imagineers were inspired by the 1928-built J.J. Newberry Building when they designed their Celebrity 5 & 10 building on Disney’s Hollywood Boulevard at the Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park near Orlando, Florida.

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