Old L.A. Photos

[Dr Doran]

My friend's mother's old friend gave him these and he emailed them to me. I am assuming that they are old postcards.

Santa Monica about 1900

Broadway, Glendale 1920

Venice Beach 1920

I am assuming this is Venice, 1910s or 1920s -- not sure.

I'll post more soon.

 

[JennyLou]

Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Dr Doran]

Thanks, Jenny.

Reseda Blvd from Devonshire (I did live in the San Fernando Valley for a couple of years -- this is truly hard to imagine since that place is such a hellhole now)

 

[Dr Doran]

More to follow.

 

[JennyLou]

I can't wait to see the rest. May I ask where you got them?

 

[The Captain]

It is hard to imagine the Southern California scene as empty as shown in these great vintage photos. Where did we go wrong? lol

 

[Dr Doran]

May I ask where you got them?

Answer already noted in FIRST POST! (he said, snottily, fingering his monocle).

But seriously, that's all I know. Probably postcards. You can easily drag them onto your desktop and post them on other places, use them for wallpaper, etc. They certainly deserve to be seen!

 

[Dr Doran]

It is hard to imagine the Southern California scene as empty as shown in these great vintage photos. Where did we go wrong? lol

Demography, as so often, is the answer. Plus (un)regulation. People are legally free to move anywhere they want in this nation, and lots of them moved to Southern California. Property is purchased and developed, buildings built on it, houses and apartments rented and sold. People either vote against any kind of curb on people moving in and land developed and sold, or they don't vote at all. Unregulated sale of land. Unregulated development of land.

 

[Dr Doran]

dodgers stadium construction 1961

Ventura Boulevard in SHERMAN OAKS (hard to believe -- I lived right near there in 1990)

Los Feliz Boulevard, Atwater Village 1920

Flooded street intersection, 6th and Mariposa, 1920

 

[DanielJones]

My Grandmother used to live off of Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. It was right off the 101 one street north in the neighborhood northerly of Ventura Blvd. You can still see the Italian cypress trees that line the curve of the street from the 101. Of course her house is gone now, replaced by a parking lot for some offices I think. If I find a pic of her house I'll post it.

Thanks for sharing those that you have found from a much simpler time and the air sure looked clearer. You can actually see for a long ways.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Dr Doran]

Sounds great.

I have some non-photographic L.A. postcards from the 1940s that have drawings of buildings on them. Perhaps I'll post those here next.

 

[Inky]

Oh, please do, Doran, these are fantastic and I'd love to see what else you have.

 

[LelaViavonie]

These pictures are absolutly amazing... thank you so much for posting

 

[Dr Doran]

Thank you, Inky and Lela.

Here are three more from the same source, my friend's mother's friend:

Courthouse and Hall of Records

Hall of Records

7th and Broadway

More to follow.

 

[Widebrim]

Wonderful photos!:eusa_clap The one of Glendale especially hits me since it is my home town...

 

[WinoJunko]

Great photos! Can't wait to see the rest =)

 

[TheLimey]

Fantastic photos, even though I've never set foot in LA.
Can't wait to see more.

 

[Blackthorn]

Wow

Wow, Doran, great pictures! Priceless!

 

[dhermann1]

Way cool! Never been to LA either, but that doesn't matter.
These remind me of a lot of the early silent films that were shot on the streets of LA. I love looking at them and seeing the backgrounds flashing by. What a different city it was then. A small town, in comparison, but so pleasant.

 

[Dr Doran]

Thanks, gents.

Say, Widebrim (I hope to meet you one day at Jon Eugenio's house) you wouldn't consider taking a shot of that precise intersection in Glendale today, would you? It would be nice to have before-and-after shots side by side. But I suppose it would work best if you got the exact angle and distance.