Demolition of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Building located at 1151 S. Broadway, 1968

What is this, Demolition Thursday?

JOHN GARZA: In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt. That discovery fascinated the entire world. Hollywood went all in on Egyptian themes.

In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt. That discovery fascinated the entire world. It happened right around the time the motion picture industry was becoming the biggest form of entertainment alongside radio.

Hollywood went all in on Egyptian themes. From Rudolph Valentino to Cleopatra to The Mummy, Egyptian-inspired movies were everywhere. It became one of the biggest cultural trends of the era because of that discovery.  --John Garza

John Garza took a minute to clear things up. 

Shut up with the whole “Islamic architecture” BS. Always trying to make everything into a race issue. The people who do this stuff are the true racists. Because everything in their mentality revolves around race and religion. And the people who are so shocked by that, are the people who just see other people as just ordinary human being. Not by labels and segregation into type.

I’m five generations from Los Angeles. My great grandfather was a builder. Built many of these structures, you are talking about in this post.

So let me tell you how the Gothic look became popular in Los Angeles.

In the 1920s, archaeologists discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt. That discovery fascinated the entire world. It happened right around the time the motion picture industry was becoming the biggest form of entertainment alongside radio.

Hollywood went all in on Egyptian themes. From Rudolph Valentino to Cleopatra to The Mummy, Egyptian-inspired movies were everywhere. It became one of the biggest cultural trends of the era because of that discovery.

From there, the influence spread into fashion. The flapper look emerged, shaped partly by the women’s liberation movement and partly by the fascination with ancient Egyptian styles. Women started cutting their hair into the short bob that became iconic. Women started painting their faces like the statues in the ancient pyramids along with the Jewels of the Goth look of the flapper movement. Los Angeles also embraced Egyptian Revival architecture, along with other Mediterranean-inspired styles, and buildings reflecting those influences started appearing throughout the city.

It had nothing to do with Islam. I can’t stand this new generation trying to make everything about race or religion, or immediately jumping to “Islamophobia.” This was simply a fashion trend, like every generation has. Trends come and go, and they’re often inspired by history and archaeology. In this case, the influence came from the discovery of the ancient Egyptian tombs—not from Islam. Also a lot of other architecture was also influenced by the Spanish mission buildings of California that have been here since the 1700s. That whole Mediterranean Spanish look that was so famous during the Spanish era of California… was also a very great influence in the architecture of Los Angeles Angeles during the 1920s. That is why many of the old palace style movie theaters in Los Angeles look like Egypt Egyptian tombs inside. Some of these theaters are spectacular.

I could tell you all about LA and it’s true history, my friends. My family’s been here in Los Angeles since the 1880s. That’s just my mom’s family. My father’s family has been here in California for hundreds of years since it was the Spanish colonies. When my family migrated to Los Angeles in 1887 there was nothing here but dirt fields and farms all the way to the horizon. My great grandfather became a builder. My family friends and neighbors watched Los Angeles literally rise up from the ground. And I knew all of those people.

I could teach you about Los Angeles history, my friends. Not this BS that these bougie LA wannabe like to post. THE POSTCARD VERSION OF LA.

I mean… Los Angeles was established as a city in 1781. When it was still New Spain. Hollywood didn’t even come into the picture until the late 1920s. The Hollywood sign was just a Real Estate sign. It wasn’t associated with the movies until the late 1920s early 30s. After the Real Estate was all sold off, the sign was just left to rot. By the late 1920s, everybody was calling it, Hollywood. The European settlers started settling in California during the 1600s. Not exactly your bougie postcard version of LA.

I don’t look any of this stuff up. I speak from the point of view of somebody who is fifth generation BORN in Los Angeles. 

My number one reason for being so corrective in my posts when it comes to any history, I know. Because we are in an information war. History is getting rewritten through technology. Bounce it around the echo chamber enough times, and history gets rewritten. To me it is very important to keep the facts to our history. That is my only reason for all of the comments I make on every historic page.

I am also the author of Pacific Red Car.

Demolition of Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, begins, 1957

[1957] Demolition of the Bunker Hill structure known as "Melrose Hotel" located at 138 South Grand Avenue. Built in 1881, it was a Victorian mansion with overlapping shingles, cupolas, and domes, and eventually became a hotel apartment. When built, the hotel proper was attached to the mansion which became its annex. (Peter Antheil - Security Pacific National Bank Collection)

[undated] A corner view from across the street on Bunker Hill of two Victorian style hotels on the 100 block of S. Grand Ave., the Richelieu (at 142) on the corner and the Hotel Melrose (at 130) to its left. (Los Angeles Public Library Legacy Collection)

[2024] Google Maps

Memories of El Monte, 1910-1978

“Memories of El Monte”

So, I’ve been re-listening to a lot of my old Zappa albums recently. I think I have 40 of the canonical 62, plus some of the posthumous compilations, so it’s a lot. For the most part, I’ve spared the more normal amongst you from my deep love for his weirdness, but his song “Memories of El Monte” has now been stuck in my head for days, so I’ve put together a collection of historic shots of El Monte (and South El Monte) to pair it with.

Frank was just 22 when he co-wrote the song with Ray Collins for The Penguins in 1963, and it was a favorite of Art Laboe, who would frequently play it on his show, but I’m using the more recently-released version of Frank performing it at The Whisky with The Mothers in 1968.

-

Photos:

1. The El Monte Drive-In, taken by Elisa Leonelli 1978

2. El Monte’s famous Legion Stadium, open from 1927 to 1974, when it was torn down.

3. Simon’s Drive-In, El Monte location, 1940s

4. A young woman at Gay’s Lion Farm, late 1920s

5. El Monte Theatre on Main, 1948

6. Main Street near Center,, ca. 1952

7. Clyde Beatty’s circus comes to town, 1950

8. “Moooo!!!” ca. 1952

9. Tumbleweed Theatre, 1939 - was at 11918 Garvey

10. El Monte Union High School, 1910

11. Unspecified neighborhood in El Monte, 1952

12. Postcard view of Crawford’s Village Store, 1950s

13. Flooding on Foothill near Valley, 1952

14. Starlite Drive-In, taken by Leonelli in 1978

15. Microtech Plant, taken by Julius Shulman in 1960. Was at 1201 N. Arden Dr. - address no longer exists.

16. Pitkin Bros. Richfield Station, 1936, taken by Shulman

17. El Monte Airport (now San Gabriel Airport), 1971

18. 700 tons of scrap tire stock at the Pacific R&H Chemical Corporation, looks 1920s.

19. P&J Motors on Garvey, taken 1977 by John Margolies

20. An RTD bus cruises past rush hour on the 10

—

Claremont Colleges - 1,14

Pasadena Star News - 2

Huntington - 3

LAPL - 4,7,17

LA Theatres Blog - 5

USC - 6,8,11,13,19

UCLA - 9,20

CA State Library - 10

Crawford’s Blog - 12

Getty - 15,16

Library of Congress - 18

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbZTYosDw8_/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Will never forget the kids and adults from the old Duarte neighborhood, kids like Sean Moore, Kevin Moore, Eriq Bergquist, Keith Larsen, Lenny and Kenny Baca, Randy Reagan, Kevin Williams from Duarte with whom I ran Cross Country, Stuart Greene who was a great friend to me after high school.  He'd invite me out to shoot pool locally.  He was very good.  He even invited me to work a few days with him on a construction site.  I didn't have the knack like he did.  He did everything with excellence from construction to shooting pool to throwing an insane curveball.  His brother, Marc, was a fierce competitor in Cross Country.  Not sure if Marc participated in any other sports.  

But I learned this morning that Cecil Tom Moore, Sean's father, died the same year as Kevin, 2011.  Tom passed in July, 2011, whereas Kevin passed in May, probably leaving his siblings, mom and dad inconsolable.  

Kevin Moore, 1957-2011.

I met Debbie at Tom's funeral, and distraught myself over what to say, flubbed some awkward condolence.  Hugs generally help but maybe not in this case.  

"Pancho & Lefty," 1983

"Pancho met his match, you know 

On the deserts down in Mexico"

"Pancho & Lefty," 1983.  

Living on the road my friend
Is gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one, it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams

Pancho was a bandit, boys
His horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match, you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
Ah, but that's the way it goes

An all the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him hang around
Out of kindness, I suppose

Lefty, he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows

An all the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness, I suppose

The poets tell how Pancho fell
And Lefty's living in cheap hotels
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
So the story ends, we're told
Pancho needs your prayers, it's true
Save a few for Lefty too
He just did what he had to do
And now he's growing old

A few great federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose

A few great federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose

Jason Williams played streetball in the NBA, 1998-2011.

Maybe the most entertaining point guard to ever watch.

He play streetball in the NBA #jasonwilliams #NBA #basketball #tiktokcam... https://t.co/0KQAQfSspo via @YouTube

— Mike Walgenbach (@Walgenbach82743) July 6, 2026

Jason Williams, born 1975.