HIGHWAY 101 AT LEWIS ROAD IN CAMARILLO

Highway 101 @ Lewis Road in Camarillo, ca 1950.

Image / Highway 101--Camarillo Eucalyptus Tunnel

I will never forget the feeling as a kid driving along the 101 through and along the row of eucalyptus how comforting they were to me, like a row of sentries protecting our way.

Tom Donovan Texaco Station @ Sunset and Figueroa

 

This might be the best shot of that intersection at Figueroa and Sunset in Los Angeles.  That gas station, I believe, is a Gilmore Gasol, where Tom Donovan's old Texaco station used to be in the 1960s.

Caption reads, "(1924)  View looking east toward the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Figueroa Street.  A Gilmore service station can be seen on the NE corner.  The Orsini Apartment Complex is now situated at this site."

Note the street-level Silverwoodsbill board on the east side of the Gilmore Gasol property.  Silverwoods is where Dad used to shop for clothes in their store on Lake Avenue in Pasadena.  

An interesting note about Gilmore Service stations.  

Built in 1935, this Art Deco gas station was designed by R.J. Kadow, and was one of the original service stations for the Gilmore Oil Company. The Gilmore family is a longtime Los Angeles institution, having acquired the Rancho La Brea in the mid 19th century. In the early 20th century, oil discoveries on Gilmore land brought about a new fortune in petroleum. The Gilmore family went on to establish Farmer’s Market (HCM #543), which was built alongside the original Gilmore Adobe. They also established the Gilmore Bank, built Gilmore Field for the Hollywood Stars, a minor league baseball team, and also sponsored midget race cars on a small race track. Both the field and the racetrack were later replaced by CBS Television Central. The Gilmore Station itself remained with the company until its merger with Mobile Oil in the 1940s. The station was later leased by Texaco, and today serves as a hand-car-wash facility and movie set.

Downtown 101 Freeway

 

1953, Thank you to Arturo Salazar @ Freeways of Los Angeles, 1953.

Mark Lawrence points out that the LA County Hall of Justice in the foreground [built in 1925 is unmistakable]; the Federal Building and Courthouse are in the background.

1954, View of the Hollywood Fwy as it crosses Rampart Blvd. Los Angeles, CA, 1954; the view is generally to the southeast. Note Queen of Angels Hospital at left center; I was born there, as were many children of LAUSD teachers, in 1951.  Thank you to Paul Ayers.  Posted here on Friday, December 27, 2024.

Called "The Slot"?

1962, Thanks to Arturo Salazar, whose caption reads, 

1962 - Looking westerly over Santa Ana Fwy (US-101) at Alameda St near Union Station (right). Civic center buildings are prominent in center-right background (Water & Power Assoc photo).

At that time, US-101 changed its name to Hollywood Fwy at Spring St. Today most consider that name change occurring at the Harbor Fwy/Arroyo Seco Pkwy (CA-110) four level interchange.

Taix French Restaurant (left center) closed this location on Commercial St in 1964 and is now located on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park.

1960, Thank you to Classic Hollywood/Los Angeles/SFV.  No caption on this pic.  That's too bad.  Westbound lanes on the Hollywood 101 Freeway, 1960.  

1973, Santa Ana Freeway towards the Hill Street overpass.  Thank you to Mel-v VC.

1963, Hollywood Freeway.  Thank you to Historic Los Angeles.

By 1963, the Hollywood Freeway was a symbol of Los Angeles’ embrace of modern infrastructure and the automobile era. Stretching through the city, it connected downtown to Hollywood and beyond, reducing travel times for commuters and visitors. The freeway was lined with landmarks and offered glimpses of the surrounding hills and iconic skyline. While traffic occasionally slowed, the freedom of the open road symbolized the city’s growth and ambition. The Hollywood Freeway became an essential part of LA’s identity, representing its sprawling, car-centric culture.

Songs 1st Week of December 2023

Heard a few really good songs last few days and I wanted to collect them here.  Wished I could have shared these with people.

Rihanna's "Stay," 2013.  So Rihanna is Barbadian and sings the song with Mikky Ekko from Nashville.  Okay. 

Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years," 2011  

Clannad's "I Will Find You," 1993.  

The Cranberries "Linger," 1993 from their debut album, "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?"

Blue Christmas Bob Dorough and Miles Davis

 

The first time I heard the song was probably 2005, 2006 and I absolutely loved it.  And I had been trying to find a recording of it since.  It's just that the radio announcer, probably Chuck Niles, on KKJZ, 88.1 in Long Beach pronounced the guy's name as Devereaux, or at least that's what I heard.  I didn't hear Bob Dorough.  Anyway, finally found it after all these years.  

White Sox Ball Park, 1939

White Sox Ball Park in Boyle Heights (1939).  Want a larger photo, go to the original source.  The ballpark, at least from the outside, reminds me of Wrigley Field in Souh LA.

I loved this shot because it captures those years the way that I had imagined them.  I mean back in the '60s, I used to go Rams games with my dad and cousin and before the game we'd be in the parking lot holding a small tailgate party, eating burritos and guzzling pop from Pedro's on Del Mar in San Gabriel.  

Review of Duarte, June 19, 2022

Some pics of Immaculate Conception.