Eastlake Park boathouse, aka Lincoln Park, 1908

1908, Eastlake Park boathouse, aka Lincoln Park, the counter to Westlake west of Downtown LA. Thanks to Tom Anderson @ Los Angeles.

I asked a few members of the family back on April 6, 2023 if they had any recollection of Lincoln Park or its previous iteration of Selig Zoo.

Anyone recall Dad talking about going to the Sellg Zoo in Lincoln Park?  I ask because he would occasionally drive past Lincoln Park on Valley Blvd coming out of Downtown from Main Street and then head north on Soto to Huntington Drive back in the day.  He'd reminisce often about Lincoln Park and how he used to work at the County Hospital. as a volunteer changing bed pans.  Oh, what fun.  But that was Dad's civic spirit.  I presume that was pre-WWII.

1937, Two palms frame this view of the Boathouse on the Lincoln Park Lake.  Thank you to LAPL.

John Whitney's comment is excellent.

East Lake Park was dedicated on August 18th, 1883, and soon after the park and lake infrastructure and buildings were developed including the conservatories and boathouse, which features a square tower, arched windows and covered walkways. In 1917 the name changed to Lincoln Park. The park deteriorated in the 1960s and the boathouse was threatened with demolition but a grass routes effort led to the development of a cultural center in 1984 called Plaza de la Raza around the restored boathouse, today called the Boathouse Gallery. In 2000 the boathouse was determined eligible for listing in the National Register and was listed on the California Register. Fishing is still permitted and the lake is stocked with trout, but no boating or swimming is allowed. The former site of the demolished carousel is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #153.

Two palms frame this view of the boathouse on Lincoln Park Lake.

Photo by Schultheis, Herman Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation

Pam Petronio writes, 

In 1874 the City of Los Angeles purchased the 46 acres making up East Los Angeles Park; it was officially dedicated seven years later, in 1881. By 1901 it had become a major amusement center for the people of Los Angeles, and it was at this time that the name was changed to Eastlake Park. In 1911 William Selig opened a zoo on the northern edge of the park, and this became one of the main attractions; in 1914 a carousel was added, which drew 150,000 riders a year; and a short while later, an arboretum was erected on the premises that housed a large greenhouse (hothouse) with rare and exotic plants. On May 19, 1917, the City Council responded to a petition from nearby residents and renamed it Lincoln Park, named after Lincoln High School. On April 21, 1976 the carousel was designated Historic Cultural Monument No. 153 by the City of Los Angeles, but was destroyed just a few months later. 

Portion of the lake at Lincoln Park, once known as Eastlake Park, located in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles. Many people can be seen gathered along the shore possibly looking at boaters (not visible at this angle), while others keep cool by resting on the grassy areas, which are shaded by large eucalyptus, pine, and palm trees. The boathouse that is visible on the right of the photograph, and would eventually become Plaza de la Raza.

1971, Lincoln Park Boathouse. Thank you to LAPL. This is what I remember from driving past Lincoln Park Lake with my Dad back in the late 60s, early 70s.

Grand opening of Crawford’s Village in El Monte, “the world’s largest food basket” on October 18th, 1947.

Welcome to the grand opening of Crawford’s Village in El Monte, where a hungry crowd showed up for a drawing to give away “the world’s largest food basket” on October 18th, 1947.

Really, this was a grand RE-opening as W.H. Crawford first opened his El Monte location in the late 1930s, but looking to both keep up with the times and to stand a fighting chance in the incredibly competitive supermarket boom of the 1940s, they redesigned the property to become the world’s “Biggest Little Country Store,” which they reopened with a raffle to win an enormous food basket (pictured herein), and it looks like they were giving out free food as well.

For context, this was during the LA’s post-war housing shortage, and was at a time when grocery prices were being driven up by high inflation (reported at 14.4% - more than five points higher than its peak following covid). In fact, four days before these were taken, Congress had launched an investigation into high food prices across Los Angeles and W.H. Crawford himself testified his view that consumers needed to be educated on alternatives to the highest-priced items, which would invariably lower demand on those items and free him up from having to keep stocking them, only to rot on his shelves. According to his testimony, he was passing on 33% of his losses to consumers, but couldn’t go any lower as he was already operated at a profit of less than two percent.

Given that crisis, you can understand why this turned put to be such a popular event that evening, and why they continued the giveaways even after prices were brought back down.

Ultimately, this iteration of Crawford’s would catch fire in February 1948, just four months after these photos were taken. Four months after that, Crawford announced his plans to rebuild with a 50,000-square-foot building that would include a coffee bar, a flower shop, and a postal substation. It was estimated to cost $500,000 (equal to $6.9 Million today), and would be completed later that year.

—

Photos by Allan Grant for LIFE Magazine

Special thanks to Gary Cliser's blog on Crawford's which filled in some gaps for me on the story. Thank you to Forgotten Los Angeles.

Hill and 8th St., LA, 1929

1929, Pedestrians and a traffic cop face off at the intersection of Hill and 8th St. According to the Union Bank & Trust clock, it's 1:30 in the afternoon. On the left is the Garfield Building, awnings from The Owl Drug Co., Van de Kamp's Bakery and Ted's Tie and Robe Shop shade the sidewalk. "Herberts Cafe" vertical sign edges the Jeweler's Exchange Building, center. The Alhambra Theater in the Edward D. Silent Building advertises the "Love Doctor, a Talkie" in its marquee. Another vertical sign, this one for Birch and Smith Furniture Co., is just before the theater. (Security Pacific National Bank Collection).  Thank you to LAPL.  Though I've used this search engine to little success, it does in general contain some old photos of LA and surrounding area.  I tried this site, too, Remains of LA, but no luck on finding Herbert's Cafe. 

Mrs. Mike, 1949

I saw this movie as a kid late at night after everyone in the house was asleep.  I liked the title, "Mrs. Mike," because Mike was and is my name, and I thought it'd be nice to entertain what a "Mrs. Mike," a wife for Mike, might look and act like.  And I liked Dick Powell.  And though I remember the dramatic part of the story regarding the diphtheria epidemic, I'd forgotten or overlooked how it was really about the shortages of vaccine serum.  The acting and script were terrific.  Loved the backdrop of a Canadian forest, canoeing across deep forest lakes and rivers and the struggle for life between the Mike and his wife, Kathy.  The cynic in me says that Dick Powel was made a star because he supported key industries, like the vaccine industry, but like I said, that's the cynic in me.  I hope I am wrong.

This author Neglected Films does a nice review, dated July 31, 2024.

Barbara Stanwyck, 1907-1990

Thanks to Terence Butcher. 

Barbara Stanwyck, 1907-1990. 

Parking in DWTN Los Angeles, 1957

Thanks to Forgotten Los Angeles.

Photos aren’t captioned, but here are the ones I’ve figured out. Comment if you recognize others.

• 1-2. Wilshire & Grand

• 3-4. The Pigeon Hole parking garage at 644 S. Flower

• 5. Entrance to the garage under Pershing Square

• 6. Pershing garage interior (i think)

• 7-12. Unknown. Love the guy kicking the meter in 12.

•13-16. Unknown, but bottom of 13 indicates Beverly Hills

•17-20. The May Company’s old parking structure (w/ Park La Brea visible in the distance)

[1927] The demolition of the Paul De Longpre residence. It was located on the west side of Cahuenga Blvd. at Hollywood Blvd. and featured Moorish architecture and a large garden. Whiting Wrecking Co. is doing the job. 2nd Image. Undated exterior view of the Mission Revival/Islamic style Hollywood residence and gardens of artist Paul de Longpre. 3rd Image. 1906 exterior view of the Paul De Longpre residence. (Security Pacific National Bank Collection). Thanks to LAPL.