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February 6, 2013

Early Views of Hollywood

In 1853, one adobe hut stood in Nopalera named for the Mexican Nopal cactus indigenous to the area. By 1870, an agricultural community flourished in the area with thriving crops of many common and exotic varieties. The area was known to these residents as the Cahuenga Valley, after the pass in the Santa Monica Mountains immediately to the north (Cahuenga is the Spanish name for the Tongva village of Kawengna, meaning place of the mountain). Soon thereafter, land speculation led to subdivision of the large plots and an influx of homeowners.

(1882)* - Before roads and rail lines were built traveling through the Cahuenga Pass was by wagons and horses or on foot. This picture was taken at the summit. There is a saloon concealed among the trees.

(1904)* - Franklin Avenue Bridge near Bronson Ave. in 1904.

(ca. 1894)* - Two groups of wagons and horses traveling through the Cahuenga Pass.

(1901)* - Undeveloped area of what is now Hollywood and Cahuenga Blvds. The little boy in the lower right of the photograph stands at what will be the northeast corner where the Security Trust & Savings Bank building is later built.

(ca. 1916)* - Exterior view of Cahuenga Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, located at 4591 Santa Monica Boulevard. It opened in 1916 and was intended, at the time, to serve a community of workers in the then nearby orange and avocado groves and wheat fields.

(1892)* - Before roads and rail lines were built traveling through the Cahuenga Pass was by wagons and horses. Here a group of people have stopped to camp and cook something to eat. Another horse drawn vehicles passes them by on the road.

(n.d.)* - View of early Cahuenga Pass. The road runs around and through a cultivated area.

(1882)* - A closer view of the summit of Cahuenga Pass with a saloon situated between the trees.

(1897)* - Early travel through the Cahuenga Pass, which connected Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, was done on bicycles by some. This area would later become Cahuenga Blvd., just south of Whitley Terrace.

(ca. 1905)^^ - Hollywood's unpaved Cahuenga Pass, ca.1905. There is a narrow dirt road winding its way through a mountainous pass covered with trees and bushes. In the lower left corner, there are two horse-drawn wagons and a single pedestrian.

(ca. 1880)^ - In this photo the Cahuenga Valley Railroad line cable car is also called the "Dummy line." Note the inside of the cable car is actually hollow with wooden chairs being used for sitting.

(1896)* - Photograph of the front page of the Hollywood newspaper, "The Cahuenga Suburban," dated April, 1896. It includes an agricultural drawing and a photo of a Hollywood lemon grove. The drawing includes an electric railroad car and a close-up of various fruits and vegetables. Subtitled, "An Illustrated Monthly descriptive of The Cahuenga and Santa Monica by the Sea," the price is five cents or one dollar per year, 50 cents to eastern subscribers.

(n.d.)* - Exterior view of Cahuenga Tavern in Cahuenga Pass.

(ca. 1911) - Construction is in progress on one corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Cahuenga in this picture taken around 1910 or 1911. Possibly the same corner at which the Sackett Hotel stood.

(ca. 1880)* - The Cahuenga Valley Railroad, a steam railroad built in the 1880's to provide access to Hollywood. The locomotive and passenger car is shown on Hollywood Boulevard, then Prospect Avenue.

(1913)* - Exterior view of Castle Sans Souci, the mansion of Dr. A.G. Castles in Hollywood. He was originally called Dr. Alfred Guido Rudolph Schloesser, but during World War I, due to anti-German sentiment, he changed it to Dr. A.G. Castles. He also changed the name of the residence from Schloesser Terrace to Castle Sans Souci in honor of the summer residence of Frederick II.

(1899)* - Visitors gather at the entrance of the Mission Revival/Moorish style Hollywood residence of artist Paul de Longpré.

(ca. 1905)* - Interior of the Mission Revival/Islamic style Hollywood residence and art gallery once owned by artist Paul de Longpré. Several of the artist's rose paintings are on display throughout the room shown here. The flowers depicted in the paintings came from his famed garden, which at one time consisted of approximately 4,000 roses. The home was located on the west side of Cahuenga Blvd. at Hollywood Blvd. on property Longpré obtained from Mrs. Wilcox Beveridge after he moved to Los Angeles in 1889. The artist, who was born in Lyons, France, desired the 65-foot-deep lots for an extensive flower garden. The residence was a popular tourist destination for several years and was demolished in 1927.

(ca. 1898)* - Visitors walk through the extensive flower gardens at the Mission Revival/Moorish style Hollywood residence (background) of artist Paul de Longpré. Two men in the foreground appear to be wearing Shriner fezes, suggesting that a special event for the fraternal organization was taking place. The flower garden of the home, located on the west side of Cahuenga Blvd. at Hollywood Blvd., included at one time over 4,000 roses. The residence was a popular destination for tourists who enjoyed the beautiful home, de Longpré's personal art collection and the gardens.

(1860)* - View of the Duin residence, a small ranch house at Western and Lemon Grove Avenues in Hollywood in 1860. Two women and a child as well as two men with their horses pose for the camera at the ranch.

(Early 1900s)* - Early view of Franklin and La Brea Avenues with residential buildings in the foreground and hills in the background.

(ca. 1890)* - People are seated in front of the first hotel in Hollywood, the Glen-Holly Hotel, at the corner of Ivar and Yucca Streets. The Hotel was run by C.M. Pierce and his wife (shown standing at right).

(1900)* - View of the Hammel and Denker Ranch. Two men sitting in a horse-drawn carriage watch as workers pick peas in winter.

(1899)* - View looking up Gower and Beachwood from Krotona Hill, in 1899. The road as seen above was established in the 1870s by Henry and George Claussen. It leads to a two-story home and farm buildings. Beachwood Drive now runs along the bottom of the canyon, and Gower Street runs up the hill by the windmill.

(1898)* - Panoramic view of the Charles Harper Victorian home and property, standing at the entrance to Laurel Canyon in Hollywood. A man, perhaps Charles Harper, stands in the foreground in 1898. Harper, a merchant, had a hardware store on Spring near Temple Streets.

(1900)* - View of what is now known as West Hollywood, as seen from Harper Ranch.

(1906)* - Early view of Highland Avenue north of Hollywood Boulevard in 1906. Some buildings are visible with hills in the background.

(ca. 1900)* - Two men stand on Olive Hill in Hollywood circa 1900. A panoramic view of Hollywood extends to the north toward the mountains from what would become Barnsdall Park, looking toward a later Hollywood Blvd. and Vermont Ave. area.

(ca. 1908)* - A photo of a flyer advertising real estate: "Choice building lots in the Holly tract, now platted and ready for sale at $150 to $400 per lot." These residential lots are being sold by R.W. Poindexter Co. and George P. Swan. Their addresses are given on the flyer. Photo dated circa 1908.

(1907)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood in 1907, looking southeast from Franklin Avenue near Orange Drive. Hollywood High School is in the center of the photo, facing Highland Avenue, with vacant lands beyond. The Hollywood Hotel is at left, facing Hollywood Blvd. Orchid Street is at left. Quite a few houses are seen, and electric power poles line the streets. (Some prints identify the date as 1905.)

(1906)* - Exterior view of the old flower-covered wooden police station in Hollywood, located at 131 of an unidentified street, in 1906.

(ca. 1880)* - View of the Cahuenga Valley R.R. on Hollywood Boulevard, ca. 1880. The old Hurd residence is in the background, corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue.

(1880)* - View of the many orange trees that line the hills of Krotona Hill, located near Gower and Beachwood Drive, in Hollywood. A man can be seen standing in the orange groves.

(ca. 1890)* - A man stands near the entrance to his Hollywood property while two women ride in a horse-drawn carriage travel down the unpaved driveway to where is standing. A glimpse of a large orange grove is visible on the right.

(ca. 1895)* - Two women and a small child are shown on the porch of a two-storey wooden farmhouse located at what is now the corner of Hollywood and Western identified as once having been owned by Mary Penman Moll. A small water storage tower is visible just to the right of the home and in the background is a barn.

(1896)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood looking north toward the later Vermont Ave. and Los Feliz Blvd. area from Olive Hill in 1896. A few small farms and orchards are seen.

(1902)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood, looking southeast from Laughlin Park at Franklin and Western Avenues in 1902. Numerous orchards are seen, with a few homes and farm buildings.

(1904)* - Photograph taken of three ladies in a 1904 Oldsmobile at a loction west of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street, Hollywood, California, 1904.

(ca. 1905)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood circa the early 1900s, with scattered houses on the city blocks. In the center of the photo with two towers is the rear of the Paul DeLongpre residence at Hollywood and Cahuenga Boulevards. Highland Avenue is in the foreground.

(1905)* - View of Western Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, below Sunset in 1905. The ornamental house seen in the background belonged to the Hampton family. Four children, two boys and two girls, stand along the road posing for the camera. In the distance is Mt. Hollywood, the highest peak with an elevation of 1,657 feet. Photo dated: 1905.

(1907)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood in 1907, looking north from the Hollywood High School campus. A number of houses are seen, and electric power poles are visible.

(1904)* - Two passengers in an antique car are diving on an unpaved Hollywood Blvd. near Sunset Blvd. alongside street car tracks.

(1905)* - Hollywood Blvd. looking east from Gower Avenue. There are residences to the left and right and a streetcar is seen in the middleground. Barely visible in the background are the Silver Lake Hills.

(ca. 1898)^^ - View of workers grading the roadbed and installing streetcar tracks on Hollywood Boulevard.

(1905)* - The 1905 Hollywood High School Football team pose in their uniforms on the steps of the high school. A player holds a football with "05" painted on it. A glass bottle in a wicker holder is on the step in front of the team. The caption reads "Mr. Nevius and football team".

(1906)*^ - Hollywood High School (at center), 1906, one year after it opened.

(1908)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood in 1908, looking toward the hills from the Hollywood High School campus, the later site of the Roosevelt Hotel. An athletic field is in the foreground. A number of houses are seen, and electric power poles are visible.

(ca. 1905)* - Original building of Hollywood High School designed by Burnham and Bliesner in the "Ionic architecture" style. With two stories and a basement, it accommodated 400 students.

(1920)* - A view of Hollywood High School campus, or quadrangle, looking northwest from Highland Ave. Cars are parked in front of fan palms that need to be trimmed. Yucca trees grow by the stairs leading to the entrance of the original 1905 building. "Hollywood Union High School" is chiseled over the entrance.

(1909)* - Hollywood Union High School athletes, both baseball and track, are in their uniforms on the field in back of the high school. An English half-timbered style house is next to the school.

(1901)* - Fields, farm buildings and distant mountains mark the future site of Hollywood High School. Six and a quarter acres were purchased for the high school for $8,000 in 1904. Photo dated: 1901.

(1905)* - View of the Hollywood Hotel in 1905 just after it was enlarged to cover the entire block. Flanking the west side of Highland Avenue, the stucco structure fronted on a dusty, unpaved road with pepper trees that would eventually become Hollywood Boulevard.

(1903)* - View of the Hollywood Hotel on April 26, 1903, showing a gathering of people, five with identical open-air automobiles. Only the original portion of the hotel had been built at this time.

(ca. 1910)* - Carriage drawn by six horses in front of the Hollywood Hotel circa 1910. Several people are seated in the carriage.

(1888)* - Little steam engine and carriage of the Cahuenga Valley Railroad, which ran from Temple Street, Los Angeles, to Hollywood. Photograph is taken at Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue.

(1900)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood in 1900, looking across empty space toward a farm and Weid Canyon beyond.

(ca. 1880)* - View of J. B. Rapps's pineapple plantation in Hollywood, located at the northeast corner of Gower and Franklin.

(1906)* - View is looking east from the hill towards Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Avenue.

(ca. 1905)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood, seen from Whitley Heights circa 1905. A few houses are scattered about, and a winding street is seen. The curved configuration of Highland between the East and West sections of Franklin Ave still exists today.

(1903)* - This was Hollywood's first grocery store, established in the 1890s on the northwest corner of Sunset and Cahuenga. This two-story structure has a few signs on the side of the building which read, "Hollywood cash grocery", "Choice family groceries", "Ask for German family soap", and "Flour feed and grain". A horse and buggy are parked along the store entrance.

(1900)* - Exterior front view of the Victorian style E. C. Hurd residence at 6594 Hollywood Blvd. at Wilcox Avenue. Hurd was a member of the Cahuenga Valley Water Co., formed in 1894. In 1900, date of this photograph, the home was bought by farmer and banker H.J. Whitley, a director of the State Bank of Owensmouth. Known as the "Father of Hollywood," Whitley Heights is named for him. A railroad car, labeled Santa Monica, is on the street in front of the house. Also a couple are sitting in an open-air automobile, and the woman wears a lap robe.

(ca. 1905)* - Exterior view of the original Moorish/Mission Revival style building on the campus of Immaculate Heart College, located at 5515 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood. A cow can be seen grazing in the field in the foreground.

(ca. 1907)* - View of the original campus of Immaculate Heart College, located at 5515 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, as it appears in the early years of Hollywood when there were few homes (foreground) and large open spaces for agriculture, seen throughout this image.

(1916)* - Exterior view of the L.A.F.D. Fire Department, Engine 27, and the L.A. Police station, sharing the same building at 1629 Cahuenga Avenue in Hollywood.

(1909)* - Panoramic view of Hollywood in 1909, taken from Laughlin Park at Franklin and Western Avenues. Numerous orchards are seen, and a horse-drawn carriage is at right.

(ca. 1912)* - A trackless trolley, "The First in America," traveling to and from bungalow land in Laurel Canyon, Hollywood, in the early 1900s. Fare was 10 cents.

(1916)* - Aerial view of the Lookout Inn, south from Lookout Mountain in Hollywood. Notice the vast undeveloped expanse below.

(1877)* - "Birdseye view" drawing of an 1877 land promotional plan for a community to be known as Cahuenga, "the model suburb of Los Angeles, eight miles from the city, eight miles from the sea." Its northernmost street is Sunset Boulevard. It was never built as shown, with circular streets, etc., but some of its street names were later used elsewhere in the Hollywood area.

(ca. 1887)* - Drawing of the first map of Hollywood, issued by real estate agent H.H. Wilcox in 1887. Tracts and lots are numbered on the map. The Hotel Hollywood inset never was built as shown. Wilcox' residence is another inset. His office was located at 34 North Spring Street, where people could inquire for particulars concerning the development. Various other sites are listed at right and numbered accordingly on the map. Railroad routes are also included. At left is the Pacific Ocean.

(1910)* - Tree-lined Melrose Avenue, probably in 1910, at Western Avenue. Trees were planted in the early 1880's and felled on the right side in 1922 and on the left side in 1923. This was a favorite street for horse and buggy rides on Sundays.

(1906)* - Large rural area with a few houses and trees. The future site of Melrose and Normandie, 1906.

(1913)* - The first motion picture studio in Hollywood was built by David Horseley for Christie Film Co. Automobiles are lined up at Sunset Blvd., with Gower Street at right. The sign above the building reads "Christie Film Co.", and "Nestor Comedies, Universal Films." The photo includes Charles Christie, Horace Davey, Al Christie, Nadgi, head cameraman; George French, Gus Alexander, Harry Rattenburg, Lee Moran, Eddie Lyons, Billie Rhodes, and Eddie Barry. The photograph is signed "Witzel."

(ca. 1885)* - A group of people is seen on Mount Hollywood, having climbed it circa the 1880s. Some are holding walking sticks, and one man holds a gun. Three children are seated on the ground, with two women. Metal buckets and a pan are also on the ground. In the background, a river flows on the flat land below. The people are formally dressed, as was the custom at the time.

(1909)* - Pacific Electric Railway Hollywood car via the Hill Street Tunnel in 1909. Its sign says, "Beverly, Sawtelle, Ocean Park, Venice."

(ca. 1894)* - Students of the Cahuenga Pass School in Hollywood pose for a class photograph outside of the newly completed school building.

(1924)* - Police officers stand on the street outside of the Hollywood police station, Division 6, located at 1629 Cahuenga Avenue, just north of Selma Avenue. Neighboring businesses, a hotel (left) and a shoe shop (right), are also captured in the image.

(ca. 1920s)* - A policeman stands on a low box in the middle of the intersection in Hollywood, directing traffic, including a streetcar with a sign on the front for Santa Monica. In the background can be seen the back of the Hotel Christie.

(ca. 1900)* - Two men stand on Olive Hill in Hollywood circa 1900. A panoramic view of Hollywood extends to the southwest across what later became Sunset Blvd. at the foot of the hill. Here we see the Prospect Park station, post office, and other buildings. Olive Hill was also known as the Mount of Olives.

(1898)* - The extended Sackett family in front of the Sackett Hotel, in 1898. From left to right: Betsy Otis, H.D. Sackett's aunt; Mrs. Sackett; Lyman Hathaway, cousin of Mary Sackett; William H. Sackett; unknown; Mary Sackett; Zella Sackett, married to George Dunlap; unknown; Lilly ? ; Dora Miller. The post office was added in 1898. H.D. Sackett hardware is visible at right. Two of the women and two men are shown seated on bicycles, and a dog's legs are visible at right.

(ca. 1910)* - A view of the Sackett Hotel, facing Cahuenga Blvd at the southwest corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Cahuenga, about 1910. The hotel was built in 1898 by Horace Sackett. A post office was added in 1900, and the hotel stood until 1910 or 1911.

(1898)* - Exterior view of Sackett's, located on the southwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga in 1898. The building houses a small store and post office. A horse-drawn carriage is parked next to the sidewalk.

(1902)* - Tree-lined, unpaved Santa Monica Blvd. at Western looking west in 1902. A few houses are shown along with a man sitting on a log. The house on the left is on the southwest corner.

(ca. 1920)* - Photograph of stores, shops and street traffic near intersection of Crescent Heights and Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Sam Seelig Co.’s Crescent Heights Public Market on left.

(ca. 1885)* - Exterior view of Six Mile House, a bar offering wines and liquors, located on Sunset Blvd. at Gower Street in the 1880s. Just six miles from Los Angeles, it was a stopping point for 20-mule teams coming out Sunset Blvd. into the San Fernando Valley.

(1919)* - Northeast corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Western Avenue. S. Robinson & Co. real estate and investments office is located on the corner. A man with a dark suit and hat can be seen leaning against the building next to one of the widows. It appears that a small field of flowers is to the right, and houses in the background. A lone automobile is parked along Western Avenue.

(1905)* - View of Hollywood Boulevard looking east from a point west of Highland Avenue in 1905. The large area on the right is a strawberry patch. A streetcar can be seen in the center of the photo.

(1905)* - View of large residential homes in Hollywood, north from near Sunset and Highland.

(1905)* - Early view of Sunset Boulevard as a dirt road with real estate tracts being developed alongside. A team of horses (?) is seen in the middleground and low hills are in the background.

(1902)* - East on Sunset Boulevard from Fairfax Avenue in 1902.

(1900)* - Early view of Sunset Boulevard as a dirt road bordered by pepper trees planted by H.H. Wilcox in 1883. View is looking west from Wilcox near Edgemont.

(1896)* - Early view of Sunset Boulevard just west of Western Ave, looking north. In the foreground is a woman selling melons from a table.

(1901)* - A man walks through a sweet pea field located at about Fairfax and Sunset, in West Hollywood.

(Early 1900s)* - View of trackless trolley in early 1900s. It ran through Laurel Canyon and was the first in the United States.

(Early 1900s)#* - This was the nation's first trackless trolley, built by Charles Spencer Mann in 1910 to promote vacation lots in Laurel Canyon.

(ca. 1895)* - A couple poses outside of the large colonial revival residence located on Carlos Avenue in Hollywood, identified as once having been the home of E. W. Twist.

(ca. 1874)* - Farmer Dennis Sullivan farms a section of land where L.A. City College presently stands, on Vermont Ave. The location was the site of UCLA until the university moved to Westwood.

(1907)* - Photograph is captioned: Looking north from Hollywood Memorial Church, showing residence of A.G. Bartlett. The church building is not visible. The photograph shows a large residence on the left with orchards and fields all around.

(1905)* - Tourists visiting the famous De Longpre Art Gallery on Hollywood and Cahuenga Boulevards in 1905, traveling via electric cars.

(ca. 1903)* - Vine Street headed north into the hills from Hollywood Boulevard. George Hoover’s home is on the far left and the Bartlett residence is at the right. The empty field in right foreground is now the Pantages Theatre.

(ca. 1905)* - Photograph of the residence of A.G. Bartlett on Hollywood Boulevard between Vine Street and Gower Street, ca.1905. A plowed field is separated from crop rows by a picket fence, behind which a mansion, next to which a windmill stands, is visible on a hill, overlooking the crops. To its left, steps with railing lead down the hill to a smaller house, possibly a barn. Beyond this property, divided by yet another fence, more houses can be seen in the distance in front of the mountains.

(ca. 1910)* - Exterior rear view of the Spanish Revival Wattles Estate, looking southwest towards smaller homes, farms and orchards in Hollywood and what is now West Hollywood.

(ca. 1895)* - Orange grove and ranch of Mrs. Wakeman located near Western and Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood.

(ca. 1916)* - Aerial view of Hollywood, looking south on Western, circa 1917. Two orchard fields are in the foreground.

(1902)* - Residences on Wilcox Avenue in 1903, looking north from Hollywood Boulevard.

(1909)* - Panoramic view of West Hollywood, showing a few houses and much open space in 1909, when much of the area was agricultural. The view is from the rear of Wattles Gardens, a mansion and large formal garden bounded on the south by Hollywood Blvd. and on the west by Curson Avenue and the east by Sierra Bonita Avenue.

(ca. 1890)* - Wilcox Ave. from south of Hollywood Blvd. as an unpaved, tree-lined road.

(1907)* - Exterior view of the Hollywood residence and gardens owned by artist Paul de Longpré. The home was located on the west side of Cahuenga Blvd. at Hollywood Blvd. on property he obtained from Mrs. Wilcox Beveridge after he moved to Los Angeles in 1889. The French born artist desired the 65-foot-deep lots for a large flower garden.

(1909)* - A conductor leads a musical ensemble playing to a large crowd of visitors outside the Mission Revival/Moorish style Hollywood residence of artist Paul de Longpré. This well attended event celebrated the completion of the Hill Street tunnel in downtown.

(ca. 1905)* - Exterior view of the Mission Revival/Islamic style Hollywood residence once owned by artist Paul de Longpré. The home was located on the west side of Cahuenga Blvd. at Hollywood Blvd.

(Early 1900s)* - Two women and a man pose at the side exterior of the Six Mile House Hotel. A sign on the roof reads "Martin Labaig and Laurent Etchepare, proprietors", and ice cold beer is advertised at 5 cents a pop.

(via waterandpower.org)

2 comments:

  1. Nice photos! Saw most of these and more at:

    http://www.waterandpower.org/museum/Early_Views_of_Hollywood_(1850-1920)_Page_1.html

    http://www.waterandpower.org/museum/museum.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Two views of Cahuenga Blvd winding away, with two horse carts are the same photo reversed, one of them slightly cropped and looking closer. Someone should correct this.

    ReplyDelete




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