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Things to Do in Los Angeles

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Hollywood (2)	Long Beach (1)	Los Angeles (2)	Reseda (1)
San Fernando (1)	San Pedro (3)	Santa Monica (1)	Torrance (1)
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Extinct - Hollywood

Brown Derby Restaurant
The Brown Derby, the "Restaurant of the Stars" opened on Valentine's Day in 1929. In its day, it is said that no Hollywood movie star has never been inside "the Derby." The restaurant featured signed caricatures of many movie stars on the walls. Clark Gable proposed to Carol Lombard here in 1939. By the 1980s the building was a shell of its former self.
Designed by Carl Jules Weyl in the Spanish Colonial Revival style for Cecil B. DeMille. It was demolished in 1994. Photo on the right was taken in 1985. John R. Kielbasa
Also see The Original Brown Derby Restaurant below.

1628 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028 Map

NBC Radio City Building Est. 1938
Built in 1938 for NBC Radio. Here many famous radio shows were produced and aired, including the Jack Benny Show. Bob Hope also hosted a show here. The studio became obsolete with the advent of color television and the building was razed in 1964. Now a Washington Mutual Bank building is on the site. This too is slated for destruction. This postcard depicts the building in 1941. John R. Kielbasa

1500 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028 Map

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Extinct - Long Beach

Java Lanes Est. 1958

Adriene Biondo Demolished July 2004
Adriene Biondo

3800 E Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA 90804 Map

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Extinct - Los Angeles

Brown Derby Restaurant, The Original Est. 1926
Located across the street from the Ambassador Hotel, the original Brown Derby was built in 1926 as a coffee shop by Herbert Somborn, the ex-husband of Gloria Swanson. Rumors were that studio head Jack Warner fronted much of the finances involved in opening the place and was said to be a silent partner. When Somborn died, Robert Cobb bought the place. He is the inventor and namesake of the famous Cobb salad. Like the one on Vine Street, caricatures of Hollywood stars adorned the walls. The building was designed using a programmatic theme, which was popular in the 20s and 30s. The southwest part of the building was designed in the ever familiar shape of a brown derby hat with a brim. By 1983 the place was abandoned and in a state of disrepair. A two story strip mall was built on the site of the restaurant. There was plans to keep the derby portion of the original building and place it on top of the mall. Unfortunately, the 1994 Northridge Earthquake damaged the derby structure and it was demolished. The strip mall is known as the Brown Derby Plaza with a sign that has a small brown derby design on it. John R. Kielbasa

3377 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Map

Fox Carthay Circle Theatre Est. 1926
Designed by Dwight Gibbs in the Spanish Baroque/Mission Revival style. It was built in 1926 and Cecil B. DeMille's "Volga Boatman" was the first movie to premiere here. Built during the silent movie era, the theatre had 1510 seats and a grand Wurlitzer Theatre Organ. It was the site of many movie premiers. It was located in a strange area, mostly residential with a school nearby. The theatre was torn down in 1969. I believe a school now occupies the site. John R. Kielbasa

6316 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Map

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Extinct - Reseda

Barn - Reseda
Blown-up April 2003 for television

8200 block Tampa Ave, Reseda, CA 91335 Map

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Extinct - San Fernando

Ron-dee Coffee Shop

2003 Armet Davis Newlove. See the original architectural rendering at GoogieArt.com. Demolished late 2004
Rendering

12347 San Fernando Rd, Sylmar, CA 91342 Map

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Extinct - San Pedro

Fox Cabrillo Theater Est. 1923
The Fox Cabrillo Theatre was built in 1923. It was designed by Gabriel Meyer and Phillip Holler of the Milwaukee Building Company, the same architects who designed the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood the year before. The first movie shown here was on November 15, 1923. It originally showed silent films, but was wired for sound in 1928. It was a two story combination theatre, store, and office building. The theatre had about 1500 seats. This photo was taken in 1932. This treasured building was torn down in 1958 and replaced by a parking lot. Now that's progress for ya! John R. Kielbasa

115 W 7th St, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

The Globe Theatre Est. 1912
The Globe Theatre in San Pedro was built in 1912. It was an old vaudeville theatre. Fatty Arbuckle played here once. The theatre lasted well into the late 1960s. The theatre was torn down by 1971 as part of the redevelopment of the old Beacon Street area. This photo of the Globe Theatre was taken in August 1965. John R. Kielbasa

204 W 6th St, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

Signal Street Viaduct Est. 1928
This is a 1985 photo of the Signal Street Viaduct in San Pedro. Sometimes refered to as the 14th Street Viaduct, it was built in 1928 to carry vehicle and pedestrian traffic over the railroad tracks and thereby providing access to the waterfront. It began at the eastern terminus of 14th Street at (Harbor Boulevard) and wound its way on a southwesterly curve along west side of Fisherman's Slip and terminated near 22nd Street and Signal Street. This concrete viaduct replaced and earlier wooden one that was built around 1915. The viaduct was demolished in the final months of 1985. I used to take this viaduct to work everyday when I worked down at the docks in the Municipal Fish Markets on Signal Place. John R. Kielbasa

14th Street at Harbor Boulevard, San Pedro, CA Map

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Extinct - Santa Monica

Polly's Pies Est. 1978

Adriene Biondo A local favorite since 1978, closed 03/22/2004. New owners tripled their lease immediately to $22,000/mo. That ain't right.

501 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401 Map
310 394-9721

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Extinct - Torrance

Parasol Restaurant
Postcard courtesy of John R. Kielbasa.

2690 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, CA 90505 Map

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Extinct - Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills Honda Est. 1968
Designed by Paul R. Williams, demolished November 2003.

6111 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91367 Map

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