Back when Los Angeles was younger, at the dawn of the automobile age after World War I, tires, gasoline and cars were sold in buildings and displayed in a manner befitting a jewelry store. Among the rich archives of the USC Digital Library, are photographs of local businesses, who put extraordinary artistry into their signage and architecture…
From the archives of USC comes these fascinating (Dick Whittington Studio) photos of Vanowen and Laurel Canyon Blvds. in 1931. What might have become of the vast and verdant emptiness had it been developed with a plan, or a vision, beyond that of buyer and seller and developer? It would be an intersection harmonious, civilized,…
Most photographs of the Valley Municipal Building show the 1933 building after its completion, but here are some, by Dick Whittington Studio as the hole was being dug in 1932. Statistics and specifications for the completed structure exist and have been cited many times, so I won't do it here. Instead, one might look at…
86 years ago, the Dick Whittington Studio took these photos around Van Nuys. Locations are unknown, but what one sees is prosperity and industry tethered to art. The tiled bungalow with its vast wings, rafters, and a vented and vaulted front door entrance is an amalgamation of styles: Spanish, Adobe, Mission; wealth without ostentation, a…
(USC Digital Archives/ Dick Whittington Studio)
