Historic Echo Park

Anyone Remember Studio One Theatre?

Martin Mahler — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:17:17 GMT

I lived in Echo Park from appx. 1965 to 1977 when I went into the service. I remember many a weekend walking 2 blocks on Reservoir St. We lived just over the big hill from Alvarado. I remember watching many a silent movie and Westerns that were played there. I think it cost us 50 cents to get in back then.

I also lived on Allesandro St. near Berkeley Ave. in a house that had a round, castle like breakfast nook. We then moved to Mohawk St. where at the top of the hill you could look across Alvarado to the old movie production place where the lil rascals and other films were made. I remember Zan Raab being one of my neighbor's there.

We then moved to Lemoyne St. where my parents bought their first house right near Effie St. I lived there for about 9 years.

I have many wonderful memories - playing tennis and being on a soccer team at Griffith Park near the fountain on Los Feliz Blvd. Fishing from dawn to dusk all summer at Echo Park Lake on the island or near the lily pads by Alvarado.

I left California in 1984 and have lived all over the South Eastern part of the U.S.; I live in Houston, TX currently. Wouldn't mind hearing from those that knew me.

Forum: History

Lotus decline

david rowley — Thur, 16 Jul 2009 14:24:47 GMT

Well on a recent walk around my favorite lake after a 30 year hiatus working as a Firefighter Paramedic in the Mammoth area I noticed the Lotus Bed was gone. I went home and googled the subject and heard there were studies as why the decline and even an unsuccessful replanting of some disease resistant plants that also failed. One preposterous theory was that locals were eating the roots as an asian speciality. I went back which for me is quite a hike from Los Feliz to my house and tried to figure out what was different from when as a kid the lotus were taller than me and we spent countless hours and days fishing. I noticed that what we called "Tom Sawyer Island " locked off and now looks like bird island. As I sat on a bench in front of the Lotus I noticed some sticks and hoped they were shoots. Using my binnoculars I have answered the loss of the Lotus. I counted 25 mature adult red eared turtles in the lotus bed alone, over a hundred in a walk around the lake. I knew this was it as I and checking with freinds and I am sure you will confirm never saw turtles while spending countles days fishing as a kid. I read that as it ages it becomes mainly a plant eater. Nuff said!

Forum: History

1457 Alvarado St.

Cheryl Fox — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:16:35 GMT

I was raised for most of my childhood in Echo Park. Are there any photos of the 4-plex at 1457 Alvarado Street? It is now a parking lot. The inside of the apartment was so very beautiful. Thank you, Cheryl

Forum: History

Hardwood floor repair? Attack of the wood filler!

Cari — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 23:47:00 GMT

I'm in escrow for a 1910 craftsman in West Adams and the floors are randomly pasted with wood dough/putty/filler. It doesn't take stain and I want to get it out and patch with real wood. Has anyone done this? I understand the flooring is usually douglas fir, and I'm hoping to get some at salvage? Any suggestions would help.

Forum: Restoration

Info on Marathon St address circa 1932

TH — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:27:43 GMT

I am writing a biography and needed some background information.

In 1932, one of my subjects lived in a house at 2424 Marathon St. When I checked the property records, that address no longer exists, but there are three 1920's era houses on an adjoining lot which could have originally been 2424. Looking on Google it's hard to see what is at that address as it is obscured by fences.

Does anyone know if that is the case? How would I get the original property records to see who the owner was in 1932? I'm trying to work out how long my subject lived there for.

Thanks!

Forum: History

Streeton Family info? (John, Joseph, etc.) ... of Cerro Gordo St. and Morton Ave.

Bug — Thur, 09 Apr 2009 19:45:27 GMT

Am told a member of the Streeton family built our house, and other Craftsmen like it on Morton Street (1700 block). John and Joseph, mostly.

If anyone has more info, Particularly about an artistic family member who was an artist (a wife, perhaps?), would love to hear. I have some names from city directories, but would love more stories.

Thanks in advance,

Bug

Forum: History

Interior plaster - 1915 Craftsman - vendor recs?

bug — Thur, 09 Apr 2009 17:52:29 GMT

Hi all,

We are looking for an experienced, historic plaster "guy" who can give us an attentive fix at a reasonable rate, taking the masonite wall treatment into consideration (we don't know what's underneath the masonite. Lath??).

We are in a 1915 EP Craftsman with a combination of old, crappy plaster and significant cracks/breaks due to raising one side of the house 2" after years of settling.

One room's walls are painted/finished masonite. One of these boards is severely broken.

The other room appears to have an old, poorly applied plaster application directly on top of the masonite. What wasn't cracked is now bubbling.

We hope the vendor also will be attentive to minimizing lead dust and exposure, sealing off the room and copiously cleaning up afterward.

Any personal recommendations?

Thanks in advance,

Bug

Forum: Restoration

Fix pocket doors

John — Thur, 19 Mar 2009 00:18:25 GMT

Does anyone know someone who can fix my 1906 double pocket doors? They stick and run unevenly.

Forum: Restoration

Pocket Doors

John — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:20:34 GMT

I have two sets of double pocket doors in my 1906 Craftsman but they do not open and close well. Anyone know of someone who can repair them?

Forum: Restoration

Seville St.

Dave Moore — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:22:15 GMT

Have not had a reply to my earlier posting concerning Seville St. Perhaps because it was not in Echo Park, but on the western edge of Silver Lake (Silverlake?, another place name controversy). I am still hoping that someone who lived on that vanished street will answer and have info and hopefully photos of that time long ago.

Forum: History

Aguacates

Jacinto — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:23:04 GMT

I lived on Champlain Terrace and that block had many yards with avocado trees. One yard in particular, on Donaldson along the dirt alley had three varieties of avocadoes! They had the original meso-american cultigens that looked like small eggplants; one strange, perfectly round and un-etible variety; and one "regular" looking thing that like the round one, I swear this is true. was so hard that it would rot in the tree before it even became soft enough to eat!

My tree at...1619 (I think) had delicious fruit that I used to sell to Cuca's tiny store on the Avenue before they closed in the early seventies. Those taste-engorged fruit make me HATE the Haas guy out in Brea who developed his bland thangs fit for those who know no better...

Jacinto Guevara

Forum: History

Echo Park Lake in films

Jacinto — Thur, 01 Jan 2009 15:24:13 GMT

I'd like to start a list of films with shots of Echo Park Lake. Can y'all contrubute? IMDB.com is a great source for filmography. I'll get back with my list. Many Keystone, Hal Roach and probably two to four films a year since!

Forum: History

Conrete mini city on...Altivo Way (?)

Jacinto Guevara — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:02:36 GMT

I lived in Echo Park from '64 to '78.

Back in the sixties I would walk up the street in front of Elysian Heights-Fargo I believe-and go to the two (or three) storey apartment building on top of the hill that had a 'yard' that was a concete/rebar/lathe mini, European style city with little buildings. There was decayed galvanized water spouts and light bulb sockets. Year after year this display was evermore damaged by vandals. Around '86 I saw that the whole thing was gone.

PLEASE tell me I didn't imagine it.

Anyone have fotos or history of this example of 1920's kitch? Who was the architect of the building? Does someone have access to Herald, Examiner or Times period fotos heralding the opening of this edifice? Could Sabatto "Simon" Rodia have built it with the company he worked for?
I lived on Champlain Terrace in the back house next to the alley. My full name-Orlango J. Guevara is written in the concrete in front of the school my my class mates. I believe my webpage (http://www.JacintoGuevara.com) has at least one scene of EXP that I did in the late eighties (Kite Hill From Vestal) before coming to San Antonio to be able to live as an artist.

Jacinto
San Antonio, Texas

Forum: History

Help with restoring/repairing windows

Nicci — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:06:06 GMT

We want to restore our old double hung windows rather than buy new replacements. Can anyone recommends someone who has worked with taking out the sashes, stripping paint off the windows and then putting the sashes back into the window frame. 1 sash needs repair, others are in very good condition.
Thanks.

Forum: Restoration

Room 8 Multimedia Presentation

Roger Vargo — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:43:30 GMT

Room 8 was the beloved pet and mascot of Elysian Heights School from 1952 until his death in 1968. During his reign at the school he became the most famous feline in Los Angles and arguably one of the most famous cats in America. He was the subject of a book, a photo spread in LOOK Magazine, appeared regularly in the pages of area newspapers, was a guest on the Art Linkletter television program and appeared in the NBC-Wolper documentary, "Big Cats, Little Cats."

Join historian Roger Vargo at the Echo Park Library Saturday, November 8 at 2 p.m. for a multimedia retrospective of Room 8's amazing life.

The library is located at 1410 W. Temple St. contact the library at 213-250-7808 for additional information.

Forum: History