Lighting Here and There

23 Oct 2005

as of Oct 2005
These pics taken Oct 2005.
A few views here harking back to the start of the property boom in Hollywood, just before the last financial crash. At time of writing (March 2018) almost none of the buildings or views seen here are still there.
This is the 1600 block of Vine St, looking south towards Selma. The "Specials" are still present on the east side of the street, but the changeout has already started and the replacement teardrops are already on the west side. The subject of this sequence of pics is around the parking lot sign seen in the righthand pic above.

23 Oct 2005

as of mid 2007
Walking down to the parking lot entrance, some extremely old lighting is apparent. A 4 tube gas station type fluorescent fixture attached to the parking lot sign, and some even older long abandoned incandescent flood lighting. Also a home made festoon of bare A shape lamps.

23 Oct 2005

as of mid 2007
This type of festoon predates the parking lot, and probably the usage of the building it is attached to (the Juices Fountain). They seem to be specific to southern California, and were put up by usually used auto dealers who had their lots right on the kerb. Main auto dealers didn't seem to use them, as they could afford real flood fixtures, just the used car lots had them. Looking at historical pics from the 1940s there seemed to be quite a lot of used auto lots in this particular part of Hollywood, so I suspect that these lights denote the location of one of those lots here. Probably the Juices Fountain building dates from that time as one end of the festoon comes from there.
Another place that these type of home made festoons were seen, was at the entrance to temporary parking lots, the lots that were on empty parcels of land. In this case whether the lights predate the lot that is currently using this entrance, or whether the lot is actually very old, is lost in history.
In the RH pic above another abandoned bit of signage, notable as there is a U-tube fluorescent.

20 Oct 2005

as of late 2007
Pic above taken Oct 2005.
As an example of just how much gentrification has taken place in Hollwood, this pic above is of part of 6904 Hollywood Blvd. This building was home to several shabby souvenier shops and a market, and as can be seen the lighting solution they used was rather unique- clear mercury barn lights angled upward towards the sign. This all lasted until late in 2007 at least, but then the building was refurbished and is now home to "The Hollywoodland Experience" store, and the former maps store front is now a Zara.

as of Jan 2019
Pic taken Oct 2005.
This is heading SW on Cahuenga W having just turned left at the end of Barham. An Econolite Senior teardrop in the forground, then a run of Reflectolux Senior (Westinghouse) teardrops, all series clear mercury. All still working too.