Union Station at Night ~ Los Angeles, California

This is a 1941 Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" linen vintage postcard. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Co., Los Angeles, California.

The postcard shows Union Station in Los Angeles, California. Union Station opened in May of 1939 and is still in use today. In fact, according to an article on Wikipedia, Union Station is "…the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States." Union Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I found this awesome photo of Union Station on the Wikimedia Commons website. Union Station is the red-roofed building in the foreground of the photo.

Union Station - Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Basil D. Soufi

At the bottom left side of the front of the postcard are the words: "Terminal Annex Post Office in Background." It looks like this refers to the white or cream building just to the left of Union Station.

I did an online search for the Terminal Annex Post Office and found an article on Wikipedia. The article stated that the building was completed in 1940. It also said that it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

This is a picture of the Terminal Annex Post Office building.

Terminal Annex Post Office Building - Wikimedia Commons
Photo by Los Angeles

The typed description from the back of the postcard says:

Typical of California, beautiful and spacious, the Los Angeles Union Station is one of the most attractive in the country. Built at a cost of $11,000,000, in a setting of unusual beauty, it typifies to visitors, the charm and hospitality of Los Angeles and Southern California.

Thanks for stopping by!



© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Villa Riviera and Pacific Coast Club ~ Long Beach, California

This is a 1941 Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Co., Los Angeles, California.

The postcard shows the Villa Riviera and Pacific Coast Club in Long Beach, California. I did a little research online and found that the Villa Riviera (the tall building in the postcard) officially opened in 1929 as a hotel. Today it houses condominiums. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. You can read more about the Villa Riviera building, including the building's history by clicking HERE and HERE.

This is a picture of the Villa Riviera building found on the Wikimedia Commons website. The photo was taken in 2009.

Villa Riviera Building
Wikimedia Commons
Author: Los Angeles

From what I read online, the Pacific Coast Club pictured on this vintage postcard is no longer standing. It was demolished in 1988.

Typed description from back of postcard:

Long Beach is justly proud of one of the finest and most popular bathing beaches on the California Coast. Many fine hotels, apartment houses, beach clubs, and homes, front on this delightful shore, in full view to the resort activities.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

The Large Cage, Bird Park, Santa Catalina, California

This is a 1939 Curt Teich, "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Company of Los Angeles, California.

It shows the large cage at the Bird Park on Santa Catalina Island.

Santa Catalina Island, often referred to as Catalina Island, or simply Catalina, is about 22 miles off the coast of Southern California.  The Catalina Chamber of Commerce has an official website.  If you’d like to check it out, here’s the link.

According to an article in the The Catalina Islander, May 11, 2001, found online at Google News, the Bird Park was established in 1929 and covered eight acres of land.  It had over 500 cages and housed over 8,000 rare and exotic birds.

The Bird Park was a very popular attraction on Catalina Island for over thirty-five years.  During World War II, the Park was scaled back and never regained it’s prewar vitality.  It closed in 1966.

Transcription from back of postcard:

In this giant cage, 110 feet in diameter, 90 feet in height, are several hundred rare and beautiful birds, collected from all over the world – African Crowned Crane, golden and silver Pheasants, Peacocks, Australian Swans, Mandarin Duck, Cockatoos, Macaws, and many other interesting birds.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Arroyo Seco, Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena, California

This is a 1931 Curt Teich "C.T. Art-Colortone" vintage postcard published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Company of Los Angeles, California. It shows the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, California.

The bridge was built in 1913 and turned 100 years old in December of 2013. To learn more about this historic bridge, and to see some amazing historic photos, including an "electric car" crossing the bridge in 1930, click on the link below.

Colorado Street Bridge at 100: The Birth of a Pasadena Landmark

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2014 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Mulholland Memorial Fountain, Entrance to Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California

This is a 1940 C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Co. of Los Angeles, California. The postcard shows the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain.

Transcription from back of postcard:

The William Mulholland Memorial Fountain is located at the junction of Los Feliz Boulevard and Riverside Drive at the entrance to Griffith Park. It was erected in commemoration of a life devoted to Civic Development, the building of the Los Angeles aqueduct, and his service with the Metropolitan District.

The blog, Big Orange Landmarks, has a blog post about the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain. There are several photos of this beautiful fountain in this blog post. If you'd like to check out the photos, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Palms and Flowers in a California Residential District

This is a 1931 C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard from my grandparents' collection. It was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Co. of Los Angeles, California.

The postcard shows beautiful flowers and palm trees in a California residential area. Isn't it a beautiful scene? Unfortunately, the postcard doesn't specify exactly where in California this is. Does it look like Southern California? What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Greetings from Hollywood California

This is a 1936 C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard which was published by the Western Publishing & Novelty Co. of Los Angeles, California.

My grandparents and their family emigrated from Brazil to the United States in 1952. They arrived in New York and traveled across the United States on their way to their final destination of Southern California. There are many vintage postcards from California in my grandparents' collection. The postcard I'm sharing with you today is one of them.

Hollywood is a popular tourist destination. After arriving in California, my grandparents and their family visited the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Here's a picture of them at this famous tourist spot. My two uncles are the little boys in the photo and my Grandma Willis is to the left of them. Willis' mother is the woman in the foreground of the photo on the right.




I did a little bit of research online, and it appears that the younger of my two uncles (the one on the right) is standing on the handprint/footprint square for Diana Wynyard. And directly behind him is the square for Judy Garland. My other uncle is standing in between the squares for Mickey Rooney and Norma Shearer. Willis' mom is standing on the square for the Ritz Brothers.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

With the 2013 college football season about to begin, I thought this was the perfect time to share this fun vintage postcard with you.

This is a 1951 Curt Teich C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard showing The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Transcription from back of postcard:

ROSE BOWL, PASADENA

     The scene of the annual East-West football championship, which is played on New Year's Day. Each year the Tournament of Roses Association invites the western university whose team has made the most outstanding record during the season. The university in turn invites its opponent of similar standing from the East. This game has become a national classic. Over 100,000 football enthusiasts crowd this immense stadium.

     Of interest to the visitors are the 5,000 beautiful rose bushes, some 157 varieties, that encircle the stadium.

Thanks for stopping by!

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Beach Clubs and Homes, Santa Monica, California

This 1941 Curt Teich C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard shows beach clubs and homes in Santa Monica, California.

Transcription from back of postcard:

The beautiful shaded park that crowns the famous Palisades at Santa Monica, overlooks one of the finest bathing beaches in the West. Many of the movie stars have homes along the shores of the Pacific, and also there are numerous fashionable beach clubs.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

New $3,000,000 Mutual Don Lee Television-Radio Studio, Hollywood, California

This is a 1948 Curt Teich C.T. Art-Colortone vintage postcard showing the Mutual Don Lee Television-Radio Studio in Hollywood, California.

Transcription from back of postcard:

MUTUAL DON LEE

TELEVISION-RADIO STUDIO, HOLLYWOOD 

World's greatest studio built exclusively for television-radio at 1313 North Vine Street, covers four enormous theatres decorated in 19 dazzling colors to create optical effects. "Poly-cylindrical diffuses" and walls tilted at angles obtain maximum acoustical effects.

Here is what the building looks like today, courtesy of Googlemaps.com. The building no longer houses the Don Lee Television-Radio Studio. The sign on the building says:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences 

Pickford Center

To read more about this historic building, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Date Gardens On The Desert

This is a Curt Teich Art-Colortone vintage postcard from 1943. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where or when my grandparents purchased this postcard. It wasn't included in my grandparents' 1952 scrapbook which documented their trip across the United States that summer.

But it is quite interesting. It actually looks like some kind of date tree farm with all of those neatly planted rows of date palm trees.

Thanks for stopping by!


© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last