Knott's Berry Farm- Before and After Part 4

 1970s

I thought I would post another then and now shot of Independence Hall at Knott's Berry Farm. This first shot shows the building and the long walkway leading up to the entrance. I apologize for the quality of this picture, as the prints from this set were badly damaged. I tried to make the sky more blue. The original picture had green skies.

2010

And a more recent picture. The walkway is still there, but shorter. I had my back up against the wall of the Soak City water park. It's a shame that this once quiet and peaceful area of knott's is surrounded by a tacky water park. In the summertime the lawn here gets full of people in their swimsuits running around. But worst of all, it really make getting good pictures of the building difficult. The attraction itself is worth that annoyance as it recreates the original Independence Hall quite accurately.

Visit the official Knott's Berry Farm website here.

Tags: Knotts Berry Farm Ghost Town Independence Hall

Chris and Pitt's

One of southern California's great Bar-B-Q restaurants, Chris and Pitt's has a very unique architectural style; Create a the log cabin look and feel without actually building a log cabin.What you get is a terrific looking little Bar-B-Q place just off of the 405 freeway in Bellflower. The first Chris and Pitt's restaurant opened in 1940 by the young Greek immigrant Chris Pelonis. While many other Chris and Pitt's opened throughout California, only four restaurants are still operating today. The Bellflower location is known as number 4, and numbers 5, 6, and 15 are also still around. Along with the restaurant chain, Chris and Pitt's also has their very brand of Bar-B-Q sauce which is available for sale at select grocery stores.

A view of the corner of the building. It must have been quite an undertaking to paint all of the logs on the side of the building. Although they aren't real, it does give a nice country look to the building located in the middle of Southern California.

The rest of the building. There's not much parking in their lot, and it gets really tight with today's larger cars. I would recommend parking on the street or in their satellite lot across the street.

The Chris and Pitt's BAR-B-Q sign.

Another sign detailing the parking situation.

Chris and Pitt's BAR-B-Q No. 4 is located at 9839 Artesia Blvd Bellflower, CA 90706.

You can visit their website here.

Old Towne Mall- Carousel Gift Shop

If it was the early 1970's and you found yourself in the Old Towne Mall looking for that perfect gift for your loved one, then the Carousel Gift Shop was just the place for you. This picture shows the plethora of items for sale here. They have all of the typical seventies gifts; owls, mushrooms, caricatured statues, pictures of bread and wine, and lots of pottery. Notice the excitement in the faces of the shoppers as they browse their wonderful selections.

This is another view of the store, located right at the cable car entrance on the north side of the mall.

Here you can see the cable car in the background. You can also see the amazing carpet in the store. I like the quick transition from brick street to deep red carpet.

This ad touts the Carousel Gift Shop as not only the largest Hallmark card and gift shop in the southland, but also as the most beautiful. Many of the stores' names were relevant to the theme of Old Towne, as the Old Towne Carousel was the centerpiece of the mall.

All Old Towne Posts are located here.

Tags: Old Towne Mall Torrance California

Catalina- Captured German Machine Gun

Located in a small park in Avalon, Catalina is this World War I German machine gun which was donated to the city of Avalon in 1925. Notice the helmet mounted at the base of the gun.

This picture shows the plaque at the base. CATALINA ISLAND POST NO. 137 AMERICAN LEGION.

Redondo Beach Pier- Green Seahorse, Blue Seahorse

This is the last of the sea creature tile murals at the Redondo Beach Pier. This green seahorse matches the blue one seen along the same path.

The blue one. This entire set of tile murals is such a nice detail to the pier.

Here's a view of the section of the bike path with the tiles.

Redondo Beach Pier- Green Starfish, Blue Starfish

Here's another set of tile murals from the Redondo Beach Pier. This green starfish is along the bike path near the international boardwalk.

The blue starfish which matches the green one.

Redondo Beach Pier- Green Seagull, Blue Seagull

This Green tile mural of a seagull is located at the Redondo Beach Pier, along the bike path.

The other seagull, which is identical in style to the green one.

Redondo Beach Pier- Green turtle, Blue Turtle

Here's another set of tile murals from the Redondo Beach Pier. This time it's a couple of sea turtles.

The blue Turtle. The tiles are staggered blue, green, blue, green, etc.

Redondo Beach Pier- Green Fish, Blue Fish

Here's a couple of retro tile murals located just above the international boardwalk at the Redondo Beach Pier. There are two sets of these murals, one green and one blue. Each containing matching pairs of sea creatures.

The blue fish. These tiles line the bike path and add a nice nautical element to the area.

Old Towne Mall- Turn of the Century Advertisement

Here's an old advertisement from the long gone Turn of the Century Wax Museum located inside of the Old Towne Mall. Opening Thanksgiving time in 1973, the museum capitalized on the nostalgic aura of Old Towne. I'm not sure how successful the wax museum was, or for how long it lasted, but it did highlight the creativity and desire to create more than just a typical shopping experience. Pick up some macramé and on your way out stop by the wax museum and view a tableau of the suffragette movement. It helped make Old Towne an entertainment destination, not just another shopping mall.

All Old Towne Posts are located here.

Tags: Old Towne Mall Torrance California

Old Towne Mall- Clown With Crowd

Kids Have Fun

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, not to mention any Old Towne Mall pictures. This is a shot of a pantomimist entertaining not only children, but an entire crowd of people at the mall. This section of Old Towne was one of the most photographed. I've seen several pictures of this area in old advertisements. It's great to see these old stores. This picture was taken directly in front of June's Needlecrafts (You can see the bottom half of the sign at the top of the photo. Behind that, although out of shot is Su Casa, and behind Su Casa is Jug's Candies. Also recessed behind Jug's is the Tartan Shop, a store that specialized in coats of arms. the little red store that is behind the Jug's candies sign is Ol' Swedes Scandinavian imports (The largest wooden clog dealer in the west). That big yellow building is Music World, where you can find the newest cassettes and 8 track tapes. The big red barn across the way housed several shops including Eyes Art Gallery, and the Indian Trading Post. The yellow building behind the man with the camera is The Athlete's Foot shoe store.

Here's a closer view of the clown. I'm not quite sure what she's doing other than looking at the balloon that just got away. It's great to see how much enjoyment kids got from the live entertainment at Old Towne.

All Old Towne Posts are located here.

Tags: Old Towne Mall Torrance California

Jared Sidney Torrance Memorial Hospital

Tucked away in old Torrance, across the street from the historic Torrance Women's Club is all that's left of the first Torrance Memorial Hospital. Town homes reside where the old hospital used to be, and this old stone is all that remains.

A straight on view.

Madonna Inn Sign

Here's a shot of the sign in front of the world famous Madonna Inn. The hotel features over 200 uniquely designed rooms. From the Caveman room to the Old Mill room, the Madonna Inn is an experience worth having.

Visit the Madonna Inn website here.

Villa Inn Motor Hotel

Hospitality Awaits You!

A BIG TEXAS WELCOME to this finest of motor hotels. In the tradition of FINE INN KEEPING the VILLA INN caters to its guests 'round-the-clock.

THE BARCELONA SUITE is ideal for NEWLYWEDS or SECOND HONEYMOONERS . . . a beautiful luxurious suite in which to stay. THE MOROCCO suite is designed for those couples who want the very best in overnight lodging.

SUPERBLY FURNISHED queens and double bedrooms are offered to meet the demands of the most discerning traveler.

HEATED SWIMMING POOL beneath the huge skylights is found our inviting, heated swimming pool within the spacious courtyard; completely carpeted for the protection and comfort of our guests.

DINE IN ELEGANCE . . . the COURTYARD PATIO with its flaming torches afford our guests a delight in dining adventure.

THE BLUE ROOM offers a superb daily buffet luncheon from 11:30 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at a very reasonable price. For evening dining the BLUE ROOM presents continental and American cuisine for the most palatable taste.

Interstate 40 at Grand Street

9 Arizona Motor Hotel

Here's a few shots of the very cool 9 Arizona Motor Hotel in Williams Arizona. Williams is known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon because of the Grand Canyon Railway that departs daily on a 65 mile journey to the natural wonder.

Located on historic Route 66, this hotel has one of the more spectacular signs in the town.

The view of the motor hotel (or motel) from the street.

The decorative concrete wall that is so common to mid century architecture.

Bahooka Ribs and Grog Sign

4501 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

Here's a shot of the sign outside of Bahooka Ribs and Grog restaurant in Rosemead California. This atmosphere of this place is so great! Every table has at least one fish tank, the tables look like planks and are held up by large chains. Tiki gods roam the place, and its nautical decor is incredible!

Salon Riviera

The old Palos Verdes Escrow building is now the Salon Riviera located at 1807 S. Catalina Ave in Redondo Beach California. Not much has changed, except the new sign on top of the building.

Palos Verdes Escrow

An old artists rendering of a small mid century office building I found at a yard sale. The building looked familiar to me, so I took a little trip and discovered the structure is still around. Next time we'll see the place as it looks today.

The Old Julian Garage

Like most old buildings in historic towns, the Old Julian Garage sells antiques and collectibles.

Visit the Julian California website here.

Hearst Castle Marble Statue

A quick post of one of the many statues and fountains at Hearst Castle. Though one can argue against the cohesiveness of the estate, the individual pieces of art are incredible.


A close up of the work.