The Mandarin Market (1929-1982)
The most unique place to shop in Hollywood was the Mandarin Market, characterized by pagodas, red lacquer roof, and hand-carved dragons.
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Aug 1, 2023
Bell & Howell’s Hollywood Headquarters
The Art Deco building, by architect Marshall P. Wilkinson, was a showroom, service plant, and research facility for cinematographers.
Jun 20, 2023
Chapeaux de Mode: Hollywood Hat Shop
The most beautiful hats on Hollywood Boulevard could be found at Chapeaux de Mode.
Jun 13, 2023
Frigidaire’s Hollywood Showroom
In 1930, Frigidaire established its Hollywood showroom at Hollywood Boulevard and McCadden Place.
Jun 10, 2023
Hollywood Bowl’s Muse of Music
The start of the 1940 Hollywood Bowl season was heralded with the dedication of The Muse of Music, “a symbol of the arts within.” Located...
Jun 4, 2023
Hollywood Canteen
During World War II, servicemen on liberty passes in Los Angeles could stop by the Hollywood Canteen on Cahuenga Boulevard for a night of...
May 26, 2023
Earl Carroll Theatre: Hollywood’s Entertainment Palace
Earl Carroll built Hollywood’s premier entertainment palace for his princess: singer-dancer-actress Beryl Wallace—whom he immortalized...
Apr 7, 2023
6-Year-Old Marilyn Monroe at the Hollywood Bowl (Photo Exclusive)
In 1933, little Norma Jean was selected by her elementary school to be one of the children who form the event’s “living cross.”
Feb 5, 2023
The Crossroads of the World
In Hollywood, the Crossroads of the World intersect at Sunset Boulevard and Las Palmas Avenue. Built in 1936, the multi-national...
Jan 9, 2023
Hollywood’s Bright Spot: LA Gas & Electric Corp.
Los Angeles Gas and Electric’s sales office on Ivar Avenue was introduced in 1937 as “another bright spot in the incandescent radiance of...
Dec 20, 2022
Peacock Alley: The Pride of Vine Street
Decades before Capitol Records arrived on Vine Street, the block north of Hollywood Boulevard was projected to be Peacock Alley, a...
Dec 7, 2022
Hollywood Center Motel’s Seedy Past
Over the past century, 6720 Sunset Boulevard has seen murder, prostitution, rockstars … but it all began with a wife-swapping scandal!...
Nov 19, 2022
Gogerty & Weyl’s Forgotten Building
Henry L. Gogerty and Carl Jules Weyl left their architectural imprint all over Hollywood: the Baine Building, Yucca Vine Tower, Hollywood...
Oct 19, 2022
Pierce Brothers Hollywood Mortuary
What better location for a funeral home … than directly across the street from Hollywood Cemetery, now known as Hollywood Forever. The...
Sep 13, 2022
The Circus Cafe
The Circus Cafe was not for kids—the cocktail lounge inside Albert Sheetz Mission Candies at 6656 Hollywood Boulevard served up adult...
Sep 3, 2022
Clara Bow’s It Cafe
The “It Girl” created the “It” nightspot in Hollywood. Clara Bow came out of a three-year retirement in 1937 to open the It Café, located...
Sep 3, 2022
Hollywood Wedding Chapel (1918-1960s)
Kathryn Baird Sullivan realized her long-cherished dream to “launch brides and grooms happily on their marital ways” when she turned her...
Sep 3, 2022
Hollywood’s First Tourist Attraction (1901-1927)
Before the Hollywood sign or Walk of Fame, the first tourist attraction in town was Paul de Longpre’s enchanting gardens on Cahuenga. In...
Sep 3, 2022
Max Factor Studio
Hollywood queens trusted their faces to the makeup king, Max Factor. From his Highland Avenue studio, the brilliant beautician...
Sep 3, 2022
Esther Ralston’s Beauty Salon
Who wouldn’t want to look like a Hollywood star? Esther Ralston—“The American Venus”—cashed in on her famous face in 1931 with an...
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