Paraphrased from www.historicechopark.com:
The Jensen Recreation Center, located at 1706 Sunset Blvd. in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles, was built by the late Henry Christian Jensen in 1924.
Originally, the three-story Jensen Recreation Center had a row of shops, a bowling alley, and a pool hall at street level, and 46 apartments on the top two levels.
The center was a hub of activity for the neighborhood. Residents coming and going, people dropping in for a bite to eat at the lunch counter, men stopping by for a shave or a haircut, or a quick game of pool. The recreation center often hosted celebrity athletic events and continued to do so until it closed in the 1970’s.
Today, the building looks much like it did in the 1920’s, with a few exceptions. A section of windows in the space that once housed the corner drugstore have been filled with stucco. And several plastic and metal storefront signs cover the decorative tile work that hangs over each street level window. All signs of the bowling alley are gone. Miraculously, through the years, the Egyptian-inspired ornamentation that wrapped around the walls near the ceiling of the large room, though slightly faded, still exists. Over the decades, the space has been used for everything from an indoor swap meet to a photo studio.
For more that 50 years, the 17x28 foot incandescent sign (illuminated with 1,300 red, green and white light bulbs) atop the building that depicts a bowler throwing a strike was dark. A testament to the neglect and disrepair the building and the neighborhood sometimes suffered over the years. In 1997, the sign was restored to its original appearance through a cultural affairs grant.
The building was declared Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument No. 652 in 1998.
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2030 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles CA.
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I came across this today near the corner of Los Feliz Blvd. and Riverside, behind the Mulholland Fountain. My jaw dropped. Two huge hotel signs just sitting on the ground, behind a chain link fence. The "Hotel" part is pretty much a goner, but "Californian" remains.
I was wondering what the heck they were doing there. So I wrote to "Ask Chris," a column in Los Angeles Magazine. He answers questions about obscure goings-on in L.A. He wrote right back, actually, and here is what he said:
"They sat atop a 1920s hotel on 6th Street until the building was
demolished in 1995, and the signs were relocated to this spot near Griffith
Park. The Department of Cultural Affairs and the Museum of Neon Art teamed
to relight them temporarily in 2004, but the signs' future is, well, up in
the air. The city hopes to restore one and install it at a park--perhaps
Barnsdall--or in a public space downtown."
Let's hope that happens.
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This sign is located across the street from the burger stand at 2575 W Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles CA, in the parking lot.
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Formerly located at 2474 Glendale Blvd. in Los Angeles. It's since been removed.
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