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Things to Do in Los Angeles

Misc San Pedro

Cabrillo Beach Bath House Est. 1932
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 571
Constructed in 1932 from a Mediterranean style design by engineer, David Berniker. It is the last beach bathhouse in the City. Declared: 12/18/93. Courtesy of John R. Kielbasa.

3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

Duffy's Ferry Boat and Landing
Left is an old post card of Captain Duffy's Ferry Boat and Landing at the foot of 5th Street east of Harbor Boulevard. The small boat casting off toward Terminal Island was the "Blanche". Duffy started this ferry service about 1882 and operated for over 30 years. He built and eventually added five boats to his fleet; the Blanche, the Dora, the Ina, the Georgie, and the Elsie. The boats were named after his children, of which he had ten. This ferry service was eventually replaced by the Ferry Building (today's Maritime Musuem) at 6th and Harbor, and the ferryboat, "Islander" in the 1940s. The ferry service to Terminal Island discontinued after the construction of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in 1963.
On the right is a modern day photo of Captain Duffy's 5th Street Landing at 5th and Harbor Boulevard, San Pedro. Today it is used as a tug boat dock and Los Angeles City Fireboat Station No. 2. The photo was taken from the approximate site of the photographer who took early 1900s photo post card of the landing. John R. Kielbasa

5th Street, San Pedro, CA Map

Korean Friendship Bell
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 187
It was given to the United States by the South Korean government in 1976 in commemoration of our country's bicentennial celebration. This 18 ton bell is patterned after the bronze bell of King Songdok which was cast in 771 A.D. The two bells are the largest in the world. The ornately decorated wooden pagoda style pavilion was built by Korean craftsmen. The bell was dedicated on October 3, 1976. It is located at Angels Gate Park on the former Upper Reservation of Fort MacArthur at 3700 S. Gaffey Street. The entrance is at 37th and Gaffey Streets. John R. Kielbasa

3700 S Gaffey St, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

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Liberty Hill Monument
California State Historic Landmark 1021
It is located on the north side of 5th Street between Beacon Street and Palos Verdes Street in San Pedro. In 1923, San Pedro Longshoremen went on strike and were not allowed to have public meetings. A support rally was held on top of Liberty Hill (2 blocks north of the monument) at 3rd and Beacon Streets. Radical author, Upton Sinclair, was arrested here by LAPD for criminal syndicalism for reading the Bill of Rights to the crowd. The strike was a failure, but it led the formation of a strong labor union and spurred the birth of the Southern California chapter of the ACLU. The actual site of Liberty Hill was leveled to sea level and is no longer a hill anymore. The Rancho San Pedro Housing Projects occupy most of the site. John R. Kielbasa

5th Street and Beacon St, San Pedro, CA Map

Municipal Ferry Building
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 146

1970s Now the Los Angeles Maritime Museum. It was built between 1939 and 1941. It is a Public Works Administration (PWA) Streamline Moderne building in the Beaux Arts tradition made Moderne. The low, central clock tower suggests the Moderne design of the 1930s. Ferry service began here in September 1941 transporting vehicles and passengers on double-decked ferry boats named the Ace and the Islander back and forth across the Main Channel of Los Angeles Harbor. Cannery and shipyard employees who worked on Terminal Island were the primary users of this mode of transportation. The ferry service became obsolete with the construction of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in 1963. The Islander made her last run on November 14, 1963. The ferry building now houses the Los Angeles Maritime History Museum and the Port Police Station. The building was declared LA Cultural Historical Landmark No. 146 on September 17, 1975. John R. Kielbasa.

1940s Post Cards
c 1957

2004

Berth 84, Foot of 6th Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map
310 548-7618

Pacific Electric Depot Est. 1911
This was not the main depot that was on 5th and Harbor Boulevard, which has long been razed. This was on the northwest corner of 22nd Street and Signal Street (about 1 1/2 mile south of the main depot). During World War I it served the old Navy Landing and Submarine Base that was across the street. This was were navy personnel would catch the Red Car to go into town (San Pedro) or all the way into Los Angeles during leave. The station was probably built in 1911 when the Outer Harbor Line was open for service. Service was discontinued on the Outer Harbor Line in April 1924. The newly restored Pacific Electric Red Car that now runs down the waterfront along part of this original line on weekends is housed in a large white tent-like shelter just west of here on 22nd Street. I used to work at the Municipal Fish Markets that were one block east of here and in the early 1980s, the place was used as a sandwich shop called the "Sandwich Depot" and it was painted tan at the time. The P.E. Depot is the taller building on the left. John R. Kielbasa

264 E 22nd St, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

Pacific Electric Red Car No. 1058
This is the restored 1907 Pacific Electric 1000-class Interurban Red Car (No. 1058). It was restored in the 1960s, but given a gas engine and rubber tires to be used as a trolley-bus type vehicle. It was restored to its former configuration as an authentic PE electric trolley car. It still runs along the Port of Los Angeles' Waterfront Red Car Line. It is available for special trips and charters. It is kept in it's makeshift car house at 22nd and Miner Streets. John R. Kielbasa.

22nd St and Miner St, San Pedro, CA Map

Pacific Electric Red Car Repilca 1909
Located at the World Cruise Terminal, this is a replica 1909 Pacific Electric 500-class Interurban rail car. It was built by the Port of Los Angeles using actual plans of a 1909 PE rail car. The Port restored the railroad along the waterfront. This was the actual route of the old Red Car line through San Pedro. The Port commenced operations of the Waterfront Red Car Line on July 19, 2003. It follows a 1.5 mile course between the World Cruise Terminal to 22nd and Miner Streets. It make several stops along the way, including the Ferry Building (now Maritime Museum) at the 6th and Harbor, and at Ports O' Call Village. It usually runs on the weekends and the fare is one dollar for the whole day. This photo was taken near it's terminus at 22nd and Miner Streets. John R. Kielbasa.

22nd St and Miner St, San Pedro, CA Map

Pacific Electric Red Cars - Old and New

John R. Kielbasa

Pan Am Terminal Facilities
In April 1940, Pan Am leased berth 56 and built a small ticket office and dock for their famous "China Clipper" line. These large, long-range, flying boats flew from San Pedro via Manilla to China beginning in 1935.
The Martin M-130 (1935) was the classic China Clipper design. It held 9 passengers, 6 crew members and mail. It had a 3,000 mile range and a cruising speed on 130 miles per hour. Later, the Boeing 314 (1939) the "California Clipper" class was added and it could accommodate 32 passengers, 10 crew members, and mail. It had to had a 3,000 mile range, but had a cruising speed of 150 miles per hour. The California Clippers were used for the 8200 mile us to New Zealand run. Passengers would purchase tickets at this building and board a shore boat that would take them out to the pan am mooring barge anchored off Cabrillo Beach in the outer harbor. The clipper service on the west coast ended on December 7, 1941, when the US entered W.W.II. The ticket office still stands at Berth 56, near the southeast 22nd Street and Miner Street. The building is now a field office for the State of California Department of Fish and Game.
The photo on the right is one of the Clippers. This one is actually a Sikorsky S-42 flying over the Golden Gate, before the bridge was finished. John R. Kielbasa

22nd St at Miner St, San Pedro, CA Map

Point Fermin Lighthouse Est. 1874
L.A. Historic Cultural Monument 187
In 1854, Phineas Banning petitioned the US Congress to put a lighthouse at San Pedro because of the steady increase of shipping traffic. In 1874 the US Government contructed the lighthouse at Point Fermin on 3 acres of land donated by Jose Diego Sepulveda. Point Fermin was named after Padre Fermin Lasuen, the founder of several Franciscan missions in California. O. B. Shaw of San Francisco was the building contractor who erected the Victorian/Railway Gothic style structure. It originally had a wick lamp with a Fresnel-type lense that generated 2100 candlepower that could be visible from 13 miles. The lighthouse was officially activated on December 15, 1874 and served faithfully until December 7, 1941. The first lighthouse keeper was a young woman named, Mary L. Smith, who lived here with her sister Helen for 8 years. A succession of keepers followed until the City of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation took over operations in 1927 in exchange for the 3 acres to be used as a park. The light was upgraded in 1898 to a petroleum vapor incandescent lamp with 6600 candlepower and visible of 18 miles. In 1925, a powerful electric light and a revolving lense increased the range to 22 miles, which could be seen from Catalina. The lighthouse is the centerpiece of Point Fermin Park. It is currently undergoing restoration and has a chain link fence around the perimeter. It is located at the southern terminus of Gaffey Street (at Paseo del Mar) in San Pedro. John R. Kielbasa

Gaffey St at W Paseo del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

San Pedro City Hall Est. 1905

1905 This is a pair of photos of building that served as San Pedro's City Hall from 1905 to 1908. The building was built in 1905 at the northwest corner of 11th Street and Palos Verdes Street. The mayor at the time was Edward Mahar and he lived only one block south of here. (See Edward Mahar House). The building served as San Pedro's last city hall for only 3 short years when San Pedro was consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. All the exterior ornamentation and cornices were removed after the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake. The building is now the City Hall Market and the Alhambra Bar. John R. Kielbasa
2003

1039 S Palos Verdes St, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

San Pedro Municipal Building Est. 1928
This is the San Pedro Municipal Building, also known as the "San Pedro City Hall". Construction began in 1927 and completed the fall 1928. This seven-story Bueax Arts ediface has both Neoclassical and Baroque charachteristics. It was built by the Charles W. Pettifer Construction Company under the supervision of Charles O. Brittain of the City of Los Angeles Construction Dept. At 112 feet high, it is the tallest and one of the most recognizable structures in San Pedro. It is built of steel frame, brick and molded stone. The 7th floor housed an old jail that was nicknamed, "7th Heaven". The 6th floor housed a beautiful wood paneled courtroom. A fire station occupied the ground floor basement, but was converted to a garage. The building has recently been renovated and retrofitted. Today, many L.A. City entities as well as the Councilperson of the 15th District occupies many of the offices. John R. Kielbasa

San Pedro's Sunken City
When they said that California would fall into the sea, they weren't kidding! Well, at least that was the case of San Pedro, California. In 1929 a sizeable section of land in the southern tip of San Pedro began to unexplainably slip into the sea. The 600 block of Paseo Del Mar began moving seaward in 1929 and continued to slip until the mid 1930s. Movement was measured as high as 11 inches a day. Due to quick action, all but two of the houses on the seaward side of the street were moved before toppling into the sea. The eastern section of Point Fermin Park was lost and the entire area is very unstable, yet not moving at the present time. Geologists have termed this phenomenon as a "slump" and this area has been featured in many geological studies and books. This geological mystery also occurs about 4 or 5 miles up the coast from this spot at Portuguese Bend in Rancho Palos Verdes. The Portuguese Bend Slide Area is still moving and slipping into the sea. Palos Verdes Drive South, the main road through the area, has to be refurbished continuously and frequently as it is constantly being displaced by the movement. This area is closed by chain link fencing, but may still be viewed at the south end of Pacific Avenue or the east end of Pt. Fermin Park at Paso Del Mar and Gaffey Street.
This is an old photo post card of the Pt. Fermin Slide Area in the early 1930s. The photo is taken facing east. John R. Kielbasa

S Pacific Ave at Shepard St, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

Timms' Point and Landing National Register
Formerly Sepulveda Landing. It was located where today's Fisherman Slip is now at Samson Way and Timm's Way. Most of the landing was was dredged away for the Southern Pacific Slip (now Fisherman's Slip). The monument is located on a parkway on the east side of Signal Street just north of 22nd Street. John R. Kielbasa.

Signal St and 22nd St, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

Victoria Apartments Est. c 1900
It is the oldest apartment building in San Pedro. John R. Kielbasa

1121 S Beacon Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

Warehouse No. 1 Est. 1915-1917
It is located on Pier 1 next to Berth 68. It was built between 1915 and 1917. It is one of the most recognizable structures in the Harbor. The warhouse is constucted of reinforced concrete and is six stories tall. It is one of the oldest and largest storage buildings in the harbor. At one time, it stored Sir Winston Churchill's funeral car. John R. Kielbasa

Signal Street at Admiral Higbee Way, San Pedro, CA 90731 Map

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