Chains
Donner Lake, CA Photo courtesy Justin Montano
Fifty cents for chains? The old sign along Highway 40 sounds like quite a bargain, until you realize the price was for taking them off. Drivers coming down Donner Pass could stop near the level ground at Donner Lake and have someone remove their snow chains.
UPDATE: Your explanation of what it means is not right (a discount of 50
cents). The sign here means the cost of having your chains taken off is 50 cents.
That refers to people coming down old Highway 40 and this was the
point (the level area of Donner Lake) where they didn't need them on
anymore (unless it was really bad snow). That sign is actually a real
sign from the 40s or 50s and it is historic not only for its age but
for the ridiculously low price for someone to crawl under your car to
remove the chains. I believe the cost now is $15. Many thanks to Rick Martel for info. 05-09
UPDATE: The sign still stands as a reminder of winter travel on old Highway 40. 09-26
Stanford Medical Center
Palo Alto, CA Photo courtesy Jason Carlton
Take a look at the patterned concrete screens and long covered walkways at Stanford Medical Center. The place has a distinctive mid-century look, with enough repeating shapes and shadows to keep a camera busy.
Designed by Edward Durell Stone, the original hospital opened in 1959. It brought Stanford’s hospital, clinics, classrooms, and medical library together in Palo Alto. Behind that striking exterior, Norman Shumway and his team performed the first adult heart transplant in the United States in 1968.
UPDATE: A new Stanford Hospital opened next door in 2019, and renovation of the original building began for its next chapter in patient care. 09-26
L. Myers Co.
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy Gorb70
Walking along Howard Street, the old L. Myers Co. storefront is worth a second look. The name is still up there above the windows, even if it doesn’t tell you much about what the place sold. A nice little find while wandering through San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. 02-07
L. Myers started in 1923, supplying linens and other dry goods to hotels and businesses. Not the sort of place most people would have stopped to browse, unless they needed a whole lot of towels.
The family later got into commercial real estate, renting space to young companies such as Yelp and Oculus. SoMa has changed quite a bit since its wholesale days, but the old lettering still gives this stretch of Howard Street a bit of its earlier character.
UPDATE: The company shifted its focus toward commercial real estate. The current use of the Howard Street storefront is unclear. 09-26
Burgermeister Beer
Sacramento, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Around the corner from 5th Street, an old Burgermeister Beer sign still advertises “A Truly Fine Pale Beer.” The porcelain lettering looks right at home on the side of this Sacramento warehouse, even if it has been a long time since anyone went looking for a cold Burgie here. 09-08
The building belongs to Saccani Distributing, a family beer distributor founded in 1933. Burgermeister was a San Francisco brew, and its signs have been on this building since at least the 1950s. Take a look along the wall for a little piece of beer advertising that never made it down from the building.
UPDATE: The old Burgermeister signs remain a reminder of the brands that once passed through its doors. 09-26
Chinatown YWCA
San Francisco, CA Photo and info courtesy Gorb70
The YMCA building in San Francisco is designed in the Chinese Classical style by architect Julia Morgan. Many thanks to Gorb70 for info. 06-07
There’s plenty to catch the eye at the old Chinatown YWCA, from the decorative roofline to the lantern hanging outside. Completed in 1932, the building gave women in the neighborhood a place for classes, recreation, and community gatherings. Step back across Clay Street for a better look at the whole facade, then wander closer to see the details around the entrance.
UPDATE: The building is now home to the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum. The old YWCA lantern remains outside, still telling a bit of the building’s earlier story. 09-26
Chains
Stanford Medical Center
L. Myers Co.
Burgermeister Beer
Chinatown YWCA
