Photo: Clarence Inman Collection*, undated, but likely mid-1940s. The Red Car Viaduct as seen from the Waverly side of Fletcher & Riverside Drives. (Click on photo to enlarge.)
What caught my eye about this photo, was the clear view of the Art Deco gas station on the corner of Riverside & Fletcher Drives, where Rick's now stands. The same gas station appears in a 1937 photo of Melton's Market, shot from the middle of the viaduct.
On the near side of Riverside Drive (where HOME Restaurant is), the giant Currie's Ice Cream Cone sign is visible. (See another great shot of Currie's on the Pacific Electric Railway Historical Society's website.)
Looking down Riverside Drive you can see billboard blight as Riverside was the main highway through the area, prior to the 5 Freeway. You can also see the tree-lined streets with single family homes in Elysian Valley.
*Bob Inman, son of Clarence Inman, discovered this 10x14" print in his father's files. Neither Bob nor I had seen this print before, so we believe this is a Clarence Inman original. We'd both seen similar photos, but not this one. If you know otherwise, or can help pin down a date on this photo, or have historic Red Car Neighborhood photos of your own, send us an email: redcarproperty@gmail.com.
