Groceteria.com

Over the weekend I found a vintage Marina store that's now a Big Lots. Other than the sign being changed the exterior looks in great shape.

It's located at 5610 York Boulevard in Highland Park, about a block away from the famous Galco's Market that sells all the unusual flavors of soda, which was my actual destination.

Image from a9 maps

Here's a photo of a gone-long-ago Safeway store in Azusa, on the South-West corner of Azusa Ave. & 5th Street.


As you can see, it's under reconstruction. As I mentioned in another thread (about new purposes for old supermarket buildings), it's slated to become the new home of La Tolteca - a Mexican restaurant and regional manufacturer of tortillas that has its own deep history in Azusa.

The building is brick all the way around, and the fascia is rectangular. But strangely enough, the actual roof is the marina style.

WhenenRome wrote: As you can see, it's under reconstruction. As I mentioned in another thread (about new purposes for old supermarket buildings), it's slated to become the new home of La Tolteca - a Mexican restaurant and regional manufacturer of tortillas that has its own deep history in Azusa.

The building is brick all the way around, and the fascia is rectangular. But strangely enough, the actual roof is the marina style.

I'm not so sure that's a marina roof as it is just the 1950s box/pylon bubble roof that Safeway used when that prototype was in vogue (i.e. the original look for the San Francisco Market Street flagship store before it was transformed into a marina design in the 1960s). The pylon on this Azusa store at least is still there!

Two Safeways still operating from that era in their original structures that I can think of would be the Burlingame, CA Safeway and the Adams-Morgan location in Washington D.C. and both have had remodels (1970s for the Burlingame store, much more recently for the Adams-Morgan one which also expanded into its old parking lot).

Here's an animated gif of that Burlingame store, where the bricked box shape is visible (though unfortunately the roof can't be seen in these shots):

http://www.iburlingame.com/animgifs/safeway1.gif

The Groceteria photo of that store is on this page - http://www.groceteria.com/safeway/slide ... ge/20.html - and the round roof is clearly visible in that shot.

There is a Vons in Covina (on Badillo and Grand) that has this bubble roof, but I beleive it always has been a Vons.

Jeff wrote:There is a Vons in Covina (on Badillo and Grand) that has this bubble roof, but I beleive it always has been a Vons.

The rounded roof was extremely common in the 1950s; just about every chain used some sort of variation on it. It was dictated by construction needs rather than aesthetics.

Groceteria wrote:

Jeff wrote:There is a Vons in Covina (on Badillo and Grand) that has this bubble roof, but I beleive it always has been a Vons.

The rounded roof was extremely common in the 1950s; just about every chain used some sort of variation on it. It was dictated by construction needs rather than aesthetics.

True, but around here, not many still exist.

Groceteria wrote:

Jeff wrote:There is a Vons in Covina (on Badillo and Grand) that has this bubble roof, but I beleive it always has been a Vons.

The rounded roof was extremely common in the 1950s; just about every chain used some sort of variation on it. It was dictated by construction needs rather than aesthetics.

You know, I've always wondered specifically why supermarkets in particular needed rounded roofs back then...

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A Safeway on 4th and Soto is mentioned here:

http://www.farmworkermovement.org/essay ... Andres.pdf

It's now Super A Foods.

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp6 ... d%20States___

Safeway on First Street in Boyle Heights is mentioned, not sure the junction.
http://home.earthlink.net/~nholdenedito ... oyhood.htm

Forest and Cesar Chavez (Brooklyn) is what Live Local gives me:
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp6 ... d%20States___

1930s store at 4959 York:
http://www.boulevardsentinel.com/01-2006.htm
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.ppm ... d%20States___

Former Safeway at N. Vermont and Burns near LA City College mentioned here:
http://www.xispas.com/opinion/sal1.htm
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.ppf ... d%20States___

Safeway at Pickford near La Brea/Washington is mentioned here, but it's unclear from the LL shot if the structure is still there:
http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralh ... ulma90.htm
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp6 ... d%20States___

Safeway mentioned at Larchmont and Beverly:
http://www.latimes.com/features/printed ... &cset=true

1977 photos of said store:
http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/det ... 64&ID=3831
http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/det ... 16&ID=3779


I think it might be where the Rite Aid is now, 226 N Larchmont Blvd:
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.ppc ... d%20States___


Safeway on Hawthorne Boulevard but no details other than that on this page:
http://www.cougartown.com/feedback491.html

Westwood Village Safeway on Gayley Avenue mentioned here:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_77290319

Apparently it's now a Whole Foods, at 1050 S. Gayley Ave.:

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp9 ... d%20States___

Early location mentioned on Virgil/Sunset (there's a Vons nearby now):
http://www.lapl.org/branches/hist/20-h.html
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.ppg ... d%20States___

Former Safeway in the Palms area of Los Angeles, at Motor at Tabor:
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/history ... entone.htm
http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/history ... market.jpg

In a Google Search, a Safeway at Venice Plaza comes up, apparently in South Central LA. Venice Plaza, from another google search, actually is in Culver City I think? If so, then this should be an accurate Live Local shot of the area (and I think the Smart and Final building then would be ex-Safeway):
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp3 ... d%20States___

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Nice upward angle shot of the 1960s double-pole sign at the Vons marina at Atlantic and Broadway in downtown Long Beach:

http://www.houseplantpicturestudio.com/ ... asual.html

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Does anyone know what's the address for the site of the gable Safeway, photo linked below, which burned in the 1965 Watts riots? I've seen this picture before and I keep thinking it's been posted on the site somewhere...

http://www.tcnj.edu/~blohm3/safeway.jpg

TheStranger wrote:Westwood Village Safeway on Gayley Avenue mentioned here:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_77290319

Apparently it's now a Whole Foods, at 1050 S. Gayley Ave.:

This building spent many years as the Mann Westwood theater. The movie I ever saw there was Candleshoe which was released in 1977. The Whole Foods is in the same structure as the theater.

Former Safeway in the Palms area of Los Angeles, at Motor at Tabor"

I went in that store once as a kid (it wasn't Safeway anymore at that point). I'm sure you all care :)

In a Google Search, a Safeway at Venice Plaza comes up, apparently in South Central LA. Venice Plaza, from another google search, actually is in Culver City I think? If so, then this should be an accurate Live Local shot of the area (and I think the Smart and Final building then would be ex-Safeway):

The S&F is a new build. At some point in the 70s there was another cash and carry type store on that location. There was a pylon Safeway down the street at Venice and Mentone which closed in the mid 70s and became a Carpeteria and then "Baptist Temple." It's since been torn down and was replaced with off-campus UCLA student housing. The border between LA and Culver City is very strange in that area but I believe the north side of Venice is all LA, at least on that block.

TheStranger wrote:In a Google Search, a Safeway at Venice Plaza comes up, apparently in South Central LA. Venice Plaza, from another google search, actually is in Culver City I think?

I tracked down the article in the academic journal you found, then looked in the footnotes for the reference and found the original article from the 9/3/1961 issue of the LA Times. (It helps to work at a university and have access to a research library's online resources.) This particular store is described as being at Western Ave near Venice Blvd. Today there's a Food4Less and Savon at that intersection. The address is 1717 S Western.

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... d%20States___

There was a lot of damage along Western, even north of the 10 Freeway, during the 1992 Rodney King riots. According to a publication out of Oxy, in 1992 and 1995 there was a Viva Market at that location but by 2002 it was a Food4Less with a note that there was a name change of the store but it doesn't say if it was affected by the riots.

runchadrun wrote:

TheStranger wrote:In a Google Search, a Safeway at Venice Plaza comes up, apparently in South Central LA. Venice Plaza, from another google search, actually is in Culver City I think?

I tracked down the article in the academic journal you found, then looked in the footnotes for the reference and found the original article from the 9/3/1961 issue of the LA Times. (It helps to work at a university and have access to a research library's online resources.) This particular store is described as being at Western Ave near Venice Blvd. Today there's a Food4Less and Savon at that intersection. The address is 1717 S Western.

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... d%20States___

Thanks!

Judging from the overhead shot (and for that matter, from the date of that old article), I'm pretty sure this is a pylon store...

steps wrote:its still open as a big lots! Its in a great location. dont see why a store couldnt survive there...

The Highland Park marina? That's because Big Lots took over Pic N Save...

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The generic 1970s architecture here makes me wonder if the following is an original Vons, or an ex-Safeway:
http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e377/ ... re_051.jpg

A marina Vons, not sure where:

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/ ... sstore.jpg

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Speaking of Highland Park, just found these two great shots of the former marina Safeway as Big Lots:

http://flickr.com/photos/msollyla/92401735/
http://flickr.com/photos/msollyla/92401709/

This 99 Cents store looks suspiciously like a 1930s-1940s store:

http://flickr.com/photos/sabineschmidt/34963446/

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Some stores I hadn't gotten Live Local shots yet, from mfricke's December 2005 post:

mfricke wrote:1. Monrovia - 210 Fwy. & Huntington Dr (now a Marshalls)

564 W. Huntington Dr. (Historic Route 66):
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.ppq ... d%20States___

mfricke wrote:3. Upland - Foothill & Euclid (now Chicks sporting goods)

121 E. Foothill Blvd.
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ene=668245

mfricke wrote:5. Valencia/Newhall - Lyons Ave. (now an empty, former Albertsons)

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=2775458

mfricke wrote:6. Canyon Country - Whites Cyn. & Soledad Cyn (a former Hows also, now Big Lots)

19331 Soledad Canyon Rd, shot is from when it was HOWS:
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pr2 ... d%20States___

mfricke wrote:11. Hollywood - Sunset & La Brea (now a Ross store)

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.ppg ... d%20States___

I keep thinking I already got a LL link for that one, but hey, it doesn't hurt to get another one...

mfricke wrote:12. Canoga Park - Sherman Wy. & Topanga Cyn. (MAYBE! I'm not sure, but as a current Big Lots, the architecture looks like it could have been a Safeway)

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pq0 ... d%20States___

What's intriguing about this is the building to its right looks to be an old school supermarket of some sort, too...completely with relatively tall sign.

I'd need more specific info to get a LL shot of this store though:

mfricke wrote: 7. San Bernardino - Highland Ave. (now a county administration office)

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Here's an ex-Vons/ex-Sav-on now serving as a church at Sherman and Canby in Reseda, with a pylon that makes me think it might also be ex-Safeway.

http://flickr.com/photos/mmewuji/9355826/

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pq0 ... d%20States___

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One of the more recent Hannam Market World locatiosn, in the Diamond Bar/Walnut area, looks like it's a 1970s build for someone else:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/200 ... hanna.html

A Live Local shot makes me suspect this is a false-fronted marina:
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pnz ... d%20States___

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Nice shot of the interior of a Vons marina in Pacific Palisades.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zuschlag/273541981/

Judging from the lack of rear marina windows, I'm thinking this is mid-1960s. Here's a live local shot:

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp5 ... d%20States___

This is the West LA marina interior:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guacamole/240322697/

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I'm pretty sure this is the marina Vons on Santa Monica Blvd.:

http://s48.photobucket.com/albums/f205/ ... sstore.jpg

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Big Lots at Lincoln and Venice, in Venice - former Safeway:

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp0 ... d%20States___

Safeway on fire in Santa Paula, date unknown:
http://mud.mm-a4.yimg.com/image/1042112813

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Here's a photo of Safeway on the USC supermarket photo slides page, the ads on the windows and the partial shot of a car hood (Ford Pinto)? make this a likely 1970s shot. I wonder what location this was...
http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/mb ... rkets.html
http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/mb ... eway_3.jpg

I'm pretty sure the interior shots on that page are also here on Groceteria.

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Former Safeway in Palmdale?
http://www.palmdalelibrary.org/history/pg_99.shtml

Going on South from the Drug Store, on the southeast corner was a large store build- ing (former Safeway) which was later remodeled and our first hard- ware store was opened up by Mr. McBride.

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.prw ... led%20item___


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Former Safeway, a gable now serving as HOWS, in Malibu at Highway 1 and Trancas Canyon:
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:BLv ... clnk&cd=50

A How's market (grocery), in what is obviously an old Safeway store. One can tell from the curved roof that the building is a 60's/early 70's relic.

http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.pp4 ... d%20States___
http://www.malibucomplete.com/mc_reales ... ercial.php

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And now some shots from the LA library collection...

Here's a Watts store, not sure if it's the one that burned in the 1965 riots:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics34/00036545.jpg

Another store in the area, Vernon and Figueroa - not sure if it's the Ralphs discussed at http://www.groceteria.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=182 but it is identified in the LA library collection as a Safeway:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics30/00049645.jpg

This photo of Cesar Chavez is captioned as being at a Safeway at 3rd and Vermont.
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics32/00035666.jpg
The site today, as Vons:
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.ppb ... d%20States___

Broxton Avenue in Westwood Village, 1940:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics07/00013446.jpg

1930s on Glendale Street in Glendale:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics21/00060361.jpg

Hard to see it in this one, but this is a location in Culver City:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics32/00035805.jpg

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Here's a marina on 8469 Crenshaw Boulevard in Inglewood, now the Iglesia de Cristo Ministerios Llamada Final (and formerly a school):
http://www.laforum.org/book/export/html/104
http://www.laforum.org/images/issue7-he ... enshaw.jpg
Live local shot: http://tinyurl.com/yg6n5t

Jeff wrote:I'll make some that were in the area, but addresses you'll have to find. most are markets unless otherwise noted:

Former Safeways now Vons or Pavillions

Anaheim - Lincoln Ave and Anaheim Blvd

Is this 1985 photo from the Anaheim Public Information Office, at the Anaheim Towne Center, the store you're thinking of?

(courtesy of UC Calisphere search)

http://www.oac.cdlib.org/affiliates/ima ... P16593.jpg

Speaking of Orange County, I also found, with that same search, an April 1978 shot of a Safeway in Mission Viejo:

http://content.cdlib.org/dynaxml/data/1 ... 3e9683.jpg

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Here's an interesting conversion I also discovered through another text available via UC Calisphere, in this case, "Black Leadership in Los Angeles: John Lamar Hill II" - from Safeway to mortuary.

Hopkins
Oh, he did this building?

Hill
Yes. This was a Safeway market building, and it was vacant. I saw it one day when I was out visiting my mother right down Thirty-ninth Street here. I drove westward to Crenshaw, and then I would go north, up to where I lived. I saw this, and I just thought, "What a wonderful place for a mortuary."

I think this is the place, 3875 Crenshaw, in Los Angeles:

http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Pa ... Index=2679

Live Local: http://tinyurl.com/t7an3

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From another interview found via Calisphere..."Central Avenue Sounds: Buddy Collette, another location is mentioned at Pico and Fairfax:

Collette
Okay, as I was saying— Well, looking at, maybe, some of the effect it had on people, and even the people living in areas— Just like now, I said that in this area over here—it's not too far—the Von's market used to be a Safeway . It was okay.

Isoardi
Where's this?

Collette
It's over on Pico [Boulevard] and Fairfax [Avenue]. And the reason why I am pointing this out, they finally got a market in there that— [whistles] It's a market. It's run properly, it's classy, it's got the fresh stuff.

Looking at this LL shot, I am wondering if it is a falsefronted wingless marina:
http://tinyurl.com/ygm29m

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An Orange location from the Orange Public Library collection, ca. 1966-1967. Not sure where this one could be, but this Safeway had the "tuning fork" style of freestanding sign.
http://www.oac.cdlib.org/affiliates/ima ... 512006.jpg

Here's a find: from the November 1961 issue of Chain Store Age magazine (page 92), an interesting Safeway script-lettered sign at the Sunset/La Brea store in Los Angeles (the one that is now a Ross).


more: http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/csa/swy-labrea.jpg

And here's a shot from that same issue, on page 8, of a gable in Claremont.

http://dtcwrt.earlracing.com/stores/csa ... remont.jpg

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New shot of the Vons marina in I think West LA. Note the continued usage of the classic Safeway-issue perpendicular row lighting between beams.

http://flickr.com/photos/feelsweird/306255001/

TheStranger wrote:New shot of the Vons marina in I think West LA. Note the continued usage of the classic Safeway-issue perpendicular row lighting between beams.

http://flickr.com/photos/feelsweird/306255001/

I think that's the Echo Park store on Alvarado. One of the other shots shows the lights from the roof of a McDonalds across the street from the store, and that matches this store.
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2& ... ne=3602922

The Hows Market in Malibu was a Trancas Market from at least 1958 to whenever Hows moved in. It can be seen in the movie Moment By Moment with John Travolta.