Classic photos Woodland Hills, West SFV (Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks: chapel, high school, to live in)

[Charles]

View from Stoney Point looking South-Soutwest towards southern Chatsworth, 1935. That road is Topanga Canyon Boulevard near Chatsworth Street. The diagonal road is Andora Avenue. It is still there. Santa Monica Mountains in the far background. If you look closely you can see a little bit of Chatsworth Reservoir.


Chatsworth Park 1940s, view looking north. Oat Mountain is barely visible behind the Simi Hills outcroppings. I can hear Johnny Cash when I look at this one.


San Fernando Valley looking north from Topanga Canyon, 1920. Oat Mountain and the Santa Susana Mountains in the far background. Those two white buildings slightly up from photo center are Canoga Park High School. (Canoga Park was called Owensmouth then).


Ventura Boulevard looking east past Topanga, 1962


I think this is Ventura Boulevard looking west around Shoup. It looks like they are getting ready to build the 101 Freeway. Up until then, Ventura Boulevard was the 101, so was Agoura Road, so was Thousand Oaks Boulevard (called Ventura Boulevard sixty years ago).


Girard (now called Woodland Hills) 1922 looking east at the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Topanga Canyon

[Sorcerer68]

I love your pics. Do you have any more of Ventura Blvd?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Sorcerer68

I love your pics. Do you have any more of Ventura Blvd?

Ventura Boulevard 1963


Ventura Boulevard 1962


Ventura Boulevard 1962 at night (duh)


Ventura Boulevard in Camarillo 1961 (Saint Mary Magdalen chapel in background???)


Ventura Boulevard early 1960s


Ventura Boulevard 1960 at night


Ventura Boulevard 1954 between Vineland and Tujunga


Ventura Boulevard 1920 in Sherman Oaks

[fdinthea]

I'm looking for a photo of the old Woodland Hills Post Office at 5323 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by fdinthea

I'm looking for a photo of the old Woodland Hills Post Office at 5323 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I had no luck. The only other thing to consider is that Woodland Hills used to be called Girard. Girard was renamed Woodland Hills in 1941 after the Woodland Hills Country Club in Girard. So, if you are really working this, look for Girard Post Office.

That location would be almost dead center of this photo. This is Girard looking north down Topanga with Ventura Boulevard (Highway 101) going left and right. In fact that little white building where the road narrows going south on Topanga could be it.



Or to the extreme right in this photo (view looking east along Ventura Boulevard, Topanga running north and south)

[Hungry For Cheese]

Great pics...I think I would have enjoyed that time period...maybe not. But it makes me want to live in an area with less people.

[Charles]

Interesting article in today's Los Angeles Times on Girard (the original name for Woodland Hills)

Los Angeles Times: Girard Tract cabins, built by a scoundrel

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Corner of Topanga and Ventura looking east down Ventura

[Lake Conroe resident]

Nice pics!

[fdinthea]

Charles - No luck searching elsewhere for the Girard P.O., but the photo you included looking north toward Ventura was definitely it. I actually just purchased the building, and I'm dying to get some photos. Do you have the ability to post or send me (or direct me to) a higher-resolution version of this shot? The other image (looking E. on Ventura) had what appears to be a different building on the site, set further south off Del Valle St. Thanks!

[CalGal953]

I think these old pictures are cool too!