I find myself constantly and repeatedly drawn to Mt. Washington - perhaps because it's where I first learned how to live in LA, or perhaps because of it simply being a bit of a mountain, or perhaps because of its interesting cultural history. In the last year alone, I've visited the Lummis House, Judson Studios, Heritage Square Museum, Southwestern Museum, and Occidental College (twice), all of which are more or less in or around Mt. Washington and neighboring Highland Park.
But I recently discovered there was more to see: the path of the old, lost, decommissioned and dismantled incline railway that once connected Yellow Car passengers up Mt. Washington, to its vacant real estate lots, and to the Mt. Washington Hotel at the top.
I'd seen lots of photos of what it used to look like (which you can see here and here), but what did it look like now? Would it be more or less unrecognizable (like Corralitas Red Car Property)? Or would there be something still there to delight my inner urban explorer and industrial archaeologist?
I ventured to the corner of Marmion Way and Ave 43 and was greeted by the faint chug of a distant train - not the ghost of an old Yellow Car, but the current and active Metro Gold Line, which runs along more or less the same path (though now behind Marmion Way instead of down it).
Looking up from the tracks, I spotted the original terminus of the railway at the bottom of the mount, where patrons in 1909 would by their ticket for a ride up on either Florence or Virginia, the two funicular cars that ran up and down. The front façade has changed a bit, the signage removed, large front entrance covered up, but it's the same building, with Spanish tile roof and front-facing balcony.
...making a public staircase the only way to go straight up.
...and met up with a broken, disconnected section of Glenmuir Ave on the left, and Canyon Vista Drive straight ahead.
...which was touted at the time as six times higher than the 12-story Union Trust Building. For reference.
...the view eventually opened up, revealing the skyline of Downtown LA and beyond, which was most certainly not the original view.
Just in front of the fountain, tennis courts that are still viewable on Google satellite view have been covered with turf. It's kind of hard to believe people would take a train up here, but the grounds are still incredible, and worth a quiet visit if you're in the area.
Which, of course, I have been frequently.
And probably will be again soon.