Redondo Beach End of The Line
The south end of Catalina Avenue at Avenue I in Redondo Beach marked the end of the tracks for the PE Del Rey Line, when this area was called Clifton or Clifton by the Sea. This is also the north end of what is today known as the Hollywood Riviera with great shops and eateries. PE 890 has just arrived and is being switched to head back north to Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, El Segundo and Play Del Rey and the trolley pole is yet to be changed over. The dash sign has all these destinations listed and on the top line it reads, “Local to Vineyard.” Llewellyns Cafe can be seen in the background to the left of the car. Photo by Harold Stewart (1940), Collection of Craig Rasmussen
Harold Stewart Photo, Craig Rasmussen Collection
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I think the cafe is at 1501 South Catalina, it’s now a dentist office. The Building is still there, the roof and red tiles looks the same but the doors and windows have been changed.
My mother, Laura May Coates, who grew up in north Manhattan Beach, at 425 31st Street, in the 1920’s and 1930’s, said that, with the Red Car Line, it was possible to get from Manhattan Beach to downtown Los Angeles in a little more than 30 minutes. Dang! The L.A. area had an extensive rapid-transit system up-and-running in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s —- and we threw it all away! So tell me once again, how much is L.A. paying today to construct its brand-new light rail system?
It wasn’t thrown away, it was underutilized, especially after the 1920’s when automobile usage increased and roads improved. Today, at a high cost, we have reestablished a rail system that is primarily used by people who can’t afford the luxury of driving, texting, eating and listening to tunes in their air conditioned cocoon while cursing traffic.
1935 newspaper advertisement states Llewellyn Cafe is at the “End of the Car Line on So. Catalina Ave., Corner of Avenue I”, then later advertising stated 120 Avenue I. The foto shows the Cafe in the NW corner of Catalina Avenue and Avenue I which is now the big new Plaza Riviera.