On Saturday, September 19th, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles is having a cocktail shindig in the basement speakeasy of Clifton’s. Waitaminnit, you say, I’ve been in Clifton’s and don’t remember a basement speakeasy! No, you don’t: it’s something that previous owner Andrew Meieran worked on for years (before giving up the ship) and it’s only now being opened to the public.
So come on out! There will be cocktails, and food, and mingling with other weirdos who like Old LA and the gorgeous design of days past. But wait—there’s something else that will make it even better!
Doors open at 6:30 — start drinking, then at 7:00 have a seat for my 45-minute lecture about Clifton’s!
At which point you say huh? how can you possibly talk for 45 minutes about a…cafeteria?
Ha! The story involves the history of themed environments, science fiction writers, Walt Disney, LAPD corruption, house bombings, feeding the world, Jim Crow, a mayoral downfall, mid-century modern suburbs, Kerouac, Bukowski, Christ in the Garden, Scientology, sex toys, and even….murder!
If you’re not familiar with the Clifton’s story, you have to come. If you’re pretty familiar with the Clifton’s story, don’t worry, I guarantee I’ll tell you some stuff you didn’t know. And if you’re a bona fide expert on the Clifton’s story, I can promise you, there are a lot of images you’ve never seen before!
Then after my lecture, stay the rest of the night, amble about the revamped Clifton’s (including the Pacific Seas) and marvel at the wonder of Los Angeles.
↓↓↓ Get all the details by clicking this link ↓↓↓
https://artdecola.org/events-calendar/cliftons-cafeteria-evening-in-the-speakeasy
↑↑↑ And don’t forget to join ADSLA! ↑↑↑
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Oh, one last thing: before you say hey! this is supposed to be a Bunker Hill blog! well GUESS WHAT. Clifford Clinton’s first digs in Los Angeles — much like James Oviatt, who made his way to Los Angeles and settled into Bunker Hill — were on Bunker Hill.
Clifford Clinton is working in the family cafeteria up in San Francisco, 1931. A buddy of his from Los Angeles, the architect Charles F. Plummer, says “Clifford! You gotta come down here and run your own place! There’s an old Boos Brothers cafeteria that’s giving up the ghost and you can get the space for next to nothing!” So Clifford packs up his recipe cards and Clinton Cafeteria’s Manual of Operation, grabs his wife, kids, and brother Joe, cram into the old Studebaker and head south.
And where do they get their apartment? At the Winton, of course, 219 South Flower:
recently built and was comparatively luxurious for the Bunker Hill area, which had begun its
famed decline
It is in this very Bunker Hill apartment-house that Clifford Clinton devised the portmanteau of “Clifton’s” …
… see? Full of interesting and useful information! See you at Clifton’s!
Bunker Hill, Los Angeles 