Massive Visual Record of Los Angeles Gas Utility Construction
L.A.'s Last Privately Owned Power and Gas Company
An extensive collection of 129 original photographs documenting the construction of massive gas tanks in the early 1920s by the Bartlett-Hayward Company for the Los Angeles Gas & Electric Co.
The photographs record the construction of large-scale utility installations, including a 20-story tank able to hold 10 million cubic feet of gas, the largest of its kind in the West. Planned by the private L.A. Gas and Electric and constructed by the Bartlett-Hayward Company of Baltimore. The tank was located on the block bounded by Jackson, Ducommun, Center and Vignes Streets at a then-staggering cost of $1 million. Two additional "10,000,000 CU FT." holding tanks were constructed by Bartlett-Hayward, one on 36th Street and 11th Avenue in 1923, and the second on Formosa and Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood in 1924. The bulk of the photographs in the collection document the second project, on 36th and 11th, though all three projects are represented. Many of the images incorporate signs identifying the project site and date, for example: "The Bartlett-Hayward Co., Baltimore, MD. Hollywood 10,000,000 CU. FT. Holder, Formosa & Santa Monica Blvd. Hollywood, Calif., for L.A. G. & E. Corporation. May 1, 24."
A few of the images also show surrounding homes and buildings, constructions workers, and automobiles.
A 1921 article published in the Los Angeles Evening Express notes that prior to the Bartlett-Hayward tank, the largest one in LA could only hold six million cubic feet of gas, and that on a record winter day in 1920, the city used 52 million cubic feet of gas.
As sampling of the captions:
- L.A. Plant Vacuum Piping 9/22/22
- L.A. Generating Plant 10/12/22
- L.A. Plant Pump House 8/3/22
- Hollywood Holder / L.A. Gas Elec. Corpn. / Nov. 21, 1923 [sign: Standard Oil, Hollywood]
- Hollywood Holder / L.A. Gas Elec. Corpn. / Dec. 5th, 1923
- Formosa & Santa Monica Blvds Looking N-East.
Context of L.A. Growth and Power and Gass Requirements in the 1920s
In the 1920s, Los Angeles's municipal utility landscape was shaped by the competition between the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and private entities like Los Angeles Gas and Electric Corporation. LADWP, a municipal-owned utility, was established to provide affordable and reliable services, reflecting public sentiment against private monopolies. Conversely, Los Angeles Gas and Electric, a private company, controlled a significant portion of the city's gas and electric supply until the late 1920s. The era was marked by extensive construction projects, including new power plants and expanded hydroelectric capacity, to meet the growing metropolis's needs. This period also saw intense competition, with LADWP's municipal ownership ultimately allowing it - through the issue of revenue bonds in the amount of $46 million - to acquire Los Angeles Gas and Electric's assets in 1937, consolidating the city's utilities under public control and further advancing the expansion to keep pace with the city's rapid growth. At that time, L.A. Gas and Electric was the last remaining privately owned system in LA.