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Building History

An auto supply store, Barr and Moore, operated at 618 South Olive Street in 1912. (See "Universal Auto-Vulcanizer advertisement," Los Angeles Times, 06/12/1912, part VII, p. 10.) At this time, South Olive Street had a sizeable number of automobile dealerships, garages, and auto supply shops between the 600 and 1200 blocks. These included Barr and Moore (618 South Olive), the Western Motor Car Company (dealers of Chalmers autos at 727 South Olive), Smith Brothers (dealers of Stearns-Knight autos at 742 South Olive), the Eastern Motor Car Company (Stevens Duryea dealers at 825-827 South Olive), Grundy Motor Sales (dealers of American, Thomas, Cole, and Paige autos at 842 South Olive), the Standard Motor Car Company (dealers of Baker Electric cars at 1001 South Olive), the Howard Auto Company (Buick dealers at 10th and Olive), M.C. Nason (Hupmobile dealers at 1019 South Olive), Lord Motor Car Company, (sellers of Garford cars at 1032 South Olive), the Big 4 Automobile Company (Regal auto dealers at 1047-1049 South Olive), the William R. Ruess Autombile Company (Pope-Hartford auto dealer at 10th and Olive), Hawley King and Company (Oakland auto dealers at 1114-1116 South Olive), the Premier Motor Car Company (dealer in Premier and Reo cars at 1127 South Olive), Miller and Williams (dealer of Pullman cars, 1140 South Olive), the Brown-Symonds Company (Stutz dealers at 1142-1144 South Olive), Oldsmobile Company of California (Oldsmobile dealers at 1205 South Olive), California Electric Garage Company (dealers of Detroit Electrics, at 12th and Olive Streets), and R.C. Hamlin (dealer of Franklin cars at 12th and Olive).

In the 1920s, a Boos Brothers' Cafeteria operated at 618 South Olive Street. The Los Angeles Times covered a robbery that occurred at the restaurant on Thanksgiving evening, 1925. (See "Suspect in Theft Held to Answer," Los Angeles Times, 12/30/1925, p. A5.) P.R. Conrad was the cafeteria's manager in 11/1925. (See "Girl's Pluck Foils Robber," Los Angeles Times, 11/27/1925, p. 2.) The Boos Family sold the chain in 1926 to the Childs Corporation, which continued to operate some of the cafeterias under the Boos Brothers name. In 1927, the cafeteria at 618 South Olive Street was one of six operating in Downtown Los Angeles. Others included those at 435 South Hill Street, 648 South Broadway, 319 West 5th Street, 328 South Broadway and 530 South Hill Street. (See Boos Brothers ad, "Thanksgiving Dinner at Boos Bros. Cafeterias," Los Angeles Times, 11/24/1927, p. A10.)

The Clifton's Pacific Seas Restaurant was opened in a two-story, Renaissance Revival storefront dating c. 1910.

This was the first restaurant operated by the humanitarian couple, Clifford E. (1900-1969) and Nelda Clinton. Clifford Clinton's family had previously operated restaurants in San Bernardino, CA, and San Francisco, CA, before he moved to Los Angeles, CA, to open a restaurant that turned no guest away, regardless of the customer's ability to pay. (During the Depression, many unemployed diners took the opportunity to eat at the cafeteria, and, when the economy improved, stayed loyal to it.) Clifford and Nelda needed to differentiate their restaurant from other Clinton Family operations in San Francisco, so he combined syllables from his first and last name to form "Clifton's." This was the first location, located in a defunct cafeteria space at 618 South Olive Street; it opened four years before the Clintons' second Downtown Los Angeles facility, at 648 South Broadway. In 1939, this second restaurant was renamed "Clifton's Brookdale Cafeteria."

According to the Clifton's web site: "Clifton’s Cafeterias original location a 618 So. Olive Street was transformed into a tropical wonderland in 1939 after Clifford Clinton and his wife, Nelda, visited the South Pacific and Orient returning with treasures and ideas from this vast empire." The Clinton's festooned the exterior of their restaurant with vines and other jungle growth. "In 1939 when the founders of Clifton’s decided to remodel the Pacific Seas cafeteria from a conventional dining establishment to the exotic setting, the Los Angeles Architectural Commission was so upset over the facade and the décor that it threatened suit." The threat came to nothing and the restaurant operated with this atmospheric decor until 06/17/1960. (See "Clifton's History Pacific Seas," accessed 10/27/2011.)

Building Notes

Artist Einar C. Petersen (1885-1986) painted a mural depicting Christ in Jerusalem and the Garden of Gethsemane. In 11/1943, the social activist and sculptor, Marshall Lakey, produced a kneeling sculpture of Christ for this section of the cafeteria, known as "The Garden."

On 09/03/1912, this address was used as a voting place for Precinct 5 in primaries of that year. (See "City Polling Places for the Primaries," Los Angeles Times, 09/03/1912, part II, p. 2.)

Alteration

In 1939, seeking a more exotic atmosphere for his first cafeteria, Clinton remodeled it to become "Clifton's Pacific Seas Cafeteria." For this new restaurant, artist Einar Petersen (1995-1986), who also received a commission for Clifton's Brookdale, painted a Polynesian-themed mural.

Demolition

This historic landmark was torn down for a parking lot in 1960.

PCAD id: 11396