![]() Two tanks, each of 1400 gallons capacity, contained soap flakes with the appropriate amount of water. ![]() A stiff collar required more steps in the process of being laundered than any other article. Stockings were dried and shaped at the same time on metal forms. Men's shirts were mended and the cuffs turned if worn along the fold. The flat work was protected in the mangles by canvas belts and aprons. There was a large dryer, made especially for bath towels, which dried them by a hot air process. The room next to that in which these tanks were located on the second floor was the store room, which contained barrels of starch, automobile tires, paper boxes, and almost a ton of twine. The thermostatic control heater kept the water at all times less than 180 degrees, while the water filtering tanks removed the elements harmful to linens and other materials. The clothing was washed in revolving machines, in filtered water with pure soap, and rinsed five times. Among the other machinery were two large flat work ironers, an 8 inches (200 mm) handkerchief ironer, two drying tumblers, nine pressing machines, and a curtain dryer. Here all silks, woolens, and fancy pieces were removed to be washed by hand. Each of the drivers of the 26 trucks deposited his bundles in bins, from which they were taken to the marking and sorting rooms. The laundry operated in a rotary fashion. Charles Greenberg, a Hollywood attorney, was secretary. The construction of the California Laundry plant had been under his direct supervision. Before becoming manager of the Hotel Alexandria’s laundry, Childers was superintendent of the San Bernardino Steam Laundry at San Bernardino. Childers, the vice-president and manager, resigned his position as manager of the laundry of the Hotel Alexandria, a position that he had held for two years, to start up the California Laundry. He was a director of the Troy Laundry Company, operating the Troy Laundry at Pasadena. He resigned as chairman of the National Bank of Pasadena when he became assistant manager of the Hotel Alexandria, of Los Angeles. Newby, the president, was associated with banking institutions in Pasadena, California for twenty-five years. The business was directed by Henry Newby and D. Expecting that the plant would have to be enlarged, the company owned the property just west of their initial building, allowing for expansion. ![]() ![]() For the first three months, they worked without phone connections. The machinery used in the California Laundry was the largest single shipment of laundry apparatus ever sent to the Pacific coast, and was bought at an expense of $126,000, not including the boilers and water heat controlling machines. History Įstablished in 1921, the laundry, representing an investment of $225,000, was an important addition to the industrial section of Hollywood. Parking was available on Vine Street and Eleanor Avenue. Situated just south of Santa Monica Boulevard, the property had a frontage of 284 feet (87 m) of Vine Street. The owners acquired the entire block on which the plant was located. The machinery used in the California Laundry was the largest single shipment of laundry apparatus ever sent to the Pacific coast. At the time it was established, the California Laundry was one of the few laundry businesses in the country in which each machine was driven by an individual motor, eliminating the possibility of a breakdown which would cripple the entire plant. Image of the California Laundry, unknown date.Ĭalifornia Laundry was an early 1920s business in Hollywood, California, and in its day, possibly the city's largest business institution outside of the film studios.
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