Reel SF

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

San Francisco movie locations from classic films

The House On Telegraph Hill - Larry's Garage

  After the car crash Victoria is convinced her new husband tampered with the brakes hoping she and her son Chris would die, leaving aunt Sophie's estate to him.  She and friend Marc Bennett take the car to a garage where the mechanic finds a broken hydraulic line - it could have been a deliberate act, but they can't be sure.

Then ...  They are at Larry's Garage on Verdi Place, off Montgomery between Broadway and Pacific (map).  The view towards Nob Hill includes the Mark Hopkins hotel just left of the 'Brakes/Alignment' sign and the Sentinel Building (aka the Columbus Tower) on Columbus Avenue, with its distinctive dome.  The gabled building with the mural, just above the gas pump, is on Pacific Avenue.

But Larry’s Garage was not listed anywhere in the 1953 city directory ; there was however a parking lot listed at Verdi Place. Larry’s appears to have been created by the moviemakers on this lot for this scene as posited by reader Morgan in the comments below. This directory entry is for Montgomery Street; the parking lot was the only business on the east side of the 900 block.

 

 Then ...  In this shot as they are about to exit onto Montgomery there's a wider angle view.  The Columbus Tower is at far left and on the left horizon are the Mark Hopkins and Fairmont hotels as well as the Brocklebank Apartments (featured in 'Vertigo').  The two high-rise apartments spaced out to their right are 1250 and 1360 Jones Street (also visible from George's House in 'Dark Passage').

... and Now,  it’s still a parking lot.  From the same spot on Verdi Place today we see an added upper-level parking structure and the views are blocked by several newer buildings surrounding it. 1250 Jones is seen between the buildings in today's view.

 

Here's a recent Google Earth view of the garage site with an arrow pointing to the parking structure.  Broadway runs vertically right of center with Montgomery crossing it at bottom.  The Columbus Tower is at upper left.  The former site-with-a-view is now completely hemmed in.

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