190th and Hawthorne: 196?


190th and Hawthorne: 196?

 

This is a photo from the 1960's over the intersection of 190th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. The photo was taken from up on one of the KNX radio antennas, located in what is now Columbia Park, with the camera facing southwest.

Notice in the photo that 190th Street did not go under the railroad tracks on the east side of Hawthorne Boulevard at the time. Instead, drivers heading west on 190th had to follow the street as it curved just north of the railroad tracks had to make a left turn on Hawthorne, go under the railroad tracks, and then turn right on 190th to continue their journey. Sometime in the late 1970's, 190th was reconfigured to the layout that exists today (190th continues almost straight under the rail tracks).  If you drive through the intersection today, you'll see that the railroad bridge over 190th looks much newer than the bridge over Hawthorne Boulevard.

Today, a corner of Columbia Park occupies the bottom portion of the photo and a McDonald's restaurant is on the corner that is barely visible through the tower's wire tension adjustment device..