304 South Broadway
Los Angeles, California
This atmospheric office building in downtown LA, full of ornate metalwork is "a marvel of Gay Nineties style and engineering...twin open-grille elevators (and) an impressive vaulted roof wih a central skylight," according to Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles, by Elizabeth Ward and Alain Silver. It's actually described by Chandler in his novel, The High Window, although he calls it The Belfont Building. It's got a truly amazing interior, all lights and shadows and grillwork, sorta instant noir, and a totally bland exterior. Chandler described its exterior as "eight stories of nothing in particular." Okay, it's only five stories, but Chandler must have been on to something -- it's since been used as a setting, usually for private eye offices, in such classic hardboiled and noir detective flicks as Double Indemnity, Marlowe and Blade Runner, and TV shows, including both City of Angels and Banyon. John Shannon's private eye Jack Liffey drops by there often, and Max Allan Collins' Nate Heller has the L.A. branch of his A-1 Detective Agency operating out of it in Angel in Black. It's even been featured in comic books, most recently the 1999 revival of DC's Human Target.
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San Francisco, California
Pretty much mecca for any true hard-boiled crime buff is a pilgrimage to San Francisco to take Don Herron's guided tour of all things Hammett. For over thirty years, Herron has been keeping the faith, leading fans on a merry chase through the fog-shrouded hills that The
Continental Op, Sam Spade and Hammett himself called home.Oh, sure, you could buy the Guidebook (In fact, do! It's great!) but wouldn't you rather take the actual tour? If so be sure to visit the Don Herron's Official Website.63 Ellis Street
San Francisco, California
Sam Spade asks the waiter at John's Grill (at Powell and Ellis) to "hurry his order of chops, baked potato and sliced tomatoes' because he's in a rush to go rescue Brigid O'Shaughnessy. The restaurant's still there, and you can order Sam Spade Chops and a Bloody Brigid to drink in the Brigid O'Shaughnessy Room. The place is decorated with photographs and memorabilia of private eyes, cops, mystery writers and, of course, Dashiell Hammett. As an added bonus, the actual Maltese Falcon, the prop used in the Huston film, has been known to be on display as recently as 1995.
And take a stroll when you're finished your meal. You're half a block from the cable cars, two blocks downhill from Union Square, and around the block from Market Street. (A halfblock up Powell at a hotel whose name now escapes me is a saloon, whose basement is an actual Prohibition-era speakeasy). Wander over to Burritt Street and read the plaque there, "On approximately this spot, Miles Archer, partner of Sam Spade, was done in by Brigid O'Shaugnessy." And don't forget The Flood Building on Market Street, where Spade had his office. In fact, all these things are part of Don Herron's Dashiell Hammett Tour, which is highly recommended.
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(now known as One Calvert Plaza)
201 East Baltimore Street
At the south-east corner of Calvert Street
Baltimore, Maryland
Those familiar with Dashiell Hammett's life know that the Baltimore branch of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, where he worked as an operative from 1915 to 1918, was located in the Continental Trust Building, and almost certainly served as the inspiration for the name of his fictional Continental Detective Agency. Not to mention the nameless detective who worked there, best known as The Continental Op.
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As well, on the Baltimore Street side of the building, are two large ornamental eagles or perhaps falcons. Walking in Baltimore: An Intimate Guide to the Old City, suggests: "Look over the door and first floor windows at ornamental black birds. Some local readers believe that those birds inspired Hammett's famous "black bird" of The Maltese Falcon." Alas, while
the birds may have once been black, they are now finished in gold. There are also smaller
birds mid way up the banking hall windows, on both the Baltimore and Calvert street sides.
Since the mid-80s, The Continental Trust Building has been known as One Calvert Plaza.
(Thanks to William Robb for the heads-up on this one)
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New York City
Private eye buffs Bill and Karen Palmer's New York restaurant is the Big Apple hangout of choice of several P.I. writers and, sometimes, their ficticious detectives, especially Rob Randisi's Miles Jacoby. I believe the PWA was founded at a meeting held there. Alas, from latest reports, the restaurant has closed for good, and Karen and Bill have moved on to running Bogie's Mystery Tours.
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221B Baker Street
London, England
Whether he should be considered a private eye or not is moot. Any fan of the mystery genre owes the old cokehound a debt of gratitude. It's been suggested that 221B Baker Street is the most famous address in the world.
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48-50 rue du Cardinal Lemoine
Paris, France
Tel: 33-1 42 34 93 00
Just in case you miss the point, a life-sized cutout of a man in a fedora with a pistol in his hand points the way to the entrance to the Bibliothèque des Littératures Policières (Library of Crime Literature). Tucked away behind a firehouse in the Latin quarter, the BILIPO, as it's known, houses about 70,000 novels, 7,000 documents, 3,500 reference books, 3,000 press reviews, 2,000 comics, 50 subscriptions, movie posters, manuscripts, pulp magazines, clippings, essays, studies and clipping from all over the world… all related to suspense, crime, murder or detection. It's arguably the greatest collections of crime fiction in the world. There's a reading room, open to all, where fans can sit and read to their heart's content. Mostly in French, of course, but there's more than enough English here to while away more than a month of rainy afternoons. The staff are all knowledgable and eager to chat, and admission is free. Is this cool or what? For more info, go to "Old Tricks, Fresh Goose Bumps", a 2006 article by Julie Pecheur that originally appeared in The Paris Times.
