The Street Seen: 2820 Main Street (1926 - 1984)
2820 Main St @ Ashland
Twenty years after the 1926 widening of Main St, the northwest corner of Ashland and Main is occupied by three 1-story structures - a beer tavern, a garage, and an automobile service station.
When Main Street is widened in 1926, the apartment and retail buildings on the northwest corner of Ashland and Main St, are moved or demolished.
The northwest corner of Ashland and Main1 remains vacant until the mid-1940s - post WWII, when Alfred Leppert2 builds a beer bar (Kilroy’s),3 an auto repair garage, and a Shell service station.
Over time, the corner is home to several commercial ventures.
In 1979, Kilroy’s, which has only a liquor license, is granted a license to serve food.
In 1982, the property is owned by Joyce A. and Hugh E. Syme - who also operate Kilroy’s Mexican Cafe. Robert Glick and Irvin A. Siegel obtain City permits to remodel the existing structures for a restaurant, an outdoor flower mart, and a bakery - Main Street Cafe and Bakery. The remaining parking space is to be a “public park.” A petition in support is signed by hundreds of neighbors. A City variance to not require parking is granted. Although permits are obtained, the project does not move ahead. The property is sold in August 1984.
In 1985, under new ownership, the northwest corner of Ashland and Main is redeveloped with a new restaurant (the Wave) occupying the entire property.
The 75-ft (along Main St) by 78-ft property consists of Lots 23, 24, and 25 of Block D of the 1893 Santa Monica Tract.
Alfred Wilhelm Leppert (1911 - 1983). Born Germany. Leppert comes to the US in 1923 (age 12). The family resides in NJ. In 1935, he marries Amelia Marie Rusch (1916 - 2010). Sometime after 1940, Leppert comes to Los Angeles. As well as the Shell station at 2820 Main, he also owns Leppert’s Shell Service Station at 2127 Michigan.
Kilroy's Tavern (2824 Main St) appears in an episode of The Rockford Files - The Return of the Black Shadow (1979).