West Adams, Los Angeles

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West Adams, also known as Historic West Adams, is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California, which in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was an exclusive residential area for many wealthy and influential citizens of Los Angeles. Today it is a youthful, low-income, densely populated area with a high percentage of black and Latino residents. It boasts a large number of historic buildings; there are three official historic districts and several historic preservation overlay zones.


West Adams as outlined by the Los Angeles Times
Stimson House
Fitzgerald House
Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building
Britt House, now home of the LA84 Foundation
Forthmann House
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Doheny Mansion
St. Vincent de Paul Church
Second Church of Christ, Scientist
House in 20th Street Historic District

History

West Adams is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Los Angeles, with most of its buildings erected between 1880 and 1925, including the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. West Adams was developed by railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington and wealthy industrialist Hulett C. Merritt of Pasadena. It was once the wealthiest district in the city, with its Victorian mansions and sturdy Craftsman bungalows home to Downtown businessmen and professors and academicians at USC. Several areas of West Adams, namely, Harvard Heights, Lafayette Square, Pico-Union, and West Adams Terrace, were designated as Historic Preservation Overlay Zones by the city of Los Angeles, in recognition of their outstanding architectural heritage. Menlo Avenue-West Twenty-ninth Street Historic District, North University Park Historic District, Twentieth Street Historic District, Van Buren Place Historic District and St. James Park Historic District, all with houses of architectural significance, are located in West Adams.

The development of the West Side, Beverly Hills and Hollywood, beginning in the 1910s, siphoned away much of West Adams' upper-class white population; upper-class blacks began to move in around this time, although the district was off limits to all but the very wealthiest African-Americans. One symbol of the area's emergence as a center of black wealth at this time is the 1949 headquarters of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, a late-period Moderne structure at Adams and Western designed by renowned black architect Paul Williams. It housed what was once one of the nation's largest black-owned insurers (currently, along with an adjacent new building, it is now a campus for a large non-profit). West Adams' transformation into an affluent black area was sped by the Supreme Court's 1948 invalidation of segregationist covenants on property ownership.[1] The area was a favorite among black celebrities in the 1940s and 1950s; notable residents included Hattie McDaniel, Joe Louis, Sweet Daddy Grace, Little Richard, and Ray Charles.

Singer Ray Charles's business headquarters, including his RPM studio, is located at 2107 Washington Boulevard. The intersection of Washington Boulevard and Westmoreland Boulevard, at the studio, is named "Ray Charles Square" in his honor.

In the 1950s, the construction of the Harbor Freeway destroyed many large homes on the east side of West Adams, while the 1960s construction of the Santa Monica Freeway completely obliterated Berkeley Square, which held significant houses designed by Elmer Grey, and bisected West Adams Heights. Both subdivisions lost many large, beautiful homes.

The 1992 Los Angeles riots largely spared West Adams's historic buildings. Mirroring changes seen throughout Los Angeles, the district's Latino population has been growing. The area's architecture and proximity to USC have brought some upper-middle-class whites as well.[citation needed] Many African-American gays have moved into the neighborhood, and it has become the center of black gay life in Los Angeles, even earning the nickname of "the black West Hollywood" or "the black Silver Lake"[2] Many of the neighborhoods are experiencing a renaissance of sorts with their historic homes being restored to their previous elegance.[1]

In total, more than 70 sites in West Adams have received recognition as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, a California Historical Landmark, or listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Population

A total of 21,764 people lived in West Adams's 1.48 square miles, according to the 2000 U.S. census—averaging 14,686 people per square mile, among the highest population densities in the city as a whole. Population was estimated at 22,857 in 2008. The median age was 28, considered young when compared to the city as a whole. The percentages of residents aged birth to 18 were among the county's highest.[3]

Latinos made up 56.2% of the population, with black people at 37.6%, white 2.4%, Asian 1.7%, and other 2%. Mexico and El Salvador were the most common places of birth for the 36.9% of the residents who were born abroad, an average percentage of foreign-born when compared with the city or county as a whole.[3]

The $38,209 median household income in 2008 dollars was considered low for the city and county. The percentage of households earning $20,000 or less was high, compared to the county at large. The average household size of 3.1 people was about average for the city. Renters occupied 62.8% of the housing units, and homeowners occupied the rest.[3]

In 2000, there were 1,078 families headed by single parents, or 21.8%, a rate that was high for the county and the city. The percentages of never-married women (39.5) and divorced women (5.7) were among the county's highest.[3]

Boundaries

According to the "Mapping L.A." project of the Los Angeles Times, West Adams is flanked by Mid-City to the north—across the Santa Monica Freeway—Jefferson Park to the east, Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw to the south and Palms to the west.[4] The neighborhood's street boundaries are the Santa Monica Freeway on the north, Crenshaw Boulevard on the east, Exposition and Jefferson boulevards on the south and the Culver City line on the west (Ballona Creek and Fairfax Avenue).[3]

The West Adams Heritage Association states that West Adams stretches "roughly from Figueroa Street on the east to West Boulevard on the west, and from Pico Boulevard on the north to Jefferson Boulevard on the south."[5]

Tracts and districts

Areas within the West Adams neighborhood are:

Kinney Heights

Kinney Heights was developed around 1900 by developer Abbott Kinney, for whom it is named. It was a suburban tract of large Craftsman style homes at what was then the western edge of Los Angeles. The homes featured amenities like "beveled-glass china cabinets, marble fireplaces and mahogany floors".[6] It was accessible to downtown via streetcar and attracted upper-middle-class families.[7]

Many of the hundred-year-old homes are still standing and have been renovated and upgraded. The neighborhood is part of the West Adams Terrace Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ).[8]

Menlo Avenue - West Twenty-ninth Street Historic District

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Main article: Menlo Avenue-West Twenty-ninth Street Historic District

The Menlo Avenue - West Twenty-ninth Street Historic District is a historic district in the North University Park section of Los Angeles, which is itself part of the city's West Adams district.[2] The area consists of late Victorian and Craftsman-style homes dating back to 1896. The area is bounded by West Adams Boulevard on the north, Ellendale on the east, West Thirtieth Street on the south, and Vermont Avenue to the west. The district is noted for its well-preserved period architecture, reflecting the transition from late Victorian and shingle-styles to the American Craftsman style that took hold in Southern California in the early 1900s.

North University Park Historic District

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Main article: North University Park Historic District

The North University Park Historic District is bounded by West Adams Boulevard on the north, Magnolia Avenue on the west, Hoover Street on the east and 28th Street on the south. Containing numerous well-preserved Victorian houses dating back as far as 1880, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Twentieth Street Historic District

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Main article: Twentieth Street Historic District

The Twentieth Street Historic District consists of a row of bungalows and Craftsman-style houses in the 900 block on the south side of 20th Street.

Education

Just 7.8% of residents age 25 or older had a four-year degree, a percentage considered low for the city and the county; the percentage with less than a high school diploma (not stated) was considered high.[3]

The West Adams neighborhood is home to these schools:[9][10]

  • Stella Middle Charter Academy, LAUSD, 2636 Mansfield Avenue
  • Marvin Elementary School, LAUSD, 2411 Marvin Avenue
  • Cienega Elementary School, LAUSD, 2611 South Orange Drive
  • Cleophas Oliver Learning Academy, private elementary, 4449 West Adams Boulevard
  • Virginia Road Elementary School, LAUSD, 2925 Virginia Road
  • Full Circle Learning Academy, LAUSD charter, 1850 West 96th Street
  • Crown Preparatory Academy, 2055 W. 24th St.

Recreation and parks

  • Westside Neighborhood Park, 3085 Clyde Avenue[9][11]
  • Vineyard Recreation Center, 2942 Vineyard Avenue[9][12]

Transportation

The 2012 opening of the Metro Expo Line from Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City to soon Santa Monica includes three stations in West Adams. These stations are La Cienega/Jefferson, Expo/La Brea and Farmdale.[13]

Fire service

Los Angeles Fire Department's Station 26 serves the district.[14]

Historic architecture

West Adams is home to one of the largest collections of historic homes west of the Mississippi River. The West Adams area was developed between 1880 and 1925 and contains many diverse architectural styles of the era, including the Queen Anne, Shingle, Gothic Revival, Transitional Arts and Crafts, American Craftsman/Ultimate Bungalow, Craftsman Bungalow, Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, Egyptian Revival, Beaux-Arts and Neoclassical styles. West Adams boasts the only existing Greene and Greene house left in Los Angeles. Its historic homes are frequently used as locations for movies and TV shows including CSI, Six Feet Under, The Shield, Monk, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Of Mice and Men.

Notable places

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Khouri, Andrew (April 30, 2014) "Soaring home prices spur a resurgence near USC " Los Angeles Times
  2. ↑ West Adams on the Down Low : Curbed LA
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 [1] "West Adams," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  4. ↑ [2] "South L.A.," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  5. ↑ [3] "About West Adams," West Adams Heritage Association
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Thomas Guide, 2006, pages 633 and 673
  10. ↑ [4] "West Adams Schools," Mapping L.A., Los Angeles Times
  11. ↑ [5] Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
  12. ↑ [6] Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
  13. ↑ Phase 1 Construction
  14. ↑ Station 26 LA City Fire: Fire Station 26
  15. ↑ "Breedlove Dies Suddenly," Los Angeles Times, April 27, 1934, page A-1
  16. ↑ Location of the Breedlove home on Mapping L.A.
  17. ↑ West Adams Heritage Society, biographical sketch of Edward L. Doheny.
  18. ↑ Time magazine, "Victory on Sugar Hill", Monday, December 17, 1945.

External links

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