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For an updated, corrected, and expanded version of this article,
now called "The Lasso of La Loma"
Updated with a registry of all the house numbers on these streets.
For an updated, corrected, and expanded version of this article,
now called "The Lasso of La Loma"
Updated with a registry of all the house numbers on these streets.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE UPDATED VERSION.
Chavez Ravine was a hillside community settled in the hills above Downtown Los Angeles in the late 19th century. This neighborhood, known affectionately as "Lil' Town", was built on land purchased by L.A. councilman and namesake Julian Chavez, along with the land that is now the suburban forest sanctuary of Elysian Park. It had three (kinda-sorta four) neighborhoods: Palo Verde, Bishop, and La Loma, as well as Solano Canyon below. Solano Canyon still stands in its old glory today, and a few of those who witnessed the good ol' days still live there, a few of whom I have had the honor of speaking to.
Sadly, the legacy of this Lil' Town is not its history, or its sui generis setting and way of life, but instead the way in which it met its demise. Chavez Ravine was originally razed through the power of eminent domain (the implied Constitutional power of the government to seize land for public use) to make way for public housing. The whole story is long and causes great consternation; y'all can look it up, as this article is about streets. Simply put, after a big political fiasco, plans changed and the land was purchased by Walter O'Malley and the Dodgers, and upon it was built Dodger Stadium. This reason behind this sudden shift of plans is controversial amongst historians. Chagrined historians and former residents say that it was the Cold War mentality---that suburban Angelinos and conservative (and "progressive") politicians warred over the issue, and the former harked that public housing was a manifestation of socialism (or, Communism, whichever; the lines seemed to be blurred back then anyway). Others argue that it was more of a carefully choreographed scheme. Whatever the case, nearly all of the 300-acre rolling hill landscape was graded and flattened to build our Stadium, often regarded as the most beautiful sports stadium in the world.
Secluded in the hills along the 110 Freeway, just before the Chinatown exit, are the remnants of one of L.A.'s last tiny villages--the four remaining Chavez Ravine roads. These roads are Brooks Avenue, which leads into Spruce Street, which in turn becomes Aqua Pura Avenue. Between this chain of three streets and Amador Street below, right behind the San Conrado Church, was Phoenix Street. Phoenix was never paved and thus has almost completely receded from view, and in its present state is merely a path. It is also worth mentioning that Jarvis Street, still in use today, extended further Southwest up the hill that leads to Phoenix and then to Spruce.
Aqua Pura, Spruce, and Brooks have been depicted on maps of the area since at least the late, late 19th century, according to a retrospective 1905 land survey that I consulted. Brooks Avenue's address system ran from 1750 to 1900, Spruce from 600 to 800, Aqua Pura from 600 to 650/700) and Phoenix from 600 to 800. The three connected roads have a very distinctive shape; they form somewhat of a "lasso", if you will.
Sadly, the legacy of this Lil' Town is not its history, or its sui generis setting and way of life, but instead the way in which it met its demise. Chavez Ravine was originally razed through the power of eminent domain (the implied Constitutional power of the government to seize land for public use) to make way for public housing. The whole story is long and causes great consternation; y'all can look it up, as this article is about streets. Simply put, after a big political fiasco, plans changed and the land was purchased by Walter O'Malley and the Dodgers, and upon it was built Dodger Stadium. This reason behind this sudden shift of plans is controversial amongst historians. Chagrined historians and former residents say that it was the Cold War mentality---that suburban Angelinos and conservative (and "progressive") politicians warred over the issue, and the former harked that public housing was a manifestation of socialism (or, Communism, whichever; the lines seemed to be blurred back then anyway). Others argue that it was more of a carefully choreographed scheme. Whatever the case, nearly all of the 300-acre rolling hill landscape was graded and flattened to build our Stadium, often regarded as the most beautiful sports stadium in the world.
Secluded in the hills along the 110 Freeway, just before the Chinatown exit, are the remnants of one of L.A.'s last tiny villages--the four remaining Chavez Ravine roads. These roads are Brooks Avenue, which leads into Spruce Street, which in turn becomes Aqua Pura Avenue. Between this chain of three streets and Amador Street below, right behind the San Conrado Church, was Phoenix Street. Phoenix was never paved and thus has almost completely receded from view, and in its present state is merely a path. It is also worth mentioning that Jarvis Street, still in use today, extended further Southwest up the hill that leads to Phoenix and then to Spruce.
Aqua Pura, Spruce, and Brooks have been depicted on maps of the area since at least the late, late 19th century, according to a retrospective 1905 land survey that I consulted. Brooks Avenue's address system ran from 1750 to 1900, Spruce from 600 to 800, Aqua Pura from 600 to 650/700) and Phoenix from 600 to 800. The three connected roads have a very distinctive shape; they form somewhat of a "lasso", if you will.
The land in the middle of this lasso's loop once contained a house; research among county records indicate that the house's address was 648. A photograph taken from this house's porch is below. A few yards southwest of these roads is a reservoir that apparently also served Chavez Ravine. Not far from that reservoir, going downhill toward the freeway, was a house that was used as the setting for the hideout of a reclusive antagonist in a 1957 B-Movie called "Without Warning!". The footage of Chavez Ravine and Brooks/Spruce/Aqua Pura is priceless, not to mention the depictions of old LA. By the way, the address of that hideout house was 632 (see below). My neighborhood chums might find it interesting that the hillside behind this house was the original terminus of Effie Street. Effie traveled Southeast until the 900 block, ending right near Spruce.
This place is nostalgic, serene, and calm--aside from the oscillating noise of the 110 in the background. It has has a strangely beautiful locale. The cracked roads erode into the hillside, with nature slowly reclaiming the land. Up from the cracks in the ground come growths of non-native Ricinus communis (castor oil plant) as well as native Echinocystis lobata (a species of gourd, erroneously referred to as "wild cucumber").
Chavez Ravine was presented as a homogeneously poor community with ramshackle houses that was better off gone. However, photographs show, and residents remember, a type of community not so different from others in the hills of Central L.A. While many houses were corrugated steel shacks, especially on the hillside facing Solano Canyon, there were also strong old Craftsman bungalows, a few Victorians, moderns, brick-and-mortar schools/houses, farms, a medical clinic, and even a famous naval armory.
These days, the evictees are known amongst themselves as "Los Desterados" ("the uprooted").
These days, the evictees are known amongst themselves as "Los Desterados" ("the uprooted").
I'm somewhat of a map enthusiast. I regularly find myself pinpointing and documenting the locations of former streets. Often, these old maps that I find will depict streets that have disappeared without a trace, or have little remnants. Coming upon these Chavez Ravine streets and researching them was huge for me, and even more so was starting conversations with former residents--including family friends! Many of my future pieces will be about vanished streets, though many of them probably won't be as jam-packed as the Chavez Ravine journey was!