I just completed an event in the Pico Union area of Los Angeles, which contains some of "the largest collections of historic homes west of the Mississippi River". These homes and this area are even more intriguing when one is exposed to the area's history and how culturally diverse and rich it has become over the years.
Pico Union lies just two miles southwest of Downtown LA. Similar to most of the Los Angeles area, it is a community that is both economically and ethnically diverse. (This is so much of an understatement, it's insane). But the community is also special in that it is one of twenty-two Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZ), or Historic District more broadly, which is an area composed of a group of buildings that are related to one another historically, architecturally, and/or culturally.
Some of the historic styles in the area include: 19th century Victorian-era cottages, early 20th century Craftsman and Mission Revival bungalows, and larger homes in Period Revival or Classical styles.
Pico Union, An Ever-evolving Community of Diversity:
Part of my recent work in the area was to outreach to residents about past, present, and future historic preservation efforts, the value of conservation, and the benefits of living in a historic district. Various stakeholders would like to broaden the community's interest in historic preservation, and have come together to offer a number of educational workshops in the month of January.
Our first educational workshop, which was held at the Pico Union Branch Library, was a success! There were a number of attendees consisting of students, community leaders, homeowners, renters, artists, and architects; and all are committed to preserving Pico Union's overall cultural and historical heritage.
Most of the attendees had grown up in the area and have watched it evolve overtime (an excess of bars and liquor stores were eliminated in the 80's and 90's even though other forms of blight persist until this day). Others were fascinated with the history and architecture of the area and are interested in preserving the beauty of historic homes, especially since many have been inappropriately altered or demolished altogether. And all of the attendees seemed to have tremendous pride in Pico Union, and were so invested in the cultural and historical heritage of this community that attending the event is second-nature to them.
Upcoming events and workshops on Pico Union Historic Preservation Efforts include:
January 19, 2008: Pico Union Walking Tour
January 24, 2008: Benefits of Historic Preservation & the HPOZ
January 31, 2008: Dialogue with HPOZ Leaders
Please contact Mike Buhler with the LA Conservancy for more information on these events and for other historic preservation information!
Never to be Forgotten:
Finally, Pico Union has an amazing history of migration and settlement and it's emergence as a Central American enclave in Los Angeles is renowned. There are also a lot of awesome organizations in the area doing great work (I'll certainly cover this in a future post), and their existence provides yet another reason why Pico Union (and LA more broadly) is so unique:
IDEPSCA: works with day laborers and household workers in LA.
Homies Unidos: gang violence prevention and intervention.
Centro Latino: education and literacy for local residents.
SALEF: educational scholarships for Central Americans.
Eco-Academy: a charter school run by the Conservation Corps.
Maya Vision: support services for indigenous people of Mexico and Central America.
Pico Union Housing Corporation (PUHC): develop and preserve affordable housing and much more.
Memorial behind a strip mall on the corner of Pico and Union:
Three Blocks North of Pico and Union on Olympic and Union, La Curacao Department Store, "A Little Bit of Your Country":
All the photos of historic homes in this post are courtesy of this very informative blog on Pico Union.
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