Friday, December 21, 2007

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home."


Close your eyes, and tap your heels three times, and think to yourself,
"There's no place like home".

I'm back from my week out of town, and my Life has been pretty busy since I returned. I barely had a chance to sleep in my own bed 4 nights, when I was again, thrown into new circumstances, in a different neighborhood. Taking the opportunity to give myself an indulgence I miss, I agreed to puppysit two very sweet dogs and an unusually affectionate cat for 5 days. The caretaking meant I had all the spacious amenities of living in a beautiful classic West Adams home.




The West Adams area of Los Angeles 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. Architectural styles seen in West Adams include 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 Greene and Greene house in Los Angeles.


Its historic homes are frequently used as locations for movies and TV shows including CSI, The Shield, Monk, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Of Mice and Men. Driving down Arlington Blvd., I'd often see them filming my old HBO favorite Six Feet Under which was shot at the beautiful mansion one block north of Adams on the west side of the street.

The community's rich history illustrates the demographic changes of major U. S. cities, that is still going on today. Areas that started out as all white communities, later became the homes of prosperous African-Americans. Time, changes in industry and business, and the lack of economic and social planning eventuate these neighborhoods descent into disarray. Urban renewal and gentrification projects sweep thru, reintroducing the same properties as upscale enclaves where the wealthy or whoever can afford them, once again become the residents.


West Adams was developed to provide elegant homes to Los Angeles’ entrepreneurial elites. Oils barons, vintners, railroad magnates, and real estate developers hired top architects of their day to create mansions in a variety of styles. Its wealthy residents of the 1920s included lawyers, doctors, oil baron Edward L. Doheny, Port of Los Angeles developer Randolph Huntington Minor, and a host of other prominent Los Angeles citizens.

During the 1930s depression era West Adams hit hard times. Homeowners were forced to either sell their homes, or to rent out rooms to boarders. Another change for West Adams occurred in the early 1940s as successful African-American entertainers moved into West Adams Heights and dubbed it “Sugar Hill.” But Whites opposed the integration of West Adams.

The development of the West Side and Hollywood, beginning in the 1920s, 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.


Just a slight diversion, as art inside and out, beckons~

One symbol of the area's emergence as a center of black wealth at this time is the 1948 headquarters of Golden State Life Mutual Insurance, a late-period Art Deco structure that housed what is still the nation's largest black-owned insurer. Founded by William Nickerson, Jr., Norman Oliver Houston and George Allen Beavers, Jr. with it's impressive current building designed by the great architect Paul R. Williams, Golden State Mutual Life Insurance sits at the intersection of Adams Blvd. and Western Ave. I grew up with the grandchildren of all three founders of Golden State, as well as the grandchildren of Paul Williams, so it's a great pleasure to bring the genius and creativity of my community to your attention.
The building has also been the home of Golden State's major collection of African-American art.
















This work of art, depicting women in Ghana was one of the pieces offered for auction in Oct. 2007, when Golden State sold a major portion of it's extensive collection of works created by some of America's most noted African-American artists.



These murals are part of those painted by Charles Alston, and Hale Woodruff and were not in the sale. They grace the walls of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company lobby. The first mural is titled "The Negro in California History: Exploration and Colonization." Biddy Mason is in it, along with James Beckworth.


The second mural is "The Negro in California History: Settlement and Development." More information and pictures are available at LAMurals.com.

Back to our stroll......

West Adams' transformation into an affluent black area was sped up by the Supreme Court's 1948 invalidation of segregationist covenants on property ownership. The area was a favorite among black celebrities in the 1940s and 1950s. Among the famous residents of West Adams Heights/Sugar Hill were actresses Louise Beavers, Hattie McDaniel (the first African-American to win a Oscar), Joe Louis, Little Richard, Ray Charles and Earl Grant (jazz organist).


Their efforts were rewarded in 1948 when the United States Supreme Court declared racial restrictions housing unconstitutional. Soon West Adams was the place for wealthy African-Americans who quickly became the dominant group. The first African-American to run for city council was
Courtland G. Mitchell who lived in West Adams Heights/Sugar Hill at 2048 South Oxford Avenue.


Years laters the area was brought back into the limelight when Motown great Marvin Gaye bought a family home in the community. Fans loved to drive past and show their out of town guests where Marvin lived. It sadly was also the site of his death, when he was fatally shot in the home by his father on April 1, 1984, one day before his 45th birthday.


Unique Architecture, History, and Central Location Created Highly Valued Properties and Neighborhoods of Great Diversity


The late 1950s/early 1960s the Santa Monica Freeway cut through part of West Adams. The Freeway also divided West Adams Heights/ Sugar Hill. Some of the most significant homes were lost to the freeway project and the area began to decline through the 1970s.

But in the beginning of the 1980s, with a healthy economy and many African-Americans in well-paying professions, homeowners started investing in the old mansions, remodeling and restoring the historic homes. Other professionals were attracted to the architecture and lush old neighborhood and brought increased diversity. And today, as whites have begun to seek to move back into inner-city Los Angeles, communications experts, writers, academics, artists and Hollywood talent have discovered the convenience of West Adams - making it one of Los Angeles' most diverse communities.


Here are a few links for more information.


Be sure to check this first one, for 2 pages of photos of homes in the area to allow you a physical impression of the community.
http://www.westadamsheritage.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=176


This link provides biographical sketches of the people that have lived in West Adams
http://westadamsheritage.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=9&Itemid=56


The West Adams Heights/Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association
http://www.westadamsheightssugarhill.com/index.html


This last link is the homepage of the WAHA- West Adams Heritage Association
http://westadamsheritage.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

These are some additional photos of the Orchard House Neighborhood which is further east on Adams Blvd. Captured here you'll see the architectural variety of that area, and the previously mentioned Doheny Mansion, of early oil baron Edward Doheny. http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~umin/09neighborhood.html



With the influx of new, younger, politically (as in civic government) astute homeowners, this association has a preservation focus that calls them to be environmental watchdogs for the area. As they pursue the aesthetic integrity and ecological protection of their neighborhood, everyone residing in the surrounding community is benefited by their knowledge, understanding and vigilance. They in turn are enjoying the caring and neighborly ambience African-American well tended neighborhoods are known for. The wisdom and experiences served up from the rich lives of West Adams' African-American older residents make potlucks , block parties and holiday gatherings great times for all.

Sounds like a good mix to me.......Many wonderful and necessary elements coming together......with lots of positive creative potential.

Happy Holidays to all~

Kentke


4 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading your blog entry on the West Adams district's history. The processes of evolving city structures are indeed complex yet as you point out there are social and economic forces that provide trends to areas. Reminds me of one of my volunteer activities down there, both in computer data entry and as a Docent of the Little Landers Historical Society, working at a museum made from an old stone building in the Tujunga area so as to preserve the building and in there the history of the area, and help visitors interpret what they saw; the little historical museum is called Bolton Hall Museum, on Commerce street in Tujunga.


    I attempted to leave a comment on your blog re earthworms, did you get it? The comment form said it was email, and after writing a nice long discussion and attempting to send it, it popped up and said I was limited to only 300 characters. So I chiseled my long and carefully crafted literary art form down to almost a bare nothing 295 characters, and then the form was happy and sent it, it said.


    Cheers and Merry Christmas, wonderful New year heading your way.
    Jim

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:06:46 -0800

    Hi Kentke,

    Skimmed your top blog entry again and noticed your childhood friends
    addition, and the Afro-American paintings I'd not noticed before; all
    interesting to me. The paintings were a bit too small to see enough
    to figure out what it was, although I could see the complexity.
    I also this time noticed the top part about the shoes, a fun thing,
    about home. Thanks!
    I attempted to post a comment by clicking on the "0 comments" at
    bottom of entry, window came up and I attempted to leave a comment,
    but when trying to send it, it required me to have both name and
    password, which normally is automatically loaded on my computer and
    did not want to dig the password up from secured area right now, so
    that test needs to wait.

    It snowed here this morning another half inch, yard had mostly melted
    away from previous snows this winter.

    Cheers,
    Jim

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sun, 23 Dec 2007 19:13:13 -0800

    Hi Kentke,

    Since i had already signed in with my gmail identity confirmed, was a
    surprise that it wanted me to manually re-enter my password. I did
    not try the anonymous option; can try that another time. This time I
    was just testing it so only commented your blog entry was a really
    nice introduction tour of the history of the West Adams history area.
    I liked your special touches of describing your own connections with
    places and people throughout the historical tour; gives me more of a
    sense of you fleshing out the place, real live person I know who had
    been there and done that, more life touch put in the flat history
    book pages.

    I have not identified exactly where the West Adams area is, but that
    does not matter. If the Santa Monica freeway chops through it, I
    surely have been thru many times; I had used that freeway from 1960,
    even before it was finished being built through Santa Monica itself,
    and required surface streets through SM to PCH; I was courting a
    Malibu girl who soon became my wife of a dozen years then she moved
    on; but it all involved hundreds of those Santa Monica freeway trips,
    and the decades after that too, mostly going to the Natural History
    Museum and Rose Garden area, my favorite area in LA, and where
    eventually I worked as a volunteer and as a part time research
    assistant in marine biology, some dreams coming true, struggle as
    they had become, before moving up here.

    Cheers,

    Jim C.

    ReplyDelete
  4. On a happier note I liked the "black LA" post. A relative out that way once took a few of us on a similar tour of the famous parts of black LA and it was fascination. Inspirational. We even saw Ray Charles's old house, as seen in the movie *Ray.* I'd love to see more movies made around the landmarks and history of black LA.

    cheers,

    Carol

    ReplyDelete

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