Historic Resources Survey Report Northeast Los Angeles River Revitalization Area Prepared for: City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency Prepared by: HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP Pasadena, CA Galvin Preservation Associates June 2012 Table of Contents Project Overview 1 Survey Methodology Summary 1 Project Team 3 Survey Area 3 Designated Resources 6 Historical Overview 7 Selected Chronology 34 Survey Methodology 38 Survey Results 39 Research Sources 64 Appendices Appendix A: Individual Resources Appendix B: Non-Parcel Resources Appendix C: Historic Districts Historic Resources Survey Northeast Los Angeles River Revitalization Area Project Overview This historic resources survey report (“Survey Report”) has been completed on behalf of the former Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) for the Northeast Los Angeles River Revitalization Project Area (NELA). This project was conducted from October 2011 to March 2012 by Historic Resources Group (HRG) and Galvin Preservation Associates (GPA). This Survey Report provides a summary of the work completed, including a description of the survey area; an historic context statement for the survey area; an overview of the field methodology; a summary of relevant contexts, themes, and property types; and a complete list of all surveyed resources. The NELA historic resources survey was conducted following SurveyLA methodology and using SurveyLA proprietary technology. This Survey Report is intended to be used in conjunction with the SurveyLA Field Results Master Report (“Master Report”) which provides a detailed discussion of SurveyLA methodology and explains the terms used in this report and associated appendices. In addition, a Survey Results Map has been prepared which graphically illustrates the boundaries of the survey area and the location and type of all resources identified during the field survey. The NELA Historic Resources Survey was originally commissioned by the CRA to identify potential historic resources located within the NELA area to establish baseline data for a redevelopment plan for the area. In planning the project, it was determined that the survey would be conducted using SurveyLA methodology as developed by the Office of Historic Resources (OHR). Properties would be evaluated using established SurveyLA protocols and recorded using SurveyLA’s proprietary software (FiGGS). Redevelopment activity throughout the state was curtailed by legislation in 2011. The City, therefore, reorganized to dissolve the CRA. In March of 2012, the City determined that the NELA survey project would be incorporated into SurveyLA to make use of the data acquired in the CRA effort. The project team continued working with the Successor Agency, with guidance from OHR, to complete the project. Survey Methodology Summary Below is a brief summary of SurveyLA methodology.1 Field Survey Methods Properties surveyed for SurveyLA are evaluated for eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, California Register of Historical Resources, and for local 1 For more information about the SurveyLA methodology, see the SurveyLA Field Results Master Report. Historic Resources Survey 1 Northeast Los Angeles River Revitalization Area designation as City Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCM) or Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZ), commonly known as historic districts. Field surveyors cover the entire area within the boundaries of the NELA survey area. However, only resources that have been identified as significant within the contexts developed for SurveyLA are recoded. Consultants making resource evaluations meet professional qualification standards in Architectural History, History, or a related field. Surveys focus on identifying significant resources dating from about 1850 to 1980. All surveys are completed from the public right-of-way (from vehicles or on foot as needed). Digital photographs are taken of all evaluated resources. SurveyLA Resources Types SurveyLA identifies individual resources, non-parcel resources, historic districts, and district contributors and non-contributors. Each of these is described below. Appendices A, B, and C are organized by resource type. Individual Resources are generally resources located within a single assessor parcel such as a residence or duplex. However, a parcel may include more than one individual resource, if each appears to be significant. Non-Parcel Resources are not associated with Assessor Parcel Numbers (APNs) and generally do not have addresses. Examples include street trees, street lights, landscaped medians, bridges, and signs. Historic Districts are areas that are related geographically and by theme. Districts may include single or multiple parcels, depending on the resource. Examples of resources that may be recorded as historic districts include residential neighborhoods, garden apartments, commercial areas, large estates, school and hospital campuses, and industrial complexes. District Contributors and Non-Contributors are buildings, structures, sites, objects, and other features located within historic districts. Generally, non-contributing resources are those that are extensively altered, built outside the period of significance, or that do not relate to historic contexts and themes defined for the district. Planning Districts are areas that are related geographically and by theme, but do not meet eligibility standards for designation. This is generally because the majority of the contributing features have been altered, resulting in a cumulative impact on the overall integrity of the area that makes it ineligible as a Historic District. The Planning District determination, therefore, is used as a tool to inform new Community Plans being developed by the Department of City Planning. These areas have consistent planning Historic Resources Survey 2 Northeast Los Angeles River Revitalization Area features – such as height, massing, setbacks, and street trees – which warrant consideration in the local planning process. Project Team The NELA survey was conducted by Historic Resources Group and Galvin Preservation Associates. Historic Resources Group personnel included Christy Johnson McAvoy, Founding Principal; Kari Michele Fowler, Senior Preservation Planner; and Paul Travis, Senior Preservation Planner. Galvin Preservation Associates staff included Teresa Grimes, Principal Architectural Historian; and Elysha Dory, Architectural Historian II. Teresa Grimes served as the project manager. All participants meet the Secretary of the Interior's qualifications for professionals in historic preservation.2 Survey Area The survey area is located approximately five miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Its irregular boundary can be generally defined as the city boundaries of Glendale and Burbank on the north; the Arroyo Seco Parkway (State Route 110) on the south; Interstate 5 and the Los Angeles River on the west; and Avenue 40, Verdugo Road, Avenue 33, Division Street, and Isabel Street on the east. The survey area contains the neighborhoods of Elysian Valley and Cypress Park to the south, and portions of Glassell Park and Atwater Village to the north. Surrounding communities outside the survey area include Mt. Washington, Highland Park, and Eagle Rock to the east and Los Feliz and Silver Lake to the west. (See Survey Area Map below.) The survey area’s primary geographic feature is the Los Angeles River, which forms the western boundary of Atwater Village and separates Elysian Valley from Cypress Park and Glassell Park. Ambitious flood control efforts in the 20th century encased the river in concrete and today it serves primarily as a flood control channel fed by storm drains. Bridges traverse the river channel in several locations. The majority of the survey area is flat, located within what was previously the floodplain of the river running north-south between the hills of Griffith Park, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Elysian Park on the west and the hills of Mount Washington, Glassell Park, and Eagle Rock on the east. Major transportation routes through the survey area include Interstate 5, which constitutes the western boundary of the survey area and State Route 2 running east-west through Glassell Park and Elysian Valley. The Arroyo Seco Parkway forms the southern boundary of the survey area. Major roads include San Fernando Road, which runs north-south throughout the full length of the survey area; Cypress Avenue, which parallels San Fernando Road to the east; and a portion of Eagle Rock Boulevard continuing northeast from Cypress Avenue. 2 Federal Register, Vol. 48, No. 190, pp. 44738-44739, September 29, 1983. Historic Resources Survey 3 Northeast Los Angeles River Revitalization Area The tracks and right-of-way of the Southern Pacific Railroad run north-south through the survey area, roughly parallel with the river channel. The survey area encompasses a large expanse of land formerly occupied by Taylor Yard, the Southern Pacific Railroad’s primary west coast rail yard. Located between the Los Angeles River channel and San Fernando Road, much of the former Taylor Yard has been redeveloped and today the area includes the Sonia Sotomayor Learning Academies (Central High School #13), the Rio de Los Angeles State Park, a large FedEx facility, a big box retail center, and a maintenance facility for Metrolink. A large portion of the survey area is home to industrial uses in continuation of Northeast Los Angeles land use patterns that began in the early decades of the 20th century. Major concentrations of industrial properties