Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
Hancock Park is a historic and affluent urban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California
roughly bounded by Van Ness Avenue to the East, Melrose Avenue
to the North, La Brea Avenue
to the West, and Wilshire Boulevard
to the South.
. Hancock Park owes its name to developer-philanthropist George Allan Hancock, who subdivided the property in the 1920s. Hancock, born and raised in a home at what is now the La Brea tar pits
, inherited 4400 acres (17.8 km²), which his father, Major Henry Hancock
had acquired from the Rancho La Brea property owned by the family of Jose Jorge Rocha.
Hancock Park activists were also instrumental in the passage of a 1986 Congressional ban on tunneling through the neighborhood. The ban, sponsored by Congressman Henry Waxman
, prevented the Red Line Subway from being routed along Wilshire Boulevard
through the neighborhood.
and south of Melrose Avenue
. Along its western and eastern boundaries, North Highland Avenue and North Rossmore Avenue, houses along both sides of the street are within Hancock Park.
operates Station 29 (Hancock Park) and Station 61 (Fairfax), while the Los Angeles Police Department
serves the neighborhood from Wilshire Community Police Station.
Hancock Park is within the Los Angeles Unified School District
. Third Street Elementary School and John Burroughs Middle School serve Hancock Park.
Other schools serving Hancock Park include Los Angeles High School
, Fairfax High School
, Bancroft Middle School, and Melrose Elementary School.
Burroughs opened in 1922, while 3rd Street opened in 1924.
Private schools
Private schools include Marlborough School
, a private girls' school, Yavneh Hebrew Academy, an Orthodox Jewish school Pre-School - 8, and Page Private School.
Los Angeles Public Library
operates the John C. Fremont Library
, located outside of and adjacent to Hancock Park. The library has elements of Italianate architecture
and Spanish architecture
. The current facility began construction on December 26, 1926 and was completed in May 1927, opening June 1, 1927. The library closed in 1990 for earthquake retrofitting, and reopened on March 26, 1996.
Consuls-General has been in a home designed by the renowned architect, Wallace Neff
, and completed in 1928. The residence is at the Hancock Park address of 450 S June St, Los Angeles, CA 90004 and backs to the Wilshire Country Club. The residence was where the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge stayed in July 2011 on their first visit to the United States after their wedding.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
roughly bounded by Van Ness Avenue to the East, Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
to the North, La Brea Avenue
La Brea Avenue
La Brea Avenue is a prominent north/south thoroughfare in Los Angeles. Several museums are located along La Brea, and it is known for having many stores and eateries.-Description:...
to the West, and Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
to the South.
History
Hancock Park was developed in the 1920s, by the Hancock family, with profits earned from oil drilling in the former Rancho La BreaRancho La Brea
Rancho La Brea was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1828 to Antonio Jose Rocha and Nemisio Dominguez by José Antonio Carrillo, the Alcalde of Los Angeles. Rancho La Brea consisted of one square league of land of what is now Wilshire's Miracle Mile, ...
. Hancock Park owes its name to developer-philanthropist George Allan Hancock, who subdivided the property in the 1920s. Hancock, born and raised in a home at what is now the La Brea tar pits
La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits are a cluster of tar pits around which Hancock Park was formed, in the urban heart of Los Angeles. Asphaltum or tar has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years. The tar is often covered with water...
, inherited 4400 acres (17.8 km²), which his father, Major Henry Hancock
Henry Hancock
Henry Hancock was a Harvard trained lawyer and a land surveyor working in California in the 1850s. He was the owner of Rancho La Brea, which included the La Brea Tar Pits.-Early life:...
had acquired from the Rancho La Brea property owned by the family of Jose Jorge Rocha.
Hancock Park activists were also instrumental in the passage of a 1986 Congressional ban on tunneling through the neighborhood. The ban, sponsored by Congressman Henry Waxman
Henry Waxman
Henry Arnold Waxman is the U.S. Representative for , serving in Congress since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress...
, prevented the Red Line Subway from being routed along Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
through the neighborhood.
Cityscape
Hancock Park is located north of Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
and south of Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
. Along its western and eastern boundaries, North Highland Avenue and North Rossmore Avenue, houses along both sides of the street are within Hancock Park.
Emergency services
The Los Angeles Fire DepartmentLos Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles....
operates Station 29 (Hancock Park) and Station 61 (Fairfax), while the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
serves the neighborhood from Wilshire Community Police Station.
Primary and secondary schools
Public schoolsHancock Park is within the Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
. Third Street Elementary School and John Burroughs Middle School serve Hancock Park.
Other schools serving Hancock Park include Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School
Los Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are blue and white and the teams are called the Romans....
, Fairfax High School
Fairfax High School (Los Angeles)
Fairfax High School is a Los Angeles Unified School District high school located in Los Angeles, USA, near the border of West Hollywood in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles...
, Bancroft Middle School, and Melrose Elementary School.
Burroughs opened in 1922, while 3rd Street opened in 1924.
Private schools
Private schools include Marlborough School
Marlborough School (Los Angeles)
Marlborough School is a private, all-girls, college-preparatory secondary school for grades 7th through 12th located at 250 South Rossmore Avenue in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Marlborough was founded in 1889 by Mary Caswell and is the oldest independent...
, a private girls' school, Yavneh Hebrew Academy, an Orthodox Jewish school Pre-School - 8, and Page Private School.
Public libraries
Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system serves the residents of Los Angeles, California, United States. With over 6 million volumes, LAPL is one of the largest publicly funded library systems in the world. The system is overseen by a Board of Library Commissioners with five members appointed by the...
operates the John C. Fremont Library
John C. Fremont Branch Library, Los Angeles
John C. Fremont Branch Library is a branch library of the Los Angeles Public Library in Los Angeles, California. It is adjacent to the Hancock Park district. It was built in 1927 based on a Mediterranean Revival design by architect Merl L...
, located outside of and adjacent to Hancock Park. The library has elements of Italianate architecture
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
and Spanish architecture
Spanish architecture
Spanish architecture refers to architecture carried out in any area in what is now modern-day Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide. The term includes buildings within the current geographical limits of Spain before this name was given to those territories...
. The current facility began construction on December 26, 1926 and was completed in May 1927, opening June 1, 1927. The library closed in 1990 for earthquake retrofitting, and reopened on March 26, 1996.
Residence of Consul General
Since 1957 the residence of the Los Angeles BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Consuls-General has been in a home designed by the renowned architect, Wallace Neff
Wallace Neff
Wallace Neff was an architect based in Southern California and was largely responsible for developing the region's distinct architectural style referred to as "California" style...
, and completed in 1928. The residence is at the Hancock Park address of 450 S June St, Los Angeles, CA 90004 and backs to the Wilshire Country Club. The residence was where the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge stayed in July 2011 on their first visit to the United States after their wedding.
Notable residents
- Kathy BatesKathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
- actress - Nat King ColeNat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
- past resident; First African American resident; Harrassed by Ku Klux Klan - Ariana GrandeAriana GrandeAriana Joan Grande is an American actress and singer. She currently plays the role of Cat Valentine in the American sitcom Victorious.-Early life:Grande was born and raised in Boca Raton, Florida...
- actress - Howard HughesHoward HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
- past resident 211 S Muirfield Road - Manny PacquiaoManny PacquiaoEmmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
- Professional Boxer, the best pound for pound Boxer in the world - Richard SchiffRichard SchiffRichard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award...
- actor - Tony ShalhoubTony ShalhoubAnthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...
- actor - Nancy SilvertonNancy SilvertonNancy Silverton is an American chef and baker who is the author of several cookbooks and has been at the forefront of efforts to revitalize sourdough and artisan breads in the United States.-Background and career:...
- chef and baker - Tavis SmileyTavis SmileyTavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
- talk show host, author political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist - Joey McIntyre - New Kids on the Block
- Jason AlexanderJason AlexanderJay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
- actor - Antonio BanderasAntonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
- actor - Melanie GriffithMelanie GriffithMelanie Richards Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
- actress - David SchwimmerDavid SchwimmerDavid Lawrence Schwimmer is an American actor and director of television and film. He was born in New York City, and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was two. He began his acting career performing in school plays at Beverly Hills High School. In 1988, he graduated from Northwestern...
- actor - Sean Hayes - actor
- Patricia HeatonPatricia HeatonPatricia Helen Heaton is an American actress, comedienne, producer and model, best known for portraying Debra Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005, for which she won two Emmy Awards....
- actress
External links
- Hancock Park Homeowner's Association
- Windsor Square, Hancock Park Historical Society
- Los Angeles Times guide to the eruvEruvAn Eruv is a ritual enclosure around most Orthodox Jewish and Conservative Jewish homes or communities. In such communities, an Eruv is seen to enable the carrying of objects out of doors on the Jewish Sabbath that would otherwise be forbidden by Torah law...
including Hancock Park