Los Angeles Plaza Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, also known as El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park, is a historic district located at the oldest section of Los Angeles
, known for many years as "El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles". The district, centered on the old plaza, was the city's center under Spanish (1781–1821), Mexican (1821–1847) and United States (after 1847) rule through most of the 19th Century. The area was designated a state historic monument in 1953 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
A plaque across from the Old Plaza commemorates the founding of the city. It states: "On September 4, 1781, eleven families of pobladores (44 persons including children) arrived at this place from the Gulf of California
to establish a pueblo which was to become the City of Los Angeles. This colonization ordered by King Carlos III
was carried out under the direction of Governor Felipe de Neve
." The small town received the name El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles sobre El Rio Porciuncula, Spanish for The Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels on the Porciuncula River. The original pueblo was built to the southeast of the current plaza along the Los Angeles River
. In 1815, a flood washed away the original pueblo, and it was rebuilt farther from the river at the location of the current plaza.
The district includes the city's oldest and most historic structures clustered around the old plaza. The buildings of greatest historical significance include Nuestra Señora La Reina de Los Angeles Church
(1822), Avila Adobe
(1818) (the city's oldest surviving residence), the Olvera Street
market, Pico House
(1870), and the Old Plaza Fire Station (1884). Four of the buildings have been restored as museums. Archaeological excavations in the Pueblo have uncovered artifacts from the indigenous period (before 1781), the Spanish colonial era (1781–1821), the Mexican era (1821–1847), and the first century of the American era (1850s–1940s), including animal bones, household goods, tools, bottles, and ceramics.
The district was designated as a state monument in 1953, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
At the center of the Historic District is the old plaza itself. It has been described as "the focal point" of the state historic park, symbolizing the city's birthplace and "separating Olvera Street's touristy bustle from the Pico-Garnier block's empty buildings." Built in the 1820s, the plaza was the city's commercial and social center. It remains the site of many festivals and celebrations. The plaza has large statues of three important figures in the city's history: King Carlos III of Spain
, the monarch who ordered the founding of the Pueblo de Los Angeles in 1780; Felipe de Neve
, the Spanish Governor of the Californias
who selected the site of the Pueblo and laid out the town; and Father Junípero Serra
, founder and first head of the Alta California missions. In addition to this, the plaza itself has been made a monument to the original forty-four settlers
and the four soldiers who accompanied them. A large plaque listing their names was erected in the plaza, and later plaques dedicated to the individual eleven families were placed in the ground encircling the gazebo in the center of the plaza.
, a prominent local judge. Many of the Plaza District's Historic Buildings, including the Avila Adobe and Sepulveda House are located on Olvera Street. In 1930, it was converted by local merchants into the colorful marketplace that remains today.
. Completed in 1904, the substation provided electricity to power the yellow streetcars. When the streetcar system closed, the building was converted to other uses. The substation is one of the two buildings in the district that is itself separately listed in the National Register of Historic Places. (The Avila Adobe is the other.)
, a successful businessman who was the last Mexican Governor of Alta California
. With indoor plumbing, gas-lit chandeliers, a grand double staircase, lace curtains and a French restaurant, the Italianate three-story, 33-room hotel was the most elegant hotel in Southern California. It had a total of nearly eighty rooms. The Pico House is currently listed as a California Historical Landmark
(No. 159).
. The building was a painted brick structure with a symbolic "Masonic eye" below the parapet. In 1868, the Masons moved to larger quarters further south. Afterward, the building was used for many purposes, including a pawn shop and boarding house. It is the oldest building in Los Angeles south of the Plaza.
. The Chinese American Museum
is now located in the Garnier Building.
, a National Park Service
unit in the United States
National Historic Trail
and National Millennium Trail
programs. A Brochure Map for driving and detailed Anza Maps by County, with a Historical destinations-events Guide and the official NPS: Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail website are all available for information about the historic 1776 Juan Bautista de Anza
trail places.
and is now part of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail which was established in 2002. Due to its recent creation, the Old Spanish National Historic Trail does not have any designated visitor facilities or services available at this time. However, there are museums, historic sites, and markers along the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. The popular National Park Passport Stamps
program is available at many sites along the trail including one at the visitor center of the Avila Adobe.
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...
, known for many years as "El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles". The district, centered on the old plaza, was the city's center under Spanish (1781–1821), Mexican (1821–1847) and United States (after 1847) rule through most of the 19th Century. The area was designated a state historic monument in 1953 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
Founding of the Pueblo
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
to establish a pueblo which was to become the City of Los Angeles. This colonization ordered by King Carlos III
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
was carried out under the direction of Governor Felipe de Neve
Felipe de Neve
Felipe de Neve was a Spanish governor of Las Californias, an area that included present-day California , Baja California and Baja California Sur . His tenure as governor was from 1775 to 1782...
." The small town received the name El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles sobre El Rio Porciuncula, Spanish for The Town of Our Lady Queen of the Angels on the Porciuncula River. The original pueblo was built to the southeast of the current plaza along the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
. In 1815, a flood washed away the original pueblo, and it was rebuilt farther from the river at the location of the current plaza.
Growth of the Pueblo
During its first 70 years, the Pueblo grew slowly from 44 in 1781 to 1,615 in 1850—an average of about 25 persons per year. During this period, the Plaza Historic District was the Pueblo's commercial and social center. In 1850, shortly after California became part of the United States, Los Angeles was incorporated as a city. It experienced a major boom in the 1880s and 1890s, as its population grew from 11,200 (1880) to 50,400 (1890) and 102,500 in 1900. As the City grew, the commercial and cultural center began to move south away from the Plaza, along Spring Street and Main Street. In 1891, the Los Angeles Times reported on the move of the city's center:"The geographical center of Los Angeles is the old plaza, but that has long since ceased to be the center of population. ... While at one time most of the population was north of the plaza, during the past ten years 90 per cent of the improvements have gone up in the southern half of the city. ... These are solid facts which it is useless to attempt to ignore by playing the ostrich acts and level-headed property holders in the northern part of the city are beginning to ask themselves seriously what is to be done to arrest or at least delay the steady march of the business section from the old to the new plaza on Sixth Street ..."
Preservation as a historic park
The 44 acres (178,061.8 m²) surrounding the Plaza and constituting the old pueblo have been preserved as a historic park roughly bounded by Spring, Macy, Alameda and Arcadia Streets, and Cesar Chavez Boulevard (formerly Sunset Boulevard). There is a visitors center in the Sepulveda House, and a volunteer organization known as Las Angelitas del Pueblo provide tours of the district.The district includes the city's oldest and most historic structures clustered around the old plaza. The buildings of greatest historical significance include Nuestra Señora La Reina de Los Angeles Church
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Angeles is a Catholic church founded on August 18, 1814 by Fray Luis Gil y Taboada, who placed the cornerstone of a new church amid the ruins of the former "sub-mission," the Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles Asistencia to serve the local...
(1822), Avila Adobe
Avila Adobe
The Avila Adobe, was built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, and has the distinction of being the oldest standing residence in Los Angeles, California. It is located in the paseo of historical Olvera Street and is now a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, a Los Angeles State Historic Park...
(1818) (the city's oldest surviving residence), the Olvera Street
Olvera Street
Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town....
market, Pico House
Pico House
The Pico House is a historic building in Los Angeles, California, dating from its days as a small town in Southern California. Located on 430 North Main Street, it sits across the old Los Angeles Plaza from Olvera Street and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument...
(1870), and the Old Plaza Fire Station (1884). Four of the buildings have been restored as museums. Archaeological excavations in the Pueblo have uncovered artifacts from the indigenous period (before 1781), the Spanish colonial era (1781–1821), the Mexican era (1821–1847), and the first century of the American era (1850s–1940s), including animal bones, household goods, tools, bottles, and ceramics.
The district was designated as a state monument in 1953, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
The Plaza
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
, the monarch who ordered the founding of the Pueblo de Los Angeles in 1780; Felipe de Neve
Felipe de Neve
Felipe de Neve was a Spanish governor of Las Californias, an area that included present-day California , Baja California and Baja California Sur . His tenure as governor was from 1775 to 1782...
, the Spanish Governor of the Californias
Las Californias
The Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
who selected the site of the Pueblo and laid out the town; and Father Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra
Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., , known as Fra Juníper Serra in Catalan, his mother tongue was a Majorcan Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California of the Las Californias Province in New Spain—present day California, United States. Fr...
, founder and first head of the Alta California missions. In addition to this, the plaza itself has been made a monument to the original forty-four settlers
Los Angeles Pobladores
The Pobladores of Los Angeles refers to the 44 original settlers and 4 soldiers who founded city of Los Angeles, California in 1781....
and the four soldiers who accompanied them. A large plaque listing their names was erected in the plaza, and later plaques dedicated to the individual eleven families were placed in the ground encircling the gazebo in the center of the plaza.
La Placita Church
The parish church in the Plaza Historic District, known as La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles (The Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels), was founded in 1814, though the structure was not completed and dedicated until 1822. The present church dates from 1861. The church was one of the first three sites designated as Historic Cultural Monuments by the City of Los Angeles, and has been designated as a California Historical LandmarkOlvera Street
Olvera Street, known for its Mexican marketplace, was originally known as Wine Street. In 1877, it was extended and renamed in honor of Augustín OlveraAgustin Olvera
Agustin Olvera was a pioneer of Los Angeles, California and was active in the turbulent political affairs of the time.-Biography:...
, a prominent local judge. Many of the Plaza District's Historic Buildings, including the Avila Adobe and Sepulveda House are located on Olvera Street. In 1930, it was converted by local merchants into the colorful marketplace that remains today.
Avila Adobe
The Avila Adobe was built in 1818 and is the oldest surviving residence in Los Angeles. It is located in the paseo of Olvera Street and was built by Francisco Avila, a wealthy cattle rancher. Its adobe walls are 2½ to 3 foot (0.9144 m) thick. U. S. Navy Commodore Robert Stockton took it over as his temporary headquarters when the United States first occupied the city in 1846. The adobe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is California State Landmark No. 145.Plaza Substation
The Plaza Substation was part of the electric streetcar system operated by the Los Angeles RailwayLos Angeles Railway
The Los Angeles Railway was a system of streetcars that operated in central Los Angeles, California and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods between from 1901 and 1963. Except for two short funicular railways it operated on tracks...
. Completed in 1904, the substation provided electricity to power the yellow streetcars. When the streetcar system closed, the building was converted to other uses. The substation is one of the two buildings in the district that is itself separately listed in the National Register of Historic Places. (The Avila Adobe is the other.)
Old Plaza Firehouse
The Old Plaza Firehouse is the oldest firehouse in Los Angeles. Built in 1884, it operated as a firehouse until 1897. The building was thereafter used as a saloon, cigar store, poolroom, "seedy hotel", Chinese market, "flop house", and drugstore. The building was restored in the 1950s and opened as a firefighting museum in 1960.Pico House
Pico House was a luxury hotel built in 1870 by Pío PicoPío Pico
Pío de Jesús Pico was the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican rule.-Origins:...
, a successful businessman who was the last Mexican Governor of Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
. With indoor plumbing, gas-lit chandeliers, a grand double staircase, lace curtains and a French restaurant, the Italianate three-story, 33-room hotel was the most elegant hotel in Southern California. It had a total of nearly eighty rooms. The Pico House is currently listed as a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
(No. 159).
Merced Theater
The Merced Theater, completed in 1870, was built in an Italianate style and operated as a live theater from 1871 to 1876. When the Woods Opera House opened nearby in 1876, the Merced ceased being the city's leading theater. Eventually, it gained an "unenviable reputation" because of "the disreputable dances staged there, and was finally closed by the authorities."Masonic Hall
Masonic Hall was built in 1858 as Lodge 42 of the Free and Accepted MasonsFreemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. The building was a painted brick structure with a symbolic "Masonic eye" below the parapet. In 1868, the Masons moved to larger quarters further south. Afterward, the building was used for many purposes, including a pawn shop and boarding house. It is the oldest building in Los Angeles south of the Plaza.
Garnier Building
The Garnier Building was built in 1890 and was part of the city's original Chinatown. The southern portion of the building was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Hollywood FreewayHollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route over the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley...
. The Chinese American Museum
Chinese American Museum
The Chinese American Museum is a museum located in Downtown Los Angeles as a part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. It is dedicated to the history and experience of Chinese Americans in the state of California, first such museum in Southern California...
is now located in the Garnier Building.
Sepulveda House
Sepulveda House is a 22-room Victorian house built in 1887 in the East lake style. The original structure included two commercial businesses and three residences. It is now the site of the Plaza District's Visitors' Center, which includes an 18-minute video of the Pueblo's early history.Pelanconi House
Pelanconi House, built in 1857, is the oldest surviving brick house in Los Angeles. In 1930, it was converted into a restaurant called La Golondrina, which is the oldest restaurant on Olvera Street.Plaza Methodist Church
Built in 1926, the Plaza Methodist Church was built on the site of the adobe once owned by Agustín Olvera, the man for whom Olvera Street was named.Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
The Pueblo de Los Angeles is part of the tour sights of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic TrailJuan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail
thumb|325px|MAP: [[Juan Bautista de Anza]] National Historic Trail routes in [[Arizona]] and [[California]].The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a National Park Service unit in the United States National Historic Trail and National Millennium Trail programs...
, a National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
unit in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Historic Trail
National Historic Trail
National Historic Trail is a designation for a protected area in the United States containing historic trails and surrounding areas. They are part of the National Trails System....
and National Millennium Trail
National Millennium Trail
National Millennium Trails are 16 long-distance trails selected from 58 nominees as visionary trails that reflect defining aspects America's history and culture...
programs. A Brochure Map for driving and detailed Anza Maps by County, with a Historical destinations-events Guide and the official NPS: Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail website are all available for information about the historic 1776 Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
trail places.
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
The Pueblo de Los Angeles was the final destination of the Old Spanish TrailOld Spanish Trail
Old Spanish Trail may refer to:*Old Spanish Trail , connecting Santa Fe, New Mexico with Los Angeles, California in the 19th century...
and is now part of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail which was established in 2002. Due to its recent creation, the Old Spanish National Historic Trail does not have any designated visitor facilities or services available at this time. However, there are museums, historic sites, and markers along the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. The popular National Park Passport Stamps
National Park Passport Stamps
At nearly all of the American National Park units , one or more National Park Passport Stamps can be acquired at no cost at park visitor centers and ranger stations. The stamps are similar in nature to passport stamps stamped in a traveler's national passport...
program is available at many sites along the trail including one at the visitor center of the Avila Adobe.
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Pueblo de Los AngelesPueblo de Los AngelesEl Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles was the Spanish civilian pueblo founded in 1781, which by the 20th century became the American metropolis of Los Angeles....
- History of Los Angeles