LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. APRIL 2011
HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY CORNFIELD ARROYO SECO SPECIFIC PLAN AREA CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Central Section The section between the Los Angeles River and I-5, south of Arroyo Seco is mixed in character, containing residential, commercial, and industrial uses, often adjacent to each other. Five or six blocks on the south side of Broadway contain a concentration of late 19th and early 20th century residences, as well as the Albion Elementary School. Albion Cottages and Milagro Market (HCM #442) are located in this small residential area. Broadway and Pasadena Avenue act as commercial corridors through the area. Industrial properties are interspersed throughout the section, but the north half of the section is particularly industrial in character. The Lincoln Heights Jail (HCM #587) is located in this section, as is the old Fuller Paint Company (remodeled into loft housing), and Goodwill Industries. The Brewery Art Colony, housed in the old Pabst Brewery and Edison Steam Power Plant (HCM #388), is just outside the CASP boundaries on the south side of Main Street.
Eastern Section Located east of I-5 and south of Arroyo Seco, this section is largely industrial, with the exception of a few old homes left over from the original residential tract that existed before industry expanded into it. The Lincoln Heights Gold Line stop is located in this section, which has spurred apartment and condominium development in recent years. Lacy Street is defined by a mix of historic and new buildings, including the old Columbia Mills (now Lacy Street Studios), Lacy Street Neighborhood Park, the North Central Animal Care Center, and former offices of the Cannon Electric Development Company. Other industries in the area were historically involved in metal work, from the manufacture of brass to general fabrication of metal objects and building materials.
Northern Section The section north of Arroyo Seco comprises mainly the properties facing Figueroa Street and Avenue 26, which are largely commercial in character. Properties along Figueroa Street have seen extensive redevelopment and remodeling over the last half of the 20th century, leading to a mix of older one-story commercial buildings, a neighborhood movie theater (converted to a store), gas stations, and a Googie-style IHOP restaurant. The former Los Angeles Railway Huron Substation is located in this section (HCM #404), as is the former Lawry’s California Center (now the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens).
PROJECT METHODOLOGY The purpose of the survey, completed in cooperation with the OHR, was to identify, document, and evaluate, at the intensive level, selected properties for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (National Register), California Register of Historical Resources (California Register), and/or for designation as a City of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument (HCM) to facilitate future planning considerations. The survey largely followed methodology currently in use for SurveyLA, the City’s first-ever comprehensive historic resources survey. The CASP survey area is the home of several designated HCMs and, because the historic importance of these resources has already been recognized by the City, these properties were not resurveyed. Properties that were previously surveyed and determined eligible were included in the survey, but
R:\ARU1001\reports\CASP Historic Survey Report.doc (6/2/2011)
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