ATTRACTIONS
Free docent tours by Las Angelitas.
A 50-minute, historic walking tour of El Pueblo de Los Angeles every Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, and everyone is welcome! Tours are available on Mondays upon request and availability of docents. Groups of 10 or more should reserve by calling El Pueblo's Visitor Center at (213) 628-1274 or clicking the button below.
A 50-minute, historic walking tour of El Pueblo de Los Angeles every Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon, and everyone is welcome! Tours are available on Mondays upon request and availability of docents. Groups of 10 or more should reserve by calling El Pueblo's Visitor Center at (213) 628-1274 or clicking the button below.
1. Plaza Catholic Church (1818-1822)
2. Campo Santo (The city's first cemetery) 3. La Plaza de Cultura y Artes (Vickrey/Brunswig Building, 1888) 4. Masonic Hall (1858) 5. Merced Theatre (1870) 6. Pico House (1869-70) 7. Garnier Building (1890) [Chinese American Museum] 8. Security Office 9. Hellman/Quon Building (1900) 10. California State Office 11. Las Angelitas del Pueblo [Docent/Tour Office] 12. Firehouse Museum (1884) 13. Founder's Plaque 14. Felipe de Neve Statue 15. King Carlos III of Spain Statue 16. Olvera Street |
17. Simpson Jones Building (1894)
18. Sepulveda House [VISITOR'S CENTER/Lost & Found] 19. Pelanconi House (1885-1857) 20. Hammel Building (1909) 21. Siqueiros Mural, (America Tropical, 1932) 22. Italian American Museum (1907-1908) 23. El Pueblo Gallery & Luis Becerra Mural, Libertdad 24. Old Winery (1870-1914) 25. Avila Adobe House Museum (1818) 26. Plaza Substation (1903-1904) 27. Plaza Methodist Church(1925-1926) 28. Leo Politi Mural - The Blessing of the Animals (1978) 29. El Pueblo Administrative Offices [Biscailuz Building, 1925-1926)] 30. Plaicta de Dolores 31. Father Serra Park 32. The Plaza/Kiosko |
Avila Adobe House
Anyone who says Los Angeles has no history hasn’t been to the Avila Adobe. Built in 1818 by L.A.‘s Mayor, Don Francisco Avila, the Avila Adobe is the oldest existing house in Los Angeles.
Commandeered by the U.S. Navy during the Mexican-American War in 1847, the house today is a museum preserved to look as it did in the 1840s. Only one piece of original furniture still exists, a black lacquered table. It is believed to have been a wedding
gift in 1822 to the 50-year-old mayor and his 15-year-old bride, who used it as a sewing table.
Succeeding generations and decades saw the adobe abode fall into ill repair, as it passed through the family, serving as a boarding house, an Italian restaurant and a hotel, maintenance deferred. In 1926, the city condemned the house, ticketingbit for demolition to make way for a gas station that serviced all those horseless carriages that suddenly were populating Los Angeles’ roads. In stepped Olvera Street founder Christine Sterling, the socialite and visionary
who created the Mexican marketplace from the ashes with a little help from her powerful allies to save it from the wrecker’s ball with a massive publicity campaign.
U.S. Senator John. F. Kennedy visited the Avila Adobe House during his 1960 campaign for president. During this historic visit, the future president had his first Mexican lunch and even took a short nap on a couch in the old adobe. Kennedy was attending the Democratic Convention in the brand new Los Angeles Sports Arena. He failed to win the California vote; that went to native son Richard Milhouse Nixon, but he did capture a majority of the electoral votes to become U.S. President from 1961-1963.
Christine Sterling had her offices at the Adobe House with General Manager Mario Valadez and his assistant Tony Sousa. Christine also had a chapel built by the entrance to the house on the right. Humberto Tapia, Valadez’s nephew, was married in the chapel. Following the Sylmar Earthquake in 1971, blacksmith Cruz Ledesma moved in to help with repairs.
Anyone who says Los Angeles has no history hasn’t been to the Avila Adobe. Built in 1818 by L.A.‘s Mayor, Don Francisco Avila, the Avila Adobe is the oldest existing house in Los Angeles.
Commandeered by the U.S. Navy during the Mexican-American War in 1847, the house today is a museum preserved to look as it did in the 1840s. Only one piece of original furniture still exists, a black lacquered table. It is believed to have been a wedding
gift in 1822 to the 50-year-old mayor and his 15-year-old bride, who used it as a sewing table.
Succeeding generations and decades saw the adobe abode fall into ill repair, as it passed through the family, serving as a boarding house, an Italian restaurant and a hotel, maintenance deferred. In 1926, the city condemned the house, ticketingbit for demolition to make way for a gas station that serviced all those horseless carriages that suddenly were populating Los Angeles’ roads. In stepped Olvera Street founder Christine Sterling, the socialite and visionary
who created the Mexican marketplace from the ashes with a little help from her powerful allies to save it from the wrecker’s ball with a massive publicity campaign.
U.S. Senator John. F. Kennedy visited the Avila Adobe House during his 1960 campaign for president. During this historic visit, the future president had his first Mexican lunch and even took a short nap on a couch in the old adobe. Kennedy was attending the Democratic Convention in the brand new Los Angeles Sports Arena. He failed to win the California vote; that went to native son Richard Milhouse Nixon, but he did capture a majority of the electoral votes to become U.S. President from 1961-1963.
Christine Sterling had her offices at the Adobe House with General Manager Mario Valadez and his assistant Tony Sousa. Christine also had a chapel built by the entrance to the house on the right. Humberto Tapia, Valadez’s nephew, was married in the chapel. Following the Sylmar Earthquake in 1971, blacksmith Cruz Ledesma moved in to help with repairs.
Plaza Fire House
California Historical Landmark No. 730
Although a volunteer fire department was formed in 1871, the Plaza Firehouse, Los Angeles’ first firehouse, wasn’t built until 1884 to house firefighters and store equipment.
The Plaza Firehouse featured such modernity’s as a turntable in the floor so that the horses that pulled the fire wagon didn't need to be backed in or out. Once in position, their harnesses were lowered from above allowing them to pull the fire wagon out of the station.
The firehouse was the home of the Volunteer 38‘s; the 38’s because they were composed of 38 men, along with three horses and a horse cart. Specially bred horses for size and strength were selected and stabled in the Plaza Firehouse. The horses were housed on the ground floor and the men slid down a brass pole to respond to an alarm.
Although the men were called volunteers, they did get paid, but only when they put out fires. So often there were arguments or fights as to which company or department extinguished the flames. These arguments led to the establishment of the city's first paid fire department in 1885. The Firehouse moved out in 1892 due to a legal dispute (turned out--the city never owned the property!), only to be used as a saloon, boarding house, drugstore and vegetable market over the years.
In 1953 the Plaza Firehouse became part of El Pueblo and was restored and opened as a museum in 1960 with firefighting equipment, photographs and maps from the 19th and 20th centuries.
California Historical Landmark No. 730
Although a volunteer fire department was formed in 1871, the Plaza Firehouse, Los Angeles’ first firehouse, wasn’t built until 1884 to house firefighters and store equipment.
The Plaza Firehouse featured such modernity’s as a turntable in the floor so that the horses that pulled the fire wagon didn't need to be backed in or out. Once in position, their harnesses were lowered from above allowing them to pull the fire wagon out of the station.
The firehouse was the home of the Volunteer 38‘s; the 38’s because they were composed of 38 men, along with three horses and a horse cart. Specially bred horses for size and strength were selected and stabled in the Plaza Firehouse. The horses were housed on the ground floor and the men slid down a brass pole to respond to an alarm.
Although the men were called volunteers, they did get paid, but only when they put out fires. So often there were arguments or fights as to which company or department extinguished the flames. These arguments led to the establishment of the city's first paid fire department in 1885. The Firehouse moved out in 1892 due to a legal dispute (turned out--the city never owned the property!), only to be used as a saloon, boarding house, drugstore and vegetable market over the years.
In 1953 the Plaza Firehouse became part of El Pueblo and was restored and opened as a museum in 1960 with firefighting equipment, photographs and maps from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Masonic Hall
The oldest building in Los Angeles is the Masonic Hall. Built in 1858, located just south of the Plaza, the Masonic Hall was designed as a meeting hall for a new chapter of the Mason’s secret-society in Los Angeles.
It’s not too much to look at today, its facade blending in with the Pico House, but if its walls could talk, certainly the Masonic Hall of Lodge 42 would tell some tall tales. In its early years, there reportedly was a shooting involving a “Worshipful Master” who was described by a historian to the Los Angeles Times as a "typical Western character" with a "fiery temper (who) developed non-fraternal feelings for another Mason and fought a duel with him.” Each "suffered a severe wound," according to temple records. The Worshipful Master and his enemy were both expelled from the group.
But it was a relatively small location, with a carpentry and furniture-making business on the first floor. Their specialty? Caskets. Early Masons included Mayor Alpheus Hodges and Benjamin Wilson the grandfather of World War II hero Gen. George S. Patton Jr. The building has also been used as a boarding house and a pawnshop.
Construction of the Hollywood and Santa Ana freeways almost claimed the hall in the early 1950s. The empty building, standing next to the Pico House, has been unused for several years.
The oldest building in Los Angeles is the Masonic Hall. Built in 1858, located just south of the Plaza, the Masonic Hall was designed as a meeting hall for a new chapter of the Mason’s secret-society in Los Angeles.
It’s not too much to look at today, its facade blending in with the Pico House, but if its walls could talk, certainly the Masonic Hall of Lodge 42 would tell some tall tales. In its early years, there reportedly was a shooting involving a “Worshipful Master” who was described by a historian to the Los Angeles Times as a "typical Western character" with a "fiery temper (who) developed non-fraternal feelings for another Mason and fought a duel with him.” Each "suffered a severe wound," according to temple records. The Worshipful Master and his enemy were both expelled from the group.
But it was a relatively small location, with a carpentry and furniture-making business on the first floor. Their specialty? Caskets. Early Masons included Mayor Alpheus Hodges and Benjamin Wilson the grandfather of World War II hero Gen. George S. Patton Jr. The building has also been used as a boarding house and a pawnshop.
Construction of the Hollywood and Santa Ana freeways almost claimed the hall in the early 1950s. The empty building, standing next to the Pico House, has been unused for several years.
Merced Theatre
“Los Angeles would soon be in a position to do full justice to the art theatrical,” screamed the Los Angeles Star with the news in 1870 that The Merced Theatre would soon be opening its doors. The Merced quickly became the cultural Mecca of L.A., the oldest theatre, and its tallest building, dwarfing its next-door neighbor, the Pico House, by a whopping four feet.
William Abbott, a handyman who billed himself as a “furniture dealer and repairer, upholsterer, coffin-maker and bathhouse proprietor,” constructed the Merced. Abbott named his theatre for his wife, Merced Garcia, and built it in an Italianate style, though more ornate than the Pico House. The ground floor was a salon and pool hall, the theatre was on the second floor and seated 400; it was connected to the Pico House so that its guests could attend performances. The Abbots, with their 11 children, lived on the third floor.
The first performances were mainly in English and the ticket price ranged from 50 cents in the balcony to $1 for "parquet chairs." The Merced served as the center of theatrical activity in the city from 1871 to 1876. When the Woods Opera House opened four doors south of the Merced in 1876, it marked the beginning of the decline of the Merced. Reports in the Los Angeles Times of a ball at the Merced “more resembled a prostitute’s carnival.” Other reports complained of “the noises of children thumping around on the floor above.”
“Los Angeles would soon be in a position to do full justice to the art theatrical,” screamed the Los Angeles Star with the news in 1870 that The Merced Theatre would soon be opening its doors. The Merced quickly became the cultural Mecca of L.A., the oldest theatre, and its tallest building, dwarfing its next-door neighbor, the Pico House, by a whopping four feet.
William Abbott, a handyman who billed himself as a “furniture dealer and repairer, upholsterer, coffin-maker and bathhouse proprietor,” constructed the Merced. Abbott named his theatre for his wife, Merced Garcia, and built it in an Italianate style, though more ornate than the Pico House. The ground floor was a salon and pool hall, the theatre was on the second floor and seated 400; it was connected to the Pico House so that its guests could attend performances. The Abbots, with their 11 children, lived on the third floor.
The first performances were mainly in English and the ticket price ranged from 50 cents in the balcony to $1 for "parquet chairs." The Merced served as the center of theatrical activity in the city from 1871 to 1876. When the Woods Opera House opened four doors south of the Merced in 1876, it marked the beginning of the decline of the Merced. Reports in the Los Angeles Times of a ball at the Merced “more resembled a prostitute’s carnival.” Other reports complained of “the noises of children thumping around on the floor above.”
El Kiosko
Plazas, or kioskos, are often the center of life in Mexican towns and villages; the place to see and be seen, to meet and greet, to catch a game of chess or dominoes or catch up on some neighborhood gossip. No different is the Olvera Street Plaza. Opening just months after the Wall Street crash ushered in the Great Depression; the Olvera Street Plaza became a hotbed of political activism.
The Depression hit the Mexican-American community hard. Hundreds of thousands of white immigrants from the dust bowls of Arkansas and Oklahoma made
the trek into California and were given the seasonal jobs that had been worked by the migrants. No longer needed, tens of thousands of the migrants were
rounded up and deported to Mexico, including many dark-skinned American citizens.
The cruel irony here was the tens of thousands of L.A. County residents who were rounded up at Union Station, across the street from Olvera Street’s Plaza. This went on as Los Angeles celebrated its 150th birthday, complete with the pageantry and reenactment of the journey of the original families, who had been
Latin, with sprinklings of African-American and Native American. Only this time, in the shadow of the deportation… all the reenactment participants were all
white.
Los Angeles Times publisher Harrison Gray Otis, never a supporter of free speech (unless it was his own), tried to shut the Plaza down, but was unsuccessful. The Plaza was a free speech sounding stage for public voices, many of them accented: French, Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Russian, and
Chinese. Anarchist Emma Goldman, muckraker Upton Sinclair, and Sun Yat-Sen, “the father of modern China,” all found a sounding stage there.
Since then, the plaza has been used a myriad of Olvera Street Merchant celebrations, including: Blessing of the Animals, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence, Dia de los Muertos and Las Posadas. The kiosko has been filled with music and dancers, events, political rallies, and filming. "True Confessions" was filmed at the "Kiosko" (The Plaza Park) here on Olvera Street. Robert De Niro, Robert Duvalland Charles Durning were the principle actors. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers have stopped by numerous times.
Plazas, or kioskos, are often the center of life in Mexican towns and villages; the place to see and be seen, to meet and greet, to catch a game of chess or dominoes or catch up on some neighborhood gossip. No different is the Olvera Street Plaza. Opening just months after the Wall Street crash ushered in the Great Depression; the Olvera Street Plaza became a hotbed of political activism.
The Depression hit the Mexican-American community hard. Hundreds of thousands of white immigrants from the dust bowls of Arkansas and Oklahoma made
the trek into California and were given the seasonal jobs that had been worked by the migrants. No longer needed, tens of thousands of the migrants were
rounded up and deported to Mexico, including many dark-skinned American citizens.
The cruel irony here was the tens of thousands of L.A. County residents who were rounded up at Union Station, across the street from Olvera Street’s Plaza. This went on as Los Angeles celebrated its 150th birthday, complete with the pageantry and reenactment of the journey of the original families, who had been
Latin, with sprinklings of African-American and Native American. Only this time, in the shadow of the deportation… all the reenactment participants were all
white.
Los Angeles Times publisher Harrison Gray Otis, never a supporter of free speech (unless it was his own), tried to shut the Plaza down, but was unsuccessful. The Plaza was a free speech sounding stage for public voices, many of them accented: French, Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Russian, and
Chinese. Anarchist Emma Goldman, muckraker Upton Sinclair, and Sun Yat-Sen, “the father of modern China,” all found a sounding stage there.
Since then, the plaza has been used a myriad of Olvera Street Merchant celebrations, including: Blessing of the Animals, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence, Dia de los Muertos and Las Posadas. The kiosko has been filled with music and dancers, events, political rallies, and filming. "True Confessions" was filmed at the "Kiosko" (The Plaza Park) here on Olvera Street. Robert De Niro, Robert Duvalland Charles Durning were the principle actors. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers have stopped by numerous times.
Garnier Building
The Chinese American Museum may seem out of place at the Southern end of the plaza area outside of the Mexican Marketplace of Olvera Street, but in truth, it’s a survivor. A survivor of earthquakes, racism, parking lots and freeways.
Nestled in the Garnier Building, it was built by French businessman Philippe Garnier in 1890. Garnier leased it to Chinese
American merchants who kept it in their community it for several decades. Regarded as the unofficial "Chinatown City Hall", the Garnier Building housed Chinese American shops, schools, temples, businesses, dances and theatre and fraternal organizations during its golden years from the 1890s and 1940s.
Chinese American unity was important during the nadir years of white American racism, manifested in Southern California against the Chinese in
Southern California with the Chinese Massacre of 1871 and the Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882-1943.
Beginning in 1933, the City of Los Angeles forcibly removed the Chinese community to construct Union Station Passenger Terminal, freeways and
other transportation developments. Residents were evicted and buildings demolished – all except for the Garnier Building, which luckily was left,
untouched. Meanwhile, a few short blocks away, the current Los Angeles Chinatown was created. However, in the 1950s, the southern half of the Garnier Building was demolished to make way for the Hollywood/Santa Ana Freeway.
Today, as the surviving building of historic Chinatown, the Garnier Building has housed the Chinese American Museum since 2003, a taste of China just outside the Mexican Marketplace of Olvera Street. Only in Los Angeles. And just blocks away from its brethren, a survivor of in the concrete jungle called progress.
The Chinese American Museum may seem out of place at the Southern end of the plaza area outside of the Mexican Marketplace of Olvera Street, but in truth, it’s a survivor. A survivor of earthquakes, racism, parking lots and freeways.
Nestled in the Garnier Building, it was built by French businessman Philippe Garnier in 1890. Garnier leased it to Chinese
American merchants who kept it in their community it for several decades. Regarded as the unofficial "Chinatown City Hall", the Garnier Building housed Chinese American shops, schools, temples, businesses, dances and theatre and fraternal organizations during its golden years from the 1890s and 1940s.
Chinese American unity was important during the nadir years of white American racism, manifested in Southern California against the Chinese in
Southern California with the Chinese Massacre of 1871 and the Chinese Exclusion Acts of 1882-1943.
Beginning in 1933, the City of Los Angeles forcibly removed the Chinese community to construct Union Station Passenger Terminal, freeways and
other transportation developments. Residents were evicted and buildings demolished – all except for the Garnier Building, which luckily was left,
untouched. Meanwhile, a few short blocks away, the current Los Angeles Chinatown was created. However, in the 1950s, the southern half of the Garnier Building was demolished to make way for the Hollywood/Santa Ana Freeway.
Today, as the surviving building of historic Chinatown, the Garnier Building has housed the Chinese American Museum since 2003, a taste of China just outside the Mexican Marketplace of Olvera Street. Only in Los Angeles. And just blocks away from its brethren, a survivor of in the concrete jungle called progress.
Pelonconi House
The oldest brick house in Los Angeles is known today as the Pelanconi House, a two-story firebrick building, constructed by Italian vintner Giuseppi Cavacci and between 1855 and 1857.
Financial problems caused the house to change hands five times in it’s first 14 years, before finally being purchased by Antonio Pelanconi in 1871, who renamed it after himself and began using it as a wine cellar, according to maps dated from 1883 and later. In 1929 when Olvera Street was being constructed, the jail house gang doing grading for Christine Sterling discovered some of the hidden vintage treasure with a case of vodka.
There are many unsubstantiated rumors as to what was going on inside the walls of the Pelanconi. Whether it was a house of prostitution or a moonshine
manufacturing plant, we may never know.
Senora Consuelo Castillo de Bonzo took it over in 1930 and opened the La Golondrina restaurant, which still stands today as the oldest
restaurant on Olvera Street and managed by her granddaughter Vivien Bonzo.
Since the 1930s, the building has housed the Bonzo family’s La Golondrina Restaurant. The eatery is housed at street level in the exposed basement, while
offices are upstairs. Senora Consuelo de Bonzo, first tenant in the building after Mrs. Sterling opened Olvera Street as a Mexican marketplace, was the first restaurateur to serve food described as "Mexican" rather than "Spanish."
Today, La Golondrina , with its authentic Mexican food and ambiance, remains a popular restaurant on Olvera Street.
The oldest brick house in Los Angeles is known today as the Pelanconi House, a two-story firebrick building, constructed by Italian vintner Giuseppi Cavacci and between 1855 and 1857.
Financial problems caused the house to change hands five times in it’s first 14 years, before finally being purchased by Antonio Pelanconi in 1871, who renamed it after himself and began using it as a wine cellar, according to maps dated from 1883 and later. In 1929 when Olvera Street was being constructed, the jail house gang doing grading for Christine Sterling discovered some of the hidden vintage treasure with a case of vodka.
There are many unsubstantiated rumors as to what was going on inside the walls of the Pelanconi. Whether it was a house of prostitution or a moonshine
manufacturing plant, we may never know.
Senora Consuelo Castillo de Bonzo took it over in 1930 and opened the La Golondrina restaurant, which still stands today as the oldest
restaurant on Olvera Street and managed by her granddaughter Vivien Bonzo.
Since the 1930s, the building has housed the Bonzo family’s La Golondrina Restaurant. The eatery is housed at street level in the exposed basement, while
offices are upstairs. Senora Consuelo de Bonzo, first tenant in the building after Mrs. Sterling opened Olvera Street as a Mexican marketplace, was the first restaurateur to serve food described as "Mexican" rather than "Spanish."
Today, La Golondrina , with its authentic Mexican food and ambiance, remains a popular restaurant on Olvera Street.
Sepulveda House
One of the wealthiest women in America had her dream house built on Olvera Street in 1887 with the hope that the area would become a Victorian era commercial center. It didn’t happen, but we are left with her Sepulveda House, a remarkable building nonetheless.
Senora Eloisa Martinez de Sepulveda had come north from Senora, Mexico at age 11, and married Joaquin Sepulveda in 1857. He died in 1880. His widow had her dream house built on Olvera Street for $8,000 in the Eastlake Victorian style; popular in the Eastern U.S., but unusual in Southern California. Senora Sepulveda believed the area would greatly prosper, and her building, with 22 rooms, two commercial businesses and three residences would be wildly popular. But Main Street never materialized into a main drag, and by 1900 the area was better known for light industry, boarding houses and bustling bordellos.
Fast forward to 1929: Christine Sterling, founder of Olvera Street, cleaned up the Sepulveda House and brought in the Yale Puppeteers, a tea room and art studios. World War II brought the Sepulveda House national recognition. Union Station, opened across the street in 1939, and after a USO canteen was situated in the Sepulveda House, tens of thousands of servicemen dropped in for a little R&R.
House in the 1950s. Christine Sterling, Olvera Street's founder, became very fond of Belle Tapia, the mother-in-law of the Olvera Street general manager. She invited her to live in the Sepulveda House with her family and also offered her a puesto which is now“Casa Belen,” currently run by her granddaughter, Ginette Rondeau.
Four generations of the Tapia family lived in the Sepulveda House in the 1950s. Residents included: Belle’s mother, Agapita Rubio, and her two daughters:
Irma and Rebecca Tapia with their children. Cruz Ledesma, the blacksmith of Olvera Street also lived there with his elderly mother Crucita. Christine asked
Cruz to hang a string across from the Avila Adobe House to the Sepulveda House. Any time Christine needed assistance she would pull on the string and a bell would ring. Either Cruz or Belle would run to see how they could assist her. In 1971, the Sylmar Earthquake took a toll on the Sepulveda House, and the families had to permanently evacuate while funds were raised to restore the facade.
The building has since been restored and now contains a visitors' center, a museum and an 18-minute film on the history of El Pueblo de
Los Angeles. There is also a historical museum, period rooms, and the Senora original quarters as they looked in 1890, when Senora Sepulveda was waiting for the party to begin.
One of the wealthiest women in America had her dream house built on Olvera Street in 1887 with the hope that the area would become a Victorian era commercial center. It didn’t happen, but we are left with her Sepulveda House, a remarkable building nonetheless.
Senora Eloisa Martinez de Sepulveda had come north from Senora, Mexico at age 11, and married Joaquin Sepulveda in 1857. He died in 1880. His widow had her dream house built on Olvera Street for $8,000 in the Eastlake Victorian style; popular in the Eastern U.S., but unusual in Southern California. Senora Sepulveda believed the area would greatly prosper, and her building, with 22 rooms, two commercial businesses and three residences would be wildly popular. But Main Street never materialized into a main drag, and by 1900 the area was better known for light industry, boarding houses and bustling bordellos.
Fast forward to 1929: Christine Sterling, founder of Olvera Street, cleaned up the Sepulveda House and brought in the Yale Puppeteers, a tea room and art studios. World War II brought the Sepulveda House national recognition. Union Station, opened across the street in 1939, and after a USO canteen was situated in the Sepulveda House, tens of thousands of servicemen dropped in for a little R&R.
House in the 1950s. Christine Sterling, Olvera Street's founder, became very fond of Belle Tapia, the mother-in-law of the Olvera Street general manager. She invited her to live in the Sepulveda House with her family and also offered her a puesto which is now“Casa Belen,” currently run by her granddaughter, Ginette Rondeau.
Four generations of the Tapia family lived in the Sepulveda House in the 1950s. Residents included: Belle’s mother, Agapita Rubio, and her two daughters:
Irma and Rebecca Tapia with their children. Cruz Ledesma, the blacksmith of Olvera Street also lived there with his elderly mother Crucita. Christine asked
Cruz to hang a string across from the Avila Adobe House to the Sepulveda House. Any time Christine needed assistance she would pull on the string and a bell would ring. Either Cruz or Belle would run to see how they could assist her. In 1971, the Sylmar Earthquake took a toll on the Sepulveda House, and the families had to permanently evacuate while funds were raised to restore the facade.
The building has since been restored and now contains a visitors' center, a museum and an 18-minute film on the history of El Pueblo de
Los Angeles. There is also a historical museum, period rooms, and the Senora original quarters as they looked in 1890, when Senora Sepulveda was waiting for the party to begin.
Simpsons Jones House
The Simpson/Jones Building (1888-1894) is on land formerly owned by Los Angeles Mayor Cristobal Aguilar and California Gov. John Downey. Doria Jones, the Scottish widow of John Jones, a wealthy businessman who arrived in Los Angeles in 1851, erected the building for industrial use. Mrs. Jones rented space to Moline Engines. It eventually became the Diamond Shirt Company and the Soochow Restaurant.
The Simpson/Jones building now bears the name of Jones’ daughter, Constance Jones Simpson; it was she who unsuccessfully filed suit in 1929 to prevent Olvera Street’s closure to vehicular traffic.
In 1960, the building became a branch of Bank of America. Leading the ceremony for this new era in El Pueblo Monument's development are Consuelo Castillo de Bonzo and Los Angeles City Council member and future U.S. Congress member, Edward R. Roybal (center), who watch as Mario and Belle Valadez celebrate with a traditional Mexican dance.
Today, the east section of the building is home to La Luz de Dia restaurant, owned by the Berber family at W-1 Olvera Street. They are famous for their authentic carnitas and home made tortillas.
The Simpson/Jones Building (1888-1894) is on land formerly owned by Los Angeles Mayor Cristobal Aguilar and California Gov. John Downey. Doria Jones, the Scottish widow of John Jones, a wealthy businessman who arrived in Los Angeles in 1851, erected the building for industrial use. Mrs. Jones rented space to Moline Engines. It eventually became the Diamond Shirt Company and the Soochow Restaurant.
The Simpson/Jones building now bears the name of Jones’ daughter, Constance Jones Simpson; it was she who unsuccessfully filed suit in 1929 to prevent Olvera Street’s closure to vehicular traffic.
In 1960, the building became a branch of Bank of America. Leading the ceremony for this new era in El Pueblo Monument's development are Consuelo Castillo de Bonzo and Los Angeles City Council member and future U.S. Congress member, Edward R. Roybal (center), who watch as Mario and Belle Valadez celebrate with a traditional Mexican dance.
Today, the east section of the building is home to La Luz de Dia restaurant, owned by the Berber family at W-1 Olvera Street. They are famous for their authentic carnitas and home made tortillas.
Pico House
The Pico House, built in 1870, was once the "finest hotel in the Southwest America," with "bathrooms and water closets for both sexes" on each floor. It was Los Angeles' first three story building, with 82 bedrooms, 21 parlors, two courtyards, and a French restaurant on the ground floor. It was the dream house of Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor of California, who sold his land holdings in the San Fernando Valley to pay for the construction.
Pio Pico “lived large” and enjoyed life. Born on the San Gabriel Mission in 1801, he used his smarts and charm to become governor during the Mexican-American War. A major troop recruiter and fundraiser to fight the U.S. invasion, he eventually was forced to flee to Mexico.
Following the war, Pico was able to return to the U.S. a free man and maintain his political influence to build a vast land empire (note: his side lost). He was one of the few California dons to hold onto his land after the American takeover.
Pico spent too much money on his Pico House in 1870, buying whatever caught his fancy. He was also overgenerous, with a fondness for horse racing and gambling. But the 1884 flood took its toll and although Pico managed to rebuild his home, economics forced him to adopt a simpler lifestyle. Piece by piece, he was forced to sell his vast holdings to pay the money that he owed.
An American lawyer cheated the English-illiterate Pico out of his land, and at 91-years-old Pico was tragically left with but a buggy and a few remaining possessions. He died two years later at the home of his adopted daughter.
Ten years after his death, the Pico House, suffering from neglect and mismanagement, was in ruins. An old friend of Pico’s, Harriet Russell Strong, bought the adobe and began to repair it with funds raised through the newly formed Governor Pico Mansion Society and Museum Association. Mrs. Strong then deeded the property to the State of California for safekeeping and in 1927 Pío Pico became one of our first state historic parks.
Recently, the Pico House has been used for art exhibitions including: Congresswoman’s Student Art Competition, Latino’s In Hollywood and the Annual Dia De Los Muertos Juried Exhibition amongst others. There is still talk of future development.
The Pico House, built in 1870, was once the "finest hotel in the Southwest America," with "bathrooms and water closets for both sexes" on each floor. It was Los Angeles' first three story building, with 82 bedrooms, 21 parlors, two courtyards, and a French restaurant on the ground floor. It was the dream house of Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor of California, who sold his land holdings in the San Fernando Valley to pay for the construction.
Pio Pico “lived large” and enjoyed life. Born on the San Gabriel Mission in 1801, he used his smarts and charm to become governor during the Mexican-American War. A major troop recruiter and fundraiser to fight the U.S. invasion, he eventually was forced to flee to Mexico.
Following the war, Pico was able to return to the U.S. a free man and maintain his political influence to build a vast land empire (note: his side lost). He was one of the few California dons to hold onto his land after the American takeover.
Pico spent too much money on his Pico House in 1870, buying whatever caught his fancy. He was also overgenerous, with a fondness for horse racing and gambling. But the 1884 flood took its toll and although Pico managed to rebuild his home, economics forced him to adopt a simpler lifestyle. Piece by piece, he was forced to sell his vast holdings to pay the money that he owed.
An American lawyer cheated the English-illiterate Pico out of his land, and at 91-years-old Pico was tragically left with but a buggy and a few remaining possessions. He died two years later at the home of his adopted daughter.
Ten years after his death, the Pico House, suffering from neglect and mismanagement, was in ruins. An old friend of Pico’s, Harriet Russell Strong, bought the adobe and began to repair it with funds raised through the newly formed Governor Pico Mansion Society and Museum Association. Mrs. Strong then deeded the property to the State of California for safekeeping and in 1927 Pío Pico became one of our first state historic parks.
Recently, the Pico House has been used for art exhibitions including: Congresswoman’s Student Art Competition, Latino’s In Hollywood and the Annual Dia De Los Muertos Juried Exhibition amongst others. There is still talk of future development.
Vickrey Brunswig Building
The Vickrey/Brunswig Building (1888) was built for commercial and residential use on land once owned by the Dominguez family. William Vickrey built it, and at 27, started the Eastside Bank there.
But unfortunately for him, his creditors didn’t share his enthusiasm, and the German Savings and Loan Company foreclosed on the building, and sold it to the Braun Drug Company. Braun also bought the old Gas Company building next store, now referred to as the Brunswig Annex, hence the cumbersome name. Banker Vickrey ended up working there as a carpenter.
It housed the Braun Drug company in 1897, but then one of Braun’s partners, a Frenchman named Lucien Brunswig, bought out Braun in 1907, and the Brunswig Drug Company became the largest drug manufacturing laboratories west of Chicago. And the building was renamed the Brunswig Building. (Today, just to pull the plug on all this confusion, it’s called both).
A big giver, Brunswig founded the School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California, and was also one of the six donors who stepped forward to make Christine Sterling’s dream of the Mexican Marketplace come true $5,000 with Olvera Street.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had its crime laboratory here from the 1940s-1960s. It was badly damaged in a fire in 1991. It is currently part of the soon-to-open Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
The Vickrey/Brunswig Building (1888) was built for commercial and residential use on land once owned by the Dominguez family. William Vickrey built it, and at 27, started the Eastside Bank there.
But unfortunately for him, his creditors didn’t share his enthusiasm, and the German Savings and Loan Company foreclosed on the building, and sold it to the Braun Drug Company. Braun also bought the old Gas Company building next store, now referred to as the Brunswig Annex, hence the cumbersome name. Banker Vickrey ended up working there as a carpenter.
It housed the Braun Drug company in 1897, but then one of Braun’s partners, a Frenchman named Lucien Brunswig, bought out Braun in 1907, and the Brunswig Drug Company became the largest drug manufacturing laboratories west of Chicago. And the building was renamed the Brunswig Building. (Today, just to pull the plug on all this confusion, it’s called both).
A big giver, Brunswig founded the School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California, and was also one of the six donors who stepped forward to make Christine Sterling’s dream of the Mexican Marketplace come true $5,000 with Olvera Street.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had its crime laboratory here from the 1940s-1960s. It was badly damaged in a fire in 1991. It is currently part of the soon-to-open Plaza de Cultura y Artes.