A project between Los Angeles and the Getty Conservation Institute, called “African American Historic Places LA,” aims to identify sites with African American cultural significance for consideration as Historic Cultural Landmarks. Two of the first four sites received the designation this month.
Why it matters: Only 4% of L.A.’s more than 1,280 historic landmarks are associated with the city's African American history.
What are the sites: The Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence and the California Eagle Publishing Office received approval. The Stylesville Beauty and Barbershop and nightclub Jewel’s Catch One are awaiting approval.
The Los Angeles City Council this month designated the Tom & Ethel Bradley House and the former California Eagle newspaper building as historic landmarks. It comes as the city aims to identify more of its African American history.
The city of Los Angeles and the Getty Conservation Institute teamed up a few years ago to identify sites that represent the city's African American history. According to Ken Bernstein, principal city planner for Los Angeles, only 4% of the city's more than 1,280 landmarks are black.
“That clearly does not equitably encompass the richness and diversity of the African American experience,” said Bernstein.
The Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence.
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He says that became apparent during the racial unrest of 2020 involving the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. He says those events spawned conversations about the city's planning process, and how it could be more intentional about capturing the stories of "all communities," including African American history.
"Traditional approaches to historic preservation have largely been about designating buildings around architectural review, but we need to go beyond that and broaden how we think about heritage, both the physical and intangible," says Bernstein.
About the sites
The AAHPLA project so far has identified four sites that were selected by a 15-member advisory committee. They were chosen based on a diversity of themes that reflect different aspects of African American heritage in L.A.
They include:
The Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence located in the Leimert Park neighborhood in South L.A. It's where the late mayor and his wife lived while he served on the L.A. City Council and part of his tenure as the longest serving mayor. The home is still owned by the Bradley family today.
The former California Eagle newspaper building sits at the corner of South Central Avenue and 41st streets. It's the oldest African American newspaper in Los Angeles, dating back to 1879. Activist and journalist Charlotta Bass worked as the paper's managing editor before becoming the first black woman to run for vice president of the United States in 1952.
The California Eagle in South LA
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Stylesville Beauty and Barbershop in Pacoima is the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley. It first opened its doors in 1957, when much of the region was still segregated.
Jewel's Catch One is one of the oldest gay nightclubs in Los Angeles, catering specifically gays and lesbians in the African American community during the '70s, '80s, and '90s.
Jewel's Catch One nightclub in Arlington Heights
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What's next
The two remaining sites: Stylesville Beauty & Barbershop and Jewel's Catch One are scheduled to go before the Cultural Heritage Commission on Aug. 1.
Rita Cofield is an associate project specialist for the Getty Conservation Institute. She says the next phase of the project will involve visiting other communities to get feedback about preservation practices and the sites they'd like to see considered for historic landmark status.
"Not just for African Americans, but for all underrepresented, underserved, marginalized, underrecognized communities within Los Angeles and beyond," said Cofield.
How you can participate
A site goes through several steps before it receives historic landmark status, from the time it goes before the Cultural Heritage Commission, to the time it gets full city council approval.
You can go here to nominate a site to be considered by the African American Historic Places LA project.
