Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA to celebrate new landmark sites preserving Black history and culture. Here’s where they are and how to join
StylesVille Barber Shop and Beauty Salon in Pacoima is the oldest Black-owned business in the San Fernando Valley.
(
Julie Leopo
/
LAist
)
The paperwork has been filed, the bronze plaques have been made and now it's time to celebrate a half dozen new Historic-Cultural Monument sites that are rich with Black heritage.
More than three years in the making, the project was a collaboration with L.A. to get landmark status for sites that preserve our region’s Black history and culture.
That includes StylesVille barber shop in Pacoima: the oldest Black-owned business in the San Fernando Valley. And Jewel’s Catch One, one of the city’s first gay nightclubs for people of color.
According to Los Angeles City Planning, as of January 2023, “only 4% of the city’s 1,260 locally designated landmarks (Historic-Cultural Monuments) reflect associations with African American history.”
Support for LAist comes from
Rita Cofield, an associate project specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute, said bronze plaques were installed at some of the sites within the past few months.
“Not to be cheesy, but it warms my heart to see these stewards so excited to get this plaque,” she told LAist. “These buildings are being used by people. They’re not relics. They’re being celebrated, but they’re also being used, they’re part of the community."
In all, six sites have received the landmark designation over the past couple of years, with an additional six slated to come.
What does the designation do?
Cofield said the Historic-Cultural Monument status will protect the buildings from changes that would drastically alter their appearance and overshadow the existing historic site.
While Cofield said most changes to the properties would have to go through the Office of Historic Resources, that doesn’t mean the current property owners — or stewards — are barred from all renovations.
“Preservation is managing the change to make sure you’re not changing any character-defining features,” Cofield said.
Support for LAist comes from
Getty representatives said there are celebrations planned for Thursday:
- The Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence
- St. Elmo Village
- Jewel’s Catch One
A date hasn’t been set for StylesVille, but details should be coming soon.
Here’s a list of all the African American Historic Places, Los Angeles (AAHPLA) sites:
StylesVille Barbershop & Beauty Salon
13161 Van Nuys Blvd., Pacoima
Started in 1958 by Fred and Ollie Carter, Getty said this Pacoima mainstay is the oldest Black-owned business in the San Fernando Valley. The barber shop is one of several Black-owned businesses in the area, which sprouted as Black families came to Pacoima due to discriminatory housing practices in other communities.
Greg Faucett, lead barber and manager of StylesVille Barber Shop and Beauty Salon in Pacoima, stands outside the shop on July 31, 2024.
(
Julie Leopo
/
LAist
)
St. Elmo Village
4820-4846 West St. Elmo Dr., Los Angeles
Support for LAist comes from
This cherished artists’ compound was started by Rozzell and Roderick Sykes. The Getty called it “an artist enclave comprised of residences, art studios, and cultivated landscapes.”
Tom and Ethel Bradley residence in Leimert Park.
(
Elizabeth Daniels
/
Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust
)
Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence
3807 Welland Ave., Los Angeles
The Leimert Park residence was once home to L.A.’s first Black mayor and Black first lady, Tom and Ethel Bradley.
The Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence.
(
Photo Courtesy of Getty
/
Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust
)
Jewel's Catch One
4061 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles
Catch One was one of L.A.’s most influential nightclubs that was welcoming to members of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.
Support for LAist comes from
As founder, Jewel Thais-Williams told KPCC’s Take Two in 2016: “It gave me a stage to be of service to community that was rejected and neglected in so many ways."
Jewel's Catch One nightclub in Arlington Heights.
(
Tyler Wayne
/
LAist
)
California Eagle
4071-4075 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles
This site once housed what the Getty called “one of the longest-running Black-owned and operated newspapers in Los Angeles.”
California Eagle offices housed what the Getty called “one of the longest-running Black-owned and operated newspapers in Los Angeles."
(
Photo Courtesy of Getty
/
Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust
)
New Bethel Baptist Church
503-505 E. Brooks Ave., Venice
The church was founded in 1952. Its creation coincided with more Black people moving to the area for defense jobs during the World War II period, according to the Getty.
New Bethel Baptist Church was founded in 1952.
(
Photo Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust
/
Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust
)
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist