LA to celebrate new landmark sites preserving Black history and culture. Here’s where they are and how to join

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.”

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.

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.

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Julie Leopo

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LAist

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St. Elmo Village
4820-4846 West St. Elmo Dr., Los Angeles

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.

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Elizabeth Daniels

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Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust

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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.

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Photo Courtesy of Getty

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Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust

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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.

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.

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Tyler Wayne

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LAist

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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."

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Photo Courtesy of Getty

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Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust

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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.

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Photo Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust

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Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust

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