Whittier will finally own its namesake boulevard. Why didn't it?

The city of Whittier will soon own and control its namesake boulevard.

Caltrans is expected to relinquish ownership of a 6.5-mile stretch of Whittier Boulevard, from Lockheed Avenue to Valley Home Avenue. The California Transportation Commission is slated to approve the deal, which has been decades in the making, on May 15.

Mayor Joe Vinatieri said it’s a historic win for Whittier.

“ This is the King’s Highway,” he said. “This is the original path from San Diego to San Francisco Up to Santa Rosa for all the missions in California.”

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Why the deal is happening

You might be asking yourself, “Wait, doesn’t the city own it already?” Nope, it doesn't.

Whittier Boulevard is under Caltrans supervision because, as State Route 72, it’s part of the state’s highway network. Marc Bischoff, a Caltrans spokesperson, said the route was originally intended to be a temporary highway while the Southern California freeway system was built out.

State highway code from decades ago alludes to this by stating that State Route 72 would cease to be a highway once the 90 Freeway was completed. (It never was.) Over the decades, sections have been split up and relinquished to their respective cities for local control. It’s not the first time Whittier officials have been in talks with Caltrans.

“ We have seriously discussed relinquishment on at least two previous occasions, with the first being in the ‘90s and the second in the early 2000s,” said Kyle Cason, Whittier's director of public works.

The deal fell through primarily because Caltrans was offering only $2 million to $4 million to a reserve fund for Whittier to use for maintenance. That figure has since risen to nearly $17 million. Once the deal is approved, Whittier will be responsible for fixing things like center medians, crosswalks and traffic signals.

To make this deal possible, city officials had to annex about 90 acres of unincorporated Los Angeles County to bring the areas around the boulevard under Whittier control.

Cason said ownership will help the city improve traffic and planning, as well as streamline permitting.

“ We don’t have to go to Caltrans to ask to add a third lane, or any of those types of things to do work at an intersection, so it gives us a lot of control,” he said.

Since the road will be under local control, you’ll also see Whittier police respond to accidents instead of county sheriff’s deputies. The deal doesn’t include the area west of Lockheed Avenue that’s within city boundaries because Caltrans wants to retain  control of the 605 interchange area.

A brief history

Whittier Boulevard is an iconic route in L.A. County, stretching from the L.A. River to La Habra. Its roots run deep in the surrounding communities. There’s even a song about it.

East L.A. saw a lot of young Latinos cruising with flashy cars in the ‘60s, as well as cruisers farther east. It’s also one of the sites where the Zoot Suit Riots happened in 1943 and the Chicano Moratorium in 1970.

Whittier’s side of the boulevard deserves attention too. The area grew in prominence as new businesses moved in after the postwar period in the 1940’s.

It’s also where the historic Paradox Hybrid Walnut Tree is. The landmark was planted in 1907 by the University of California’s agriculture department, and was saved in 1955 by a group of conservationists that included the Whittier chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It's a rather gnarly looking tree with a 100-foot canopy.

An aerial view of Whittier Boulevard near the Whittier Quad.

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Preston E. Mitchell

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Whittier Historical Society and Museum Historical Photographs / Whittier Public Library

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The 1,000-seat Whittier Theater, photographed in the late 1940s when "Fun and Fancy Free" and "Danger Street" were playing. There was free parking around back.

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Barton's Studio

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Leeba Lessin Whittier Postcard Collection / Whittier Public Library

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Another noteworthy spot on the boulevard is the Whittier Citrus Association’s packing house. It was built in 1902 and was once the largest packing plant in California. It’s a reminder that the bulk of Whittier's economic power was once citrus.

One of the most iconic theaters in Southern California was there as well — Whittier Theatre. It was built in 1929 just outside city limits so the council couldn’t influence what movies were shown or when, according to the Whittier Historical Society.

The building was admired for its Spanish architecture, which included red tile roofing and archways, and its elaborate, atmospheric auditorium. The site was damaged in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake and later demolished. There’s still a plaque to commemorate it near the Walgreens at Whittier Boulevard and Gretna Avenue.