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Arleta - Pacoima Report

Historic Districts, Planning Districts and Multi-Property Resources – 3/19/14

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Districts

Name: Branford Street Quonset Huts

Description:

The Branford Street Quonset Huts are located at 12279 and 12281 Branford Street in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. There appear to be approximately nine Quonset huts on the property, which encompasses six narrow parcels. The huts are located in what appears to be a junk yard for automobiles, in an industrial zone.

Significance:

The property includes a collection of intact Quonset huts. Quonset huts will be evaluated as a group pending further research and analysis.



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Context 1:

Context: Industrial Development, 1850-1980

Sub context: No Sub-context

Theme: Industrial Design and Engineering, 1887-1965

Sub theme: No SubTheme

Property type: Industrial

Property sub type: Quonset Hut

Criteria: C/3/3

Status code: QQQ

Reason: Several Quonset huts grouped together on six parcels; Quonset huts will be evaluated as a group pending further research and analysis.



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Name: Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima

Description:

Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima is located at 12928 Vaughn Street in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The church and related facilities, including a school and parking lot, are located on three parcels at the southwest corner of Vaughn Street and Dronfield Avenue, in a primarily residential neighborhood. The modest, Mid-Century Modern church and school are two stories tall and were constructed in 1957.

Significance:

Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima is significant for the important role it has played in the history of the African American community in the San Fernando Valley. Specifically, the property is significant for its association with the Reverend Hillery T. Broadous, who founded the church in 1955 and played a large part in breaking down racial segregation in the North San Fernando Valley. The church is also a significant example of a religious institution that was established to serve the growing African American community of Pacoima in the post-World War II era. Constructed in 1957, the church played an important role in the emergence of the fair housing movement in the San Fernando Valley at a time when covenants and restrictive housing practices were common. The period of significance for the church ranges from 1957 to 1982, from the time of its construction to the year the Reverend Broadous passed away.

Reverend Hillery T. Broadous came to Los Angeles from Portland, Oregon, joining the ministry in 1952. The Reverend originally founded the Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima in a barn prior to the 1957 construction of the current building. In addition to serving as the founder and pastor of the church, Reverend Broadous was heavily engaged in various community activities, most notably his involvement with the fair housing and civil rights movements. During his time as pastor, Broadous served as Chairman of the Ministers Union of Pacoima (also known as the Pacoima Ministers Association), and as an executive board member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He helped organize the San Fernando Inter-Faith Center Council and the Joint Venture Poverty Program, an organization that was given federal aid for various community projects. In 1960, Reverend Broadous helped to organize the Fair Housing Council of the San Fernando Valley. In 1964, the Reverend, along with other Pacoima clergymen, took a firm stance against California Proposition 14, which would have counteracted the effects of the Rumford Fair Housing Act of 1963. In the mid-1960s, the church, led by Reverend Broadous, fought for the addition of more low-income housing residences in Pacoima. He led the community in pushing for the creation of Pacoima’s Hubert H. Humphrey Park. When the Watts Riots occurred in 1965, the Reverend used his influence to resolve tensions and stop the spread of violence in African American neighborhoods. His work as a community leader continued into the 1970s. On September 9, 1982, Reverend Broadous died from cancer at the age of 70. Hillery T. Broadous Elementary School, a landmark for the community’s African American population, was named in honor of the late Reverend shortly after his death.

The Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima was one of the most influential African American churches in the San Fernando Valley during the 1950s and 1960s. The church was founded in 1955 and constructed in 1957, reflecting the great increase in Pacoima’s black population during and after World War II. Although the Supreme Court ruled deed restrictions and racial segregation to be unconstitutional in 1948, racially restrictive housing practices continued well into the 1960s. The majority of the San Fernando Valley’s minority population, including its growing African American community, was forced to live in Pacoima and the adjacent City of San Fernando during the postwar period. During the 1950s, Calvary Baptist Church of Pacoima was engaged in the fair housing movement, proposing the development of more low-incoming housing in the North San Fernando Valley (a specific site at the northeast corner of Dronfield Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard was chosen, however it is unclear whether or not the low-income apartment complex was built). The church was the site of NAACP rallies during the civil rights movement, including a massive rally in 1965 featuring participants of the Selma-Birmingham Freedom March. The church is the site of community seminars, educational sessions, and celebrations for events such as Black History Month to this day.



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Context 1:

Context: Public and Private Institutional Development, 1850-1980

Sub context: Religion and Spirituality, 1850-1980

Theme: Religion and Spirituality and Ethnic/Cultural Associations, 1850-1980


Property type: Institutional - Religion/Spirituality

Property sub type: Religious Campus

Criteria: A/1/1

Status code: 3S;3CS;5S3

Reason: Significant example of a religious institution that was established to serve the growing African American community of Pacoima in the post-World War II era. Established in 1957, it was one of the largest African American churches in the area whose minister, Revered Hillery T. Broadous, played a significant role in the emergence of the fair housing movement in the San Fernando Valley at a time when racial covenants and restrictive housing practices were common.



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Context 2:


Sub context: Civil Rights Movement - Ethnic and Gender Equality, 1942-1980

Theme: African-American Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1968

Sub theme: Important Persons in the African American Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1968

Property type: Institutional

Property sub type: No Sub-Type

Criteria: B/2/2


Reason: Significant as the church founded and led by the Reverend Hillery T. Broadous, a minister and civil rights activist in the San Fernando Valley who helped organize the San Fernando Valley Branch of the NAACP and was involved in the local fair housing movement. Broadeus established the church here in 1957 and presided over the congregation between 1957 and 1982, which encompasses the most productive period of his career.



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Name: David M. Gonzales Recreation Center

Description:

David M. Gonzales Recreation Center, originally the Pacoima Recreation Center, is a public park and recreation facility located at 10943 N. Herrick Ave. in Pacoima. Located in a residential district, the park occupies a flat, seven-acre parcel that is bounded by Norris Avenue on the west, Pierce Street on the south, and Herrick Avenue on the east; its northern boundary abuts Pacoima Charter School. Most of the park site consists of landscaped open space and playing fields; the eastern section of the property includes a small surface parking lot, a children’s playground, and a clubhouse building that houses both interior recreation space and a community room. Designed by architects Bennett and Bennett in 1950, the clubhouse building exhibits some features of Mid-Century Modern architecture, but is a relatively vernacular interpretation of the style. An addition to the north elevation of the clubhouse building was completed in the late 1990s and is connected to the original building by a covered breezeway, which also functions as the primary entrance to the park. Mature shade trees are planted throughout the park, and a chain link fence spans the perimeter of the property.

Significance:

David M. Gonzales Recreation Center is an excellent example of a municipal recreation facility in Pacoima, associated with the area’s rapid growth and heightened demand for municipal services in the post-World War II era. Its period of significance has been identified as 1950, the year in which the park and clubhouse building were constructed.

In May, 1947, Los Angeles voters approved Proposition B, a $12-million bond program intended to expand and enhance the city’s network of public recreation facilities. The bond program was among the first major projects carried out by the newly-created Department of Recreation and Parks, which was created upon the 1947 consolidation of two former city agencies: the Park Department and the Recreation and Playground Department. Among the projects funded by the bond measure was a new public park and recreation center in Pacoima, known as the Pacoima Recreation Center. Dedicated in 1950, the property was among the first municipal recreation facilities to be constructed in Pacoima, a community that had historically been sorely lacking in municipal services. In addition to providing much-needed open space, the park served as a focal point and gathering place for the Pacoima community.

Prior to the park’s completion in 1950, a group of residents and stakeholders known as the Pacoima Coordinating Committee petitioned the Department of Recreation and Parks to name the park in honor of David M. Gonzales, a Mexican American soldier who had died heroically in World War II and was the first World War II veteran from Los Angeles to be awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor. Gonzales, who was born and raised in Pacoima, was widely regarded by the Pacoima community as a hometown hero. However, the department instead elected to follow its naming protocol and call the new facility the Pacoima Recreation Center, although a plaque commemorating Gonzales and his contributions was installed at the site. In 1990, a group of Pacoima residents once again requested that the Department of Recreation and Parks re-name the facility the David M. Gonzales Recreation Center, a request that won the support of elected officials and was granted later that year.



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Context 1:


Sub context: Government Infrastructure and Services, 1850-1980

Theme: Municipal Parks, Recreation, and Leisure, 1886-1978

Sub theme: Municipal Recreational Facilities, 1932-1978

Property type: Institutional - Recreation

Property sub type: Municipal Recreational Facility

Criteria: A/1/1 & C/3/3


Reason: Excellent example of a municipal recreation facility in Pacoima, representing the expanding population of the area in the post-World War II era and the need for municipal services in Pacoima.



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Name: Glenoaks Mobile Manor

Description:

Glenoaks Mobile Manor is located at 10471 Glenoaks Boulevard in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The mobile home park is on a large single parcel, located mid-block. It is located across the street from the Hansen Dam Golf Course, in a commercial and residential area. The mobile home park consists of approximately 70 residences, the first of which were constructed in 1948.

Significance:

Glenoaks Mobile Manor may have potential significance as an intact example of a postwar mobile home park; however, the majority of residences and property features could not be seen from the public right-of-way and therefore could not be evaluated.

The history of the mobile home park dates back to the early years of automobile travel as a trailer that would be pulled by a car for the use of camping or extended travel. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, mobile homes were marketed as an inexpensive form of housing, and by the 1960s, they were seen as a more permanent type of residence, costing anywhere from $4,000 to $50,000. Pacoima became a major center for mobile home park development in the San Fernando Valley, with almost 700 mobile home residential units by the early 1970s.



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Context 1:

Context: Other Context, 1850-1980


Theme: Design/Construction, 1850-1980


Property type: Residential

Property sub type: District

Criteria: C/3/3

Status code: QQQ

Reason: Appears to be an intact example of a 1960s mobile home park in Pacoima. However, the property is not fully visible from the public right-of-way; therefore, the evaluation could not be completed.



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Name: Greater Community Baptist Church

Description:

Greater Community Baptist Church is located at 11066 Norris Avenue in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The church sits on two midblock parcels, in a predominantly residential area. The one-story church was constructed in 1958 with Mid-Century Modern influences. Some material alterations to the property have been made including the replacement of wall cladding, the addition of awnings and security bars, and the replacement of entrance doors and some windows.

Significance:

Greater Community Baptist Church is significant for its association with the Reverend T.G. Pledger, a pioneer in the African American community who founded the first African American church in the San Fernando Valley in 1942. The church is also a significant example of a religious institution that was established to serve the growing African American community of Pacoima in the post-World War II era. Constructed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1958, the church played a significant role in the emergence of the fair housing movement in the San Fernando Valley at a time when covenants and restrictive housing practices were common. The period of significance for the church ranges from 1958 to 1984, from the time the second church was constructed to the year the Reverend Pledger passed away.

The Reverend T.G. Pledger came to Los Angeles in 1938 and moved to Pacoima in 1942. The Reverend Pledger originally founded the Greater Community Baptist Church in an old dance hall prior to the 1945 construction of the first permanent church building. This became the first African American church in the San Fernando Valley. With the great migration of African Americans to the area after World War II, a larger church was necessary. Thus, a new building was constructed on the same site in 1958. The Reverend Pledger was involved with the fair housing movement, taking a firm stance with other Pacoima clergymen against California Proposition 14, which would have counteracted the effects of the Rumford Fair Housing Act of 1963. Under the leadership of the Reverend, the church was the gathering place for significant events in the black community in the 1960s and 1970s, including National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) rallies and Brotherhood Week.



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Context 1:






Property sub type: Religious Building

Criteria: A/1/1

Status code: 5S3

Reason: Significant for its association with the first African American church congregation in Pacoima, reflecting the development of a sizable African American community in Pacoima during and after World War II. Due to material alterations, including the replacement of wall cladding, the addition of awnings and security bars, and the replacement of entrance doors and some windows, the property may not retain sufficient integrity for National Register or California Register eligibility.



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Context 2:


Sub context: Civil Rights Movement - Ethnic and Gender Equality, 1942-1980

Theme: African-American Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1968

Sub theme: Important Persons in the African American Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1968



Criteria: B/2/2

Status code: 5S3

Reason: Significant for its association with Reverend T. G. Pledger, who founded the first African American church in the San Fernando Valley in 1942. Due to material alterations, including the replacement of wall cladding, the addition of awnings and security bars, and the replacement of entrance doors and some windows, the property may not retain sufficient integrity for National Register or California Register eligibility.



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Name: Guardian Angel Church

Description:

Guardian Angel Church is a Catholic church and school campus located at 10886 N. Lehigh Avenue in Pacoima. The property, which is located entirely within the boundaries of the San Fernando Gardens public housing development, occupies four contiguous parcels that are located along the housing development’s eastern edge. The campus comprises several buildings: a sanctuary, which was completed in 1939 and remodeled in the mid-1950s, is located at the northwestern corner of the property; what appears to be a parish hall is located immediately to the south of the sanctuary; a two-story school building with a linear footprint spans the southern edge of the campus; and a two-story rectory building is located at the southeastern corner of the campus, adjacent to the school building. Aside from the sanctuary, the buildings were constructed between 1956 and 1960. Several modular buildings have since been added to the campus’s northern edge. Spaces between buildings are occupied by paved asphalt surfaces. Landscaping is limited to a handful of mature shade trees, most of which are planted adjacent to the sanctuary building.

Significance:

Guardian Angel Church is a significant example of a religious institution in Pacoima that is associated with the area’s Latin-American community. The period of significance begins in 1939, when the church was formally dedicated at the subject property; since the church has been in continuous operation at the same site and continues to serve as a focal point for Pacoima’s Latino community, the period of significance has been left open-ended.

Due to its lack of restrictive housing covenants and its reputation for racial inclusivity, Pacoima had been home to a sizable Latin-American population since the early twentieth century. A Latino presence led to the establishment of the area’s first Catholic congregation in 1929, although its precise location remains unclear. Serving only 100 households, the congregation was not large enough to be its own parish but instead operated as a “mission church,” or offshoot, of St. Ferdinand’s Church in nearby San Fernando. Using funds that had been raised in part by the sale of livestock and vegetables, the church’s early leaders acquired land and constructed a new, autonomous church on the subject property in the mid-1930s; the new church, known as Guardian Angel, was formally dedicated in 1939.

In the early 1950s, the entire neighborhood adjacent to Guardian Angel was demolished to make way for San Fernando Gardens, a public housing development owned and operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). However, unlike its environs, the church was not demolished but was instead integrated into the new public housing development, a testament to its prominent role in the community. Beginning in 1956, shortly after the housing development was completed, Guardian Angel undertook a significant expansion of its facilities. In addition to substantially remodeling the 1939 church, the parish constructed a new school, parish hall, and rectory on the site between 1956 and 1960. The expanded campus provided religious and educational facilities for Catholic households residing in the Pacoima area, many of whom were of Latino origin and resided in the adjacent public housing development. The parish has long been the site of community meetings, educational seminars and workshops, and Latino-oriented cultural celebrations, a tradition that carries on to this day.



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Context 1:







Criteria: A/1/1


Reason: Significant example of an early religious institution in Pacoima, with longstanding ties to the area's Latino community.



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Name: Hansen Dam

Description:

The Hansen Dam is located in the northeast section of the San Fernando Valley, on the border of the areas of Sun Valley and Pacoima. The dam is two miles long and 97 feet high. Associated recreational facilities include a 35-acre equestrian center; a 40-acre aquatic center; an 18-hole, 211-acre golf course; over 200 acres of trails; and a sports complex consisting of four baseball fields, two soccer fields, and an amphitheater. The Hansen Dam Recreation Center is comprised of 1,450 acres of land and water that Los Angeles leases from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Significance:

The Hansen Dam is an excellent example of an early federal flood control project in the San Fernando Valley, reflecting the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ flood management efforts in the Los Angeles region in the late 1930s. The dam was specifically built as a reaction to the devastating flood of 1938. Constructed from 1938 to 1940, the dam cost $13,000,000, and at the time was the largest earth-fill reservoir in the world. The dam was built by Guy F. Atkinson Company under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers to control the floodwaters of the Big and Little Tujunga creeks. The period of significance is 1938 to 1940, the dates during which the dam was constructed.

The Hansen Dam Recreation Center may also be significant as an early municipal recreation center in the San Fernando Valley. The city began leasing 1,450 acres of land from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1949 with the intention of developing the land to meet the San Fernando Valley’s growing demand for more public recreational facilities in the 1940s and 1950s. However, more research and analysis is needed to determine how much – if any – of the original recreational facilities remain intact.



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Context 1:


Sub context: Government Infrastructure and Services, 1850-1980

Theme: Municipal Parks, Recreation, and Leisure, 1886-1978

Sub theme: Municipal Recreational Facilities, 1932-1978

Property type: Institutional - Recreation

Property sub type: Municipal Recreational Facility

Criteria: A/1/1 & C/3/3

Status code: QQQ

Reason: Appears to have potential significance as an early example of a municipal recreation facility associated with the population growth of the San Fernando Valley in the post-World War II era; however, additional research is required to determine if any of the original recreational facilities remain intact.

Context 2:



Theme: Event or Series of Events, 1850-1980




Criteria: A/1/1


Reason: Excellent example of an early federal flood control infrastructure project in the San Fernando Valley, reflecting the Army Corps of Engineers' flood management efforts in the Los Angeles region in the late 1930s.

Context 3:







Criteria: C/3/3


Reason: Excellent example of a concrete-and-earthen dam in the area, reflecting innovations in civil engineering in the late 1930s; it was the largest earth-filled structure in the world upon its completion in 1940.



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Name: Joe Louis Homes Residential Planning District

Description:

The Joe Louis Homes Residential Planning District is located in the area of Pacoima, bordered by Paxton Street to the north, Weidner Street to the south, Glenoaks Boulevard to the east, and Herrick Avenue to the west. The district sits on flat land and includes 93 residences, all constructed in 1950 in the Minimal Traditional style. Each residence is set back from the street, and several have detached garages. The streets are predominately laid out in a grid pattern and are lined with street trees.

Significance:

The Joe Louis Homes are significant as a post-World-War II residential subdivision that was marketed specifically to an African American clientele, reflecting racially restrictive housing practices in the San Fernando Valley that persisted into the postwar era. Prior to the 1960s, minorities were largely restricted from buying or leasing houses in most of the San Fernando Valley. Of the 402,538 Valley residents in 1950, only 2,654 were African American. Nearly all lived in Pacoima and the adjacent City of San Fernando. Although the district retains consistency of massing, scale, and architectural vocabulary, the majority of its individual buildings have been altered. Common alterations include stucco finish over original wall materials, the replacement of original windows, and the removal of features such as window and door surrounds. The cumulative impact of these alterations, both to individual buildings and to the district as a whole, has compromised the overall integrity of the district. Therefore, it does not appear to be eligible for historic district designation, although it merits special consideration in the local planning process. Further analysis relative to the area’s period of significance may reveal findings that some alterations have achieved significance in their own right. If this is found to be the case, the area may be eligible for local, state and possibly national designation.

During World War II and the years that followed, the San Fernando Valley experienced an increase of African Americans who migrated from the segregated South to California looking for work. Official and unofficial redlining, enforced by the real estate and construction industries, restricted African Americans as well as other minority groups from living in certain areas. Pacoima continued to be one of the only places minorities could live even after the Supreme Court’s 1948 ruling that deemed deed restrictions unconstitutional. Real estate brokers refused to show nonwhites houses outside of the area, landlords refused to rent apartments to people of color, and lenders denied loans to minority groups.

The Joe Louis Homes, which had no affiliation with the popular and widely-recognized black boxer, were a response to redlining that continued in the postwar period. Marketed specifically to black families, the boxer’s name was used to attract African Americans and keep them from buying residences in other parts of the San Fernando Valley. Although groups such as the Fair Housing Council of the San Fernando Valley formed to prohibit marketing schemes and racially restrictive housing practices such as the Joe Louis Homes development, such practices continued well into the 1960s. The period of significance for the Joe Louis Homes begins in 1950. However, the period of significance has been left open-ended pending additional research regarding the duration of the district's identity as an African American enclave.



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Context 1:

Context: Residential Development and Suburbanization, 1850-1980


Theme: Ethnic Enclaves, 1880-1980


Property type: Residential Neighborhood


Criteria: A/1/1

Status code: 6LQ

Reason: Significant as a post-World-War II residential subdivision that was marketed to an African American clientele, reflecting racially restrictive housing practices in the San Fernando Valley that persisted into the postwar era. Due to substantial material alterations that have been made to individual properties, the subdivision does not retain sufficient integrity for historic district designation but may merit special consideration in the planning process. The period of significance has been left open-ended pending additional research regarding the duration of the district's identity as an African American enclave.



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Name: Pacoima Charter School

Description:

Pacoima Charter School, originally Pacoima Elementary School, is located at 11016 Norris Avenue in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The School is surrounded by predominantly residential areas, including the San Fernando Gardens public housing complex. The school is bordered by Herrick Avenue to the north, Norris Avenue to the south, Van Nuys Boulevard to the west, and culminates mid-block to the east.

The school comprises approximately 17 buildings with a paved athletic field located on the eastern half of the campus. The main office building located on the southwest corner of the campus, as well as an adjacent classroom building, appear to have been built in the late 1930s or early 1940s; however, more research needs to be done to confirm this. The rest of the campus was built in 1950 in the International Style and reflects post-World War II Los Angeles Unified School District planning and design concepts.

Significance:

Pacoima Charter School may be significant as a historic school of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). However, more research and analysis needs to be completed in order to determine the significance and date of construction of the main office and adjacent classroom building.



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Context 1:


Sub context: Education, 1876-1980

Theme: Public Schools and the LAUSD, 1876-1980

Sub theme: Post WWII Schools, 1946-1966

Property type: Institutional - Education

Property sub type: Elementary School

Criteria: A/1/1&C/3/3

Status code: QQQ

Reason: Appears to be significant as an early elementary school in Pacoima, possibly retaining buildings dating to the earliest phases of the community's development. Unable to enter the property to assess whether any parts of the early campus still exist.



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Name: Pacoima Middle School

Description:

Pacoima Middle School, originally Pacoima Junior High School, is located at 9919 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, bordered by Terra Bella Street to the north, Cranford Avenue to the west, and Kagel Canyon Street to the south, in the Pacoima area of the San Fernando Valley. The school is surrounded by single-family residences.

The campus is large, covering roughly four blocks. The campus comprises approximately 25 permanent buildings arranged in a complex fan-shaped site plan, with the majority of the buildings connected by a covered walkway. The one-story buildings are constructed in the International Style. Temporary structures are located around the perimeter of the grouped permanent buildings. The northwest half of the property is composed of paved and grassy recreation space.

Significance:

Pacoima Middle School is an excellent example of a post-World War II Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) middle school campus, reflecting LAUSD school planning and design concepts of the postwar period and the increase of facilities to accommodate postwar growth in the San Fernando Valley. The school has two periods of significance: one in 1953 when the school opened, and one in 1957 when a mid-air plane crash killed three students and injured dozens of others at the school, marking one of the most devastating tragedies in Pacoima’s history.

Responding to the incredible need for new public school facilities in the rapidly-growing city in the post-World-War II era, voters passed three bond measures – in 1946, 1952 and 1955 – for the city’s schools. Money went to new construction, improvements to existing facilities, and purchase of land for future construction. The 1955 bond measure in particular aided the expansion of LAUSD facilities in the San Fernando Valley. The new schools followed contemporary ideas in “building for learning,” which placed emphasis on fresh air, natural light, and the use of color. Pacoima Middle School is exemplary of these design concepts with its single-story buildings designed in a simple, International style, with large expanses of operable windows on classroom buildings; access to outdoor space from every classroom; exterior corridors for circulation; and copious outdoor space dedicated to recreation.

The middle school is also significant for being the site of a tragic plane crash in 1957. On the morning of January 31, 1957, a Douglas DC-7 transport and a Northrop Scorpion F-89 fighter jet collided above Pacoima Middle School. While the F-89 fell in a remote area in La Tuna Canyon, the DC-7 crashed in the yard at Pacoima Congregational Church, and the explosion sprayed debris onto the nearby field of Pacoima Junior High School, at which recess was in session. The crash killed nine people, including students Robert Zallan, Ronnie Brann and Evan Eisner, and injured 74 others.



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Context 1:






Property sub type: Middle School



Reason: Excellent example of a post-World War II Los Angeles Unified School District elementary school campus, reflecting LAUSD school planning and design concepts of the postwar period and the increase in facilities to accommodate postwar growth in the San Fernando Valley. The campus was the site of a mid-air crash in 1957, a devastating and well-publicized event in the community's history that resulted in the death of three students and the injury of an additional 74.



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Name: Pacoima Spreading Grounds Extension

Description:

The Pacoima Spreading Grounds are located on the border of the areas of Arleta and Mission Hills in the San Fernando Valley. The facility is bordered by Filmore Street to the south, Woodman Avenue to the west and Arleta Avenue to the east. Devonshire Street runs roughly along the middle of the spreading grounds. The grounds are composed of 169 acres of predominantly flat, open land.

Significance:

The Pacoima Spreading Grounds are significant as a rare and early groundwater retention facility in the North San Fernando Valley. Opened in 1933 by the Los Angeles County Flood Control district, the facility is associated with early agricultural and residential development in the Valley, providing a source of groundwater as well as flood control for the area. The period of significance for the spreading grounds is 1932 - 1933, the period during which the grounds were developed.



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Context 1:







Criteria: A/1/1


Reason: Significant as an early groundwater retention facility in the north San Fernando Valley; associated with flood control efforts and early agricultural and residential development in the area. A rare example of a 1930s flood management and water retention facility in the area. The northwest half of the spreading grounds are located in the Mission Hills-Panorama City-North Hills CPA.



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Name: San Fernando Gardens

Description:

The San Fernando Gardens public housing complex is located at 10995 Lehigh Avenue in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The apartments are bordered by Van Nuys Boulevard to the north, Pierce Street to the south, Norris Avenue to the east, and Pala Avenue to the west. The complex contains approximately 90 buildings, including 448 two-story multi-family residential units, a main office, a community center and a gym. Residences embody the Mid-Century Modern style, are surrounded by lawns and connected by a network of concrete walkways. The single-story main office building is located at the northwest corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Lehigh Avenue.

Within the boundaries of San Fernando Gardens is Guardian Angel Church, a Catholic church and school campus that has longstanding ties with Pacoima's Latino community. The church is a contributing feature of San Fernando Gardens and has also been evaluated on its own as an eligible historic district.

Significance:

San Fernando Gardens is significant as the only public housing complex in the San Fernando Valley, reflective of the practices of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and funded by federal housing initiatives. It is also exemplary of Garden City planning principles, with superblock site planning, common green space, and a separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. San Fernando Gardens was designed by architects Arthur B. Gallion and Victor D. Gruen, and landscape architect Francis Dean. Although slight material alterations have been made, the buildings overall maintain integrity from the period of significance, which has been identified as 1955 (the year the complex was constructed).

In response to a nationwide housing shortage, the United States Housing Authority was established in 1937 to create low-cost public housing to alleviate overcrowding in cities such as Los Angeles. In 1938, Los Angeles established its own local agency, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). HACLA oversaw the construction of 14 public housing projects, including San Fernando Gardens. Prior to World War II, public housing focused on the social benefits of Garden City planning principles and intended to provide healthy, safe living conditions for residents. However, after the war, the intention of public housing shifted due to the great need for housing at a controlled cost.

The Federal Housing Act of 1949 provided funding for later public housing developments in Los Angeles, including Nickerson Gardens (Southeast Los Angeles), Mar Vista Gardens (Marina Del Rey) and San Fernando Gardens (Pacoima). Like other postwar garden apartment developments, San Fernando Gardens was more densely constructed and has a smaller percentage of land devoted to open space. Due to the mid-1950s scandals related to allegedly corrupt private garden apartment developers and FHA officials, several garden apartment projects were put on hold. San Fernando Gardens was the only public housing project to be built without a social hall or gym due to the lack of funding that resulted from the 1950s scandals (a community center was not constructed until 1989).

From the beginning, San Fernando Gardens operated as a racially-integrated housing project that served households of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Initially, it housed a substantial number of African American families, although the racial composition of the project, like all of Pacoima, became increasingly Latino over time. San Fernando Gardens was an early example of integrated multi-family housing in Los Angeles, a city whose real estate market had long been characterized by its discriminatory tactics, and reflected HACLA's unprecedented policy-based approach to facilitate racial harmony and civic unity within its public housing projects, rather than enforced segregation.



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Context 1:

Context: Residential Development and Suburbanization, 1850-1980

Sub context: Multi-Family Residential Development, 1910-1980

Theme: Multi-Family Residential, 1910-1980

Sub theme: Garden Apartments, 1938-1960

Property type: Residential-Multi Family

Property sub type: Garden Apartment Complex

Criteria: C/3/3


Reason: Excellent example of an intact garden apartment complex developed and operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and designed by notable architects Arthur B. Gallion and Victor D. Gruen. A rare example of a garden apartment complex in the area.



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Context 2:






Property sub type: Multi-Family Residence

Criteria: A/1/1


Reason: Significant for its association with the development of public housing undertaken by a city agency with federal funding in the postwar era; one of the last public housing complexes to have been constructed in Los Angeles with federal housing dollars. The property is also significant for its association with HACLA's non-discrimination and non-segregation policies, having opened as a racially-integrated public housing project.



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Name: San Fernando High School

Description:

San Fernando High School is located at 11133 Omelveny Avenue in Pacoima. The campus sits on a large rectangular parcel that occupies a city block and is bounded by Fox Street on the north, Chamberlain Street on the south, Omelveny Avenue on the east, and Laurel Canyon Boulevard on the west. Most of the campus was constructed in 1952; three buildings, all of which were included in the original campus master plan and were designed by the same architectural firm, A. C. Martin and Associates, were constructed in 1956.

The 23-acre campus consists of approximately 12 permanent one and two-story buildings, most of which are connected by covered breezeways and are configured around landscaped courtyards. The campus is divided roughly in half: on the eastern half are campus buildings, and on the western half are tennis courts, a baseball diamond, and landscaped open space. A gymnasium with double-height interior space is prominently sited at the south end of the campus and faces Chamberlain Street, and a large auditorium, also with double-height interior space, is located near the campus’s southeast corner. Several modular classroom buildings have been erected in the spaces between permanent buildings and along the northern edge of the campus. A surface parking lot occupies the southeast corner of the campus and is located adjacent to the auditorium. Chain-link fencing spans the perimeter of the campus and restricts access to the property. Mature trees and shrubs are planted around the perimeter of the campus and within the landscaped courtyards.

The buildings were designed by the noted architectural firm of A.C. Martin and Associates in the International style, a common choice in LAUSD postwar campus design. The one and two-story buildings are capped by flat roofs, are clad in smooth stucco and brick veneer, and feature minimal ornament and horizontal bands of operable windows. The main campus entry features an extended overhang that is capped by a pierced flat roof and supported by concrete piers that are partially clad in brick veneer.

Significance:

San Fernando High School is an excellent example of a post-World War II Los Angeles Unified School District high school, reflecting LAUSD campus planning and design concepts of the postwar period and the increase of facilities to accommodate postwar growth in the San Fernando Valley. It was designed by noted Los Angeles architects, A. C. Martin and Associates. The period of significance has been identified as 1952 to 1956, when the campus was constructed.

Responding to the incredible need for new public school facilities in the rapidly-growing city in the post-World War II era, Los Angeles voters passed three municipal bond measures – in 1946, 1952, and 1955 – in support of the city’s schools. Bond money helped finance new construction, improvements to existing facilities, and the acquisition of land for future construction. The 1955 bond measure in particular aided the expansion of LAUSD facilities in the San Fernando Valley; 38 new Valley campuses (26 elementary schools, six middle schools, and two high schools) were funded by the measure. The new schools followed contemporary ideas in “design for learning,” which placed emphasis on fresh air, natural light, and the use of color. San Fernando High School embodies these design concepts with its single and two-story buildings designed in a simple, International style; large expanses of operable windows on classroom buildings; access to outdoor space from every classroom; exterior corridors for circulation; and copious outdoor space dedicated to recreation.



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Context 1:






Property sub type: High School



Reason: Excellent example of a post-World War II Los Angeles Unified School District high school campus, reflecting LAUSD school planning and design concepts of the postwar period and the increase in facilities to accommodate postwar growth in the San Fernando Valley. Designed by notable Los Angeles architectural firm A.C. Martin and Associates.



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Name: San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple

Description:

The San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple is located at 9450 Remick Avenue in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The temple is located on two lots, bordered by Montague Street to the north, Branford Street to the south, Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the east, and Remick Avenue to the west. A school is adjacent to the temple. The original temple (now a social hall) and related facilities are one and two-story buildings built in the Mid-Century Modern style. The new temple is a single-story building with traditional Japanese influences. The buildings are surrounded by a large parking lot.

Significance:

The San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple is significant as being the first permanent Buddhist temple located in the San Fernando Valley. The period of significance for the temple ranges from 1961, with the construction of the temple, to 1992, when the temple became a social hall.

People of Japanese descent have been living in the San Fernando Valley since the early 1900s, many originally as farmers. In 1924, the San Fernando Valley Japanese Language Institute opened in Pacoima to serve the children of vegetable farmers and flower growers. Like other minority groups, Japanese Americans were only able to live in a few areas in the Valley, one of which was Pacoima.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes and farms for internment camps under Executive Order 9006 signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the war, they were released from the internment camps; however, most found that their homes and farms had been taken over. Restrictive housing practices continued into the 1960s, forcing some Japanese Americans to move to areas of the Valley such as Pacoima and the adjacent City of San Fernando.

Prior to World War II, the Los Angeles Betsuin (Buddhist temple) served Buddhists in the San Fernando Valley through services held in San Fernando, Pacoima, and Canoga Park. Pacoima experienced an influx of Japanese Americans moving back into the area after the war, making the need for a permanent, local temple imminent. The San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple was constructed in 1961 as the first permanent Buddhist temple in the Valley. In 1983, the Valley temple became independent of the Los Angeles Betsuin, and in 1992, a new temple was built to accommodate growth. The original temple is still used today as a social hall.



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Context 1:







Criteria: A/1/1


Reason: Significant as the first permanent Buddhist temple located in the San Fernando Valley, reflecting the ethnic diversity of Pacoima and the growth of a sizable Japanese American population in the area in the post-World War II era.



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Name: Shadow Hills Mobile Home Park

Description:

The Shadow Hills Mobile Home Park is located at 12600 Van Nuys Boulevard in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The mobile home park is located on a large, single parcel at the corner of Borden Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard, in a largely residential area. The property consists of approximately 96 residences, an office/clubhouse and a pool.

Significance:

The Shadow Hills Mobile Home Park may be significant as an intact example of a postwar mobile home park; however, the majority of residences and property features could not be seen from the public right-of-way and therefore could not be evaluated.

The history of the mobile home park dates back to the early years of automobile travel as a trailer that would be pulled by a car for the use of camping or extended travel. In the late 1940s and 1950s, mobile homes were marketed as an inexpensive form of housing, and by the 1960s they were seen as a more permanent type of residence, costing anywhere from $4,000 to $50,000. Pacoima became a major center for mobile home park development in the San Fernando Valley, with almost 700 mobile home residential units by the early 1970s.



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Context 1:







Criteria: C/3/3

Status code: QQQ




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Name: Shelter Isle Mobile Estates

Description:

Shelter Isle Mobile Estates is located at 10965 Glenoaks Boulevard. The mobile home park is located on a several parcels (one large and 11 small), bordered by Pierce Street to the north, Terra Bella Street to the south, Glenoaks Boulevard to the east, and DeFoe Avenue to the west. There are two entrances, both reached from an alley off of Glenoaks Boulevard. The mobile home park consists of approximately 250 residences, an A-frame office/clubhouse, and two pools.

Significance:

Shelter Isle Mobile Estates may be significant as an intact example of a postwar mobile home park; however, the majority of residences and features could not be seen from the right-of-way and therefore could not be evaluated.

The history of the mobile home park dates back to the early years of automobile travel as a trailer that would be pulled by a car for the use of camping or extended travel. In the late 1940s and 1950s, mobile homes were marketed as an inexpensive form of housing, and by the 1960s, they were seen as a more permanent type of residence, costing anywhere from $4,000 to $50,000. Pacoima became a major center for mobile home park development in the San Fernando Valley, with almost 700 mobile home residential units by the early 1970s.



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Context 1:







Criteria: C/3/3

Status code: QQQ




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Name: Whiteman Airport

Description:

Whiteman Airport, originally Whiteman Airpark, is located in the area of Pacoima in the North San Fernando Valley. The airport sits on flat land in a predominantly residential area. It is bordered by Pierce Street to the north, Osborne Street to the south, and San Fernando Road to the west; its eastern border abuts a hill located between San Fernando Road and Glenoaks Boulevard. The original airfield included 55 acres (now approximately 185 acres) and was constructed in 1943 by businessman Marvin Whiteman. The airport consists of approximately 80 structures, including an air traffic control tower and a café.

Significance:

Whiteman Airport may be significant for its association with the growing need for aircraft facilities in the post-World War II era. By the 1960s, the San Fernando Valley’s busiest airport, the Van Nuys Airport, was extremely overcrowded, and Los Angeles County began searching for an auxiliary location. In 1966, the county bought the small, private Whiteman Airport to fulfill this need. Improvements were made throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including the repaving of the airstrip, the addition of hangars, and the construction of an air traffic control tower.

Because it is unclear how much of the original airport remains intact and most of the airport cannot be seen from the public right-of-way, more research and analysis is necessary in order to make a finding of eligibility.



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Context 1:





Property type: Other


Criteria: A/1/1

Status code: QQQ

Reason: Appears to be significant as an early airport in the north San Fernando Valley, reflecting the abundance of available land in the area and the increase in such facilities to accommodate postwar growth. However, more research is needed to determine how much of the original airport still remains; much of the property cannot not be seen from the public right of way.

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