Adams Hill, Glendale, California

Adams Hill
Neighborhood
Adams Hill Location within Los Angeles County Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Adams Hill Location within Southern California Show map of southern California Adams Hill Location in California Show map of California
Coordinates: 34°08′01″N118°14′28″W / 34.13361°N 118.24111°W / 34.13361; -118.24111
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Glendale, California

Adams Hill is a neighborhood in Glendale, California. The neighborhood is known as a bohemian one where "a queer community flourishes". The neighborhood's business district, Adams Square, is at the base of the Glendale side of the hill. ^{[1] [2]}

History

From 1911 until 1918, Adams Hill was part of an independent city known as Tropico. In 1918, Tropico was annexed by Glendale. ^[3]

Adams Hill was a predominantly Anglo-American neighborhood, but by the 1990s, had a rapidly growing Armenian population. ^[4]

In 1998, the city began to move forward with plans to rehabilitate a 1936 Streamline Moderne filling station. In 2000, Adam Schiff, who was a state senator representing Glendale at the time, obtained $250,000 in state funds for the project. ^[5] In 2016, the station was added to Glendale Register of Historic Resources and Historic Districts and converted into a public art gallery. ^[6] The station and surrounding park, dubbed the Adams Square Mini-Park, are the epicenter of the Adams Hill neighborhood. ^[7]

LGBT+ community

Beginning in the 1960s, Matthew Schmidt and Albert Antunes, known as "Matthew and Buddy of Glendale," hosted costume parties at their Adams Hill home for Glendale's LGBT+ community. ^{[8] [9]}

Established in 2017, ^[10] Kafn Coffee is coffeehouse known locally as an LGBT+-friendly business. ^{[11] [12]}

Following COVID-19-related issues in 2020 and 2021, glendaleOUT's annual Glendale Pride in the Park, a family-friendly picnic, came to fruition in June 2022. ^{[13] [14] [15]} Glendale Library, Arts & Culture joined the inaugural event as part of its effort to document the history of Glendale's LGBTQ community through audio and video testimonies. ^[16]

The Glendale Public Library's Library Connection @ Adams Square branch hosts occasional LGBT+ events. These have included a 2023 GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society-sponsored reading of author Nancy Agabian's "The Fear of Large and Small Nations". ^[17]

Arts and culture

The Glendale Public Library's Library Connection @ Adams Square branch operates in the neighborhood. ^[18]

Since 2016, the neighborhood has had a public art gallery. ^[19]

In 2024, the City installed colorful crosswalks and painted curb extensions as part of the City's "Creative Crosswalks" public art program. ^[20]

References

1. "Treasures of Adams Hill with Arlene Vidor" . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
2. Jessie Schiewe (June 5, 2025). "This must be Glendale". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 9, 2025.
3. Susan Carrier (August 3, 2003). "Rich past puts Glendale's Adams Hill forward". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
4. Sybil Baker (September 16, 1990). "For Many, Living on the Hill Is Tops - Adams Hill: Once part of a rancho, the area straddles the Los Angeles and Glendale boundary. It now attracts residents 'who need a home that's not out of reach.'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
5. Tristan Longwell (January 15, 2024). "Gas Station: From Overlooked Landmark to 'Town Square'". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
6. Arin Mikailian (June 23, 2016). "Historic designation fuels celebration of '30s gas station in Adams Hill neighborhood". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
7. Tristan Longwell (January 15, 2024). "Gas Station: From Overlooked Landmark to 'Town Square'". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
8. "Acclaimed historian and LGBT archivist discuss the history of gay Los Angeles". LAist . September 9, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
9. "Matthew and Buddy of Glendale photograph albums". Online Archive of California. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
10. "About Us" . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
11. "Pride in the Park: Our 3rd Annual Queer Family Picnic". June 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
12. "HAPPY PRIDE MONTH" . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
13. "Pride Month" . Retrieved March 21, 2025.
14. Jacqueline Hernandez. "Spotlight on glendaleOUT" . Retrieved March 21, 2025.
15. "Southern California's LGBTQ+ 2024 Pride events". Los Angeles Blade . May 31, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
16. "GlendaleOUT Holds Pride Event". Glendale News-Press . June 17, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
17. "Author Talk with Nancy Agabian" . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
18. "OPEN HOURS" . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
19. Arin Mikailian (June 23, 2016). "Historic designation fuels celebration of '30s gas station in Adams Hill neighborhood". Glendale News-Press . Retrieved January 16, 2025.
20. Joe Linton (September 12, 2024). "Eyes on the Street: Crosswalk Upgrades in Glendale's Adams Square". Streetsblog Los Angeles. Retrieved January 16, 2025.