Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles

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Baldwin Hills
Baldwin Hills City Sign 1.jpg
Baldwin Hills neighborhood sign
located at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Stocker Street
Location map Western Los Angeles.png
Red pog.svg
Baldwin Hills
Location within Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34°00′47″N118°21′25″W / 34.013°N 118.357°W / 34.013; -118.357
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of California.svg  California
County Flag of Los Angeles County, California.svg Los Angeles
CityFlag of Los Angeles, California.svg  Los Angeles
Time zone Pacific
ZIP Code
90008
Area code 323

Baldwin Hills is a neighborhood within the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California.

Contents

Often referred to as the "Black Beverly Hills", Baldwin Hills is home to Kenneth Hahn State Regional Park and to Village Green, a National Historic Landmark.

History

19th century

Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin Lucky Baldwin.jpg
Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin

Baldwin Hills and surrounding areas were part of Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera and later owned by the 19th century L.A. pioneer Elias "Lucky" Baldwin. [1] [2] [3] The Sanchez Adobe de Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera was once the center of the rancho. In the 1920s, an addition was built linking the structures and the building was converted into a larger clubhouse for the Sunset Golf Course. [2]

1930s

The 1932 Los Angeles Olympics housed athletes at the Olympic Village in Baldwin Hills. [4] It was the site of the very first Olympic Village ever built, for the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. [5] Built for male athletes only, the village consisted of several hundred buildings, including post and telegraph offices, an amphitheater, a hospital, a fire department, and a bank. Female athletes were housed at the Chapman Park Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard. The Olympic Village was demolished after the Summer Olympic Games. [6]

1950s

In 1950, new homes in Baldwin Hills were designed by Paul W. Trousdale & Associates (of Trousdale Estates fame) and advertised as being near the "$30 million Crenshaw-Santa Barbara Shopping Center. [7]

Baldwin Hills reservoir after collapse of the dam in 1963 Bhdwrview1963.jpg
Baldwin Hills reservoir after collapse of the dam in 1963

1960s

On December 14, 1963, a crack appeared in the Baldwin Hills Dam impounding the Baldwin Hills Reservoir. Within a few hours, water rushing through the crack eroded the earthen dam, gradually widening the crack until the dam failed catastrophically at 3:38 p.m. When the crack was discovered, police with bullhorns urged the evacuation of the area, but six people were killed. [8] Two hundred homes were completely wiped out, and an additional 1500 to 2000 houses and apartment buildings were damaged, [8] and most of Baldwin Vista and the historic Village Green community were flooded. The dam's failure was ultimately determined to be the result of subsidence, caused by overexploitation of the Inglewood Oil Field. The dam's failure prompted the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to close and drain other small local reservoirs with similar designs, such as the Silver Lake Reservoir. The Baldwin Hills Dam was not rebuilt—instead, the empty reservoir was demolished, filled with earth, landscaped, and converted to Kenneth Hahn Regional Park.

1980s

During the summer of 1985, a brush fire along La Brea Avenue spread up the canyon towards the homes along Don Carlos Drive in Baldwin Hills Estates. Many homes were destroyed despite the efforts of the Los Angeles Fire Department to suppress the flames. The fire killed three people and destroyed 69 homes; [9] the arsonist was never caught.

In 1985, the Los Angeles Times noted that Baldwin Hills is "now often called the Black Beverly Hills". [10]

Geography

Baldwin Hills is bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Crenshaw Boulevard to the east, Stocker Street to the south and Obama Boulevard to the north with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard forming the northeast dividing line between Baldwin Hills and Crenshaw Manor. It is bordered on the west by Culver City and it shares the eastern border of Crenshaw Boulevard with Leimert Park. [5]

The namesake mountain range is part of the neighborhood.

Neighborhoods

View from Baldwin Hills of Downtown Los Angeles in the distance and the San Gabriel Mountains Clear Day at Baldwin Hills.jpg
View from Baldwin Hills of Downtown Los Angeles in the distance and the San Gabriel Mountains
Baldwin Hills Village National Historic Landmark Plaque, at Village Green Baldwin Hills Village, Landmark Plaque.jpg
Baldwin Hills Village National Historic Landmark Plaque, at Village Green

Neighborhoods within Baldwin Hills include:

Climate

Climate data for Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)68
(20)
69
(21)
70
(21)
72
(22)
73
(23)
77
(25)
81
(27)
82
(28)
81
(27)
77
(25)
72
(22)
68
(20)
74
(23)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)47
(8)
49
(9)
51
(11)
53
(12)
57
(14)
60
(16)
63
(17)
64
(18)
63
(17)
59
(15)
52
(11)
47
(8)
55
(13)
Average precipitation inches (mm)3.26
(83)
3.50
(89)
2.85
(72)
0.67
(17)
0.27
(6.9)
0.07
(1.8)
0.02
(0.51)
0.11
(2.8)
0.21
(5.3)
0.39
(9.9)
1.10
(28)
1.88
(48)
14.32
(364)
Source: [16]

Parks and recreation

View of Hollywood Hills (lower eastern Santa Monica Mountains) and tall San Gabriel Mountains from Baldwin Hills from the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Park Mountain view from Baldwin Hills.jpg
View of Hollywood Hills (lower eastern Santa Monica Mountains) and tall San Gabriel Mountains from Baldwin Hills from the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Park

Government

Police department

Neighborhood council

Library

Education

Susan Miller Dorsey High School, serving Baldwin Hills D-House.jpg
Susan Miller Dorsey High School, serving Baldwin Hills
Baldwin Hills Elementary School Baldwin Hills Elementary School LAUSD 2023 April 01.jpg
Baldwin Hills Elementary School

Baldwin Hills is served by Los Angeles Unified School District. Baldwin Hills also has a charter school. [9] The schools operating within Baldwin Hills borders are:

New LA Elementary School, a charter school, is on the grounds of Baldwin Hills Elementary. A California law called Proposition 39 allows New LA to occupy space on the grounds of Baldwin Hills Elementary. In 2022, area community members advocated for the charter school to move to another location since they believed that it meant there would not be enough space for the public elementary to operate efficiently. [27]

Media

Literature

Television

Notable people

See also

References

  1. Meares, Hadley (March 17, 2022). "Baldwin Hills, 'The Black Beverly Hills': The Life And Times of the Community". LAist. Retrieved April 20, 2022. The rolling hills in South Los Angeles that now hosts these neighborhoods were once part of the Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera, eventually owned by the randy, wily 19th century L.A. pioneer Elias 'Lucky' Baldwin
  2. 1 2 "Rancho La Cienega O'Paso de La Tijera" (in Spanish). Laokay.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2004. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera
  4. "14 Secrets of the 1932 Olympic Village in Baldwin Hills". August 6, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Powers, Kemp (August 17, 2007). "The Neighborhood Project: Baldwin Hills". LAist.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  6. "1932 Los Angeles Olympic Athlete's Village in the Baldwin Hills". Baldwinhillspark.info. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
  7. "Baldwin Hills". The Los Angeles Times. February 12, 1950. p. 107. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Dam Break Kills 6 in Los Angeles" . The New York Times. December 15, 1963. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Pollard-Terry, Gayle (October 29, 2006). ""Years later, the pitch still delivers"". Los Angeles Times . October 29, 2006.. Neighborly Advice. Los Angeles Times . p. K2.
  10. "In Baldwin Hills, Joy of Relief and Pangs of Loss". The Los Angeles Times. July 4, 1985. p. 33. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  11. "Baldwin Hills Estates". Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  12. Hale, Mike (August 7, 2007). "Posh Princes and Princesses of the Hills". The New York Times . Retrieved August 13, 2008.
  13. "Village Residents Hope a New Name Means a New Image - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times . June 19, 1988.
  14. "HACLA partners with Avanath to purchase Baldwin Village Apartments". Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. August 11, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  15. "Reference at clkrep.lacity.org" (PDF).
  16. "Zipcode 90008". www.plantmaps.com. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  17. "Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook".. accessed 8/22/2010
  18. "trail map" (PDF). Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  19. "Kenneth Hahn State Park". Parks.ca.gov. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  20. "Norman O Houston Park website". Laparks.org. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  21. "Jim Gilliam Recreation Center website". Laparks.org. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  22. "Southwest Community Police Station". LAPD Online. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  23. "Empowerment Congress West (Map)" (PDF). EmpowerLA.org. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  24. "Empowerment Congress West". EmpowerLA.org. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  25. " "Baldwin Hills Branch Library".". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved on March 23, 2010.
  26. "Baldwin Hills Elementary School". Lausd.k12.ca.us. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  27. Mackey, Ashley (October 20, 2022). "Community members protest charter school on Baldwin Hills Elementary School campus". ABC 7. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  28. "Fiction Book Review: Magic Street by Orson Scott Card, Author. Del Rey $24.95 (397p) ISBN 978-0-345-41689-6".
  29. "Baldwin Hills". BET . Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  30. "Can "Baldwin Hills" become the black "Laguna Beach"?". Los Angeles Times . July 8, 2007.
  31. "Elfman in L.A." Elfman.filmmusic.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2011.
  32. Glionna, John (April 18, 1999). "Danny Elfman Pinged From Oingo Boingo Front Man to Prolific Movie Score Writer". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  33. Hedegaard, Erik (March 28, 2016). "Mike Love's Cosmic Journey". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved September 18, 2024. He grew up in Baldwin Hills, California, an L.A. suburb inland of the 405...