Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Property crime was the big news, with more than a dozen vehicle break-ins reported in Echo Park and Silver Lake and another dozen vehicles stolen in Boyle Heights. The northern part of Echo Park also saw three aggravated assaults, and there were two violent robberies in Lincoln Heights. Click on the link below for a break down of some of the crimes committed during March 22 – 28 as found on the LAPD crime map and EveryBlock.com:
* Update: Capt. William Murphy of the LAPD Northeast Division, which stretches from Echo Park and Silver Lake to Eagle Rock and Highland Park, said that 46 vehicles were broken into during March 21-27. Burglary and other property crimes are also running far above last year’s levels. More details in his Northeast Newsletter.
Meanwhile, Lt. Wes Buhrmester provides more details about some of last week’s crimes – including several individuals robbed at gunpoint – in the Rampart Division, which covers the area primarily south of Sunset Boulevard. He is also requesting information in connection with the theft of a $50,000 laser-tattoo removal machine from a Beverly Boulevard nonprofit.
Angeleno Heights, Echo Park & Silver Lake (90026)
Three aggravated assaults were reported in northern Echo Park and Elysian Heights, and two burglaries were reported on Patton Street south of Temple Street. In Silver Lake, there was a violent robbery in the 1500 block of Silverlake Boulevard and four burglaries across the neighborhood. One dozen vehicle break-ins were reported north of the 101 Freeway in both neighborhoods.
Lincoln Heights & Montecito Heights (90031)
Three burglaries two violent robberies were reported in Lincoln Heights. Two personal thefts and a vehicle break-in were reported in Montecito Heghts
El Sereno & Monterey Hills (90032)
Two burglaries and an aggravated were reported north of the EL Sereno Recreation Center. Three vehicle break-in, a violent robbery and a personal theft were reported on or near the eastern section of Huntington Drive.
Boyle Heights (90033)
More than a dozen vehicles – about half south of the 60 Freeway – were stolen. There were also four aggravated assaults and four violent robberies across the area.
Atwater Village & Silver Lake (90039)
Two burglaries and two personal thefts were reported in Atwater. Four vehicle break-ins were reported in Silver Lake. Two burglaries were reported in the northern section of Elysian Valley.
Eagle Rock (90041)
Two stolen vehicles and one burglary were among the crimes reported.
Highland Park (90042)
Five personal thefts and three stolen vehicles were reported.
Cypress Park, Glassell Park & Mt. Washington (90065)
Five personal thefts were reported in Glassell Park. Five vehicles were broken into in Cypress Park. Mt. Washington had two vehicle break-ins and a burglary.
This weekly report is based on the LAPD’s online crime maps and police department reports filtered by ZIP code through EveryBlock.com. There are often discrepancies between the LAPD and EveryBlock statistics at the time when Eastside Crime Watch is compiled. Some crimes also fail to show up but might be added to the reports following the publication of this post.
Photo by r3vcls/Flickr
An Echo Park resident took a photo of a new wooden wall being erected this morning in Echo Park on Sunset Boulevard at Elysian Park Avenue. Is this the sign of an upcoming construction project on the empty lot or another handy place to display ads and other posters? It’s a “new billboard wall like they built on Sunset near Alvarado,” said the person who snapped the photo.
* Update: The property owners were issued permits yesterday to build 8-foot tall by 30-foot long temporary signs, according to the Department of Building & Safety’s Property Activity Report. In this case, these temporary signs can remain up for 12 months.
Motorists who drive the winding 110 Pasadena Freeway have watched as construction crews have built new barriers and demolished other sections as part of a Caltrans project to improve the safety of Los Angeles’ oldest freeway. But some of those safety improvements are ruining the historic character of what was originally called the Arroyo Seco Parkway, say preservationists, who are calling for a temporary halt to the construction project. The Highland Park Heritage Trust, in a letter published on NELA List, has asked that the California Office of Historic Preservation order a stop to the construction work and look into claims that some of the roadway’s historic features through Northeast Los Angeles have already been damaged or threatened, including plans to remove a central raised median. ” This removal of historic fabric will indeed ’cause direct physical effects to character defining features’ and will NOT maintain the Parkway’s essential character defining features,” said the letter.
The initial six-mile section of the freeway, which opened in 1940, “was envisioned as both a scenic road traversing the Arroyo and a vital traffic conduit” linking Pasadena and Los Angeles, according to linking the expanding cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles,” according to a 1999 study of the road. “Engineers and planners attempted to blend landscaping and native plants into the overall design while implementing safety features appropriate for high-speed travel.”
But the roadway’s historic significance is being diminished by the current construction project, say preservationists, who have photographed They note that the design of the new side barrier fail to blend in with other historic elements, and that the new “historic lights” Caltrans plans to install do not resemble the original fixtures.
Update: Caltrans said construction work will continue. “It’s moving forward as planned,” said agency spokeswoman Kelly Markham. The $17 million project will “improve safety for motorists, reduce maintenance costs and improve the appearance of the historic highway.” She said motorists should
be aware of upcoming weekend closures of portions of the freeway. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.
The roadway has been promoted as a historic National Scenic Byway. But, over the decades, many of the parkway’s historic features – including lights, bridges and landscaping- have been removed or remodeled without regard to the original designs. It’s also the target of constant tagging and other vandalism. Last year, a Caltrans spokesman told The Eastsider that new barriers would be installed as part of a safety improvement project to help prevent cars from plunging into the Arroyo Seco and opposing traffic lanes.
Postcard image from ArroyoSeco.org; bottom photo from Highland Park Heritage Trust
Police have arrested a man and woman suspected of a burglary in the western edge of Silver Lake near the Franklin Hills. The pair were arrested in Highland Park on March 23, and detectives believe they might be responsible for other burglaries, said LAPD officer Al Polehonki with the Northeast Division. The two are suspected of breaking into a house near Lucile Street and Landa Avenue on February 26 in a portion of Silver Lake where residents have grown concerned about burglaries and a potential scam artist. In this case, the crime was described as a “hot prowl” burglary because the crime took place while the residents were at home, Polehonki said.
“While the victim was home at the time, it appears that the suspects didn’t know this and quickly fled when they found this out,” Polehonki said via email. “Most, burglary suspects, (Not All), try to find an unoccupied residence and then look for an entry point on the side or rear. Because the victim was home, our burglary was classified as a “Hot Prowl”.
One car flipped over on the northbound 2 Freeway at about 9 AM in an accident that involved another vehicle and forced the closure of two left lanes south of the 5 Freeway, according to Total Traffic. Diane Edwardson snapped the photo above from the Silver Lake side of the 2 Freeway. Northbound traffic is flowing once again, Edwardson said. No word on injuries.
Photo by Diane Edwardson
Echo Park is filled with tiny bungalow apartments clustered around lush gardens and narrow passageways. This type of courtyard housing proved popular for the masses of newcomers that arri
ved in Los Angeles during the early decades of the 20th Century, giving the residents who rented them a hint of what it would be like to live in their own house. In Echo Park, the builders of these bungalows courts adapted their developments to the hilly terrain, creating terraces of tiny homes that climbed the steep hills. On Thursday, a proposal to declare one of these hillside courtyards, the Lento Brick Court on Sunset Boulevard, a city historic landmark will come up for the first time before the Cultural Heritage Commission*. Why is the Lento Brick Court, a group of five separate buildings constructed in 1928 by an Italian hatter named George Lento, worthy of landmark status?
The landmark application submitted by the Echo Park Historical Society (The Eastsider is a board member) said the property is significant because it’s a “rare example of a mixed use complex of commercial store fronts and a residential hillside bungalow court.” The Lento Brick Court is one of several hillside bungalow courtyards that line Sunset Boulevard as it passed through a canyon between the eastern edge of Echo Park and downtown. The city’s Planning Department staff has recommended that the Cultural Heritage Commission take the Lento Brick Court into consideration as a possible historic cultural monument.
The no-nonsense Lento Court, which appears in books on courtyard housing, lacks the foliage and frills found in many similar bungalow courts. Instead, the red brick buildings are trimmed with white bands of te
rra cotta tile and front doors are framed with a decorative portal.
“These court structures became the first home in Southern California for so many who came from other parts of America as well as aboard,” writes Fisher in the monument application. “Lento’s own roots in Ital tell this very story of an immigrant who made his life in Los Angeles and worked hard to find a part of the California dream”
* Update: The Cultural Heritage Commission voted Thursday to take the monument application under consideration.
Photos by Charles Fisher
- Big boom rattles Highland Park. The Eastsider
- Pedestrian killed in Boyle Heights accident on Fourth Street. CBS2
- East LA math teacher Jaime Escalante of “Stand and Deliver” fame dies after battle with cancer. LA Times
- New retailers fill the gaps in Atwater Village. AV Newbie
- Sustainable modernism in the hills of Glassell Park. Inhabit
- City Council votes to support a 4.5% increase in DWP rates. LA Times
- Atwater Village seeks vendors for centennial celebration. AV News
- Silver Lake Jewish center getting a face lift. Curbed LA
- A block in Boyle Heights, now and then. LA Eastside
- Is this 890-square-foot Echo Park home worth $525,000? Curbed LA
- Happening today: Family campfire at Vista Hermosa Park; women’s center fundraiser in Echo Park. Save the Date
It’s easy to drive fast on Riverside Drive, which might explain the speed monitor and warning sign in front of Alesandro Elementary School today. “I saw several cars going 51 mph while I was out there this morning,” said Silver Lake resident Diane Edwardson, who snapped this photo for her Corralitas Red Car Property blog.
Photo by Diane Edwardson
Firefighters were deployed through Highland Park tonight after residents reported hearing what sound liked a large explosion that sent car alarms blaring and was felt at a nearby fire station. There have been no reports of injuries or signs of damage in connection with the large boom, which was reported shortly after 8 PM, said Brian Humphrey, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Fire Department. The initial reports indicated that the source of the sound came from Avenue 52 and Monte Vista Street, he said. “The firefighters [at station No. 12] felt it – and they are six-tenths of a mile a way,” he said.
Firefighters searching the neighborhood for possible damage were approached by residents curious as to what was the source of the boom. On Twitter, meanwhile, Highland Park residents were also trying to figure out what happened. “The BOOM remains a mystery,” said HLP90042 “Glad it wasn’t a gas explosion. Centralized around 5200 block 90042 rules out sonic boom. But it WAS crazy loud.“
Spring usually finds the Ascot Hills covered in a blanket of the yellow blooming mustard plants. But the 100 acres of rolling El Sereno hillside – like much of the surrounding terrain – once saw a more diverse springtime bloom of native plants, like California Poppy and Arroyo Lupine. In January, a small group of the Ascot Hills Park Advisory Board raced against the rain to return some local, native color to the area, reports The Voice newspaper (Page 10). The volunteers sowed about 13 pounds of wildflower seed – paid for by the LA 32 Neighborhood Council – near the entrance to the unfinished park. Children from a nearby elementary school came by a few days later to plant more seeds, said Jerry Schneider who wrote the story and helped plant the seeds:
“Fifty four students from two second grade classes
and one hearing impaired students class lined up along the fence, opened the complimentary seed packets and with assistance from parents and teachers, the Poppy seed was sown and then raked lightly. Now, students and park visitors are waiting to see the wildflowers grow to provide brilliant colored flowers in the spring.”
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