Many of the old and buildings that line Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park have over the years been either demolished or had their historic features and character stripped away or covered up under sheets of plywood, metal screens or plastic signs. But one notable exception has been an 82-year-old Art Deco style building, built originally as an auto showroom and now serving as the newly opened West Coast headquarters for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The original facade, which gently curves along a 130-foot section of Sunset Boulevard near Mohawk Street (yes, that would be the Mohawk Bend), had been virtually left in intact over the decades and Peta had no intention of changing it, said project architect Erick Evens of KAA Design. “We didn’t want to change the nature of it,” said Evens.
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A woman was sexually assaulted in Echo Park this morning by a man who had offered to help the victim find her friends. Officers responded to the 1800 block of Sunset Boulevard after the woman’s friends called police at about 1 a.m., said Lt. Wes. Buhrmester with the Rampart Division. Passersby reported seeing an ambulance and police squad cars parked in the middle of the street. Here are more details from Buhrmester:
The investigation revealed a female was on foot looking for friends, when approached by a suspect offering to help find them. The suspect escorted her to a nearby secluded location where he sexually assaulted her. He then fled the area, and the woman was able to find her friends, and told them what just happened. They phoned the police.
The investigation is ongoing and “details of the assault and particulars of the location and suspect are not being disclosed at this time,” Buhrmester said.
Photo by Lisa Baca-Sigala
The half hour before the morning bell rings at Clifford Street School often finds the narrow, steep street that runs past the Echo Park campus into a chaotic scene, with cars, vans and trucks packing the road and kids darting between idling vehicles. It’s a common sight at Clifford and other schools as parents drop off their kids. But, the morning rush at Clifford today was relatively calm after the school began a Safety Valet Program. Vehicles were herded into a drop off lane in front of the school as a group of staff and volunteers wearing yellow vests helped keep traffic and kids flowing, said Principal Armineh Alexan. “It was quite smooth this morning,” she said.
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Our Lady of Loretto School, located on Union Avenue in Echo Park, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary on Sunday, Jan. 29 with an open house. Church Secretary Anna-Marie Steidl provides more details about the school and Sunday’s event:
This year marks our 100th anniversary of education in Echo Park. We are a K-8 elementary school. Our Principal, Michelle Sarmiento, would like to invite families of all faiths and socioeconomic levels. We are minutes from downtown Los Angeles. We will have refreshments, classroom tours, and prospective parents can meet with our dedicated teachers and supportive parents.
The open house will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Submitted by Classroom LA
January 25, 2012—The Classroom LA is a specialty school in Echo Park that offers DIY craft project instruction to the Los Angeles community. Following the compass of the community, the course catalogue is continually changing and includes classes with planting, sewing, jewelry making, and home décor themes. Check out the new 2012 classes:
Strawberry Pot Herb Garden $82 Roped $62
Terrarium Building III $82 Faux Real! $32
Salvaged Box Bulb Planter $62 Make Your Own Throw Pillows $82
Salvaged Vertical Garden $62 Hand Stitchery $32
Salvaged Wall Vignette $165 Sewing Machine Operation $42
Salvaged Jewelry Making $32 Garment Repair $42
Living Lamps $68
Students are also encouraged to bring their own records to Sunday Sewing classes this year!
Visit www.theclassroomla.com for class details, descriptions, and enrollment information.
All classes are available for reservation and purchase online at www.theclassroomla.com or by calling us at (213) 375-4066.
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When it comes to replicating the features and details of that give old buildings character, many of today’s builders don’t have the time or budget to use the materials or techniques of the past. That’s the case in Echo Park were the builder of an approximately 90-unit retirement complex across from Echo Park Lake is trying to pass off the structure as a vaguely Spanish Colonial-Mission Viejo Mediterranean with a material not usually associated with a construction: foam. Last week, workers were placing white piece of foam – pictured above – shaped like corbels or brackets into the corners of apartment balconies. The blue film over the foam is supposed will help a layer of stucco stick to the foam, said one worker.
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Submitted by V. Pochoda
Found in Echo Park / Elysian Heights:
2 Female Dogs, clearly bonded.
1 large shepherd / lab mix with red collar.
1 mini pinscher.
Both look healthy with nice coats and teeth.
* Update: The owners have claimed their pets,
Lost & Found is part of The Eastsider Forums, where Eastsider readers can post announcements or start a conversation on neighborhood news, issues problems & ideas. Click here to find out how to share your news & views.
A group of Elysian Heights Elementary concerned about a proposal to share the campus with a charter school have organized a community meeting for next week. Elysian Heights Elementary is one of the many L.A. Unified schools – including Micheltorena Street School in Silver Lake and King Middle School in Los Feliz – that might end up having to share classrooms and facilities with charters school operators as required by law under Prop. 39. Becky Mazel with the Friends of Elysian, a school support group, said that parents and residents have been left out of the loop about district proposals to share space that could prove disruptive to the schools and neighborhoods.
“The community is so ill informed,” said Mazel, whose group will hold a Monday morning town hall on co-location, the term used to described schools shared by different operators. “There has been no opportunity … for public comment.”
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Workers have been gutting the interior of the former Alamar jewelry store, one of the many Cuban businesses that once thrived in Echo Park. Is there a new store or cafe coming to the 1800 block of Sunset Boulevard that is home to Masa restaurant and The Echo nightclub? Nope. The former Alamar store and an adjacent storefront will be filled by the social services agency El Centro Del Pueblo, which owns the building and is headquartered around the block on Lemoyne Street.
El Centro had already been using one of the Sunset Boulevard spaces and now looks to double the space. “We are renovating our office space for clinical mental health and family preservation services currently provided by El Centro,” said Executive Director Sandra Figueroa.
A pony trotting across Echo Park Avenue. Dancers gyrating in the Magic Gas parking lot. A cowboy with a lasso sitting on the fire hydrant of Chango Coffee. What to make all of this? It won’t be clear until a vitamin water commercial filmed in Echo Park today airs on TV. However, the pony – covered with green dots – will probably end up looking like an antelope or a large aardvark once special effects crews get done with it, according to crew members
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