When it came time to report last year’s crime statistics, Capt. William Murphy of the LAPD Northeast Division noted that 2 of the 12 homicides that took place in his division were “were family related infant fatalities” or cases of child abuse. Digging a little deeper into those statistics, it turns out that both of those deadly cases of child abuse took place in Elysian Valley, the small neighborhood wedged between the L.A. River and 5 Freeway. The two deaths – a three-year-old boy named Isiah and a 19-month old girl named Rosemary – were among the six, citywide homicides investigated last year by the LAPD’s Abused Child Unit, which handles unexplained deaths of children under age 11. Lt. Vincent Neglia with the Abused Child Unit provided a few more details about the Elysian Valley homicides, which were unrelated.
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Metrolink maintenance center is located in Cypress Park and across the river from Elysian Valley/Google Maps
Officials from Metrolink are scheduled to appear at a Wednesday night meeting to respond to a long list of environmental concerns raised by Cypress Park and Elysian Valley residents over the commuter rail service’s maintenance yard in Cypress Park. The meeting is a follow up to an October gathering during which residents complained about noise and air pollution generated by the maintenance yard, located between the Los Angeles River and San Fernando Road.
The commuter rail service has no plans to shut down the facility, which services 30 train sets on most weekdays, said spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt. Coffelt would not say what Metrolink officials would talk about on Wednesday. “It’s just a next step in an ongoing relationship with our neighbors,” she said.
Environmentalists and neighborhood activists said the idling locomotives at maintenance center – part of the former Taylor Yards that operated for decades in Cypress Park until it closed about 20 years ago - emit diesel exhaust and noise within only a few hundred feet of homes and the Cypress Park Recreation Center.
Photo courtesy Elysian Valley Neighborhood Watch
City workers today installed a pair of “Share the Path” signs on the Elysian Valley section of the L.A. River Pedestrian/Bike Path, according to the Elysian Valley Neighborhood Watch. The signs, which were financed with a grant arranged by Council District 13, were installed following several run-ins and near misses between pedestrians and bike riders on the path, which was extended through Elysian Valley nearly a year ago.
In addition to the new signs, the Bureau of Street Lighting is scheduled to begin work in January to replace the stolen copper wire that left about 100 new LED pathway lights in the dark. That project, which will include new features to deter copper wire thieves, is expected to take four to six months, according to the neighborhood watch.
The Paramount Pest Control building on Riverside Drive sits in the shadow of the concrete ramps of the 2 and 5 freeway interchange. But the relatively simple Elysian Valley building with Art Deco styling manages to attract attention, thanks to a large “Paramount Pest Control Service” sign and a green-and-black color scheme. The approximately 4,000-square-foot building constructed in 1933 housed a drug store before it became home to the offices of Paramount Pest Control, said screen writer Larry Sulkis, who purchased the building nine years ago with his cousin. No chemicals were stored in the building, which Paramount used for offices, Sulkis said.
Today, Sulkis uses the second floor above the Paramount sign as his office and rents out the ground floor, which was recently used to shoot a Katy Perry video. He recently leased half of the first floor to a camera rental company and is looking for a tenant to fill the remaining space that includes a mezzanine.
While the pest and termite control company has been long gone, Sulkis has no plans to take down the Paramount signage.
“We love that sign. We think it’s way cool,” said Sulkis. “We don’t plan on taking that down.”
Neighborhood Fixture provides a bit of history and background about buildings and sites that catch our attention, for better or worse.
Photo by TheMLS/Redfin
What can you do with a nearly 6,000-square-foot, worn out warehouse? This Elysian Valley – a.k.a. Frogtown – property at 1859 Blake Avenue could continue to serve as a small manufacturing plant or be converted into a live-work space, according to the listing on Redfin. Given the stream of artists and designers who have set up shop and homes in Elysian Valley in recent years, it would not be surprising if this property becomes the most recent Blake Avenue industrial building to start hosting art openings and open studio tours. Says the listing:
Central location in up-and-coming artists’ community at unbelievable price – check it out and imagine the possibilities! Annual Art walk has grown exponentially over the last few years – get in to this scene while you can!
What is this unbelievable price? Answer: $899,000.
Metrolink maintenance center is located in Cypress Park and across the river from Elysian Valley/Google Maps
Freight and passenger trains have rumbled through Cypress Park for about a century. While Taylor Yard, the former rail yard operated by Southern Pacific, was put out of commission and part of it transformed into parkland, Cypress Park remains home to the main maintenance facility for Metrolink, the commuter rail service. That center, located between San Fernando Road and the Los Angeles River, will be the focus of a Wednesday night meeting to address complaints about the noise and pollution generated by the facility. Metrolink mechanics work on about 28 locomotives at day at the Cypress Park yard, where each engine emits diesel fumes as they idle up to 30 minutes a day while being serviced.
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By Becky Koppenhaver
Elysian Valley – a.k.a. Frogtown – will host its 6th annual Frogtown Artwalk this Saturday, September 24, from 4 p.m. to 11 pm. The vibrant community that sits on the edge of the L.A. River is home to an eclectic mix of artisans and craftsmen. This weekend, visitors will have a chance to explore the neighborhood and wander along the pedestrian and bike path that runs along the river in a self guided tour of over thirty artists studios and lofts. From Frogtown Artwalk organizers, here is more of what to expect:
In past years, Frogtown Arttwalk has taken on the air of a street party, with music food and special events. This year a local factory owner commissioned a mural covering three walls of his building. Its christening will feature a display by the Elysian Valley lowriders, a car collecting group. NOMAD studios, an art collective will feature demonstrations of silk screening and printing. Conceptual artist Jim Piatt will unveil an installation designed to produce drinking water from the L.A. River. Bands will perform, a hula hoop contest and a juried art show will be held. Local food trucks, as well as Frogtown’s own “Taco’s by Kevin” will be serving refreshments.
For further details, including a map of the tour sites, visit FrogtownArts.com.
Related post:
- Former TV anchorman turns camera on Frogtown artist. The Eastsider
Photos by Bill Lagattuta
Elysian Valley
Signs on Elysian Valley's "Main Street" remind cyclists to slow down & share
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Courtesy Elysian Valley River Neighborhood Council
The extension of the Los Angeles River bike path into Elysian Valley last year has proven popular with cyclists. The once bumpy and uneven strip along the Los Angeles River was replaced with smooth asphalt, lane stripes, landscaping and lighting. But the not everyone has welcomed the new path and the bike riders. Many longtime residents of Elysian Valley, also known as Frogtown, who once leisurely strolled along the riverside now complain about aggressive cyclists who race down the asphalt without regards to pedestrians. There have been some near misses and a few collisions between cyclists and walkers, including one involving the elderly father of a member of the neighborhood council. As a result, bright blue “Share the Path” signs commissioned by the Elysian Valley River Neighborhood Council will soon be installed along the river to remind cyclists as well as pedestrians that both groups have to be aware of each other.
“There were a lot of close calls and a couple of injuries,” said neighborhood council President Steve Appleton. “To be fair, some walkers were less than aware of the need to share. That’s because no one was used to cyclists speeding down the new smooth path. The river path in its prior bumpy form was the ‘Main Street’ of Elysian Valley before anyone else cared.”
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Bill Lagattuta is best known for his years working as a Los Angeles TV news anchorman and an award-winning national network correspondent. But these days, Lagattuta is pursing another long-term passion – painting and sculpture – in a studio in Elysian Valley a.k.a. Frogtown. He is part of a growing community of artists who have set up studios, and in some cases homes, in the former factories and warehouses near the Los Angeles River. After opening his studio during last year’s Frogtown Artwalk, Lagattuta decided to undertake a project to photograph his fellow artists in their studios and publish them on a website called Made in Frogtown. Lagattuta plans to photograph at least 20 artist in time for this year’s artwalk, which is scheduled for September 24, but plans to continue shooting environmental portraits for the remainder of the year. In addition to portraits, Lagattuta’s images include painters and sculptors at work and close up shots of the tools, belongings and knick knacks that fill the studios. What’s Lagattuta’s studio like? This is how he describes it:
I currently work in a large metal building adjacent to the Los Angeles River. It is a former marble cutting factory, which was purchased and renovated in 2010 by an electrical contractor. He uses 2/3rds of the building for his business, and I work in the remaining space. Our building is sandwiched between a long distance bus company and an embroidery factory.
When it came to photographing his own studio, Lagattuta left that job to his wife, director and photographer Judy Starkman. Click on the link below for a brief Q &A with Lagattuta about Made in Frogtown
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