Happy St. Patrick's Day! May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Now, let's get to today's news.

-- Robert Fulton

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📷 Eastside Scene

Elysian Park: A majestic Blue Heron with a don't-mess-with-me stare. Thanks to Jaymee Christopherson for the photo.

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📢 News

Fatal hit-and-run

Highland Park:  A woman was fatally injured in a hit-and-run in the 5600 block of Aldama Street at about 8:50 a.m., according to the L.A. Fire Department.  The victim, whose identity was not released, died at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Information on her identity was not immediately available. The Eastsider

Dog park closed

Eagle Rock: The Eagle Rock Dog Park is a mess this week after a large tree fell across the grounds, which were flooded after recent rains. The park in the approximately 21-acre Eagle Rock Recreation Center off Figueroa Street has been closed, according to one reader. There's no word if anyone was injured. The Eastsider

Thank You for Making it Possible

Dear Reader,

I want to again express my sincerest gratitude to those who contributed to our fall and winter fundraiser last year. Thanks to those supporters, we were able to create a brand new assistant editor position to enhance and expand coverage of our communities, people, and issues.

In January, Robert Fulton began working as our assistant editor for newsletters and education. Robert had been freelancing for The Eastsider as a writer before assuming his new role. Although you may have noticed fewer stories under his byline, you've likely seen his name pop up more often as he works on our Daily Digest newsletter, which has become the cornerstone of our efforts to deliver the news and stay connected with readers like you. He's also our education editor, working alongside writer Monica Rodriguez to cover local schools.

Robert is a local guy, hailing from El Centro, and he brings a wealth of experience from his time in newspapers and communications firms. He and his family call Los Feliz home, and I’m glad to have him on board.

None of this would have been possible without the generous support of our readers, and I am deeply grateful for it. We at The Eastsider are committed to providing you with the best possible coverage of our neighborhoods, and we're excited to continue expanding our staff and improving our offerings with your ongoing support.

-- Jesús Sanchez, Publisher

👉 Go Here to Contribute

Are you an LAUSD parent?

If you live anywhere on the Eastside, we want to hear how you are preparing for next week's three-day strike and the closure of schools. Just reply to this newsletter with your full name and where your child or children attend school. Thanks!

🏙️ Real Estate Roundup

By Barry Lank

Here's your rundown of Eastside real estate news.

Dodger Stadium area

A total of 332 apartments are proposed on Stadium Way at Chavez Ravine Place near Dodger Stadium.  A six-story building with 65 apartments is planned for 1640 and 950 Stadium Way near the southbound 110 Freeway, across from Chinatown. Across the street at 959 E. Stadium Way, plans that date back to December call for 267 living units in two separate buildings. According to Urbanize, the developer behind both projects is Frank McCourt, formerly the owner of the L.A. Dodgers, and currently the driving force to build an aerial gondola between Union Station and Dodger Stadium.

Eagle Rock

A change-of-use request - from restaurant to retail - has been filed for 1750-1754 W. Colorado Blvd. The address currently has a parking lot and outdoor dining area.

Echo Park

Plans for a new residential-retail complex at 1483-1503 Sunset Blvd. have survived an appeal to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission, Urbanize reported. Current plans call for a six-story building with 104 apartments and 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. A timeline for the project has yet to be disclosed but construction is expected to take 23 months.

Los Feliz

A four-bedroom/four-bathroom Mediterranean-style home Nottingham Avenue sold last week for $5.25 million, according to Redfin.  That's 30% higher than 17 years ago when the home changed hands for $4 million.

✂️ Real Estate Reductions

Here are some examples, followed by a breakdown by neighborhood, of recent price cuts on homes, condos, apartments and other Eastside properties.

Monterey Hills Condo: $10,000 off 2-bedroom unit with views. Now asking $625,000.

Highland Park Contemporary: $14,000 slice a 4-bedroom with 2-car garage. Now asking $1,332,000.

Cypress Park 5-Bedroom: $140,000 chop on an updated Spanish with ADU. Now asking $1,685,000.

Read More

🏘️ Eastside Open House

This week's featured open houses include:

• Charming Montecito Heights Craftsman
• Highland Park Craftsman w/ADU in HPOZ
• $599k East LA Metro Station Dream Location
• Inzio | Glassell Park

Go here for the details

Good luck house hunting!

⏳ FLASHBACK FRIDAY | SYCAMORE GROVE

The Lummis Home and the restless writer who built it

By Barry Lank

Made out of river rocks and repurposed telephone poles, the Lummis Home looks out of place next to the southbound Arroyo Seco Parkway at East Avenue 43 in an area known as Sycamore Grove near Mount Washington. The 4,000-square-foot home with a tower was built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries during one of those irregular periods when Charles Fletcher Lummis had money.

Lummis arrived in Los Angeles in February 1885 after walking here from Cincinnati, Ohio in 143 days, while sending regular dispatches to the L.A. Times.

During that journey he fell in love with the American Southwest and its native people - eventually even founding the Southwest Museum of the American Indian near his home by the Arroyo Seco.

Before that, Lummis became the first city editor for the L.A. Times and proceeded to work so hard over the next two years that he had a stroke, according to Mark Thompson, author of “American Character: The Curious Life of Charles Fletcher Lummis and the Rediscovery of the Southwest.”

To recover, Lummis headed back to his beloved New Mexico (where some of his freelance writing got him targeted by a hitman) - then worked briefly in Peru before heading back to L.A. and to his (second) wife. That's when he became editor in 1894 of the magazine “Land of Sunshine.”

Then he started building the Lummis Home, which he called El Alisal.

It took him up to 14 years to construct. Despite the Medieval look, the Society of Architectural Historians classifies the house as American Craftsman style.

As more rooms were added to the house, Lummis started partying there - holding what he called “noises” with artists, writers, and other notables, including Clarence Darrow, Will Rogers, John Philip Sousa and John Muir, according to the L.A. Times.

In 1904, Lummis became head librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library, but he quit a year later after facing criticism for, among other things, doing most of his work from home. He was, once again, far too ahead of his time.

After that, Lummis got sicker and broker - and moved from wife number two to wife number three. But he held onto El Alisal to the day he died on November 25, 1928, having his ashes placed in a vault in a wall there, the Times reported.

The place is now operated as a museum by the city’s Recreation and Parks Department. It’s a California Historic Landmark and a city Historic-Cultural Monument. 

Marathon headed our way

More than 22,000 runners and other participants will hit the streets on Sunday for the L.A. Marathon. 

The 26.2-mile journey begins at Dodger Stadium and circles through Downtown before coming back through Echo Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and East Hollywood. The run then proceeds to San Vicente Boulevard and Bundy Drive before doubling back along the same route to finish in Century City.

If you don't plan to run in the marathon or watch it go by, you should be aware of the numerous street closures, No Parking zones and disruption to bus service on Sunday morning and afternoon.

Go here for all the details

🗓️ Things to Do

By Jennifer Rodriguez

⭐ Featured Events

Eagle Rock: Come lose yourself in the musical treasures of the Middle East during Arabian Nights, an evening of music and song. March 28. (Sponsored)

East Hollywood: Watch "Cinderella: The True Story," a musical production with singing, dancing, a prince in disguise, and a fairy godmother who doesn’t always get things right. March 12 - April 2 (Sponsored)

Los Feliz: Explore the bonds between two sisters in "La Egoista," a combination of stand-up and live theater at the Skylight Theatre. Through April 9. (Sponsored) 

👋 That's it!

Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading.

-- Robert Fulton

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-- Jesús Sanchez, Publisher

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