74-589: The Barrelhouse Club , at 107th and Wilmington in Watts , Los Angeles , was a rhythm and blues nightclub opened in 1948 and co-owned by Johnny Otis , and Bardu and Tila Ali. It was named in honour of the Barrel House in Omaha, Nebraska , the first club in that district to welcome black and white customers. Artists who performed at the venue included Mel Walker , Esther Phillips , who first performed there at
148-467: A musical comedy called "Lonesome Town," which was set in an imaginary place called Watts, California, in the year 1902. The endeavor, with music by J.A. Rayne and book by Judson D. Brusie, ran for 88 performances at the Circle Theatre, 1825 Broadway, from January 20 through April 24, 1908. It was produced by the vaudeville team of Kolb and Dill – Clarence Kolb and Max Dill . In response to
222-652: A "green streets" project to improve pedestrian safety and environmental quality in the area, beginning in 2016. Watts suffered further in the 1970s, as gangs gained strength and raised the level of violence in the neighborhood. Between 1989 and 2005, police reported more than 500 homicides in Watts, most of them gang-related and tied to wars over control of the lucrative illicit market created by illegal drugs. Four of Watts's influential gangs – Watts Cirkle City Piru , Grape Street Watts Crips , Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods , and PJ Watts Crips – formed
296-608: A Peace Treaty agreement, known as the Watts truce on April 26, 1992. Key hallmarks of the pact continue to influence life in Watts to date, with colors and territory having little to do with gang-related crime. Beginning in the 1980s, those African Americans who could leave Watts moved to other suburban locations in the Antelope Valley , the Inland Empire , the San Gabriel Valley , Orange County and
370-567: A bad reputation in Southern California, somehow or other ... a good many of us felt that the liquor element left a black mark upon the community's name. ... Towns are something like people. They can live up to a good name easier than they can live down a bad name." A subdivision with the name Watts was platted, possibly by the Golden State Realty Company, between 1903 and 1905, when the settlement had
444-596: A fire department, a weekly newspaper" (the Watts Advertiser ), and it was completing a $ 12,000 city hall . It had "the best of public schools, churches of the leading denominations, the principal fraternal orders , a chamber of commerce and a good government league ." That year, business enterprises included the California Gold Recovery Company, which manufactured a machine used in mining districts to capture " flour gold ," which
518-594: A gathering place along the 25.5-mile (41.0 km) funeral procession from the memorial for Nipsey Hussle at the Staples Center that wound through the streets of South L.A. At times, the crowd flooded the street creating gridlock . The Mapping L.A. project of the Los Angeles Times states as follows: The neighborhood's irregular street boundaries follow the Los Angeles city limits on
592-815: A key role in the retail history of Los Angeles , as it was the first home to several upscale retailers who would become big names in the city: Desmond's (1870–1882) and Jacoby Bros. (1879–1891). It was also home to the Odd Fellows , the Fashion Saloon, the Temple and Workman Bank, Slotterbeck's gun shop, the Wells Fargo office. The northeast corner was home to Adolph Portugal' s dry goods store (1874-1879?), Jacoby Bros. (1879–1891) and Cohn Bros. (1892–1897), in succession. In 1925-7 this block and other surrounding areas were demolished to make way for
666-425: A later, expanded Temple Block in 1871, and then demolished. George P. McLain wrote that upon his arrival in the town in 1868, Temple Block had been the undisputed center of commerce and social life in the town. Even into the early 1880s, it was considered the city's most stately building. It housed many law offices, including those of Stephen M. White , Will D. Gould and Glassell , Chapman and Smith . The block had
740-763: A library branch bond, and a 3,600 square feet (330 m ) Watts Branch opened in 1960. In 1991 the Los Angeles City Council approved a measure, backed by the Friends of the Watts Branch Library, the 15th District Council Office, and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) of the City of Los Angeles, to build a new library as a part of the 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) Watts Civic Center. $ 1.3 million from Proposition 1,
814-530: A north-south orientation, parallel with Broadway, instead of running more northeasterly and meeting Main Street at Temple Street. As a result the Poundcake Hill buildings faced the newly aligned Spring Street until they were demolished. Adjacent to the south, mid-block, is a portion of Grand Park . The southwest corner, during Victorian times the site of unremarkable retail and office buildings,
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#1732786893490888-490: A population of about 150 people. In 1905 lots were being sold by that firm for prices ranging from $ 100 to $ 200: The terms were advertised at a dollar as down payment and a dollar a month thereafter, with the company claiming there would be "no interest and no taxes." The Watts Lumber Company had a plan of "easy payments" which "enabled those desiring houses in the little settlement to secure their material and to build and occupy their houses at once." After 1903, Watts saw
962-512: A ranch south of the city through which the Salt Lake railroad passes, and the station of Watts is named for him." In 1919, Watts Mayor Z. A. Towne said that the settlement was named after a widow who lived on ten acres which was later occupied by a Pacific Electric power house . She later moved to Arlington, California , Towne said. In 1912 and 1913, a movement was afoot to change the name of Watts because, as one headline writer put it,
1036-583: A talent show, The Robins , The Hollywood Flames , and tenor saxophonist Big Jay McNeely . Many of the performers at the club would join Otis' California Rhythm and Blues Caravan in the early 1950s. Pete "Guitar" Lewis, who played with the Johnny Otis Orchestra between the late 1940s and mid-1950s, also recorded an instrumental, "Midnight in the Barrelhouse" (the flip-side, "Barrelhouse Stomp"
1110-592: A vote of 1,338 to 535. It was the heaviest vote ever in Watts, with 1,933 voters at the polls of the 2,513 registered. Thus 23,000 more people were added to Los Angeles when the decision was put into effect on June 1 of that year. Mayor L.A. Edwards of Watts led the fight for consolidation with Los Angeles. Opposed were the Watts Chamber of Commerce, the Farmers and Merchants Bank, the Taxpayers League,
1184-492: Is considered a low figure for both the city and the county. The percentage of those residents with less than a high school diploma was high in comparison with the county at large. Schools within Watts are as follows: King Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science opened in bungalows of Jordan in 1982. In 1999 it moved to a standalone campus in Willowbrook . In May 2013, Wiegand Avenue Elementary School became
1258-476: Is fine gold floating on a liquid surface. In 1925, Watts had a pump-manufacturing plant, a machine shop , two sash-and-door plants, and a pickle works. There was a steel plant, McClintic Marshal Company, which covered fifteen acres and employed 180 men. A new California Thorn Cordage factory was set to hire five hundred men. A new 34-room hotel was going up on West Main Street. In a special election on April 2, 1926, Watts residents decided to enter Los Angeles by
1332-408: Is situated on the 1843 Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant. As on all ranchos , the principal vocation at that time was grazing and beef production. There were household settlers in the area as early as 1882, and in 1904, the population was counted as 65 people; a year later it was 1,651. C.V. Bartow of Long Beach was noted as one of the founders of Watts. In 1904, it was reported that Watts
1406-562: The Ku Klux Klan and the Watts Welfare League. Edwards was re-elected to the outgoing Watts Board of Trustees, the other winners being William Booth, Robert Rhoads and James West. Watts did not become predominantly black until the 1940s. Before then, there were some African American residents, many of whom were Pullman car porters and cooks. Schoolroom photos from 1909 and 1911 show only two or three black faces among
1480-489: The Long Beach Line was shut down in 1961, severing the area's primary transportation link to jobs and services in the greater region. Longstanding resentment by Los Angeles's working class black community over discriminatory treatment by police and inadequate public services (especially schools and hospitals) exploded on August 11, 1965, into what were commonly known as the Watts riots . The event that precipitated
1554-617: The Pan American Lofts . The architect was Sumner Hunt . It was built in a hybrid Spanish Colonial Revival/Beaux-Arts style. The building was home to the renowned I. Magnin clothing store that opened here on January 2, 1899; on June 19, 1904, I. Magnin announced that the Los Angeles store would henceforth be known as Myer Siegel . After a fire at the Irvine Byrne Building destroyed its store on February 16, 1911, Myer Siegel moved further south on Broadway. It
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#17327868934901628-510: The San Joaquin Valley . African Americans in Watts have also moved to Southern cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Birmingham, Memphis, San Antonio and Jackson. The black population in Watts has been increasingly replaced by other demographic groups, primarily Hispanic immigrants of Mexican and Central American ancestry, as well as by a median proportion of Ethiopian and Indian ancestry. This demographic change accelerated after
1702-636: The Western Shoe Co. (through 1922), later known as the Western Department Store (1922–1928). Lettering covered the face of the building from top to bottom through the end of the 1950s: "THE LARGEST SHOE DEPT. IN THE WEST". The southeast corner of 2nd and Broadway was the site of Mid-block were: The corner is home to one of the oldest buildings outside the Plaza area, the 1895 Irvine Byrne Block or Byrne Block; now called
1776-746: The "Toys for Watts" toy drive , the Watts Christmas parade , and the "Watts Summer Games" athletic tournament, as well as a local theatre and a dance company, in an effort to improve the neighborhood. Watts is noted internationally for the landmark Watts Towers by Simon Rodia , which are a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and also listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The neighborhood has also been featured or referenced in numerous forms of media, particularly West Coast hip-hop music, and movies and television shows set in Los Angeles. The area now known as Watts
1850-417: The 1960s developed a reputation as a low-income, high-crime area, following the Watts riots and the increasing influence of street gangs . Watts has become a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood with a significant African American minority, and remains one of the most impoverished neighborhoods in Los Angeles despite falling crime rates since the 1990s. Notable civic activities by residents of Watts include
1924-457: The 1992 riots. Neighborhood leaders have begun a strategy to overcome Watts's reputation as a violence-prone and impoverished area. Special promotion has been given to the museums and art galleries in the area surrounding Watts Towers . This sculptural and architectural landmark has attracted many artists and professionals to the area. I Build the Tower , a feature-length documentary film about
1998-642: The 30 or so children pictured. By 1914, a black realtor, Charles C. Leake, was doing business in the area. Racially restrictive covenants prevented blacks from living in any other neighborhoods outside of Central Avenue District and Watts. World War II brought the Second Great Migration , tens of thousands of African American migrants, mostly from Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas, who left segregated Southern states in search of better opportunities in California. During World War II,
2072-519: The Hawkins Post Office. There was a school in Watts from an early date. In 1905 it was reported that "steps have already been taken to enlarge the present school building", and a new building was erected in 1911 at a cost of $ 30,000. By 1914, however, that structure had become overcrowded, and additional desks were "installed everywhere, in the library, in the halls and in the auditorium." There were 630 pupils and 18 teachers. While work
2146-554: The Mason Theatre, it showed Spanish-language films. Demolished 1955. 145 S. Broadway, site of the C. H. Frost Building , later known as the Haig M. Prince Building . Built 1898, architect John Parkinson , Now the location of the new United States Courthouse built in 2016, taking up the entire block between Broadway, Hill, First and Second. One of several Hellman Buildings across Downtown L.A. — not to be confused with
2220-520: The Plaza, 3rd St., Los Angeles St., and Broadway, during the period 1880 through the period of demolition (1920s–1950s). At the time (1880–1900s), the area was referred to as the business center, business section or business district. By 1910, it was referred to as the "North End" of the business district which by then had expanded south to what is today called the Historic Core , along Broadway, Spring and Main roughly from 3rd to 9th streets. By
2294-528: The Potomac Block, and combined it with the Bicknell block to create its new store that opened in 1905. After Coulter's moved: The building was demolished in 1953 and is still the site of a parking lot. The Bicknell Block (or Bicknell Building) at 225–229 S. Broadway, with back entrances at 224–228 S. Hill Street. was part of Coulter's from 1905 from 1917. After Coulter's moved in 1917, it housed
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2368-535: The Rocha Adobe, then the Phillips Block. The site now lies under the current course of Spring Street, which was straightened, i.e. realigned to run further west, in the 1920s. At the southwest corner of Franklin Street from 1894–1905 was Harris & Frank 's London Clothing Co. with its landmark clock. Harris & Frank went on to become a chain of junior department stores for men's clothing across
2442-689: The South Health Center in Watts. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation operates the L.A. Watts Juvenile Parole Center. The United States Postal Service Augustus F. Hawkins Post Office is located at 10301 Compton Avenue. On January 24, 2000, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate presented a bill to rename the Watts Finance Office as
2516-544: The Watts Towers and their creator, Simon Rodia , provides a history of Watts from the 1920s to the present and a record of the activities of the Watts Towers Arts Center. Watts is one of several Los Angeles neighborhoods with a high concentration of convicted felons. In 2000, singer and actor Tyrese Gibson chartered a foundation to build a community center in Watts. In 2019, the Watts Towers were
2590-527: The branch library facility bond issue of 1989, funded the construction of the new Watts library. On June 25, 1996, the city council voted to name the library after Alma Reaves Woods, a woman in the community who encouraged reading and library usage. James C. Moore, AIA & Associates designed the current Watts Library, which opened on June 29, 1996. Los Angeles Public Library operates the Alma Reaves Woods–Watts Branch. On January 22, 2012,
2664-426: The city built several large housing projects (including Jordan Downs and Imperial Courts ) for the thousands of new workers in war industries. By the early 1960s, these projects had become nearly 100 percent black, as whites moved on to new suburbs outside the central city. As industrial jobs disappeared from the area, the projects housed many more poor families than they had traditionally. Passenger rail service on
2738-449: The city's main commercial and entertainment area in the first half of the 20th century. On this corner: Along the west side of Spring Street were the following buildings. Spring was realigned in the 1920s and now runs west of these sites, and the sites where these buildings once stood are now part of the full city block on which City Hall stands: At the northwest corner of Franklin and Spring stood two buildings in succession,
2812-484: The city. A majority of the 250 votes did agree that Watts should allow saloons, or bars , and that the municipality should raise money by taxing them. Rorke said: We have two retail saloons and one wholesale as a result, and an income that more than pays our running expenses. In fact, we have several hundred in the treasury. The voters, who admitted the saloons, looked upon it as a business proposition. While many of them are not really in favor of having them in our midst,
2886-552: The disturbances, the arrest of a black youth by the California Highway Patrol on drunk-driving charges, actually occurred outside Watts. The damage from the riots was particularly severe along the stretch of 103rd Street between Compton and Wilmington Avenues. 103rd Street was the neighborhood's historic commercial center, consisting of a traditional main street lined with storefronts, easily accessible by foot from Watts Station. After suffering extensive arson in
2960-458: The east and southeast, respectively, and the unincorporated community of Willowbrook to the south. Founded in the late nineteenth century as a ranching community, the arrival of the railroads and the construction of Watts Station saw the rapid development of Watts as an independent city, but in 1926 it was consolidated with Los Angeles. By the 1940s, Watts transformed into a primarily working class African-American neighborhood , but from
3034-744: The entire block between Broadway, Hill, First and Second. Just south of the southwest corner was the Mason Theatre , 127 S. Broadway. Opened in 1903 as the Mason Opera House , 1,600 seats. Benjamin Marshall of the Chicago firm Marshall & Wilson designed the building in association with John Parkinson . Marshall is known for designing the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago. Remodeled in 1924 by Meyer & Holler . Later, as
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3108-489: The establishment of a newspaper, a general merchandise store, a lumber yard, a grocery store , a millinery , dry goods and confectionery stores, a blacksmithery and bakeries . The Pacific Coast Laundry Company opened in August 1907, with a payroll promised to be between $ 750 and $ 1,000 a month. Laundry deliveries were to be made via the electric railway . Watts became a city in 1907, after three petitions objecting to
3182-473: The experience was adopted for giving us a working fund. Some of the surplus funds are being used to employ engineers to establish street grades , looking forward to improvements in our thoroughfares in the near future. As an instance of prosperity, there is not a vacant house in Watts, and it is impossible to find one to rent. Watts was brought to nationwide attention in 1908 with the New York production of
3256-549: The first librarian and Bessie Hunt as the second. In the same year the city received word that its application for construction of a new Carnegie Library had been approved. The cornerstone of the library was laid in January 1914. In 1914 the library moved into a newly built Carnegie library . Los Angeles annexed Watts in 1926, so the library became the Watts Branch of the Los Angeles library system. In 1957 voters approved
3330-404: The first school in California from which a principal was ordered to be removed in response to the state's 2010 "trigger law," which compels the dismissal of a school administrator on petition of a majority of parents. As a result of the pending loss of principal Irma Cobian, 21 of 22 teachers asked for transfer to other schools. A Watts public library was established in 1913, with Maud Walton as
3404-420: The highest population densities in Los Angeles. Population was estimated at 41,028 in 2008. The median age was 21, making Watts the Los Angeles neighborhood with the youngest population. The percentages of residents aged birth to 18 were among the county's highest. Hispanics made up 61.6% of the population, blacks 37.1%, non-Hispanic whites 0.5%, Asian 0.2%, and others 0.5%. Mexico and El Salvador were
3478-428: The line is Success Avenue between Century Boulevard and 92nd Street. Watts is flanked on the north by Florence-Firestone , on the east by South Gate , on the southeast by Lynwood , on the south by Willowbrook and on the north and west by Green Meadows . A total of 36,815 people lived in Watts's 2.12 square miles, according to the 2000 U.S. census – averaging 17,346 people per square mile, among
3552-509: The mid-1890s, First and Spring was the center of the business district, and the Bradbury Building , opened in 1893 at Third and Broadway and still standing today, By 1910, the area north of Fourth Street was considered the "North End" of the business district and there were already concerns about its deterioration, as the center of commerce moved to what is now known as the Historic Core , from Third to Ninth streets. The map shows
3626-404: The most common places of birth for the 34% of the residents who were born abroad, an average percentage of foreign-born when compared with the city or county as a whole. The $ 25,161 median household income in 2008 dollars was considered low for the city and county. The percentage of households earning $ 20,000 or less was high, compared to the county at large. The average household size of 4 people
3700-436: The name 'Lucky Watts' will be used as much as possible, the idea being to get new ideas into people's heads, so they will get away from the notion that there is any joke about what the people here believe is the most promising suburban community in the county." Some 25,000 pieces of advertising material were distributed. The excursion was repeated in 1913. By 1910, Watts had a population of about 2,500, "well improved streets,
3774-497: The north and east, except for a small patch of Los Angeles County territory surrounding Ritter Elementary School, between 108th Street and Imperial Highway , which the Times includes in Watts. The southern boundary runs east–west on Imperial Highway, the eastern line is north–south on Alameda Street and the western line is north–south on Central Avenue to 103rd Street. Ted Watkins Park and other county areas are excluded. Thence
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#17327868934903848-585: The popular cycling event called CicLAvia took place in south L.A.'s Central–Alameda neighborhood to the Watts Towers. Volunteers were excited to hold an event close to the CicLAvia events in downtown L.A. The event was meant to encourage civic engagement. Throughout the group of volunteers the diversity was large. Cyclists took photos for a "crowd-source" map made up of photos and recordings by the cyclists. Victorian Downtown Los Angeles#St. Elmo Hotel The late- Victorian-era Downtown of Los Angeles in 1880
3922-581: The proposed borders were presented to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors . Seven ranchers said that they had no intention of subdividing and that all unimproved land should be omitted from the proposed city. Another petition declared that most of the property owners in Watts did not pay taxes inasmuch as they were buying the 25-foot lots for speculation, that the residents were "migratory" and that most of them were transitory " Mexican railroad laborers ." A third petition for exemption
3996-557: The raillery occasioned by the play, a "big advertising excursion" took place on Thursday, May 30, 1912, via a special train of three chartered electric railway cars. The route was scheduled over the Balloon Route by way of Los Angeles , Hollywood , the Soldiers' Home , Ocean Park , Venice , Redondo , Gardena and back to Watts. The object of the excursion was to call attention "to the fact that Watts has been 'born again,' and
4070-467: The region. The triangular space where Spring and Main Streets came together at the south side of Temple Street was the site of Temple Block : actually a collection of different structures that occupied the block bounded by Spring, Main and Temple. The first or Old Temple Block built by Francisco (F. P. F.) Temple in 1856, was of adobe, two stories, facing north to Temple. This was incorporated into
4144-403: The residents were tired of the "quips and jests" at the town's expense. One real-estate agent said that prospective clients backed out of a property inspection tour when they found out their streetcar ride would end up in Watts. The name "South Angeles" was proposed. Another plan for a city name change surfaced in 1919, when the city trustees asked for suggestions. Mayor Towne said: "Watts has got
4218-410: The rest of the city. Watts Neighborhood Council 10221 Compton Avenue, Suite 106A, LA CA 90002. Los Angeles Fire Department Station 65 (Watts) serves the community. Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 16 (Watts) serves the community. Los Angeles Police Department operates the nearby Southeast Community Police Station. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates
4292-469: The riots, the ruined, burnt-out area was nicknamed "Charcoal Alley". An urban renewal plan was drawn up by the redevelopment agency in 1966, with the aim of demolishing all structures between Century Boulevard and 104th Street and redeveloping the area into a modern shopping district. By 1972, the entire area had been acquired and demolished. Century Boulevard, 103rd Street, Compton Avenue, and Wilmington Avenue were all widened into large arterial roads, and
4366-408: The same month, Watts boosters made the same statement at a meeting with Compton backers in that city. By 1925 Watts voters had approved $ 170,000 in bonds for a new high school, and the town was served by four public grammar schools and one Catholic school. There were seven grade schools. Just 2.9% of Watts residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree, according to the 2000 census, which
4440-414: The site are: The Poundcake Hill buildings originally backed up to Broadway to their west, and faced New High Street to their east. New High Street (see Sanborn map above) was a north-south street that ran parallel to Broadway, and to Spring Street to its east. As part of the construction of City Hall in the early 1920s, New High Street was removed south of Temple, and Spring Street was realigned more towards
4514-704: The still-existing Hellman Building at Fourth and Spring — was located here (#138) from 1897 to 1959. The site is now a parking structure, part of the Times Mirror Square complex. The west side of the 200 block of South Broadway had a key place in the retail history of Los Angeles from the 1893 through 1917, as it was home to several prominent early department stores such as the Ville de Paris , Coulter's department store from 1905–1917, and J. W. Robinson's "Boston Dry Goods" store from 1895–1915. All three stores would move to Seventh Street when it became
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#17327868934904588-544: The street grid in 1910, and shows in blue three important road alignment changes that came in the 1920s–1950s: Cable cars of the Temple Street Cable Railway ran along Temple Street starting in 1886 and were replaced with Pacific Electric streetcars in 1902. This location was at the time known as Pound Cake Hill. The buildings located here faced New High Street to their east and Broadway to their west. They were as follows: Currently on
4662-577: The surrounding plots were gradually redeveloped with suburban-style garden apartments and single family subdivisions of much lower density than the previous and surrounding development. The modern shopping center, a main promise of the redevelopment program, was not completed until the early 1980's. This project dramatically altered the urban fabric of Watts, replacing the densely-populated, walkable main street with large surface parking lots and wide roads carrying hazardous high speed traffic. Community activism in response these problems would eventually lead to
4736-551: The upscale shopping street between 1915 and 1917. Further south on the west side of Broadway, was 207–211, location of the: The YMCA Building was demolished to make way for the: The adjacent Potomac Block and Bicknell Block originally housed prominent retailers of the day, then were joined together in 1906 by Coulter's department store to form a complex, opening it as a new, 157,000 sq ft (14,600 m ) store in June, 1905. The Potomac Block , 213–223 S. Broadway,
4810-535: Was a driver for the Blue Ribbon beer company, as mayor and Frederick J. Rorke as city clerk . There was, however, no money to run the city because it had become incorporated too late to levy and collect any taxes. A proposed business license fee raised so much objection that the Board of Trustees, or the city council, submitted to the people a straw vote (nonbinding) question about allowing liquor to be sold in
4884-560: Was by McNeely), for the Excelsior record label, presumably in honor of the club. 33°56′20″N 118°14′21″W / 33.939009°N 118.239076°W / 33.939009; -118.239076 Watts, Los Angeles, California Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California . It is located within the South Los Angeles region, bordering the cities of Lynwood , Huntington Park and South Gate to
4958-672: Was centered at the southern end of the Los Angeles Plaza area , and over the next two decades, it extended south and west along Main Street , Spring Street , and Broadway towards Third Street. Most of the 19th-century buildings no longer exist, surviving only in the Plaza area or south of Second Street. The rest were demolished to make way for the Civic Center district with City Hall , numerous courthouses, and other municipal, county, state and federal buildings, and Times Mirror Square . This article covers that area, between
5032-555: Was from 1905 to 1917 known as the B. F. Coulter Building . It was originally developed by lumberyard and mill owner J. M. Griffith. It was designed in 1888 by Block, Curlett and Eisen in Romanesque architectural style and opened on July 17, 1890. Tenants included: It was the first time major retail stores opened on South Broadway, in what would be a shift of the upmarket shopping district from 1890 to 1905 from around First and Spring to South Broadway. In 1904, Coulter's bought
5106-615: Was from 1958 the location of the State Office Building, (1958-60, architect Anson C. Boyd, razed 2006). It was named the Junipero Serra State Office Building , and this moniker would be transferred to the former Broadway Department Store building at 4th and Broadway when it was opened to replace this building in 1998. It is now the location of the New U.S. Courthouse built in 2016, taking up
5180-427: Was high for the city. Renters occupied 67% of the housing units, and homeowners occupied the rest. In 2000, there were 2,816 families headed by single parents, or 38.9%, the highest rate for any neighborhood in the city. The percentages of never-married women (45.3) and never-married men (44.7) were among the county's highest. In 2000, there were 739 military veterans, or 3.6% of the population, low when compared to
5254-406: Was modernized and converted to lofts in 2007 and given its present name. The halls and staircase have appeared in many of Alfred Hitchcock's movies, Brad Pitt's Se7en , Fight Club , Blade Runner , and other TV shows and commercials. From Third Street south to Olympic Blvd. (originally Tenth St.), and from Hill Street east to Los Angeles Street, including Broadway, is the Historic Core district,
5328-606: Was named after Pasadena businessman Charles H. Watts, who was found dead by suicide in the St. Elmo Hotel, Los Angeles , on August 23 of that year. The Los Angeles Times said: "Watts at one time conducted a livery stable on North Main Street and another at Pasadena and was a man of considerable means. ... Watts station on the Salt Lake road is named after the deceased, and is located on property which he once owned." The Los Angeles Evening Express said: "Among other property he owned
5402-532: Was submitted by residents of the Palomar stop , who dressed up their plea with quotations ranging from Greek philosophers to Hamlet . Those petitioners announced that they had recently changed the name of their settlement from "Watts Park" because they did not want any affiliation with Watts. The City of Watts was approved by voters of the district, and it became a municipality in May 1907, with J. F. Donahue, who
5476-481: Was under way on a new school, the contractor absconded with some of the money and his bondsman was compelled to finish the job. Older students attended Redondo Union High School . Later, Watts was a part of the Compton School District , but in January 1914, a mass meeting was held in Watts to make plans to secede from Compton and build a new high school in Watts, at a cost of about $ 100,000. Later
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