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Olvera Street

Olvera Street (Calle Olvera) is a historical district in downtown Los Angeles, and a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. It was officially founded in 1781 in Los Angeles, and was renamed to Olvera Street in 1877. Olvera Street houses some of the oldest Los Angeles monuments, including the Avila Adobe and the Sepulveda House, and has been described as a "Top Five" in the "Great Streets of America" journal; it has also been home to Latin-American cultural and religious ceremonies such as "The Blessing of the Animals" and Día de los Muertos, and has appeared in several films.

Since 1926, Olvera Street has garnered controversy as historians and collectors have attempted to preserve the sites for historic study and educational purposes. In contrast, there are researchers that often cite that Olvera Street is an "appropriated" misnomer of Latin-American and Hispanic culture, and should therefore not remain as a source of tourism.

History

Founding

Olvera Street was founded alongside the city of Los Angeles in 1781 by Spanish pobladores (settlers). Initially, there were 11 families — 44 men, women, and children —accompanied by Spanish soldiers; they had migrated from Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to establish a pueblo on the banks of the Porciúncula River. This new town was named El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles. Priests from San Gabriel established here an asistencia (a sub-mission), the Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles Asistencia, and the rest of the pueblo eventually built its own parish church, known today as the "Old Plaza Church."

Spanish colonial rule lasted until Mexican independence in 1821; it was during this time when Los Angeles's first streets and adobe buildings appeared at the Plaza site. During Mexican rule, which lasted twenty-six years before its assimilation into United States territory, the Plaza was the heart of a Californio community in Los Angeles and was the center of the growing city. Eventually, an alleyway branching from the official plaza, initially dubbed "Wine Street", had its name changed by City Council ordinance in 1877 to Olvera Street to honor Augustín Olvera, the first Superior Court Judge of Los Angeles County .

Modern Day

In present day, Olvera Street is home to more than three dozen restaurants, vendors, and public establishments. Some of its historic sites include Avila Adobe, the Sepulveda House, and the LA Plaza De Culturas Y Artes. It has been considered culturally significant, dubbed one of the "Great Streets of America" by the American Planning Association, and several of its restaurants have garnered public attention through positive critical reception. As part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument which is on the National Register of Historic Places, they recognized that it was once the heart of Mexican farming and community life in the area. Due to its Latin and Hispanic history, many culturally significant holidays and celebrations exist at the Plaza to this day, including the Blessing of the Animals, Día de los Muertos festivities, and Mexican Independence Day.

In recent years, Olvera Street has received scrutiny for its depiction and display of Latin and Hispanic culture–critics such as Phoebe Kropp have put forth claims concerning exploitation and appropriation of these particular cultures in the presence of high tourist rates. Other controversies included the restoration of politically-charged murals and paintings found at the location, with some historians and researchers accusing the city of defamation to important historic artifacts and locations.

Preservation and Restoration

Efforts to rescue the area began in 1926, when Christine Sterling learned of the plan to demolish the Avila Adobe, the oldest existing home in the city of Los Angeles. After bringing the issue to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Sterling approached Harry Chandler, the publisher of the Los Angeles Times, with a vision to create a Mexican marketplace and cultural center in the Plaza. This collaboration ultimately led to public interest in the project.

In late November, Sterling discovered a Los Angeles City Health Department Notice of Condemnation posted in front of the Avila Adobe. In response, she posted her own hand-painted sign condemning city officials in failing to preserve a historic site. Her declaration helped attract additional public interest in preserving the old home. The Los Angeles City Council eventually reversed its original order of condemnation, and building materials came from several local companies, including Blue Diamond Cement and the Simmons Brick Company.

However, the project lacked solid financial backing until Chandler came forward with capital for the project through funds collected at $1,000-a-plate luncheons with selected businessmen. Chandler established and headed the Plaza de Los Angeles Corporation, a for-profit venture which became the financial basis for the restoration of Plaza-Olvera. The street closed to traffic in 1929.

On Easter Sunday 1930, Sterling's vision came to pass with the opening of Paseo de Los Angeles (which later became popularly known by its official street name Olvera Street). Touted as a Mexican street of yesterday in a modernized city, Olvera Street was an instant success as a tourist site: La Opinión, a leading Spanish language daily, praised the project as una calleja que recuerda al México viejo, "a street which recalls old Mexico."

Characteristics

Location

Olvera Street is located in the east of modern day Downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to both Union Station and Chinatown. It sits between Main and Alameda Street. Olvera Street consists of the Plaza and its parish church, with an alleyway branching from the main area; the street itself is home to vendors, restaurants, and historic sites and information.

Plaza

The Plaza, adjacent to the alleyway of Olvera Street, is home to the origins of the city of Los Angeles. It is the forefront to the original Old Plaza Church, and has since housed street vendors, performance, and festivities.

Avila Adobe

The Avila Adobe is a housing structure located on Olvera Street, and is the oldest standing residence in the city of Los Angeles. It was built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, and has since then been registered as a California Historic Landmark. It was restored starting 1926 through efforts by Christine Sterling, and now stands as a museum.

Sepulveda House

The Sepulveda House is a historic residence built in 1887 by Señora Eloisa Martinez de Sepulveda. It has since then become a preserved museum, and is cited by its website as a representation of the "blending of Mexican and Anglo culture".

References

Azuela de la Cueva, Alicia. “. Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas. June 2008.

Estrada, William David The Los Angeles Plaza: Sacred and Contested Space. 2008. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.

Hernandez, Daniel. "America Tropical': A forgotten Siqueiros mural resurfaces in Los Angeles [Updated]" Los Angeles Times. September 22, 2010.

“History”. El Pueblo de Los Angeles..http://elpueblo.lacity.org/HistoryEducation/ElPuebloHistory/index.html 2016. Accessed October 30 2016.

“History”. La Calle Olvera. May 2014. http://www.calleolvera.com/history/. Accessed October 30 2016.

Hurlburt, Laurance P., The Mexican Muralists in the United States. 1989. Albuquerque, N.M.: University of New Mexico Press.

Kropp, Phoebe. “Citizens of the Past? Olvera Street and the Construction of Race and Memory in 1930's Los Angeles”. Radical History Review; 2001, Vol. 81, p34-60, 27p.

“Las Angelitas”. Las Angelitas. 2015. http://lasangelitas.org. Accessed October 30 2016

See Also

El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument

Los Angeles Plaza

Avila Adobe

History of Los Angeles