More West Adams

My introduction to this neighbor hood was 24 years ago when I first arrived in LA. I met a woman (I don’t remember her name) who was also a sewer. She and her husband bought a Victorian in this neighborhood. Growing up in Israel I hadn’t been in a Victorian home. I went to visit her in ‘that scary neighborhood’. At this time people were just beginning to buy and refurbish old homes. Shortly thereafter she divorced and moved to Reno, but I always have a soft spot for West Adams.During the depression, people sold homes to whomever they could – despite covenants that forbad selling to non Whites. This is the period when Hattie McDaniel bought her home, later to be involved with the Supreme Court case that banned such covenants. By the 1960’s the First A.M.E. church was looking to build a very large new building. They chose this site (in my previous post you may have noticed Cecil Murray circle – named for the famous pastor of this church). Build in the Mid Century style and designed by the very famous architect Paul R. Williams.Across Adams Blvd is the Church built by the original mansion owners in the area.  At the time with was a Methodist Church, today, fitting for the neighborhood it is the Greater Page TempleBrick was a common building material until the Long Beach earthquake of 1932, demanded earthquake suitable building materials.The original sanctuary is the social hall today.  In big commercial buildings downtown skylights are ornate, here they are simply functional.

The original kitchen is still in use, with a Wolf stove from 1913, old, much used and still very functional. I wonder if the Wolf company is aware of this treasure that is in no need of being replaced.The new sanctuary is ornate yet dark, so all I was able to get was these wonderful stained glass windows.Made by our friends at Judson StudiosOther things of interest as I walked around, the gate to an old apartment building on the corner of Adams and Hobart.A cute old bench for a child.This may be a Halloween decoration but I guess it was never taken down.Speaking of holidays, if you plant Your Chirstmas Poinsettia outside, you get a beautiful bush that adds a lot of color to the yard. If you live in Mexico or SoCal, I doubt this will survive in cold climates.