TABLE OF CONTENTS :
IT WAS WHERE UNION STATION IS NOW: A History and Genealogy of the Macy Street Neighborhood PLUS: A Reflection Upon the Plague In Los Angeles and the Current Typhus Scare. BONUS: The Top Secret "Ratatorium" That Still Stands by Damian Gatto Bottom left: The Lajun family's Date Street home in the Macy Street neighborhood, which would later be the epicenter of the 1924 Los Angeles Plague Outbreak, juxtaposed with Union Station (bottom right) which would be built in the neighborhood's place 14 years later. (Source: Calisphere Digital Library [Lajun home] ; unionstationla.com [Union Station] ) Union Station is one of Los Angeles' great architectural gems, representing an elegant fusion of Art Deco, Mission Revival, and Spanish Revival features. It was designed by John and Donald Parkinson and constructed by Robert E. McKee Inc. during the period 1937 to 1939, and expanded upon several times thereafter. It is by far the busiest transportation hub west of the Mississippi River, and the 12th busiest in the United States overall, serving over 100,000 passengers on any given day. What many do not know is that Union Station's rise to prominence came after a long and contentious development process, one marked by racist and classist overtones. As was the case with Dodger Stadium and the Terminal Annex (which were proceeded by the Chavez Ravine [Palo Verde, La Loma, & Bishop] and Naud Junction neighborhoods, respectively), so too did the construction of Union Station demand the total razing of a whole neighborhood that lay in its path...... ......The Macy Street neighborhood. Actually....... the site was originally home to the village of Yaanga, one of the largest Tongva villages in pre-colonial Los Angeles. Its inhabitants, the Yaangavit, occupied an area that spanned approximately from modern-day Fletcher Bowron Square to the west, the Los Angeles River to the east, 1st Street to the south, and the base of Radio Hill to the north. The Yaangavit cultivated sages, grasses, and corn, the last of which they ground and fried into pinole. They smoked from baked clay pipes. They also paid homage to an ancient Sycamore tree dating from the 15th century, known to the Spaniards as "El Aliso." This tree was central to the Yaanga settlement, so much so that it served as a unit of measurement for the Yaangavit. It was also used as a reference point by the pobladores--the founders of Los Angeles-- and by traders throughout the southwest. Between the arrival of the Portola expedition and the 1840s, the Yaangavit were exploited as slave labor. The original Yaanga village stood until circa the 1810s, when it was forcibly relocated southward to the vicinity of what is now Alameda and Commercial Streets. For the Tongva, this marked the beginning of a series of forcible relocations around the city. The City Council even passed a law that required the Tongva villagers to work or be arrested. In 1845, the villagers were again relocated to a site called Pueblito, which lay across the Los Angeles River in what is now Boyle Heights. In winter of 1847, Pueblito was completely razed, and the forcible quartering of the remaining Yaangavit into Anglo and French homes was finalized. El Aliso, the last trace of the village of Yaanga, was slowly cut down throughout the 1890s. (In case you're wondering, the tree stood roughly at the northwest corner of Garey and Commercial Streets.) The only evidence of the Yaanga civilization that remains are the archaeological remains that have been uncovered in various stages beginning in 1937-1939 with the construction of the Terminal Annex Building and Union Station.
The street named "Macy" has its origins in 1851 with the arrival of Doctor Obediah "Obed" Macy and his family, who moved from Indiana on an oxen-pulled wagon. During the nine-month journey, their son Charles died of cholera. Once settled in El Monte and later Los Angeles, Obed purchased the Bella Union hotel, which stood until from 1835 to 1940 upon the site that is now Bowron Square--once the focal center of the Yaanga village. Oben would also establish himself as one of the first physicians in the new American territory of Los Angeles. He even opened a bathhouse called The Alameda, one of the budding city's first. Obed and his wife Lucinda eventually raised thirteen children, two of which--Obediah Jr. and Oscar-- went on to become civic leaders in Los Angeles. On July 19th, 1857, six years after his arrival in Los Angeles, the elder Obediah Macy died. The street bearing his surname survived its first attempted erasure in 1920 when the City Engineer recommended consolidating the street into Brooklyn Avenue, a proposal that the Native Sons of the Golden West lobbied strongly against and effectively stymied. (Ultimately, Macy Street, Brooklyn Avenue, and part of Sunset Boulevard would be renamed Cesar Chavez Avenue in 1994.) By the mid-late 19th century, as Los Angeles was becoming an increasingly Anglo-American city, the Macy Street neighborhood, or the "Mexican section" (called as such by newspapers and civic leaders of the time) became one of Los Angeles' first melting pots. It is perhaps best remembered as the first Chinese enclave in the city--the original Chinatown. It was also home to one of the city's first Italian enclaves, and by the turn of the 20th century bore a predominance of Mexican residents. Top left: The Macy Street School (Source: Los Angeles Public Library) Top right: An 1893 advertisement by the Cudahy Packing Company (Source: Los Angeles Times) Many immigrant entrepreneurs realized the American Dream in this community. In the mid-19th century, Frenchmen Louis Bauchet and Louis Vignes operated their own vineyards north and east of Union Station where the streets that bear their surnames now run. The Sepulveda family's land holdings and vineyards were located at the corner of Date Street and Ogier Street. The German-American Kerckhoff & Kuzner Lumber Company supplied lumber for countless early structures in the city. The Irish-founded Cudahy Packing Company was the City's then-largest slaughterhouse. The Italian immigrant-founded American Foundry was located here. Countless Chinese restaurants and laundries also operated in the Macy Street neighborhood. Like the humble communities of Palo Verde, La Loma, Bishop, and Naud Junction, this humble community in the city's 8th Ward was not unlike the one you and I live in. Children froliced in the streets. Honest, hardworking people provided quality goods and services. The Macy Street School, which stood for less than two decades before being ripped down, was an elegant edifice and one of the city's first schools built for working class youth. The Catholic-run Sisters of Charity held fundraising events that brought together men and women of all denominations. However, to many of the city's politicians and elites, the industrial, working-class community was too unsightly to continue in its place, given the much more grandiose plans that they had for the site. By the early 20th century, they began to search for pretexts to get rid of the community once and for all. In fall of 1924--two years before the ballot initiative that sealed the community's fate--the elites of the city found their first excuse to tarnish the community. Click "READ MORE" below. The L.A. Plague During the last week of September 1924, 51-year-old Macy Street resident Jesus Lajun, born in Mexico and a laborer for the nearby Los Angeles Railroad, discovered the source of the odor stinking up his home: a dead rat in the crawl space. Lajun (whose true surname was likely “Lujan” or “Lujon”) removed the bottom clapboard, reached into the crawlspace, and disposed of the rat. Mr. Lajun didn’t know it at the time, but he had made the mistake of picking up the rat with his bare hands. Days later, Jesus had developed an oppressive fever. On October 2nd, 1924, Dr. Giles Porter of the Los Angeles Department of Health was dispatched to the Lajun home at 700 Clara Street. By now, Mr. Lajun's lymph nodes and groin were severely swollen—a hallmark of the bubonic plague, which overtakes the body via the lymph nodes. His daughter, Francisca “Concha” Lajun, aged 15 years, was also deeply ill. She did not have the swollen lymph nodes her father had, but she had a splitting headache, sore throat, and fever-like chills—closer to symptoms of the pneumonic plague, which attacks the respiratory system. A doctor diagnosed Jesus with venereal disease; his daughter Francisca, with double pneumonia. Up until October 30th—nearly a month into the epidemic—those who would come to be afflicted received diagnoses ranging from double pneumonia, to meningitis, the flu, and typhus. The Lajun’s expectant neighbor, Luciana Samarano, helped nurse her neighbors. However, on October 4th, Francisca Lajun died; her cause of death was listed as “double pneumonia.” On October 18th, the young Luciana Samarano prematurely gave birth to her baby boy; the boy was delivered stillborn, and Luciana herself died the next day. Jesus Lajun, the patient zero, died nine days later. In the midst of all this alarm, Father Medrano Brualla from Our Lady Queen of the Angels Church was summoned to administer the ailing victims' last rites. Presumably, the unsuspecting Father Brualla laid his hands upon the dying family and friends, unaware—as was the rest of the community—that he was transferring a debilitating disease onto his body. Father Brualla died less than a week later. Within a week of the Samarano, Lajun, and Brualla funerals, more than a dozen members of the community who were in attendance and eight members of the Samarano family had all died. An additional six community members who lived on Date Street, Bauchet Street, and Macy Street, died whithin the days following the Samaranos. By the end of it all, over three dozen were infected with the plague, and all but perhaps five of them--a young child being among the survivors-- perished. Even IF officials had caught the spread of the plague (bac: Yersinia Pestis) immediately following the Lajun deaths, the disease was still a few steps ahead of even the era’s best investigators, as other people had come into contact with the Lajuns—family, friends, acquaintances in the neighborhood. (Left: Grocery store near 742 Clara, where the first live rat with the plague was found. Source: Calisphere Digital Library) A Discreet Experimentation Lab and a Holy Quarantine Site By the last week of October 1924, the Los Angeles County Hospital and the Los Angeles Department of Health were trapping and conducting tests on rats found under the houses of the Lower Eighth Ward. At long last, the tests confirmed their eerie suspicions: the rats were carrying the Plague. (Below: A rat felled by the plague. The archive's caption notes that the obvious bubonic growth on the rat's left side weighed more than the rat's total body mass.) Some photos I found in UC Berkeley’s Calisphere archive reveal that this building at 1015 East 8th Street—which still stands--was used as the rat experimentation laboratory. Update, late 2020: It appears that the "Ratatorium" has been sold and is boarded up. I hope this doesn't spell the end for this historic and beautiful building..... Meanwhile, at the patient zero house, 742 Clara, three young brothers became sick, as did three recent visitors to their house. At this point, the four investigators ordered samples be taken from the young men. Officials took the samples to this previously unknown location and inoculated guinea pigs with the illness. The results doubly confirmed their eerie suspicions. On October 30th, department officials finally announced that the plague was in Los Angeles, and ordered a quarantine of an 8-square block portion of the Macy Street neighborhood (also called “the Mexican section” by elected officials of the day), as well as a three-square block portion of the Belvedere Gardens neighborhood in Unincorporated East Los Angeles, in the vicinity of Floral and Humphreys Drive, near the present-day 710 Freeway. Below: 741 Clara Street, across the street from the patient zero house, with its bottom clapboards removed by health investigators. Below: The Mission-style church at 333 Bauchet Street, was used as the quarantine site. By morning on November 1st, the whole neighborhood was quarantined. Militarized surveillance was deployed; 400 guards were posted in the fronts and backs of houses, and nobody was allowed in or out, not even to attend services at Our Lady Queen of the Angels or St. Vibiana. And they couldn’t go to their neighborhood church at 333 Bauchet Street, because it was the quarantine building. The mission would include several quarantine districts: -“Macy Street District,” with emphasis on Clara, Date, and Bauchet Streets; -“South Hill Street” district, which consisted of one apartment building; -“Marengo Street” and “Pomeroy Street”, partially within CIty limits and partially within Unincorporated East Los Angeles, both areas of which were sparsely populated -“Belvedere” – The vicinity of what is now Cesar Chavez Avenue in Belvedere Gardens. Check out these quarantine district maps I found, also in the Calisphere archives: (Bottom left: Location of trapping districts; Bottom right: individual rat trappings; Bottom: Individual human cases of the plague. A Genealogy of the Macy Street Neighborhood The Victims of the Los Angeles Plague Early victims at 742 Clara: - Jesus and Francisca Lujon, father and daughter. - Lucena (Luciana) and Guadalupe Samarano, husband and wife, and Guadalupe’s sister Marie. - The Samarano children: Gilberto, Victor, Raul, and Roberto. (Only young Raul lived.) - Arthur, Victor, and Horace Gutierrez (Samarano cousins) who became ill after claiming Guadalupe’s body from the morgue. - Alfredo Burnett, who was Luciana’s son from a previous marriage. - Father Medrano (Manuel) Brualla (or Bruella), who administered last rites to the early victims. Boarders at 742 Clara: - Fred Ortega - Giuseppe Bagnolio - Brothers Michael and Jose Jimenez (Guadalupe Samarano’s brothers), who were the last. They realized --too late-- that they had better move out of the house. - Martin Hernandez (born “Abendanio”, a surname found in the Phillipines) – Did chores at 742 Clara. Residents of Marianna Street in Belvedere Gardens: - Guadalupe Valenzuela, and her children Jesus and Maria Residents of Bauchet Street: - Eulogio Peralta (“Lujo”) and Refugio Ruiz Residents of 712 1/2 Clara: - Tomassa Vera, his wife, and their three children Health professionals and their patients: -John Emmet McLaughlin, an ambulance driver who ran his business with his brother Frank (the latter of whom survived). -Mary Costello, a nurse at Los Angeles County Hospital. She received experimentally large mercurochrome shots and survived. -Jessie Flores, who was transported and accepted to County Hospital around the same time as Guadalupe Samarano. Attendees of the Lajun and/or Samarano funerals, and their neighbors around town and Unincorporated East Los Angeles -Ruth San Ramon -Josephe Christenson -Peter Hernandez -Urbano Hurtado -Juliano and Efren Herrera -Maria and Mercedo Rodriguez -Juana Moreno -Frank Perinlo The plague would advance eastward into the unincorporated county areas east of Los Angeles, southward along Main and Broadway Streets, westward into Beverly Hills, and southeast into the then-undeveloped City of Vernon. As I did with the La Loma and Naud Junction neighborhoods, I now present to you a genaeology of eleven streets within the Macy Street neighborhood. I went adress number by address number, retreived all the builder information that could be located for each parcel, and compiled them accordingly. As the Macy Street neighborhood was essentially one of the city's first residential neighborhoods, many of the original structures predate 1905, the earliest year from which building permits are available. However, given the profusion of businesses in the neighborhood, I was able to turn up a great deal of tenant information from city directories over the year. ---> House afflicted by the plague are marked in red. ---> "Built on..." usually means that the permit was stamped on that date. ---> The names listed are the names of the builders. ---> Tenants information was derived from a combination of city directories (particulalrly the 1923-1924 edition) and a pamphlet called "International Chinese Business Directory of the World: A Comprehensive List of Prominent Chinese Firms and Individuals in Parts of China, Japan, India Proper " compiled by business leader Wong Kin of the International Chinese Business Directory Co. CLARA STREET 501 to 515 – MACY STREET SCHOOL – 76’x126’ – Designed by Albert Martin (AC Martin) -Permit stamped Apr. 22, 1915. -Martin helped design, among other things, Los Angeles City Hall. -To build this, LAUSD first demolished an existing 60’x60’ private school on June 12th -This school was run by John F. Wilson of 210 W. 31st Street -A.C. Martin later designed another 12’x66’ lean-to, which was built 9-5-1917. 519 – Robert Finleyson – 25’ by 30’ room – Contractor” P. Lippi - Stamped 1/14/1906 – C.T. 521 – LAUSD – 212’x30’ Boiler House – Architect A.C. Martin – 4-23-1915. 525 – Jesus Colon and J.D. Segura – Demolish vacant 55’x24’ SFD with garage – 10-15-1958. 531 – Extension of Macy Street School – Permit stamped on 7-16-1915. 632 – Demolition of 1-sty 30’x30’ sfd. Mead Wrecking. CT. 10-10-1956. 700 – G. Somona of Macy Street – 34’x56’ foot brick building. Permit stamped 5-29-1905. – Architect-builders John Knopfel and Paul Haus Miggins of 233 E 30th St. - The rooming house where, according to William Deverell, Mr. Lajun conversed with neighbors following his unwitting infection with the plague. 707 – Joseph M. Andary of 523 Macy St – New 4-room 1-sty – Contractor Gil Estrada of 114 N. Gless. – 12-12-1921 -Moved by Lee Mead Wrecking of 8226 Atlantic Blvd, Bell CA- May 12 1937. 709 – Dwight Saito of _3_(?) Azusa Street – 1-room cottage – Permit stamped March 4th, 1906. Owner-built. -Moved out by Lee Mead Wrecking of 8226 Atlantic Blvd Bell - May 12 1937. 710 – V. Chavez of 324 E 1st St – move 1-story 5-rm SFD out of city. - Contractor Kimmett H.M. Co. of 4633 E. 3rd St. 712 - No permits available. 714 – Industrial Sand and Gravel Co. of 726 N. Alameda – Storage Bldg. – Jan 21 1921 -Demoed in May 25 1934 by J. Jessup of 3821 Baldner(?) Ave. 717 – Mary E. Smith of 725 Clara – 12’x20’ 2-rm 1-sty bldg. on 40’x140’ lot (@ rear of lot) -Contractor: PJ Leaver and Co. of 219 San Fernando Bldg. - Apr 23 1910 -Added two 10’x15’ rooms in May 1910 with same contractor. -E.M. Starr added plumbing in May 1914. W.D. Newell Plumbing Co. 718 - Demoed in May 25, 1934 by J. Jessup of 3821 Baldner (?) Ave. 721 – Domenico Fornasaro of 726 Clara Street – 30’x30’ sfd on 40’x100’ lot -Contractor Napoleon Maron (?) and (?) Yolpathi of 200 San Fernando Rd. -Demoed Sept 7, 1934 by John Jessup of 3821 Baldner(?) Avenue. 725-727 – John Belletieri of 852 N. Broadway – 24’x26’ – 1-sty 4-rm -Architect JB Lambert of (unlisted) (A Pseudonym of the owner, possibly.) -Belletieri built two of these. 729 – Ralph Seymour – No dimensions listed - Stamped Dec 28 1922. -Contractor: Atlas Building Materials and Wrecking Co. of 800 Macy Street. 730 – Maime (??) – Approx. 30’x40’ 1-story Folk Victorian cottage – Built mid-1891. (Below) Mamie is shown with her children Della and Arthur in front of the family home at 730 Clara Street - 1898 - Provided by Marjorie Aquilino. 731 – Mr. Augustine of 731 Clara St. – Contractor Mr. Hastings of 948 Court Circle (?). –Alterations to 1-sty cottage. May 29th 1906. -30’x40’ foot machine shop/foundry. 10/17/1910. -Lived at 451 W. 46th St (now under the 110 Freeway) -Stefans Aiassa owned it by 1-7- 1922. - Converted it to industrial shops/residence. -He lived at 443 Bauchet. -Apr 26 1932: cuts away porch to conjoin buildings. Lived at 2748 Moss Ave. -Built garage 5-11-1932. All demolished 4 years later in mid-1936. 734 – POZZO CONSTRUCTION – of 501 Macy and 421 Macy – 24’x36’ cottage, -add two rooms – 2-19-1908 -Now a two story house -11/17/1914: Pozzo raises building by 2.5 feet and adds partitions. (Cellar?) -2 days later: began construction of 12’x35’ foot bldg. 737- Laura E. Wiedenbeck (or Wiedenbach) of 655 S. Central – move barn to back, add room – 5/1/1912 – 10’x20’ -Wallen Portable Cottage Co. of 1522 S. Grand -Add 14’x26’ second house. 738-740 - Ramon Calderon of 742 Clara Street – Mar 19 1924 – 14’x48’, 1 sty bldg. Adobe soil - S.B. -This was one of the houses afflicted by the 1924 plague. -Calderon purchased 738, 740, and 742 from August and Olympia Peroni, who moved to Edendale (Silver Lake) in 1923. -Claderon bought the three properties as an investment, a fixer-upper. -He had just begun improvements and add-ons when the Plague struck. 741 – M.M. Willard of 558 Bishop Street (Chavez Ravine) - 10’x24’ 1 sty Stable and 24’x40’ cottage – 10-8-1913. - Joe Palraz or Palroz of 712 Brooks Ave. (Chavez Ravine)– repairs to 24’x40’ cottage. - Completely redo walls and roof due to plague. - Contractor: WJ Loveless of 118 S. Ave 18 – Permit stamped 11-28-1924, immediately after the plague. 742 – Nella and William Mead – 28x40 multi-family boarding house – Mid-1895 – Day work. -This was the focus house of the 1924 Plague. Though the Lajuns, the first to be infected, lived down the block, 742 Clara Street stood witness to the most victims. It was where Luciana and Guadalupe Samarano lived, along with Guadalupe’s brothers Mike and Jose Jimenez, and borders Joe Bagnolio and Fred Ortega. Bagnolio and Ortega were the last in the house to die. Strangely, of all the hundreds of houses that Mead Wrecking and other City contractors destroyed, 742 survived the plague. It was scrapped through eminent domain sometime in the mid 1930s. Below is the immolation of 738-740 Clara. 743 – James Walker of 237 Mission Rd. – Move 24’x30 sfd to 223 N. Mission Road and remodel – 5/27/1937. 745 – Pablo Rosales of 747 Clara – 34’x10’ 1-story cottage – Permit stamped 10-10-1922. 746 – Magdalena Herrera – Added toilet and plumbing to 36’x12’ sfd – 2-21-1927 -Moved to 4457 ½ Topaz St. in 4-9-1937 by Carlos Zavala of 3756 Monterey Rd. 748 – M. Herrera of 746 Clara – New 3-room 12’x36’ sfd. -Contractor C.C. Clark of 6658 6th Avenue – 12-4-1923. 750 – T. Anda of 447 Bauchet – Move 22’x32’ SFD from Bauchet Street to this address. -4-20-1937 – Moved to 9601 Croesus by Mrs. Dora Hauser -She lived at 9640 San Miguel Ave, South Gate. -Contractor: G.T. Hill of __ South Central Avenue. 751 – Alphonse Haas – Add a story to existing one-story home – 3-24-1906. -John Jessup of 3821 Baldwin St. Demoed it on 9-7-1934. 753 – F. Massas of Same Address – Architect’s name illegible – Contractor Set__ino Bertois of 1138 Walnut Hill Ave. -New 32’x20 I story, 6-room house. 755 – RV Musso of S.A. – Move from 218 Railroad Street – (Now Llewellen St. in Dogtown) -Contractor Pozzo Construction of “Cor[ner] Macy and Clara St.” -Nov 24 1933 – Capitol Company of 649 S. Olive – Repairs to 20’x30’ bldg. -Contractor: Alteration and Maintenance Co. of 423 Bank of America Bldg. 756 – Peter Giovanetti – Repair foundation and re-level 25’x35’ house - Built using own work – 8-15-1933. 758 – P. Barosa – Massive remodel to 22’x30’ 1-sty, sfd + Addition of 17’x22’ room -Contractor: Pozzo Construction of 421 Macy Street – May 22, 1911. 764 – John Coretto of 764 Clara St. – New 24’x36’ bldg - Built using own work – 4-2-1923. Below: The buildings that once stood at 750 Clara Street, relocated in 1936 to the 9600 block of Croesus Avenue in Watts. (Source: Google Street View) MARCHESSAULT STREET (This was the focal center of the Macy Street neighborhood’s Chinese community.) 103 – R. Vasquez – 2-story brick store. -Removal of awning, March 1937, a few years before demolition. -Contractor: Sun-Ray Awning Co. of 7607 S. Main Street. 109 – Mrs. Rose Raymond – 2-story, 90’x110’ store. -General exterior repairs by contractor O.H. Carlson of 2346 Echo Park Ave. – Permit stampted 3/23/1939. -Sold to Marie S. Wild and Ethel M. Chase the next month. -They lived at 1755 Fashion Ave. in Long Beach. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 115 to 125 MARCHESSAULT STREET (also 606 Olvera Street) Former site of Augustin Olvera Adobe, and presently the site of the Biscailuz Building/Methodist Church. The Olvera Adobe measured 26’x32’ feet and was demolished in early-mid 1917 to build the Methodist Church. Jan 1911: The last owner, N. (or V.) Dowe, hired contract K. Utsunomiya of 412 Jackson St. for interior renovations. Dec. 5, 1917 – Parcel now owned by Methodist Board of Latin-American Missions. -Hired Pacific Portable Construction Co. Inc of 1420 S. Hill to build a temporary 32’x50’ church for $950. -Two of these were built, one as an office-clinic, and the other as the actual chapel. -Permit stamped 12/5/1917. -In mid-1921, the owner was listed as “Plaza Community Center”. -Hired architect Arthur G. Lindley to convert a garage to gymnasium 6/1921. -In Oct 5, 1922, the office and chapel (but not the gymnasium) were relocated to 609 New High Street, a gas station. -The moving contractors were John Sampson and Co. of 701 Antonio Street. -The owners changed their name to Community Center, Inc. in 1923. -They initially pulled a permit for their superchurch on August 3rd, hiring Train & Williams for the job. -It was to be constructed of steel-reinforced concrete and span 96’x 84’. -Construction was assessed at $150,000. -The “notes” section of the permit reads: “3,250 lbs of concrete, 190 tons of steel.” -Due to delays, the project was cancelled 2 years later; permit reads, “Refund demand.” -The next month, on April 18th, 1925, the permit was renewed. -The details were nearly all the same, but construction was assessed at $200,000. -In November 1926, the Biscailuz building was built next door. -Same contractor/architects (plus Chas Cressay), construction assessed $84,629 -“Purpose of building” listed on permit reads: “Religion, Education, Charity.” -Most significant alterations made in Apr 1935, Sept. 1939, and late 20th Century. Below left: Marchessault Street at its Western terminus, Alameda Street. Below right: Immediately after turning onto Marchessault, looking southeast. (Source: Calisphere) 207 – Safway Steel Scaffold Co. of 1056 Lillian Way – -May 1939: Construction of “Temporary Grand Stand. ” Own work. - Engineer W.E. Wilson; no address listed. 208 – (Damaged permit; illegible.) C.T. -Site of Dr. Fong Sue Nom’s medical office. 209 – Los Angeles Water (?) Department of 440 S. Hill -Construction of Store house and room in June-July 1909 212 – Young S. Lee’s store -12’x20’, single-story -Hired plumber S. Tagashira of 326 Jackson St. in Oct. 1914 to install gas/plumbing. -Owned by Key Kee Co. in Nov. 1921. Made interior alterations that month. 216 – Trader (?) Bank (?) Co. of 114 West 4th Street. -Alterations to 2-story brick hotel-store. Own work. Mid-1914. -Site of Duck Yuen General Merchandise. Builder information unknown. 262 – Mrs. Lillian Moore, c/o T---ian Bank. 2-story hotel-store. -Permit reads: “Presently, everything is occupied by Chinese.” [pic] -Re-roofing using day work. Top: A family walks down Marchessault Street, near its southern terminus. Bottom left: Marchessault and Los Angeles Street (between 100 and 200 block) Bottom right: 300 block of Marchessault, south side of street. 300 to 330 Marchessault A 2-story brick building around the turn-of-the-century by Chu (or Chew) Paek. There were stores on the ground floor and 28 rooms up top. Each commercial unit had its own address. Mr. Paek lived in a unit in the building and nearby at 307 Nap__ice (?) Street (I’m trying to figure out what this street name reads). 300 – Toy (or Troy) Farlow (also “Far Low”) – Plumbing for existing store building, and convert 2nd story to restaurant: Toy Far Low Restaurant. -Contractor #1: L.A. Gas Supply of 639 S. Hill Street, August 17th 1914 -Contractor #2: J. Royse of 342 N. Main Street -7/21/1930: Farlow made masonry repairs on the building before demolition. -Hayes Marble and Tile Co. of 1010 West 42nd Street, contractor. -Later the site of Fong Yuen General Merchandise. 302 – Site of Wing On Tong Drug Store. 304 - Site of Mon Yick Tong Drug Store. 306 – Site of Din Sau Tong Drug Store. -UPDATE, October 2021: Asphalt Island reader Jessica Casas tells us this store was run by her grandfather, whose name was actually Dun Sow Hong; his name was mispelled in the city directory. She tells me: "In 1897, he was getting ready to embark back to China, something that was very common for the Chinese to do. However, during this voyage he would have to hire an attorney and meet with the Collector of Customs to embark and also to insure he could return back to the U.S. without detention. Luckily he was able to make several trips without an issue, except my great grandma who was wrongfully detained and interrogated at Angel Island. Before my great grandfather was married, he lived in Pasadena and owned the herb shop as part of a partnership. I just found your website looking for pictures of the area." 306 ½ – Chew Pack & Co. General Merchandise offices. -[directory entry] 308 – Chu Paek ; Chow, Yuen and Co. General Merchandise – 2-room (14’x23’) addition to 2-story brick storefront; repair fire damage. -Conractor James P. Watt of 1565 West 22nd Street – Dec 20 1912 -Office addition permit approved the next week, Dec 26. -Site of Sue Yen Chop House 310 – Tsue Chong Yuen Co. Merchandise - Owner: C. Chong Yuen - 2-story general store built in 1900. - Contractor: Yee Yick Tong – Wood floor repairs – 4-2-1909. 312 – Site of Wah Chong and Co. General Merchandise. Builder information unavailable. 314 – Jung Tong – 24’x60’ brick building – 1 story – Jun 24, 1927. -Contractor John Parks of 534 Ceres Avenue. -Site of Yee Fong & Yuen Co. General Merchandise. 316 – Tong Kee General Merchandise. Builder details unknown. -[Directory picture] 316 ½ - Kwong Wing & Co. General Merchandise Above four: The 300 block of Marchessault, showing residential flats and chop suey joints. (Source: Calisphere) Below: The estate of the Apablaza family (relatives of the Sepulvedas). (Source: Calisphere) 305 – Site of Kwong Hing Lung Co. Merchandise and Quong Ying Lung Merchandise. Builder info unavailable 307 to 309 Marchessault – The Estate of Concepcion Apablasa de Sepulveda -Her other property was at 537 S. Grand -2-story brick building with Café/Stores. 3rd story addition made in the late 1910s. -Conception Sepulveda died on August 9, 1931, ushering in a long battle for her estate. 307 – Site of Wing Chong Long Grocery. Builder information unknown. 307 ½ – Site of Soon Lee and Co. Merchandise. 309 -J.J. Burgess of 1014 S. Main Street, contractor, repairs, permit stamped 9/5/1912. -Owned by Chan Sing by 1915; he added plumbing that year. -Contractor: R.J. Lang of 315 S. Thomas St. (this section of Thomas St. no longer exists). -General repairs. Contractor B.J. Yanez of 219 S. Main Street. -Permit stamped 9/4/1913. -309 was leased by Mao Fong by January 1922. -He erected an electric sign for his restaurant that month. -Contractor: Electric Sign Co. of 114 ½ E. 9th Street. Los Angeles. 311 – Site of Kwong Sing Kee & Co. General Merchandise. Builder info unavailable. 313 – Mr. J.H. Wiley – unknown dimension residence. – Contractor: Qoun Pon . --Mr. Wiley hired R.J. Lang of 315 S. Thoms Street to install plumbing in April 1915. Below three photos: The mid-300 block of Marchessault Street. (Source: Calisphere) 315 to 327 – 2 story, 25’x150’ brick store. ^^^ -315 – Mr. Woo of 827 Juan Street. -Installation of door connecting Marchessault and Apablaza sides of the building. -Owner work. Permit stamped 3/6/1907. -Site of Kwong Ying Lung Grocery 315 ½ - Site of Leung Yick and Co. General Merchandise and Yue Yick Grocery Store. 317 – Site of Hing General Merchandise and Yee Sang & Co. Grocery Store. 319 – Site of Bow Sui Tong’s Drug Store. Builder details unknown. 321 - Purchased by Woo Yuan of 315 Marchessault in c. 1915-16 -Re-roofing by Reliable Roofing Co. of 313 N. Los Angeles St. in April 1916. - J.J. Burgess of 1048 S. Mott Street re-floored the ground floor concrete. -Site of Cong Kee General Merchandise. -Directory entry -Also the site of Quang Sang Chong and Co. Grocery Store. 323 - Purchased by Mon Ming Jan (or Jam) Co. in 1913. -Plumbing installed the following August. Contractor: G.E. Frazer of 632 N. Main Street. -Site of Dai Sang Tong Drug Store. 323 ½ – Wong Foo Yun purchased this section in 1917. He performed interior alterations that March. -Contractor: S. Imamura of 345 ½ Jackson Street. -This unit measured 18’x60’. 325 – Site of Mow Lung & Lee Kee Dry Goods Store. Builder information unavailable. 327 – Site of Sam Wo’s Restaurant. Builder information unavailable. 315-327 was wrecked in its entirety by Mead Wrecking, the same folks who demoed most of the 8th Ward. Below left: Children frolic on Marchessault Street. (Source: Calisphere) Below right: Dr. Richard Tom and his son in front of his office. (Source: Calisphere) 322 – Site of Yee Sing and Co. Drug Store. Builder information unavailable. 322 ½ - Site of Kwong Yet Lung General Merchandise. Builder information unavailable. 328 – Site of Yick Chong General Merchandise. Builder information unavailable. 329 – Site of Hang Yuen Grocery Store. Builder information unavailable. 330 – Site of Mow Hop Vegetables and Produce. Builder information unavailable. 331 – Liam Suo’s General Store –T. Taisho of 210 N. Alameda installed plumbing in May 1914. -Later Wing Tai’s Cloting Store. -Purchased by S. Pacific Railroad Co. and demolished in Dec. 1934/Jan. 1935. Day work. 332 – Ming On Co. of 812 Juan Street – 1-story store -Additions to interior, May 1909. 333 – Site of Lai Chung General Merchandise. Builder information unavailable. 335 – Site of Kwong Chung Lee Grains. Builder information unavailable. 337 ½ - 3-story hotel owned by Jim Johnson in the early 1910s. -Plumbing installed by H. Gordon of 611 N. Bunker Hill Avenue in April 1915. 341 – Kwong Yee Chong General Merchandise. Builder information unavailable. Above two: The end of the 300 block of Marchessault Street. (Source: Calisphere) Below: Demolition of Marchessault Street, 1951. (Source: USC Digital Libraries; LAPL) RAMIREZ STREET (Mostly still in existence, although non-residential) 400 – J.I. Santos of 3125 Perlita Ave. – 10’ x 32’ Auto Body Shop w/ Incinerator - Day Work – Stamped 12/30/1930 410 – W.T. Sedis (Seddes) of 150 N. Los Angeles St. - New 47’6” x 93’2” warehouse for Western Grain & Hay Co. - Architect: J.C. Austin; Contractor: H.P. Wiechmann of 3031 Foster Street. - Company stakeholder D.C. Lay of 1013 N. Hobart Blvd. - Built 1 more 17’ x 30’ shed in November 1923. - …and another 30’ x 120’ shed in July 1924…and another 83’ x 12’ shed in October 1925. - The hay barns were dismantled and moved to Artesia (address not listed) in April 1932. 420 – 9/26/1956 permit for grading; 1/15/1957 certificate of occupancy for the USPS Terminal. 423 – Marie Schmidt – 50’ x 50’ single-family dwelling – 1904 – Day work. -2-room addition (14’ x 28’) in March 1911 425 – Gianluigi Santi – 14’ x 30’ single-family dwelling – c. 1904 – Owner-built - CT 427 – A. Cassin and M. Cassin – 12’ x 24’ brick SFD - Builder: (?) Preter of 2240 Rogers Avenue – 5/13/1905 - Demolished by Cleveland Wrecking on May 13th, 1957 for Post Office expansion. 435 – Gabriel Arellaga – Barn, 12’ x 52’ – on a 50’ x 95’ lot. 10/26/1911. - BUILDER: A.A. Guzman of 560 Gallardo St. (Just across the river). -Purchased by Southern Pacific R.R. in March 1935, demolished by Nicoletti Contractors. 436 – Espia Gonzales – 20’ x 35’ food SFD, wood – March 3rd, 1906 - Day Work. - CT Above: LA City Directory entry from 1923-1924. (Source: Google Libraries) Below: Residences on Ramirez Street, 1901. (Source: Calisphere) 503 - (also 802 Lyon) – L.A. Gas & Elec. Co. of 645 S. Hill St. – 30 x 200 gas silo building – Owner-builder – 3/7/1922. 505 – L.A. Gas & Elec. Co. of 645 S. Hill St. – 20’ x 200’ Office and workshop. 507 – Plant for the Wartime agency Defense Plant Corp. 513 – Auxilliary plant (100’x100’) for Maier Brewing Company (then at 500 E. Commercial St.) -June 1968 Demolition by K & H Demo Co. 515 – Maier Brewing Co. grounds (SEE BELOW) 516 – L. George of 626 Turner St – Relocation of 15’ x 31’ SFD to 157-159 S. Utah Street – 4/7/1922 518 – Relocation of 6-room SFD to 153 S. Utah Street – 4/7/1922. 520 – Relocation of 5-room SFD to 153 1/2/ S. Utah Street – 4/7/1922. (p)CT Below: Demolition of Several homes on Ramirez Street. LYON STREET 701 – Car yard and 50’ x 125’ parking garage – Demolition by Whiting-Mead Co. – Jan. 3, 1934. 710 – Nareth (or Naureth) Hardware Store - Construction of 2 stores, 25’4” x 33’ (1 sty) and 18’ x 30’ (1.5 sty). - Contractor-builder: A.J. Daniels of 1050 North Bonnie Brae St - Permit stamped March 6, 1906. -Ha, the 1000 block of N. Bonnie Brae was turnin’ up around that time --->(See: Azusa Street Revival) 711 to 715 – Industrial Devt. & Land Co. - 1 story, 60’ by 200’ Warehouse-storeroom – c. 1903 - C.M. Healy (or Nealy, or Neaby) of 526 Brittania St. – Contractor. - Owned by Beacon Lights of 636 S. Hill by 1920 - Mezzanine built by V.P. Gilbert, 403 City Nat’l Bank Bldg. - Owned by Ramblin(?) Silver by 5/22/1928 – Built 16’ x 36’ office – contractor B. Barger, 656 N. Cummings -Foundation reports, July-August 1959; demo'ed shortly before for Annex expansion. 721 – E. Diefebbi – Shed for farm – Nov. 10, 1910 – Owner-builder -Martin Bratier owned it by 1924. -Hired W.M. Goodwin of 5347 Alba St. to build another stable in March. 723 – Pacific Roo(?) Theaters of 310 E. 35th St – Building purpose illegible – New construction, 2/13/1907. 725 – J.C. Cliff – Shed “to keep stock out of the rain” - 12’ x 38’ and 50’ x 150’ – Permit stamped 10/19/1909. -Owned by P. Pelanconi by 10/28/1911 – Built another 18’ by 40’ shed that month. 727 – Coates & Hevener of 6080 Salem Place (?? Doesn’t exist) - Harness room – 12’ by 20’, single story. 731 to 735 – Giovanni Di Santini - 110’ by 140’ Barn – February or March 1902. -Demolished 4/25/1918 by Whiting-Mead Wrecking of 410(?) East 9th Street 740 – R.L. Goggin of 427 East 5th St. – Stock Barn, 50’ x 12’ – Self-built, 5/24/1909. -Sold it to Raymond Atore Co. later that year. -They built a 16’ by 20’ office in November of that year. -Contractor R.N. Martin of 1445 Rich Street. 747-785 – J.F. Murphy – Site of Murphy Horse and Mule Co. – Early 1903 – Builder information unavailable. Below: Jewel Stables of 721 Lyons Street, directly adjacent to the train tracks. (Source: Calisphere) 800 to 802 – Grounds of LA Gas and Electric Co. and later Southern California Gas Co. -Numerous buildings; July 1911 (20’x75’), March 1922 (30’ x 200’), and others. 801 – James T. Beach of 106 East Washington Blvd. – 2 story, 80’ by 40’ stable, early 1904. 805 – Industrial Land&Development Co. of 726 N. Alameda St. – 2-story 24’x84’ Collar Factory -Day work – permit stamped Jul 22 1918. 809 – E. Puissegui – Relocated 3 separate small cottages to this site in Mid-September 1907 - Relocated from 811 Center St. - Owner-builder - Pierre Villili of Newport Beach purchased the property in 1912. -Built a 2-story storefront (40’ by 50’). -Contractor: J.S. Brikaw, address not listed. -Sometime before 1924, when Industrial Land Development Co. purchased the property, it had become a bottling plant. W.J. Gray of 2131 Sunset Blvd. made improvements. 810 – Alphonse Eyrond – 12’x14’ 1-story Storeroom – Jan 21 1908 -He signed the contractor as “John Doe of 812 Lyon Street”. Lol. -He built a similar sized shed that October. -Owned by S. Imamura of 345 ½ Jackson Street by Jul. 1918. He built another barn. -3 years later Imamura sold the property. A house mover wrecked one residence. -The other residence was moved to 6531 Denver Avenue by Mrs. Olivia McCoy in August 1921. It is still there today. 817 – Adelberto Gurrola – 24’x40’ Barn and residence (residence on mezzanine) – Owner-built – Jan 6 1906. -Later a Southern Pacific Railroad facilities building. - C.T. 818 – F. Vanoni, “Box 263, Van Nuys CA” – 5-rm, 1-sty, 28’x40’ SFD – Owner-built. – Mid 1903. -Relocated March 24 1921 to 2606 Granada Street. -Demolished illegally sometime thereafter. -Contractor John Mc(?) of 1506 E. Colorado, Glendale 822 – Ettore Allesandri – 20’x30’ 1-story SFD – 3/8/1905. -E. Rigb(?) of 1310 San Pablo St. – Contractor. -Southern California Gas & Electric purchased the property in 1922, razed the home, and built facilities. 826 to 830 – John W. Snowden - 60’x96’ Stable and sales office on 100’ by 200’ lot – Owner-built – 1/16/1911. -Purchased in the early 1920s by Louise Naud, a relative of ___Naud -By 1934 was part of the L.A. Gas and Electric Property. Above two: Mule yard at 747-785 Lyon St. called the Murphy Stables. (Source: Calisphere) 827 – Roberto Solis – 12’ x 20’ 1-story residence – Owner-built – 2/10/1925. 831 – P. Amaty – 40’ by 25’ 1-story SFD – Builder information unavailable -Contractor Torrillo and Assoc. added plumbing in May 1914. 835 – Industrial Development and Land Co. of 726 N. Alameda St. - 30’ by 40’, 2-story, 8-room residence - In 1941, Lewis and Sweasy added a service station. 836 – W. Stewart – 20’ by 64’ Shed for stock – Contractor H. Williams of 840 Lyon St. – Permit dated 12/26/1911. 837 – Builder’s name unavailable – Used tire shop – 2-sty 20’x40’ – Built e. 1905 (as per 1953 demolition permit). 838 – W. Stewart’s home – 1-story, 30’ by 100’ – Contractor J. Goodwin – Nov 28 1911 -Additional 50’ by 32’ corral on-site 840 – Same as 838. 842 – L.A. Gas and Electrical Co. storage. 7/12/1930 – No contractor 846 - L.A. Gas and Electrical Co. Boiler Room 2-story, 100’x240’ – 7/18/1922 858 – L.A. Gas and Electrical Co. storage building and pump house – 42’x30’ – 10/20/1922 866 – Defense Plant Corp. Grounds. 900 – Southern California Gas Co. Grounds. 902 – Southern California Gas Co. Grounds. 906 – Southern California Gas Co. Grounds. 916 – L.A. Gas and Electric Co. Reservoir, 1922. 920 – Pioneer Fertilizer Co. – Stable , 84’x36’ – 11/05/1909. -Later Southern California Gas Co. Grounds 921 – Industrial Land and Development Co. – Warehouse, 46’x120’ – W.A. Du(??)ih of 1422 N. Mariposa St. permit stamped 11/24/1915 922 - L.A. Gas and Electric Co. Transformer room – 1922. 923 – Site of Grinnel Co. Warehouse and Factory, 1922. - 50’x120’ 924 - L.A. Gas and Electric Co. Machinery warehouse, 1922. - 43’ by 123’ 926 - L.A. Gas and Electric Co. Briquet Press Bldg. – 1921 928 - L.A. Gas and Electric Co. Transformer room – 1922 930 – Southern California Gas Co. – Turbo blower building, 18’x36’ - 1942 or 1943. 932 - L.A. Gas and Electric Co. - Engine room, Compressor, and Gas Storage - 52’ x 35’ each – 1921 - Enclosures sans equipment were relocated to Gladding McBean and Co. Factory on Los Feliz Blvd in 1943. 940 - L.A. Gas and Electric Co. – Room for workers: Toilet, lockers, and showers, 1922. 944 – E.J. Dosch-Bartell (or Bosch-Bartell) – Barn – Contractor Mason Moretti – February 20 1908. -L.A. Gas and Electrical Corp. purchased the property in 1912 and built facilities there in 1914. 950 – Site of Eureka Iron and Metals Co. Factory of 551 Macy Street. - Architect was A.C. Martin & Associates. - (Martin died in 1960, but his firm is still in existence.) A.C. Martin must have seen this neighborhood change a lot during his career. After all, he designed the Macy Street School in the early 1920s, and it stood for less than two decades. 951 – Industrial Development and Land Co. – Cafeteria – Sometime before March 1921 956 – Maier Packing Co.– Main Grounds, 13 acres. -On March 4th, 1906, the company received permission to build 5 buildings, some of which would have been one of the taller ones in the immediate area at the time. The five buildings were: -89’x145’, 4 stories; 50’x100’, 1 story; 96’x97’, 5 stories; 36’x132’, 2 stories; and 60’x50’, 2 stories. 960 – Defense Plant Co. grounds, as of 1943. 966 – Southern California Gas Co. grounds, as of early 1940s. -Demolished in December 1964 and early 1973. 1000 Lyon – The site of a warehouse used by a few companies: First, by West Coast Beef and Provision Co., which was owned by Simon Maier and later became Maier Packing Co. According to the 1920 edition of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Committee Hearings, a company named Wilson + Co. acquired Maier Packing Co. in 1911, and they ceased slaughtering “steers” in 1912. Wilson + Co. apparently dealt with grains in addition to meat and refrigeration; one 1917 permit issued to Wilson and Co. is for an “Alfalfa Plant.” Plague-infected rats were found in this plant, but no workers or food were noted as having been infected. No demolition permit found. End of Lyon Street. HOWARD STREET 800 – Peter Lamm of 1029 Sentous Bldg. C.T. - 16’x32’ Bicycle shop - Relocate to 1706 East 1st Street - Contractor: Wilson House Movers of San Julian Street– Permit Stamped 6/19/1912. - L.A. Gas and Electric Grounds as of 1921. (Below: Relocation permit for 800 Howard Street. Source: LADBS) 801 – L.A. Gas and Electric Co. Gas Tank and Silo - 193’x123’ – Aug 9 1921. 807 – B. Russel of 933 Safford Street – 2 Rooming Houses, each 24’x36.’ - Relocate to 730 (or 1730) McAllister Street. Russel moved it himself. - McAllister St. no longer exists. It once ran between State St. and Lord St. - It was demolished to build the 5. 808 – L. Vicentini of 623 Clover Street – 1-story SFD, 24’x48’ - C.T. - RELOCATE to 623 Clover from 808 Howard. Contractor F. Arloski – 6/24/1912 812 – Martin Bertrand of 813 Howard St – 1-story residence. Dimensions not listed. - March 1904. 815 – W. Flew - 1914 Plumbing permit. 816 – Pierre Villete – 1-story residence, no dimensions. 1/27/1905, Doc # 1905LA00030 -Mr. Martin Bertrand, who had just finished his own house, was hired for the job. 820 – John Kalenhoff of 422 S. Gless St. -Relocate to 136 S. Pecan Street. Contractor: Mr. Arloski of 1615 N. Main St. -Demolished in the early 1920s. -Later the grounds of L.A. Gas and Electric Co. 823 – Sazo I(???)h of 610 Alpine St. – 38’x24’ SFD -Relocate to 2733 Cincinnati St, 1/8/1921. -2nd building relocated by W.S. Halsey of 902 San Fernando Rd. to 2612 Thorpe Ave. 2 months later. (Below: Relocation permit for 830 Howard. Source: LADBS) 830-32 – Jeanette Agoure of 636 Castellar Ave. - 20’x34’ Residence – 3/23/1905. -Contractor: Star Building Co. of 202 N. Aliso. -Architect: F.E. Darrington (or Barrington). Jeanette Agoure was a relative of Don Pedro Agoure, born Pierre Agoure in Basses-Pyrennes, France. The family were sheepherders in what is now the Conejo Valley. Agoura Hills’ name comes from a misspelling of “Agoure” by the US Postal Service. 833 – L.A. Gas and Electric Co. Grounds 834 – Giovanni Fazzi of 622 Macy Street – 14’x15’ Shed. -Contractor A. Guzman of 560 Gallardo St. Permit stamped Apr 26 1906. -Fazzi hired Guzman two years later (Sept 28, 1908) to build a 38’x24’ dwelling. 841 – H. Riley of 161 N. Avenue 34 – Relocated 24’x50’ dwelling to 161 N. Avenue 34 -Contractor Bickford Harelson of 1916 Compton Ave. – Stamped 9/3/1914. 846 – Lorenzo Flores of 538 Macy Street - 40’x24’ dwelling – early 1912 – Day work. – Relocated to 4501 Mercury Avenue (Still there @ rear of lot). 3/21/1921. 848 – M. Miller – 25x’35’ residence – early 1902 – plumbing installed 1914 by M.N. Perlich of 611 Laughlin Bldg. 849 – L.A. Gas and Electric Grounds 850 - L.A. Gas and Electric Grounds AVILA STREET (Portion Within Macy Neighborhood Only) 612 – Fred Webber – Stable Shed and Tool Storage – 50’ by 150’ – Permit stamped 11/4/1907. -Builder: C.A. Poulson and P.H. Ehlers of 619 San Fernando Bldg. 708 – Cesare Ruggiero of “Bauchet # 402” – Relocate cottage from 200 Macy ST. 8/8/1907 710-720 – Los Angeles Board of Education (Address 726 Security Bldg.) – Macy Street School Facilities. -Demolition permit: Document #1937LA26213. Very sad indeed. -One bungalow was moved to 2322 Sheridan St. Demolished later. Above: The mission-style church at the corner of Avila and Bauchet Street, used as a quarantine facility and emergency laboratory. 728 – Eduardo T. Arnaz - 26’x50’ rooming house – Contractor A.A. Guzman – Stamped Apr 10 1910. 732 – Eduardo L. Arnaz – demolish 50’by 50’ residence – Contractor: Arturo Guzman of 560 Gallardo Street – 4/19/1912. -On May 3rd, four permits were secured for four new buildings: 732A, 732B, 732C, and 728 D. - 732A Purchased by Ezra Blackmun (or Blackman, or Blackmor) of Garden Grove, CA. - Each was a 12’x24’ 2-story rooming house. 734 – Antonio Lara of 736 Avila – “3 Living Rooms” – 12’x20’ and 12’x24’ -Contractor Luis Berring of 523 N. Dalinsen (??) Street – 2/6/1906 736 – S. Elliotti of 734 Avila – 24’x26’ Residence – Contractor J.K. Flynn of 304 N. Broadway – Mar 20 1912. 740 – C. Bolditti (or Boldetti, or Bolditte) of 744 Avila -Contractor G.M. Guzman of 2892 Roxbury St. – 8/21/1907 -Same day: permit granted for Storefront, same contractor. 742 – F. Nattief (or P. Nattief, an Egyptian surname) – 3 total 18’x24’ dwellings -Built by Nattief and “None other than himself”. – 5/5/1921 752 - Cesare Ruggiero of “Bauchet # 402” – Store room -Architect P. Lippi – Stamped 11/4/1907 -Contractor: Grant Fless of “Corner of Ord and Main St.” 916 – Macy Street School Auxiliary Classrooms. JEANETTE STREET (Also, Jeanette Lane, Jeanette Alley, Jeanette Place) 300 – Southern California Water Works – of 400 Molino Street -Construction of Pump House – 1/25/1931 -Contractor: Rex R. Cooper Co. of 321 Western Pacific Building -Demolished in Jan 1934 along with a storage building. APABLASA STREET Above: Mid-block on Apablasa Street The extent of the address range on Apablaza Street was 200 to 299 and 300 to 344. Little is information available for the builders of the 200 to 299 block of Apablasa . This may be due to the fact that the largest properties were in the same hands for generations—in some cases, predating even California statehood. They were at least built prior to 1905. Luckily, Apablasa Street was well-documented. 305 (Intersection with Alameda) – George Stein of 333 Apablaza St. -General maintenance of 1-story 35 by 25 SFD by contractor F.L. Spaulding, Sept 16 1905. 309 – Industrial Development and Land Co. -2-story store/office. Warehouse located next door, at corner of Alameda/Apablaza. -Architect Julius W. ---ge(?) -Builder: T.H.L. Hill of 123 Ramsey Street, Watts. (No longer exists) -Permit stamped May 21 1925. 316 – Fu Wong’s Store. Buolder information unavailable. Contractor R. Lang (or Long) added pluming in Oct. 1914. 341 - Industrial Development and Land Co. of 746 South Central Ave. -2-story, 15-room, 120 by 60 foot store. -EJ Kennedy of 446 N. Los Angeles St., poured cement floors in Nov. 1925. -…per orders from the Health Department---due to the plague, maybe? Union Terminal Co. demolished the entirety of Apablaza Street in April of 1926. -Contractor was EJ Kennedy of 742 N. Los Angeles Street. Mr. E.J. Kennedy was a prominent contractor of his time. Below: Huts at intersection of Apablasa and Alameda St. JUAN STREET 800 – Builder’s name illegible – 16’ x 40’ stable, c. March 1899. 806 – Site of Sing Chang Lung Laundry. Builder information unavailable. 808 to 814 – Lem How Co. of 333 Apablasa Street – built as a 2-story, 70’ x 75’ brick store. -Contractor J.J. Burgess of 1048 S. Mott Street. c. 1906. -Originally the site of Ken Kee Grocery Store and Dock Hop and Co. Grocers -Hoo S. Kim owned it by mid-1914 + converted it to a pool hall + made a 25’x25’ addition. -The Ung family owned it by 1919. They ran Hung Wo. Produce out of 808. -The family were: Ben G., Frank H., Wing W., William W., and young John Yat. -Whiting-Mead Co. of 2260 E. Vernon Avenue demoed it on December 22nd, 1933. (Below: 798 and 802 Juan Street. Source: Calisphere) 819 – Site of Hop Yick Jan General Merchandise. Builder information unavailable. 828 – Wai Sun Co Distributors of 409 Apablasa St. – 150’ x 150’ stable and tenement house for company workers. - Built c. 1904 by E.J. Kennedy of 446 N. Los Angeles Street 829 – Mow Yuen – Store Building – early 1902 – Owner-built. -Yuen installed gas lines on September 22nd, 1914 himself. CAYETANO STREET (Also Cayetano Alley) (Sometimes misspelled on maps and City documents as “Caytino,” “Caytano,” and “Cayteno”) 822 to 828 – Industrial Level Co. of 726 Alameda St. 2-story 30’ by 45’ Storeroom and factory. -Addition of “Toilet room” made on 7/14/1925 by EJ Kennedy. -Demolished on October 30th, 1934 by owner N.G. Nicoletti of 1025 N. Broadway -L.J. Nicoletti of 406 Cottage Home St. 823 – Site of Ying Chong Shoe Factory. Built sometime before 1905. (Below left: Near intersection of Cayetano and Apablasa. Source: Calisphere) (Below right: Mid-way through Apablasa, mid-block. Source: Calisphere) (Below: Children play near the terminus of Cayetano Alley. Source: Calisphere) MARY STREET There are few records for Mary Street. Mary Street was more of a narrow alley (as were Benjamin and Concha Streets), so it is possible that “Mary Street” addresses were secondary addresses for adjacent buildings. 402 – The northeastern boundary of the Brew 102 Brewing Co. (Maier Brewing) property. -Last major work was a stucco sandblast in late-1954, less than four years before demolition. Contractor: Tim Gilligan of 7471 Melrose Ave. 502 – Marie Schmidt – 10’ x 18’ foot lunch room (rather small, no?) – Day work - Permit stamped Oct 21, 1924. 506 – Rush Trunesh (or Truneshi) – Relocate 8’x12’ sales room (!!!) to 110 Woodsworth Ct. -Contractor B.R. Higbie of 3729 E. Florence Ave, Bell CA. Stamped 8/8/1950. -Woodsworth Ct. was a small doro, a Japanese-style pedestrian mall. -It is now the Gilbert W. Lindsay Mall. -This property was also the the site of Dr. Jiro Shintani’s office, the Woodsworth Medical Bldg. ....AS FOR MACY AND ALISO?? Aliso Street and Macy Street were/are long streets. I’ll have to do a dedicate piece for those two streets sometime in the future. The 2010s Los Angeles Typhus Outbreak... vs. The 1924 Los Angeles Plague Outbreak. On February 11th, 2019, the Los Angeles County Department of Health and Department of Animal Services confirmed an outbreak of murine typhus in Los Angeles County. The previous October, Los Angeles City Attorney Elizabeth Greenwood contracted the disease while working in City Hall East. She manifested all the tell-tale symptoms, and as of August of this year continues to report an inability to work. Around the same time as City Attorney Greenwood, two LAPD officers also contracted murine typhus, with both having developed moderate to severe symptoms. Robots and drones were dispatched to the lower floors of City buildings, revealing a profusion of pests (mostly rats) that vector the fleas that transmit murine typhus. Hazmat teams were deployed. Carpet floors were ripped out and burned. Contrary to popular belief, murine typhus is endemic to the coastal United States and has been around long before Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis. Human infection has historically been regarded as rare, as the disease only transmits by way of animal-to-human, not human-to-human. Most people recover fully from the condition, but the symptoms can be debilitating to middle-aged people, and death is common in people over 65. According to the L.A. County Department of Health, just three cases of the bubonic plague have been recorded in the County between 1979 and the present. Two cases were transmitted by insects that came into contact with infected rodents, and the other was from exposure to an infected household pet. There is no vaccine or antibiotic currently available for any kind of typhus, and recovery from the fever consists of treating the symptoms and riding them out. Since there is no vaccine or antibiotic available for typhus, prevention and eradication are our best bets. Astonishing, however, is how most of the abatement measures as-of-yet have focused on government offices and, to a much lesser extent, public places. Even less attention has been afforded to the 65,000+ unhoused people in the greater Los Angeles area. New York has long dealt with rat scourges. However, unlike Los Angeles, New York City has long maintained a rodent abatement program. Despite the unprecedented rat and flea infestation in Skid Row and Downtown more broadly, there has not been an effective city-level vector management program instated; the only vector management program currently in place exists on the County Level--the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. Officials and the public alike remain minimally responsive to sensible mitigations, such as the installation of public bathrooms, and showers, and larger/more durable waste bins. In 2014, the City of Los Angeles ceased its use of anticoagulant rodenticides. Even with the passage of Measure HH, there seems to be little progress in the way of housing, save for the bridge housing on Alameda Street near the 101, which produced 45 units and cost $2.2 million to build (at $48,000 per unit, this is actually considered a cheap bid for these types of projects!). Scandalously, most of the funds from Measure HH and other initiatives have been spent on consultants and other "soft costs." The understaffed Department of Public Works and private-public partnerships (like business improvement districts) are one of the few things keeping streets in our City remotely sanitary. Dr. Drew Pinsky, of all people, seems to be one of the voices of reason in this whole matter. Following an excursion to Skid Row during May-June 2019, he concluded that the crowded conditions there are precisely what facilitate the transmission of not only typhus and hepatitis, but also far graver ones like the Pneumonic, Bubonic, and Septicemic Plagues. There are some parallels between the 1924 Plague Outbreak in Los Angeles and the current typhus outbreak amongst the unhoused Skid Row population. Granted, the two catastrophes are of two very different causes and have demonstrated two very different responses by elected officials. What the 1924 plague and current typhus scare share in common, however, is that they occur during what are, ostensibly, times of immense economic prosperity. In the year before the 1924 Los Angeles Plague, the City approved more new construction permits than any other year in its history. People were moving to LA from all over the country—the World, in fact— to claim their part of the American Dream. Ironically, many had come in preceding decades to treat their respiratory illness amongst the warm climate and moist air of Southern California. It was the “Roaring 20s” --or at least for some. Similarly, Los Angeles’ typhoid outbreak and homelessness surge of the 2010s correspond with a period of immense economic prosperity in Los Angeles and the Nation. By contrast, the three crises showcase very different responses by public officials. The 1900 San Fransisco plague and 1924 Los Angeles plague were met with zealous and militarized responses by health officials, as well as vigorous rat abatement programs. Not all of these mitigation measures were completely civilized ones, however, and involved draconian and often cruel practices like shooting stray animals and burning legally-owned properties. Other extensive mitigations involved removing wood floors and replacing them with concrete. (Below: a new concrete floor in a building on Marchessault Street, Macy neighborhood, 1925. Source: Calisphere) The Los Angeles-San Fransisco plagues and the modern typhus crisis also have similarly varying responses by the public and the media. San Franciscans only took their scourge seriously when incoming trade from many places temporarily ceased (although it is also well-known that the proud Chinese community recognized the quarantine as discriminatory).
When I see the ails of Los Angeles (and around the world) I’m reminded of the old adage “It takes a tragedy to get people to care.” That said, aside from the common sense mitigations, the best thing I can recommend is that we not wait until a relatively small typhus outbreak turns into a tragic epidemic to finally take full prevention measures.
9 Comments
Paul Evan Smith
9/20/2021 04:26:01 am
The lost neighborhood lists.
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5/7/2023 11:55:50 am
Hello Evan,
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Laura MK
11/6/2021 05:12:35 pm
Great job! As Ali’s Angeles approaches the 100 year anniversary of plague, it’s so important to learn from the past. Wonderful research!
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5/7/2023 11:59:10 am
Hello Laura,
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Allison-Claire Acker
5/23/2022 11:19:04 am
Thank you so much for keeping history alive. Our family lived in the area and we are now trying to piece together some of the history especially around Macy Street.
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5/7/2023 12:03:28 pm
Hello Allison-Claire,
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5/26/2022 09:04:40 pm
I believe I finally saw a picture of my great grandfather’s church! The Bauchet Street Mission Church! 333 Bauchet St. My father told me about how he went into the quarantined church to be a support to his people, against my great grandmothers wishes. He never contracted the disease. His surname is Doty.
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5/7/2023 12:26:08 pm
Jeanmarie,
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Warren Jones
7/11/2023 08:32:12 am
I don't know how frequently this site is visited these days, but I'm doing some research on my early life and I need to know what 1205 Macy is now called. I know that Macy was changed to North and South Avenidas Cesar Chavez, but I do not know the new house number.
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