Olvera Street Market in December, 2005

Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is otherwise known as the birthplace of the City of Angels or El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument and is a department within the city. Many Latinos refer to it as 'La Placita Olvera'. Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... // The term Latino is a linguistic identity that refers to an individual that has significant ancestry from a nation-state where a Latin derived language is spoken or is the offical language of the government. ...

Having started as a short lane, Wine Street, it was extended and renamed in honor of Agustin Olvera, a prominent local judge, in 1877. There are 27 historic buildings lining Olvera Street, including the Avila Adobe, the Pelanconi House and the Sepulveda House. In 1930, it was converted to a colorful Mexican marketplace. It is also the setting for Mexican style music and dancing and holiday celebrations, such as Cinco de Mayo. Agustin Olvera (d. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Categories: Stub | Los Angeles history ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A typical Cinco de Mayo Baile folklórico celebration in Gardena, California Cinco de Mayo (The Fifth of May in Spanish) is a national holiday in Mexico which is also widely celebrated in the United States. ...

History

Early days

The "Old Plaza Church" facing the Plaza, 1869. The brick reservoir in the middle of the Plaza was the original terminus of the Zanja Madre

Los Angeles was founded in 1781 on a site southeast of Olvera Street near the Los Angeles River by a group of Spanish pobladeros (settlers), consisting of 11 families — 44 men, women and children, led by Don Fernando Rivera y Moncada, Lt. Governor of the Californias and accompanied by a contingent of soldiers — who had set out from the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to establish an asistencia ("sub-mission") along the banks of the Porciúncula River at the Indian village of Yang-na.^[1] The initial settlement was dubbed Mission Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles, known today as the "Old Plaza Church." Unpredictable flooding forced settlers to move the town to higher ground. The town, complete with a church and rectangular plaza surrounded by house lots and planting fields, was placed in its current location in the early 1800s. Spanish colonial rule lasted until 1820. This period saw the first streets and adobe buildings of the town constructed. The town came under the control of newly independent Mexico in 1821. During this time of Mexican rule, which lasted until 1848, the Plaza area was the heart of Mexican community life in Los Angeles and center of an economy based upon cattle ranching and agriculture. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 313 pixelsFull resolution (1022 × 400 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Dating from the era of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, The Plaza and Old Plaza Church (Mission Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles) in 1869. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 313 pixelsFull resolution (1022 × 400 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Dating from the era of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, The Plaza and Old Plaza Church (Mission Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles) in 1869. ... La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles [1] was founded on August 18, 1814 by Fray Luis Gíl y Taboada who placed the cornerstone of a new church amidst the ruins of the former asistencia, Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles, founded to serve the... A water wheel on the Zanja Madre, 1863 The Zanja Madre (Spanish: Mother Ditch) is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Porciuncula River. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Los Angeles River, highlighted in red (on the left). ... Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was founded on The Feast of the Birth of Mary (September 8) in 1771. ... Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles was founded on September 4, 1781 by a group of Spanish pobladores (settlers), consisting of 11 families — 44 men, women and children. ... La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles [1] was founded on August 18, 1814 by Fray Luis Gíl y Taboada who placed the cornerstone of a new church amidst the ruins of the former asistencia, Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles, founded to serve the... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... It has been suggested that Ecclesia (Church) be merged into this article or section. ... Plaza is a Spanish word related to field which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. ... // Invention of the Jacquard loom in 1801. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A city-centre street in Frankfurt, Germany A residential street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA A street is a public thoroughfare in the built environment. ... Renewal of the surface coating of an adobe wall in Chamisal, New Mexico Adobe is a natural building material composed of sand, sandy clay and straw or other organic materials, which is shaped into bricks using wooden frames and dried in the sun. ... The coronation banquet for George IV 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... cow and ox, see Cow (disambiguation) and Ox (disambiguation). ... Ranching is the raising of cattle or sheep on rangeland, although one might also speak of ranching with regard to less common livestock such as elk, bison or emu. ...

Hard times

Men and women gather around the "Old Plaza Church" sometime between 1890 and 1900. Faint impressions of paintings on the exterior of the building are evident. Signs on nearby commercial buildings read: "Saloon and Restaurant, Home Brewery" and "F.W. Braun and Co., Druggist."

For a time after the Mexican-American War and Gold Rush the Plaza remained the center of a diverse town. The central street of the Plaza, Vine or Wine Street, was extented and 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 and long time Olvera Street resident. In the 1880s Los Angeles began quick expansion through a massive influx of Anglo and European settlers who arrived via the railroad. The old Plaza area became a forgotten remnant of the city's roots, and the remaining adobe and brick buildings within the Plaza area fell into disrepair as the civic center of the city shifted to present-day Temple and Main Streets. A few of the street's buildings that were put up during this era, like the Sepulveda House (1880s) and Italian Hall (1907) actually had their backs facing Olvera while the front doors were on Main Street, furthering the character of the street as a mere alley. A good view of the street during this period is to be found in Charlie Chaplin's 1921 film The Kid, which featured a number of scenes in it, mostly on the west side a few doors north of the Pelanconi House. At the time of the film, years before its makeover by Christine Sterling, it was hardly considered to be a proper street, but rather just a dingy, dirty alley. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia José Mariá Flores Strength 78,790 soldiers 18,000–40,000 soldiers Casualties KIA: 1733 Total dead: 13,271 Wounded: 4,152 AWOL: 9,200+ 25,000... A California Gold Rush handbill A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... // Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... See Anglo-America for the term denoting mixed English and American influence or heritage or those parts of (or groups within) America which have a tie to or which are influenced by England or simply English-speaking America. ... A European is primarily a person who was born into one of the countries within the continent of Europe. ... Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. ... Chaplin and Jackie Coogan in The Kid The Kid is a 1921 Charlie Chaplin film. ...

Its decline as the center of civic life led to its reclamation by diverse sectors of the city's poor and disenfranchised. The Plaza served as a gateway for newly arrived immigrants, especially Mexicans and Italians. During the 1920s, the pace of Mexican immigration into the United States increased to about 500,000 per year. California became the prime destination for Mexican immigrants, with Los Angeles receiving the largest number of any city in the Southwest. As a result of this dramatic demographic increase, a resurgence of Mexican culture occurred in Los Angeles. It was within this social and political climate that Christine Sterling began her public campaign to save the old Francisco Avila Adobe from demolition and build up Olvera Street as a center of Mexican romance and tourism. The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The Southwest region of the United States is drier than the adjoining Midwest in weather; the population is less dense and, with strong Spanish-American and Native American components, more ethnically varied than neighboring areas. ... Categories: Stub | Los Angeles history ...

Preservation and restoration

Sterling's efforts to rescue the Plaza-Olvera area began in 1926, when she discovered the deteriorated conditions of the area, and in particular the Avila Adobe, the oldest existing home in the city. After raising the issue of the Avila Adobe with the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Sterling approached Harry Chandler, the scion of the Los Angeles Times with a plan to restore the building and create a colorful Mexican marketplace and cultural center in the Plaza. Chandler was intrigued by Sterling's idea for restoring the Plaza area as a mixture of romance and capitalism, and helped by providing extensive publicity and support for the development plan in The Times. Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce is southern Californias largest not-for-profit business federation, representing over 1,500 businesses. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... Wanderer above the sea of fog by Caspar David Friedrich Romanticism is an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in 18th century Western Europe during the Industrial Revolution. ... Capitalism generally refers to an economic system in which the means of production are privately[1] owned and operated for profit, and in which investments, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a free market. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

However, by 1928, due to a lack of financial support for implementing her ideas, the project appeared to be fading. In late November of that year, Sterling found a Los Angeles City Health Department Notice of Condemnation posted in front of the Avila Adobe. In response, Sterling posted her own hand-painted sign condemning the shortsightedness of city bureaucrats in failing to preserve an important historic site. Her action helped attract additional public interest in preserving the old adobe. In response to the increased show of publicity, the Los Angeles City Council reversed its original order of condemnation. Support for restoring the adobe rushed in from throughout the city. Building materials came from several local companies, including Blue Diamond Cement and the Simmons Brick Company, one of the largest employers of Mexicans in the Los Angeles area. Los Angeles Police Chief James Davis provided a crew of prison inmates to do hard labor on the project. Sterling oversaw the entire construction project and an excerpt from her diary vividly captures her spirit and sense of desperation for financial support during the construction: One of the prisoners is a good carpenter, another an electrician. Each night I pray they will arrest a bricklayer and a plumber. Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Los Angeles City Council meets three times a week in city hall. ... The Los Angeles Police Department (usually known as the LAPD) is the police department of the City of Los Angeles, California. ... Chief of Police is the title typically given to the head of a police department, particularly in the United States and Canada. ... James Davis may refer to: James Davis (basketball) (NBA, 1955) James Davis (VC) James Davis (football player), NFL defensive end James Davis (college football) Clemson Tigers running back James Chowning Davies, American political scientist James Curran Davis, U.S. Representative from Georgia 1947-63 James E. Davis, New York City...

Olvera Street, Los Angeles.

In spite of ample supplies and forced volunteers, 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 was closed to traffic in 1929 Photo of Olvera Street, Los Angeles. ... Photo of Olvera Street, Los Angeles. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On Easter Sunday 1930, Sterling's romantic revival 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 City of Today, Olvera Street was an instant success as a tourist site. La Opinión, the leading Spanish language daily, perhaps reflecting the sentiments among many Mexicans in the city, praised the project as una calleja que recuerda al Mexico viejo. Easter (also called Pascha) is generally accounted the most important holiday of the Christian year, observed March or April each year to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead (after his death by crucifixion; see Good Friday), which Christians believe happened at about this time of year, almost two... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... La Opinión is a Spanish language daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the six counties of Southern California. ...

Present

The Plaza-Olvera Street site was designated at a California State Historic Landmark in 1953. Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the midst of Downtown industrialization, Olvera Street is a quaint, colorized, and non-confrontational environment. Olvera Street is successful in depicting the quaintness of Mexican culture. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

As a tourist attraction, Olvera Street is a living museum paying homage to a romantic vision of old Mexico. The exterior facades of the brick buildings enclosing Olvera Street and on the small vendor stands lining its center are colorful piñatas, hanging puppets in white peasant garb, Mexican pottery, serapes, mounted bull horns, oversized sombreros, and life-size stuffed donkey. Perhaps the single most widespread image of this version of old Mexico is the painting or ceramic statue of the Mexican campesino reclining against a giant saguaro cactus. Olvera Street attracts almost two million visitors per year. Binomial name Carnegiea gigantea Britton & Rose Synonyms Cereus giganteus Engelm. ...

See also

• Avila Adobe
• History of Los Angeles
• Zanja Madre

Categories: Stub | Los Angeles history ... The recorded history of Los Angeles, California is a complicated one, going back to the 16th century and a tiny Spanish settlement sometimes called Bahía de los fumos (Bay of the Smokes). L.A. was smoggy from the get-go. ... A water wheel on the Zanja Madre, 1863 The Zanja Madre (Spanish: Mother Ditch) is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Porciuncula River. ...

Sources

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

• Olvera Street Official Website
• Biography of Christine Sterling and her efforts

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