Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Paul Landacre Cabin & Grounds, LA City Historic Cultural Landmark #839

 

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.    

In 2005, the City declared Paul Landacre's Cabin and grounds, at 2006 El Moran, a Cultural Historic Landmark. Landacre's work was influenced by and often depicted the neighborhood in his work.

 

Paul Landacre wrote about his life in the Echo Park hills in 1958, not so different from those who live in the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists' Tract today:

"You see, art is practiced here along with various other concerns -
pruning trees, repairing the roof, watching and feeding wildlife and so
on. Of course, other artists live on wooded hillsides, too, and so do
other people, and it must be conceded that to some of us this kind of
environment is not only valuable, but absolutely necessary - a degree of
seclusion, the life of growing things, awareness that we are a part of
nature."

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.

 

Landacre carved a petrel, his signature bird into the roof vents on each side of his house. He used the petrel as his trademark on his work, often in place of his signature.

Landacre struggled with physical disabilities most of his life. He identified with the petrel since they learn to fly by jumping off a cliff; falling into the raging sea; hurling themselves off the peaks of waves until they learn to fly. They crash into the rocks and waves, beat up, but they learn to fly.

*This post was originally published November 7, 2007, on our short-lived sister blog, Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  In an effort to connect neighbors across the 2 Freeway in our shared issues & development battles, we folded the Semi Tropic blog into the Corralitas Red Car Property Blog in 2009.

18 Acre Elysian Park Parcel: Sand Fire

Photo: Esteban Gonzalez, July 22, 2016. Friday afternoon, smoke and ash from the Sand Fire in Santa Clarita became the dominant feature in our air quality, growing worse overnight.

Most people don't realize the vacant lot at the northern terminus of Echo Park Ave is a part of Elysian Park.  The "18 Acre Parcel" continues downslope in both directions, preserves native oak and walnut habitat and includes a basketball court on Riverside Drive.  The parcel, like much of Elysian Park, is directly surrounded by diverse residential neighborhoods, including Elysian Valley, Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract and Elysian Heights.  It was acquired by the City in the late 1990s using Prop K funds.  

Historic Landmark Landacre Cabin & Grounds: Big Parade LA Walking By Today

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.  Preeminent 20th Century wood-block print artist carved a petrel, his signature bird into the eaves of his cabin in Elysian Heights hidden in the oak trees in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract where he lived from 1925 to 1963.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The City declared Landacre's cabin and grounds a cultural historic landmark in 2005.  Landacre took inspiration from what was a spiritual place neighborhood with dramatic light.  Sadly much of the character of the community fell to a developer's chainsaws and bulldozers in 2011-2013.  Now the tree filled hillside from which Landacre drew inspiration now has an Orange County office park aesthetic.  

The Big Parade LA is the epic urban hike from Hike from Downtown to Hollywood featuring 32 miles and  86 public staircases. It's free, fun and festive.  Join for a few miles, staircases, a day or both days. Info, routes and everything you need to know about the Big Parade: http://bigparadela.tumblr.com/

2 & 5 Freeway Interchange: Big Parade LA Will Walk Around It Saturday

Photo: Smith, 1961. The scale of the 2 & 5 Freeway Interchange is deceptive when you're standing on Riverside Drive.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Big Parade LA starts the 2 day, 32 mile, 86 public staircase, epic urban hike, Downtown, Saturday May 2, 2015.  Echo Park Lake, Elysian Park, LA River, Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract and all the quirky routes in between are featured in Day 1.  The day is split into multiple trail loops.  Maps, timetables and everything you want to know: http://bigparadela.tumblr.com/

Photo: Smith, 1961.  When seen from the lot next to Paul Landacre's cabin in the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, you get a better idea of the impact the freeways and their construction had on the neighborhoods of Elysian Valley, Echo Park and Silver Lake.  The freeways physically and psychologically divided the 3 communities.  This photo also shows the phenomenal volume of earth moved grading for the freeways. Prior to the freeways, there was a valley between Corralitas and the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract. 

Note the huge scarp on the slope  2/3s of the way up the hill on Corralitas where CalTrans cut into the hill moving Corralitas Drive making room for the 2 Freeway.   

We are proud to support Big Parade LA, as we have every year since the first Big Parade in 2009. Click here for all our Big Parade posts.
 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: The Big Parade Will Walk Through Today

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2011. It doesn't look like this anymore. (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

The Big Parade will walk through what was once one of the most beautiful hillsides of Elysian Heights.  It's hard to believe it was only 2011 when it still lived up to its name, "Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract."  Now it's more like "Orange County Office Park."

The preeminent 20th Century wood-cut print artist, Paul Landacre was inspired by the beauty of the landscape of the hillside, creating art in his 40 years of living and working on his (now neglected historic cultural landmark cabin & grounds on the hill.  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, 2013.  What was once 4 acres of mostly native trees below Landacre's modest home, a natural habitat for wildlife, is now a sterile, controversial, eyeball searingly bright white series of stucco boxes on an unnaturally graded slope.  

The developer did see the light of day when potential buyers said what do you mean there's an acre of open space that we pay to maintain above our house and we can't walk to it?  So as an afterthought, they built a publicly accessible staircase that is extremely steep out of railroad ties.

The Big Parade, the ultimate urban hike, will walk down the Artis quasi-public staircase today.  Follow their progress on Twitter.

2 & 5 Freeway Interchange: 1961 Massive Grading Project

Photo: Smith, 1961.  From El Moran & Peru Streets in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract. The State built up a massive wall of dirt for the 2 Freeway.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The huge cut into the Corralitas hillside is more evident in this photo than the photo we reviewed for the past few days.  Keep in mind, Corralitas Drive drops below the level of the freeway to meet Rosebud Ave under the Freeway. Take a look at the 1940 photo to try to understand the complete reshaping of the landscape imposed on our neighborhood. 

The slope reshaping/stabilization continued downslope between Corralitas Drive and the Southbound 2 Freeway lanes (below the oldest house on Corralitas), stretching down to Riverside Drive below.  Since the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) didn't take effect until 1972, it's a good bet they did not use adequate dust control measures. 

If you can match the above photo from a time before the freeways were built, please send it to redcarproperty@gmail.com with any details like year, photographer, if it was in your family's photo album, etc. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.  I don't have a good match in my archives for the 1961 shot because the trees on Modjeska block the matching shot. 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: 2009-2013, Not So Spiritual Anymore

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 17, 2009.  In 2009, neighbors lost their final appeal against the controversial 16-lot subdivision of the former "garden lots" in the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  The nearly 4-acre parcel was an urban forest which was originally designed as open space in the 1905 subdivision.   (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Alissa Walker, May 19, 2012.  Planet Home Living & VanDaele Homes graded the hell out of the slope after cutting down almost all of the trees on the entire parcel in 2012.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.  The Orange County office park aesthetic will soon be taking over Silver Lake & Echo Park as the same developers have quite a few projects in the works in our area. 

Can't wait 'till CalTrans cuts down the trees & builds sound walls on Allesandro Street to really enhance the neighborhood. 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Paul Landacre Cabin & Grounds, Historic Landmark*

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

 

In 2005, the City declared Paul Landacre's Cabin and grounds, at 2006 El Moran, a Cultural Historic Landmark. Landacre's work was influenced by and often depicted the neighborhood in his work.

 

Paul Landacre wrote about his life in the Echo Park hills in 1958, not so different from those who live in the Semi-Tropic Spiritualists' Tract today:

"You see, art is practiced here along with various other concerns -
pruning trees, repairing the roof, watching and feeding wildlife and so
on. Of course, other artists live on wooded hillsides, too, and so do
other people, and it must be conceded that to some of us this kind of
environment is not only valuable, but absolutely necessary - a degree of
seclusion, the life of growing things, awareness that we are a part of
nature."

Photo: Andrew Sears, 2005.

 

Landacre carved a petrel, his signature bird into the roof vents on each side of his house. He used the petrel as his trademark on his work, often in place of his signature.

Landacre struggled with physical disabilities most of his life. He identified with the petrel since they learn to fly by jumping off a cliff; falling into the raging sea; hurling themselves off the peaks of waves until they learn to fly. They crash into the rocks and waves, beat up, but they learn to fly.

*This post was originally published November 7, 2007, on our short-lived sister blog, Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  In an effort to connect neighbors across the 2 Freeway in our shared issues & development battles, we folded the Semi Tropic blog into the Corralitas Red Car Property Blog in 2009.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Is This Any Way To Treat A Historic Landmark?

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, 2013.  In addition to someone killing the native and protected Coast Live Oak Trees and owner neglect of  the City Cultural Historic Landmark Paul Landacre Residence, graffiti vandals have run amok for years.

Click here for more of our Paul Landacre related posts.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Who Or What Is Killing Oak Trees At Cultural Historic Landmark, Paul Landacre Cabin?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 13, 2013.  The Coast Live Oaks were protected from developers by not only the City's Protected Native Tree Ordinance 177404, but also by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Historic Landmark Status for the Paul Landacre Cabin & Grounds, landmark #839 (which specified landscape & oak tree protections).  

Something or someone has killed off at least 7 Coast Live Oaks adjacent to the controversial 16-lot subdivision in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  Yet, all the other Coast Live Oaks on the hill that did not fall victim to the 4-acre deforestation are seemingly healthy.  So it's not just the drought killing them.  Two years ago, the trees were in good shape & seemingly healthy.  Hmmm.  We'll be digging through the archives for older photos. 

Riverside & Allesandro:1940 (We're In Summer Reruns)*

Photo: Los Angeles City Planning, 1940, California Historical Society via USC Digital Library. Future site of the 2 & 5 Freeways in Silver Lake, Echo Park and Elysian Valley. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

How different the neighborhood looks without the freeways. The hillside in the foreground is the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract. The open area below the Landacre Cabin is the recently subdivided lots. The swath of trees between Allesandro and Corralitas Drive is now the 2 Freeway. It appears Rosebud was moved a few hundred feet closer to the Corralitas Public Staircase when the 2 Freeway was built.

Interestingly, there's a small street that forks to the left off Allesandro, before reaching Riverside Drive. I had never seen this street in earlier photos or maps. It was taken for the 2 Freeway.

Note in the upper left corner, the Red Car Trolley tracks are on a considerably higher grade above the adjacent homes on India, below. Today the grade change is more gradual from India to the Red Car Property. Significant amounts of earth were removed from the Red Car Property to grade for the adjacent freeways.

The 5 Freeway runs approximately where the street names were placed on the photo above, in Elysian Valley (the neighborhood between Riverside Drive and the LA River). In 1940, it appears there were more residential properties at the streets ends, at the LA River. Today, almost all the street ends in Elysian Valley have big industrial properties.

According to Jim Lawrence, who lived on Riverside Place for 80 years, many homes in the neighborhood around Allesandro Elementary School were moved from Elysian Valley prior to freeway construction.

*This post was first published June 5, 2009.  With the recent tanker fire and coming freeway rebuild it was time to take another look at life prior to the 2 & 5 Freeways in our neighborhoods.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Stolen Honda Abandoned On Controversial Development Site

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 18, 2013, 12:59 PM.  Midday Friday, a stolen silver Honda Accord was abandoned on the "hiking trail" on the upper portion of the controversial 16-lot subdivision in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

A neighbor talked to LAPD detectives on scene in these photos.  They said the car was reported stolen for the second time in the past year from Pasadena. 

The hiking trail is supposed to remain open to the public according to the conditions of approval for the subdivision.  However, that does not mean it needs to remain open to vehicle traffic.  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 18, 2013.  At least one of the pieces of the parking gate still remains at the entrance at El Moran and Alvarado. If you look closely, you can even see the cement base where it was pulled out of the dirt. 

 

Friday, I spoke to LAPD Senior Lead Officer  (SLO) Lenny Davis who often patrolled the area with retired SLO Al Polehonki.  Officer Davis & I remembered there used to be an actual steel gate there, like a fire or parking gate.  Many gates disappeared in isolated areas, like this & the Red Car Property, in the past 20 years due to aggressive metal thieves who sell them for scrap.  Those gates are heavy steel, but I can name at least 3 on the Red Car Property that disappeared since I moved here in 1990.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 17, 2009.  In February, I was among several neighbors who walked the "hiking trail" with the developer & representatives from City Councilmember (CD13) Eric Garcetti's office.  We remarked about the missing parking gate at the time.  The developer claimed it was the City's responsibility, not theirs.  I said I would dig up photos that there used to be one. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 17, 2009.  Unfortunately, by April 2009, the gate was already missing.  However, 5 steel posts  cemented into the ground were still in place.  It looks like neighbors piled up tree branches to keep vehicles from driving between the posts.

Tract map detail, VTT62900, 2400 Allesandro Street, April 1, 2008.  The guard posts even show up on the tract map on file with City Planning (public information).  Inset taken from map below, flipped so the orientation matches the photos better.

Tract map VTT62900, 2400 Allesandro St, April 1, 2008. According to the survey, the "GD POSTS" are clearly within the subdivision and not on City property.

 

Why is it called the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract?

 

Silver Lake Neighborhood Council: City Council Candidate Forum, Monday, January 28, 2013

Photo: Alissa Walker, May 19, 2012.  Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract was the wake up call of the decade for hillside residents who thought the impossibly steep and park-like urban forest would never get developed.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

 

With 12 men vying to replace the termed out (& mayoral candidate) Eric Garcetti in CD13, don't expect a lot of in-depth discussion about hillside development.

 

Silver Lake Neighborhood Council

CD13 Candidate Forum

 

Monday, January 28, 2013

5:45 - 9 PM

 

Holy Virgin Mary Church

650 Micheltorena

Silver Lake 90026



Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Paul Landacre Exhibit, Pasadena Museum Of California Art

Print: Paul Landacre, Sultry Day, 1937.  Landacre found inspiration in the neighborhood; Sultry Day depicts his wife and cat relaxing in their beloved home, with the intersection of Modjeska Ave & Peru St in the background.

 

Pasadena Museum of California Art

White on Black:

The Modernist Prints

of Paul Landacre

October 28, 2012 - February 24, 2013

 

Paul Landacre was the preeminent American wood-cut print artist of the 20th Century. Landacre's work reflected not only the character of the California landscape, but particularly in the 1930s; the character of his own Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract neighborhood in Echo Park/Elysian Heights from 1925 - 1963. 

 

The City of Los Angeles declared Landacre's cabin & grounds (including the trees and landscape) a cultural historic landmark in 2005.

 

Related: LA Times

The Eastsider

Echo Park Historical Society 

 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Paint It Green

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 23, 2012.  Somehow, the green paint does not make up for the destruction of nearly 4 acres of mature urban forest, as seen from Corralitas Drive.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 23, 2012.  I suspect it's not green paint, but it's hydroseeding, which starts a nice crop of weeds that will never look good past the first year.  (Example: the slope closest to Riverside Drive on the 18-Acre Elysian Park Parcel looked terrific the first spring, and like crap ever since.) 

 

Give the Semi-Tropic developers credit for trying to get something growing on those 2:1 graded slopes before the rainy season turns the site into the Semi Tropic Mudfest. 

 

Also worth noting: they've planted a bunch of trees too.  Expect 3 out of 4 cultivated oak trees to die within the first 3 years of planting.  Don't be too impressed with their claim to be planting 80 trees; most of the trees won't make it.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Big Dig

Photo: Alissa Walker via The Big Parade's Twitter feed, May 19, 2012.  Sight of the deforested (and now a big dig) Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract was devastating to hikers on Saturday's Big Parade. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: The Big Parade Walks Around Controversial Subdivision Today

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 29, 2011.  Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract's park-like setting inspired resident, Paul Landacre, the pre-eminent 20th Century wood-cut print artist.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

The Big Parade, the free, 2-day, 100 public staircase hike from Angel's Flight to the Hollywood Sign will walk around the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract, today.  What was once a highlight of the tour, is now a cautionary tale of what can happen when politicians (and neighbors) don't have the foresight to comprehend what taking nearly 4 acres of urban forest to completely remove and recompact a hillside means. 

(Take note: Barlow Respiratory Hospital site in Elysian Park is destined for a similar fate if neighbors don't get involved now.)    

Unfortunately, the City historic landmark Paul Landacre Cabin (on El Moran) has been occupied by squatters, while the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract garden lots were deforested in February. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 15, 2012.  Today, the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract is not too spiritual.  Grading began a few weeks ago for the controversial 16-lot subdivision.  Neighbors lost their appeal in 2009.

It's not too late to join The Big Parade.  Learn more: http://bigparadela.com/

Follow their progress on the live Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/#!/bigparadela

Watch all our Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract Red Tailed Hawk Nest videos.

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Sound Of Chainsaws Again Today

Photo: Diane Edwardson, February 10, 2012.  The sound of chainsaws rang out from the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract again today.  This morning, CD13 confirmed the Board of Public Works lifted the stop work order.   (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Read more: The Eastsider

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 28, 2011.  All the protected California Black Walnut Trees in this photo were cut down by February 1, 2012.  Compare this to the first photo. 

As expected, since the City made the error in issuing the native tree removal permit prior to issuing grading and building permits for the 15 homes in the 16-lot subdivision, the City did not hold the developer responsible for cutting down the native trees.  (The non-native trees can be cut down without permits.) 

The developer was issued grading permits hastily on February 8, 2012, a week after all the native Black Walnuts in the above photo were cut down. They were supposed to have their grading and building permits in hand (paid for) prior to receiving their native tree removal permits.

The developer agreed to have a biologist on-site to monitor the nesting Red Tailed Hawks on the corner of Rosebud & Allesandro, 100' from the development site.  The Dept of Fish & Game will only step in once there is evidence of harm to eggs, babies or adults in the nest.  We will have to wait it out for the next few months as the habitat is destroyed by grading activities.  We usually don't see babies before late April or May.  The City has never enforced the City Standard Conditions with regard to nesting raptors. 

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: Developer Ordered To Stop Cutting Down Trees. Whoops,Too Late Now!

Photo: Russell Bates, February 1, 2012.  The Department of Public Works issued a cease & desist order Wednesday, ordering the developer of the controversial 16-lot subdivision to stop cutting down trees.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 29, 2011.  Sadly, it's too late as most of the protected native trees were already cut down on Tuesday.  (Native Black Walnuts are the trees whose leaves are turning yellow in above photo.)

Read more: The Eastsider

Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract: El Moran Blockade Has Seen Better Days

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 21, 2011. The barricades on El Moran have rotted and collapsed. Graffiti, camping tent abandoned behind the barricade and the neglected Landacre garage make the falling rocks look like the least of a neighbors' problems. (Click on photo to enlarge.)