There’s A Whole Lotta Rhythm Goin’ ‘Round (part 1)

I’m looking into a lot of nostalgia lately. What would‘ve happened if I wasn’t born in Los Angeles or led the life I had up to this point? The more you think about it, the more you tend to realize that you are supposed to be where you are. Your presence does make a difference. I’m glad to have lived where I grew up because no other location would have suited me. This story is a dedication to where I live-my hometown neighborhood at its adjoining ‘hood in Los Angeles-Hyde Park and Windsor Hills.

The Hyde Park section of Los Angeles, with noted borders of 83o southeast, Centinela Ave. to the west, Broadway Ave. to the east, and Slauson Ave. to the north, started as a connection “city” in 1887 for the Harbor line of the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. The line itself went from downtown Los Angeles to Wilmington, and some track from those days are visible in some part. As a company city for the railroad workers, they had their own stores, government, etc. and served the railroad workers needs for several years. In 1922, the city was annexed into Los Angeles.

Windsor Hills‘ story is much different, as it started as a planned community in the 1930’s, on par with the other developments of Bel Air and Beverly Hills of that time. The borders of Windsor Hills can be noted as Slauson Ave to the south, La Cienega Blvd. to the west, Obama Blvd. (ne Rodeo Ave.) to the north, and Crenshaw Blvd. to the east. The area quickly became a beacon for African-American upper middle-class families to live, especially when housing laws restricting African-Americans to buy housing were shut down in 1946. They took advantage of the builders plans by showcasing and meticulous upkeep of the Spanish and Moroccan-style houses. In 1996, houses along the Mount Vernon tract of Windsor Hills, were dedicated in the National Registry of Historic Places, securing the original planners and architect vision of paradise. Many notable African-American talent and entertainers have made their home in Windsor Hills (Ike and Tina, Ray Charles, Michael Cooper from the Lakers) and been born there (Regina King, Loretta Devine, Nipsey Hu$$le).

The neighborhoods have gone through changes, of course. Hyde Park‘s pulse and heartbeat is the intersection of Florence Ave. and Van Ness Ave., and there’s used to be a Rexall Drugstore on the northeast corner. I’d go there on occasion for a pickle or some candy or gum and bought my first comic book. This library you see from the northeast corner used to be a small market where my mom sometimes shopped. The southeast corner used to have a combination Chinese food/Louisiana Fried Chicken, where you could get a two-piece for $2.34 (the owner would pronounce in broken English-two-fwatrty-faur), but later became a used auto lot (nothing is there now). And on the southwest corner is a serios of beauty shops and barbers, most notably LeTollier’s barber shop. His shop and the owner will take you back to 70’s culture shock like no one's business, but he’s since moved his shop further west along Florence.

(Note: As of March 2022, most of the two blocks past Western Ave. along Florence Ave. east has been replaced with smaller stores and new apartment buildings and construction. I do not think LeTollier's exist anymore)

In Windsor Hills, I remember the Macy‘s Department store and when they were building the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Plaza back in the 1980’s. The Pontiac dealership was along Crenshaw Blvd., and when I was growing up, that dealership was the starting point of the infamous “cruising culture” on the “’Shaw” most every Sunday night (and some Saturdays). Now as Crenshaw is getting the Metro line straight across its middle from Obama Dr. to about 64th Street, there is a new type of cruising meant to get people to work and on the go. With the Metro line also jutting into Leimert Park (the center of African American culture and art), the history still remains with small shops, eateries, and a new outdoor walkway museum being built along the ”Freedom Wall”, an 1/8 mile wall separating Crenshaw from the lower Mount Vernon section along Crenshaw Blvd.

Both neighborhoods are experiencing a boost in revenue and popularity, as more gentrification settles in. The CBS television show The Neighborhood is a prime example of the area's changing demographics, and an understanding of identity. I personally hope that future generations of African-Americans can still live in these neighborhoods and not get priced out due to a supposed need to gentrify. If not, the history may fade, and a new one sets in, but as diverse and rich-maybe not so much.