In the Neighborhood : Leimert Park: Refining its Renaissance

L.A. Times Archives

Jan. 18, 1993 12 AM PT

Residents love its stability, affordability and comparatively safe streets, and most would welcome more business development. But some fear revitalization will price local merchants and an unusually vital arts community out of the neighborhood.

This middle-class, predominantly African American neighborhood, designed by the famed architect of New York City’s Central Park, Frederick Olmstead, was an oasis surrounded by the chaos of last spring’s troubles in South Los Angeles.

The local pharmacy and a market were lost, but residents found a new sense of urgency about revamping the neighborhood’s commercial areas along and around Degnan Boulevard. In October, the Leimert Park Neighborhood Design Workshop, sponsor a series of meetings to develop a design and financial assistance plan. For four days, city officials, design, business and law professionals, merchants and residents discussed planning, business and transportation development.

The area’s commercial district is long on art galleries and boutiques, cafes and jazz clubs that lend an artistic reputation to the community. Some residents say they also want a small grocery store, pharmacy, restaurants, professional office space, a branch bank and a quality video store--in other words, a shopping district like Hancock Park’s thriving Larchmont Village. For too long and, some say, for racial reasons, Leimert Park’s commercial and consumer potential has languished.

Many, however, particularly those in the arts community, worry that “revitalization” is little more than gentrification and fear that they’ll be priced out of the area if franchise money from frozen yogurt, video, grocery, and dining chains becomes available to commercial property owners.

Conservationist

Ron Lewis

Project manager, Los Angeles Conservancy, and Conservancy representative on the Leimert Park Neighborhood Design Workshop.

There’s so much to work with in Leimert. You’re not overcoming a lot of structural problems. You are surrounded by a stable neighborhood with good incomes so it’s attractive for commercial interests. If you look at the demographics and statistics, you have enough money in the area and enough traffic so people will go there to shop. Quite frankly, if it were a white area with the same demographics it would not have gone down (economically).

For instance, why is there no Trader Joe’s there? There should be if you just look strictly at demographics. The area should present itself as an investment opportunity for someone to go in and develop. People say, “Hey, we’re tired of driving all over to spend our money.” Some say that the investment will have to be from the African American community as well.

Poet, Arts Activist

Kamau Daaood

Owner, World Stage performance gallery and Final Vinyl collectible records shop.

My concern is that the area be maintained for artists, for art and culture. We talk about building structures and improving the physical environment, but if major effort is not put into developing people, the physical structures mean nothing.

I’ve worked in areas and watched development take place in a given city where very little attention was given to human services, to youth or to cultural or educational programs; the buildings would go up and the graffiti would go up along with it. Until you begin to take time to develop people and organize people and empower people, buildings mean nothing.

Businesswoman

Ruth Nuckolls

Owner of Leimert Park Eyewear.

Business is good, but I have a little less than I expected to have this year. I blame it on the uprising, because business just dropped after that.

Of course, if big business comes here, with bigger business comes business, and if I had more business, I wouldn’t mind paying a higher rent. It goes with the territory. That would be fine with me because you’re making more.

Resident

James Dodson

Resident for 17 years, member of Leimert Park Residents Assn.

We want what most middle-class communities want. We want good clothing stores, good eateries, trendy food shops and bakeries. The community would like to have some classy, stylish ethnic shops that represent this very vital community and right now the village doesn’t do that. We can still have the galleries, the jazz spots, things that represent the cultural and economic diversity of this community.

When people come to town they want to see the diversity and cultural offerings of the black community. In New York you know where to go, in Chicago you know where to go, but in Los Angeles where do you go? Here’s an ideal location.

Population: 11,621

Population by Race and Ethnicity:

Black -- 82%/

White -- 3%/

Hispanic -- 6%/

Asian -- 8%/

Other -- 1%/

Average Age:

Leimert Park -- 41 years

Los Angeles County -- 31 years

Householders in same residence since before 1980:

Leimert Park -- 52%