U.S. Decision Removes Key Obstacle to Freeway Extension

In a victory for proponents of the long-delayed Long Beach Freeway extension, the U.S. Department of Interior has determined that two neighborhoods in the planned roadway’s path are ineligible for historic status, removing a major obstacle to construction of the extension.

The decision by the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, released Tuesday, said South Pasadena’s Gillette Crescent and Valley View Heights neighborhoods were indistinguishable from other 1920s-era communities and therefore ineligible for historic designation.

Opponents of the proposed roadway through Pasadena, South Pasadena and the El Sereno area of Los Angeles had fought hard to try to get the Gillette Crescent area designated a landmark district in an effort to block the freeway’s construction. South Pasadena city officials said they plan to appeal the keeper’s decision.