History Repeats Itself in Echo Park

I read with interest your Jan. 24 story on the effects of gentrification in the Echo Park area. Stephanie Cisneros sees it as a threat to the current lifestyle. My husband’s family lived in the Echo Park area until the 1960s. We witnessed change opposite to what is being seen now.

What was once a modest middle-class neighborhood slowly disintegrated into a graffiti-filled area. The houses were no longer kept up and, in many cases, old trucks and automobiles were parked on the lawns. The shopping area on Sunset Boulevard went downhill fast.

My husband’s family home on Alvarado Street was once a very nice two-story home with green siding. Now it is disheveled and painted over with a dingy white primer. No sign of repairs in the last 30 years. There is still substantial graffiti in the area.

I have noticed the re-gentrification in the last five to 10 years, and I welcome it. Los Angeles was once a beautiful city, and I look forward to seeing it return to its once proud heritage.

Lina Kiley

Temple City