Fairfax District, Los Angeles
Fairfax District | |
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Coordinates:34°04′44″N118°21′41″W/ 34.07884°N 118.361487°W |
TheFairfax Districtis aneighborhoodin theCentralregion ofLos Angeles, California.
Historically the Fairfax District has been a center of theJewish community in Los Angeles.It is known for theFarmer's Market,The Grove,CBS Television Citybroadcasting center, theLos Angeles Museum of the HolocaustinPan Pacific Park,theBeverly-Fairfax Historic Districtneighborhood, andFairfax Avenuerestaurants and shops.
Geography
[edit]Beverly–Fairfax(sometimes simply calledFairfax)[1]is a 3.2-square-mile neighborhood bordered by Willoughby Avenue on the north,Wilshire Boulevardon the south,La Brea Avenueon the east, andLa Cienega Boulevardon the west.[2][3]
ArcGIS,Here Maps,Bing Maps,andMapQuestdo not mark boundaries, but center the words "Fairfax" or "Fairfax District" near the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.[4][5][6][7]
TheMapping L.A.project of theLos Angeles Times,in a departure from itsfirst draft,reduces the Fairfax District to the 1.23 square miles of the neighborhood that lie east of Fairfax Avenue. Using the Mapping L.A. boundaries, the Fairfax District is flanked on the north and northeast by the city ofWest Hollywood,on the northeast byHollywood,on the east byHancock Park,on the south byMid-Wilshire,and on the west byBeverly Grove.[8]Street boundaries are Willoughby Avenue or Romaine Street on the north,La Brea Avenueon the east, WestThird Streeton the south, andFairfax Avenueon the west.[9]The Beverly–Fairfax (or Fairfax) neighborhood, as it has historically been called, includes both Fairfax and Beverly Grove.[2][10][3][11]In the first draft of Mapping L.A., "Beverly Grove" was not included as a distinct neighborhood; rather, the area was shown as part of Fairfax.[12]An even earlierL.A. Timesprofile of the Fairfax District described the boundaries as "Santa Monica Boulevardon the north andSixth Streeton the south; La Brea Avenue forms its eastern edge with Sweetzer Avenue as its western border. "[13]
Demographics
[edit]The following data applies to the boundaries of Fairfax set by Mapping L.A.:
The 2000 U.S. census counted 12,490 residents in the 1.23-square-mile neighborhood—an average of 10,122 people per square mile, about the samepopulation densityas all of Los Angeles. In 2008, the city estimated that the population had increased to 13,360.
The median age for residents was 33, a general average within Los Angeles. The percentage of residents aged 65 and older was among the county's highest.[9]
Fifty-four percent of Fairfax residents aged 25 and older had earned a four-year degree by 2000, a high figure for both the city and the county.[9]
The median yearly household income in 2008 dollars was $65,938, average in comparison to the rest of Los Angeles. The average household size of two people was low for the city of Los Angeles. Renters occupied 71.5% of the housing stock, and house- or apartment owners 28.5%.[9]
The percentages of never-married men (54.9%) and never-married women (45.5%) were among the county's highest.[9]
Ethnic composition
[edit]The neighborhood was "not especially diverse" ethnically, with a high percentage of white people. The breakdown waswhites,84.7%;Latinos,5.9%;Asians,4.5%;blacks,2.2%, and others, 2,8%. Ukraine (8.9%) and Mexico (7.8%) were the most common places of birth for the 23.2% of the residents who were born abroad, a low ratio compared to the rest of Los Angeles.[9]
History
[edit]This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2017) |
Historically, the Fairfax District has been a center of theJewish community in Los Angeles,after the earlierBoyle Heightsperiod, which was home to largest Jewish community west of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s.[14]
In 1935, there were foursynagoguesin the Fairfax District; by 1945, there were twelve. AfterWorld War II,more Jews began to populate the area. As more families moved in, religious schools and a Jewish Community Center sprang up. In 1974,Bet Tzedek Legal Services - The House of Justice,a legal aid charity, opened its doors across from theFarmers Market.
TheFarmers Marketat Fairfax Avenue and3rd Streetstill retains a 1930s atmosphere, with open-air vegetable stalls and cafes, and many Jewish residents of the area still frequent the market as part of their shopping orkibbitzingroutine.The Grove,a commercial retail and entertainment center, opened in 2002 next to the Farmer's Market.
The neighborhood east of Fairfax Avenue and north of Beverly Boulevard, consisting primarily of still-standing 1920s apartment buildings, was named theBeverly Fairfax Historic Districtby the City of Los Angeles in 2019. Now listed on theNational Register of Historic Places,buildings in the neighborhood must have any exterior alterations approved by the Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources.[15]
The intersection of Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard is officially recognized asRaoul WallenbergSquare, in honor of the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps.[16]TheLos Angeles Museum of the Holocaustis located nearby, withinPan Pacific Park.
CBS Television Citywas built in 1952 on the former site ofGilmore Stadiumat Fairfax Avenue andBeverly Boulevard.The facility has been used to tape several shows both for CBS and other entities, the most notable beingThe Price is Right,which has shot in Studio 33 (later renamed for the game show's longtime host,Bob Barker) continuously since 1972.
Services
[edit]Government
[edit]- Federal
- State
- City
TheLos Angeles Fire Departmentoperates Fire Station 61, serving the Fairfax community.[17]
Education
[edit]The schools within Fairfax include:[18]
- Fairfax High School,LAUSD,7850 Melrose Avenue. The school was founded in 1924. Most of the original campus facilities were demolished in 1966 because the originalSpanish Colonial Revivalmain building did not meet earthquake safety standards. The historic Dewitt Swann Auditorium and iconic Rotunda, however, were spared, retrofitted and are in daily use. Greenway Court, built in 1939 as a social hall by the students at Fairfax as a class project, was also spared and was moved to Fairfax Avenue, where it was converted into a theater in 1999 by theGreenway Arts Allianceand renamed the Greenway Court Theater.[citation needed]
- Bais YaakovSchool for Girls, private secondary, 7353 Beverly Boulevard
- Bais Tzivia, chasidic school for girls, kindergarten-eighth grade, 7269 Beverly Blvd.
- Bnos Esther, chasidic girls high school, ninth-12th grade, 116 North La Brea Ave.
- Yeshivas Bais Toras Menachem, Chasidic Boys Yeshiva, 341 N Mansfield Ave.
- Chederof Los Angeles, chasidic school kindergarten-eighth grade, 801 North La Brea Avenue
- The Otman Center, private secondary, 812 North Fairfax Avenue
- Yeshiva Rav-Isacsohn Toras Emes, 7011 Clinton Avenue
- Yeshiva Aharon Yaakov / Ohr Eliyahu, Ultra Orthodox K-12 boys and girls yeshiva, 241 South Detroit Street
- Yeshivas Hachaim, 7269 Beverly Blvd
- Yeshivas Ohev Shalom, 525 South Fairfax Avenue
- Yeshiva Gedolah of Los Angeles, 5444 West Olympic Boulevard
- Shalhevet Yeshiva High School, 910 South Fairfax Avenue
- Yeshiva Elchonon Chabad, 7215 Waring Avenue
- Yavneh Hebrew Academy, 5353 West Third Street
- Westside CommunityAdult School,LAUSD, 7850 Melrose Avenue
- WhitmanContinuation School,LAUSD, 7795 Rosewood Avenue
- Melrose AvenueElementary School, LAUSD, 731 North Detroit Street
Notable places
[edit]- Canter'srestaurant.Los Angelesmagazine named Canter's waffles the Best Waffle in Los Angeles.[19]Esquiremagazine called Canter'sMonte Cristo sandwichone of the best sandwiches in America.[20]
- CBS Television City,which was built on the site of a former football field and race track and which opened on November 16, 1952.
- Farmers Market,consisting of food stalls, sit-down eateries, prepared food vendors and produce markets.
- The Grove,a shopping center that features a large center park with an animated fountain.
- Pan-Pacific Parkon Third Avenue, built on the site of the formerPan-Pacific Auditorium.Location of theLos Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.
- Melrose Trading Post outdoor flea market[21][22][23]
Notable people
[edit]- Lynda Carter(born 1951), actress[24]
- Susan Rasky(1952–2013), journalist
- Phil Spector(1939–2021), record producer, songwriter, convicted murderer[25]
- Zev Yaroslavsky(born 1948), Los Angeles City Council and the county Board of Supervisors[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Briefing Book: For Planning & Land Use Management Committee: Beverly Grove RFA Ordinance
- ^ab"Los Angeles Times Magazine Map No. 7: Beverly-Fairfax".Los Angeles Times Magazine.13 April 1986.
- ^abWilshire: Historic Districts, Planning Districts and Multi-Property Resources – 01/26/15,SurveyLA
- ^Fairfax, Los Angeles, CA,Here Maps.
- ^Fairfax District,Bing Maps.
- ^ArcGIS(search result for Fairfax, Los Angeles, CA, USA).
- ^Fairfax: Beverly Hills CA 90036,MapQuest, retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^[1]"Central L.A.", Mapping L.A.,Los Angeles Times
- ^abcdef"Fairfax", Mapping L.A.,Los Angeles Times
- ^Architectural Resources Group, Inc. (23 January 2015)."Historic Resources Survey Report: Wilshire Community Plan Area"(PDF).SurveyLA.
- ^Hearing Before the Special Committee on Aging: United States Sentate Ninety-Eighth Congress, First Session, Los Angeles, Calif., July 6, 1983
- ^Version One
- ^Mothner, Linda Beth (1992-02-02)."Ethnic Diversity Gives District Distinction: Fairfax: A sense of shared community exists amid international restaurants and 36 languages in high school".Los Angeles Times.
- ^Romo, Ricardo.East Los Angeles: History of a Barrio.University of Texas Press,July 5, 2010.ISBN0292787715,9780292787711. p.95.
- ^Lombard, Patricia (2019-08-13)."Neighbors Celebrate Beverly Fairfax Historic District".Larchmont Buzz.Los Angeles, CA.Retrieved2020-10-21.
- ^Saved Thousands in Holocaust: Statue Will Honor Raoul Wallenberg
- ^Los Angeles Fire Department: Fire Station 61
- ^[2]"Fairfax Schools," Mapping L.A.,Los Angeles Times
- ^Review of Canter's Deli, giving award for Best WaffleArchivedJanuary 14, 2010, at theWayback Machine,Los Angeles,April 2005.
- ^The Best Sandwiches in America,Esquire Magazine, February 2008.
- ^Melrose Trading Post
- ^Greenway Arts Alliance
- ^Institute for the Arts at Greenway
- ^"Stanley Ralph Ross Television Academy interview".
- ^Bronson, Fred (December 2002).Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits.Watson-Guptill Publications.ISBN0-8230-7646-6.
- ^David Ferrell, "Zev Yaroslavsky: He's Spruced Up and Slimmed Down—but Retains Old Intensity and Driving Ambition,"Los Angeles Times,August 18, 1985