Olvera Street: Los Angeles' Favorite Historic Wine Street

Tucked away in between Little Tokyo and Chinatown is one of the oldest and most historic streets in the City of Los Angeles, home to not only the oldest standing residence in town but also the very heart of the city’s early beginnings. 

Olvera Street is a small section of Los Angeles’ Historic district that’s gone relatively unnoticed for decades, despite being one of the oldest areas in the city. Sure, Los Angeles has all the glitz and glamour of a shimmering West Coast metropolis, but Olvera Street reminds us all of the humble and traditional beginnings from which the palm-tree-laden city originated.

If you live in our Southern California apartments, then this is a great way to learn about Los Angeles’ early history!

History of Olvera Street

Walking through Olvera Street today, one can appreciate the shady trees, the neat brick, the intricate carvings and the traditional art that make the old district one of Los Angeles’ favorite historic areas. However, Olvera Street has a much more humble and practical beginning. 

The best place to start is in September of 1781, nearly 240 years ago, when the very first settlers arrived in the Los Angeles region. The original group included 44 people of African American, European and Native American heritage who had all travelled north from Mexico to create a settlement of their own along the coast of what is now California. 

This small farming settlement was called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles, meaning “The town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels.” Later, of course, it was shortened to Los Angeles. 

The original civilian settlement, or pueblo, was located less than a mile west of the banks of the Los Angeles River, just north of where the Santa Ana Freeway passes by Little Tokyo today. Like most early settlements, the few buildings that were first erected included a few residences and a church, but it was not until the early 1820s that the city’s first streets and adobe huts started popping up.

California was still part of Mexico in the 1820s, but by then the Spanish rule that had dictated the law of the land had ended, giving Mexico independence from their colonial rulers. It was then that the small town of El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles really started thriving, and the town became the cultural and business center of the whole area.

The region’s economy was based on farming and cattle ranching, and soon wine-making joined the ranks of profitable industries in California. As the small town grew, the plaza at the center of town became the de-facto center of commerce and culture for the traders, businessmen and residents of early Los Angeles.

After the Mexican-American War in the mid 1840s, Los Angeles began to grow at a rapid pace following the United States’ annexation of California. Business boomed in the small town, and Los Angeles began to establish itself as an impressive location for both culture and agriculture. The wine industry flourished in the area, too, so much so that there was an entire street dedicated to wine adjacent to the plaza! This street, which wasn’t too much more than an alley back then, was originally called Wine Street. The name was changed to Olvera Street in 1877 after Los Angeles County’s first judge, Augustin Olvera, moved to the street, and it’s held the name ever since!

Although the city began to grow and flourish remarkably fast, the original plaza was not actively maintained. By the 1920s, the historic plaza, and Olvera Street by association, was no longer the vibrant wine mecca it once was. Instead, the neighborhood was overlooked, becoming an attractive location for those who couldn't yet afford to live in the more expensive neighborhoods nearby. Many Chinese immigrants moved to the area and established the nearby Chinatown, and many Sicilians and Mexicans found community in the diverse neighborhood.  

Olvera Street’s restoration

In 1926, socialite Christine Sterling stumbled across the neighborhood and was shocked at how the very heart of the city’s history had been so quickly forgotten. With a love for local history and the funds to offer help, Sterling started a campaign to not only save the old district from demolition, but to reestablish the thriving community. 

Her passion and determination to turn the old district into a cultural center wasn’t shared by fellow Angelinos, however. When she found a condemnation letter posted on the front door of the Avila Adobe, the oldest residence in the City of Los Angeles, Sterling posted her own condemnation of the bureaucratic system that so carelessly undercut the city’s history. It was this act of protest that drew publicity to her mission, and soon afterward the city cancelled the district’s demolition. 

Sterling not only saved the neighborhood from ruin, but her publicity also inspired the public to help restore the area to its original vibrancy. Funds poured in from all over Los Angeles, and local building companies contributed bricks, construction material and workers to help with construction. 

Easter Sunday of 1930 brought about the grand opening of Paseo de Los Angeles, a Mexican marketplace and cultural center located in Olvera Street. The tourist attraction featured restaurants, storefronts, vendor stalls and carefully-restored architecture that had originally made the old Plaza so iconic. 

Olvera Street is evidence of the preservation of early Los Angeles history, although some critique the area as being a tourist trap that romanticizes Latin American and Mexican Heritage. Whatever way people choose to perceive the district, Olvera Street remains as a vibrant reminder of how the modern metropolis of Los Angeles first started so many years ago.

If you don’t believe us, head out from our beautiful Southern California apartments sometime soon, and go check it out for yourself!

Enjoy!

Pin it!

Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/mintchipdesigns