If you’re like many people looking for a condo or loft for sale in DTLA’s Bunker Hill, you know it has a rich history – but where did it begin, and why does it look the way it does today?
Here’s the scoop on Bunker Hill.
Bunker Hill, Downtown Los Angeles: A Brief History
Bunker Hill is a mix of commercial high-rises, restaurants and attractions, but it wasn’t always this way. In the 1950s, a major redevelopment plan decimated the old Bunker Hill, reconfiguring its streets and changing the way it looks on the map. Famous streets that used to be big thoroughfares through the city – like Bunker Hill Avenue – no longer exist.
But even before that – as far back as 1867, actually – Bunker Hill was a special place. A French-Canadian immigrant, Prudent Beaudry, bought all the land on top of the scrub-covered hill, wanting to create a real estate development here. He needed the local water company to pipe water to the top to complete his plan, but the water company refused, so Beaudry created his own. He also built roads leading into the community below the hill.
His total cost: About $95,000.
For the next several decades, Bunker Hill grew to include remarkably beautiful Victorian mansions – but by the 1920s, most had been crowded out by growing developments. The people who lived in the gorgeous mansions had moved to more secluded neighborhoods to escape Bunker Hill’s busy growth, and virtually nothing new happened there between the 20s and the 50s, when its critics began calling it a slum.
The city of Los Angeles began the Bunker Hill Urban Renewal Project in 1959, and by 1969, the entire neighborhood was gone – save the Angel’s Flight. (You can check out historic, colorized photos taken by George Mann, one of the most prolific Bunker Hill photographers, here.)
Today, Bunker Hill has been completely redeveloped and is a remarkable place to live. While you’re here, check out our:
We can help you find your dream home in Bunker Hill. Call us at 213-254-7626 right now to tell us what you want from your next home in DTLA – we’ll help you find it.