Secret Walks #21: Hollenbeck Park, 2.5 miles

In the 1920s-1950s, Boyle Heights was the gateway neighborhood for Jewish, Mexican, Japanese, Russian, Armenian, Italian, Chinese, and African American immigrants. Mention the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Boyle Heights today, and you'll get references to Mariachi Plaza, Libros Schmibros: Lending Library, and often gangs. But Boyle Heights, originally named Pardon Blanco, was one of the original land blocks included when Pueblo of Los Angeles was settled in 1781. Named for Andrew Boyle who purchased the land for a vineyard in 1858 and built his house on what's now Boyle Avenue. John Hollenbeck arrived in 1876, ailing, and after his death in 1885, his widow donated a block of land for the creation of Hollenbeck Park, our destination today. Movies and TV shows filmed here from the '20s to present, and instead of choosing four pix, I decided to post all the highlights from Barbara and my hike today, from Mariachi Plaza and Libros Schmibros, past Elmer Simons' (brickyard owner) turn of the century home, Max Factor's late 1800s childhood home, a 1914 Music School still operating, Hollenbeck Palms (original site of Hollenbeck's home), our stroll around Hollenbeck Park (ducks!), the 1904 Santa Fe Railroad Hospital (haunted), and finally back to Mariachi Plaza and coffee at the La Monarca Bakery Boyle Heights inside the the old Boyle Hotel (Cummings Block 1889) a historical-cultural monument and one of the oldest commercial structures in the city. A true walk through Los Angeles history, we met lovely people, happy dogs, friendly ducks, and honking geese along the way.