Baldwin Plaza-Sunset Fields Historic District (Primary)
Resource Types
District
Important Dates
No dates recorded
Keywords (Subjects)
No keywords recorded
Location Information
Addresses
See below under Related Resources
Location Description
No descriptions recorded
Administrative Areas
No areas recorded
Los Angeles City Council District 10
(Council District)
West Adams - Baldwin Hills - Leimert Community Plan Area
(Community Plan Area)
EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS WEST AREA NDC
(Neighborhood Council)
Classification
Classification
Type:
Residential District
Use:
Historic
Related Features
No features recorded
No features recorded
Resource Descriptions
General Description
"The Baldwin Plaza-Sunset Fields Historic District is located just north and west of the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of South Los Angeles. The district consists of two-story apartment houses roughly bounded by Coliseum Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the north, La Brea Avenue to the west, and Santo Tomas Drive, Pinafore Street, Potomac Avenue, Santa Rosalia Drive, and Hillcrest Drive to the south and east. The topography is generally flat. The streets are generally curvilinear and follow the natural topography of the site. Two streets end in cul-de-sacs, and many are only a block long. Lot sizes are fairly uniform, and buildings have shallow uniform setbacks with front lawns. Most properties have detached rear garages that are accessed via alleys. Nicknamed ""the Jungle"" early on for its lush vegetation, the district's landscaping is characterized by giant bird of paradise and palm trees, among other subtropical plant species. The district consists of two separately developed tracts; however, the continuity of architecture and landscaping makes it difficult to discern the boundary between the two.The district is primarily composed of two-story Mid-Century Modern apartment houses, built between 1954 and 1962. Most buildings feature flat roofs, stucco exteriors, and central courtyards. Jalousie windows are common, as are steel casement and aluminum sliding windows. Stone cladding, patterned concrete blocks, and period railings are also common extant architectural details. Many tout tropical names such as 'The Islander,' 'Coco Capri,' 'The Tahiti,' and 'The Lanai,' and feature their titles in large script above the entryway in characteristic Mid-Century fonts. Address numbers often join the architectural aesthetic, displayed in oversized digits near front entries. Of the 306 total properties, 301 contribute to the district's historic significance."
External System References
External System References
SurveyLA ID:
0436ccd6-58e6-4f03-8df0-d55c3c954131
Resource Significance
Evaluation Details
Date Evaluated
2016-06-27
Context/Theme
Residential Development and Suburbanization, 1850-1980
Multi-Family Residential Development, 1910-1980
Multi-Family Residential, 1910-1980
Multi-Family Residential District, 1910-1980
Residential-Multi Family
Multi-Family District
Eligibility Standards
Conveys a strong visual sense of the overall historic environment from its period of significance
Retains most of the essential character-defining features of the type from the period of significance
Unified entity composed of a substantial number of properties originally constructed as multiple-family residences during the period of significance
Retains original planning features including street patterns, building setbacks, landscape or street features
Contains a substantial number of properties that are good examples of architectural styles of the period
May be composed of a single multiple-family residential property type or a variety of types
Integrity Aspects
Workmanship
Materials
Setting
Location
Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance