Past to Present

Click on the timeline to explore Echo Park history.

Echo Park Facts

  • Originally known as Edendale, the Echo Park neighborhood was supposedly founded in 1892, by real estate developer Thomas Kelley when he and several investors acquired a 70 acre parcel that included a reservoir that in 1895 was transformed into Echo Park Lake.
  • Some of Echo Park’s illustrious residents have included, among many others, actors Anthony Quinn and Steve McQueen, film director John Huston, activist Jerry Rubin, painter Jackson Pollock, and musicians Tom Waits and Frank Zappa.
  • After World War II, the area changed significantly. Consistent with the patterns in other large cities, whites started to abandon Echo Park and the neighborhood became largely Hispanic. Working class Asians also started to move into the area.
  • Today, Echo Park is about 65% Hispanic and 20 % Asian. The movement of the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958 probably had a deleterious effect on Echo Park. The city condemned residences in nearby Chavez initially for the purpose of building low income housing, but ended up selling the land to Walter O’Malley who built Dodger Stadium there.
  • Since the early 2000s, Echo Park has been showing signs of a renewal.  Artists, actors,  musicians and gay couples of all races have moved into Echo Park because of its affordable housing and bohemian ambience.

Sources and References:
historicechopark.org
echoparkchamber.com
echoparklake.org


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