A Visit To Leimert Park
The photographic local histories in the Images of America series have given me the opportunity to learn about many American communities. I visited the Los Angeles neighborhood of Leimert Park and learned of its history in this book, "Leimert Park" (2012) by Cynthia Exum and Maty Guiza-Leimert, both of whom have long ties to the area. Exum is the founder and director of the Leimert Park Village Book Fair while Guiza-Leimert is a consultant to the investment company that founded the community many years ago. The authors give an enthusiastic, informed account of the community and its history. Many of the photographs in the book are from private sources and have not been published before. They offer a rare window into historic Los Angeles. This little book appears to be the first devoted solely to the Leimert Park community. In addition to the photographs and texts, the book includes a bibliography for readers wishing to learn more about the history of Los Angeles and its African American presence.
Leimert Park has been described as the "black Greenwich Village" and has been home for many years to an African American community with vibrant artistic, musical, and cultural accomplishments. While the community is showcased, the book goes back further in time. The story begins in the early 20th Century when the land was largely a ranch. In 1927, the land was purchased by an entrepreneur, Walter Leimert, who began the construction of a planned community. The book follows the planning and construction, with a historical and still-standing large fountain, lovely Spanish-style homes, shopping areas, and a historic theater in which Leimert partnered with Howard Hughes. The community become home to a prosperous middle-class, with sales of properties restricted by racial covenants.
When the Supreme Court invalidated racial covenants in 1948, the character of Leimert Park changed. Japanese people moved in followed by a large influx of African Americans. The community has had its ups and downs following the Watts riots in 1965 and riots in 1992. But it has persevered and become a center for African American life, as documented in this book. The cultural life of the community has included art galleries, open air music, night clubs featuring rhythm and blues artists and African American comedians, book stories, forums for community activism and more. The community continues to evolve and change in character while maintaining continuity with its past.
I enjoyed seeing photographs of the community through time, from the early days, through the development by Leimert, with the homes, shops, and old street cars. The community developed with the Los Angeles Olympics held in 1932. The book shows many of the long-term residents and the changing community following the end of racial covenants in 1948. I visited through the book the Fountain, the theater, the bookstores, cafeterias, supper clubs, and people of Leimert Park.
The book reminded me again of the breadth and diversity of American life and of the opportunities it offers for joy. It is inspiring to learn about the history and many stories of American communities. I have never been to Leimert Park but I was grateful to visit and learn something about it through this book.
