Chavez Ravine

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Lore & Background

Chavez Ravine was named for Julian Chavez, the first recorded owner of the ravine. He was born in New Mexico and moved to Los Angeles in the early 1830s. In 1844, Chavez purchased 83 acres of the long, narrow valley northwest of the city. During the 1850s and 1880s there were smallpox epidemics; Chavez Canyon was the location of a 'pest house' which cared for Chinese-Americans and Mexican-Americans suffering from the disease. The First Jewish site in Los Angeles was a Jewish cemetery located on Fort Moore Hill, near present-day Dodger Stadium but not within the ravine itself, which opened in 1855 and was owned by the Hebrew Benevolent Society of Los Angeles. The Hebrew Benevolent Society purchased a 3-acre plot of barren land for the cemetery for $1 from the city. The Hebrew Benevolent Society of Los Angeles received the deed to land from the Los Angeles City Council on April 9, 1855. The site now includes Dodger Stadium and the Los Angeles Fire Department's Frank Hotchkin Memorialized Training Center. In 1902, because the land was needed for a new reservoir (the Buena Vista Reservoir), the buried remains were moved to the Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles. By the early 1900s, a semi-rural Mexican-American community had grown up, with three distinct neighborhoods: Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop. In 1913, a progressive lawyer named Marshall Stimson subsidized the movement of around 250 families of Mexican-Americans to these communities from the floodplain of the Los Angeles River. In 1926, the residents organized to shut down a nearby brick factory, and the Los Angeles City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance prohibiting blasting and zoning the area for residential use. In the 1940s, the area was a poor, though cohesive, Mexican-American community. The city labeled the area as 'blighted' and planned public housing through the Housing Authority, with architects Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander developing a plan for 'Elysian Park Heights.' The project halted after many residents had been relocated. In the early 1950s, the City of Los Angeles purchased land using eminent domain with funds from the Federal Housing Act of 1949. According to historian John Laslett, the Housing Authority employed high pressure tactics to coerce property owners to sell. Some residents resisted, resulting in the Battle of Chavez Ravine. After Norris Poulson was elect

In Their Own Story

The transition from public housing to baseball began when Mayor Norris Poulson, elected in 1953, declared public housing "un-American," causing support for the Elysian Park Heights project to fade. Following protracted negotiations, the City of Los Angeles repurchased the Chavez Ravine property from the Federal Housing Authority at a drastically reduced price with the stipulation it be used for a public purpose. On June 3, 1958, Los Angeles voters approved a "baseball referendum" promoted by the Taxpayers Committee for Yes on Baseball. This led to the controversial decision to trade 352 acres of Chavez Ravine to the Brooklyn Dodgers and owner Walter O'Malley in exchange for land around the minor league park, Wrigley Field. The goal was to provide incentives for migration to Los Angeles. From their arrival in 1958 until 1961, the Dodgers played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before Dodger Stadium officially opened in 1962. During this interim period and the early years of the stadium's operation (1962–1965), when the expansion Los Angeles Angels were tenants, they referred to the venue as "Chavez Ravine Stadium" or simply "Chavez Ravine." The city later designated the property as "Dodgertown" in October 2008, and the USPS assigned it the postal code "Dodgertown, CA 90090" in April 2009.

Reader's Guide

Chavez Ravine is located in Los Angeles, California, next to Dodger Stadium. The area includes Elysian Park and the Chavez Ravine Arboretum. The site of the former Jewish cemetery is now part of Dodger Stadium and the Los Angeles Fire Department's Frank Hotchkin Memorialized Training Center.

Did You Know?

• Chavez Ravine was named for Julian Chavez, who purchased 83 acres of the valley in 1844.
• The first Jewish cemetery in Los Angeles was established on Fort Moore Hill, near present-day Dodger Stadium but not within the ravine itself, in 1855.
• The Hebrew Benevolent Society purchased the cemetery land for $1 from the city on April 9, 1855.
• In 1913, lawyer Marshall Stimson helped move about 250 Mexican-American families to Chavez Ravine from the Los Angeles River floodplain.
• The Battle of Chavez Ravine was a ten-year struggle by remaining residents against eviction.

Origins and Early Land Use

Julian Chavez (né Julián A. Chávez), born in New Mexico, moved to Los Angeles in the early 1830s and became a local leader. In 1844, he purchased 83 acres of the valley northwest of the city. During smallpox epidemics in the 1850s and 1880s, Chavez Canyon housed a "pest house" for Chinese-American and Mexican-American patients. In 1854, the Hebrew Benevolent Society of Los Angeles was founded to procure land for a cemetery. On April 9, 1855, the society received a deed from the city for a 3-acre plot at Lilac Terrace and Lookout Drive, establishing the first Jewish cemetery in Los Angeles. The site now includes Dodger Stadium and the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center. In 1886, parts of the hills became Elysian Park, while two brick manufacturers began blasting operations in Chavez Ravine that same year.

Community Formation and Early Activism

By the early 1900s, a semi-rural Mexican-American community grew on the ridges above the ravine, forming three neighborhoods: Palo Verde, La Loma, and Bishop. In 1913, lawyer Marshall Stimson subsidized the move of around 250 residents from the Los Angeles River floodplain to these communities. The area included a grocery store, a church, and Palo Verde Elementary. A nearby brick factory caused smoke and dust problems until residents organized to shut it down. On August 20, 1926, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance prohibiting blasting and zoned the area for residential use.

The Housing Crisis and Redevelopment Plans

In the 1940s, Chavez Ravine consisted of the three Mexican-American communities of La Loma, Palo Verde, and Bishop. Many families lived there due to housing discrimination elsewhere in Los Angeles. The city labeled the area "blighted" and, using federal funds from the Housing Act of 1949, tasked the Housing Authority with building public housing to address post-World War II shortages. Architects Richard Neutra and Robert Alexander designed a plan for "Elysian Park Heights," which included two dozen 13-story buildings and more than 160 two-story townhouses, plus playgrounds and schools.

Displacement Tactics and the Battle for Land

In the early 1950s, the City of Los Angeles used eminent domain to purchase land from local owners using funds from the Federal Housing Act of 1949. Author Mike Davis reported that developers representing the city offered immediate cash payments through Spanish-speaking agents to homeowners who were initially unwilling to sell. Historian John Laslett stated the Housing Authority used high-pressure tactics, allegedly offering lesser amounts to remaining owners to create panic. Some residents resisted, leading to the "Battle of Chavez Ravine," a ten-year struggle by a small number of holdouts that ended unsuccessfully after most land was transferred to public ownership. In 1953, Mayor Norris Poulson opposed public housing, calling it "un-American." The city repurchased the property from the Federal Housing Authority at a reduced price for a public purpose. Following a voter-approved "baseball referendum" on June 3, 1958, the city traded 352 acres of Chavez Ravine to the Brooklyn Dodgers and owner Walter O'Malley in exchange for land around Wrigley Field.