Los Angeles has always offered a unique landscape for preservation.  Over time, its relatively young age and rich history have contributed to the conservation of both architecturally and culturally significant sites. 

Emblematic of the city’s diversity, the Eastside has a dynamic heritage that weaves together stories from the Latinx, Japanese American, Jewish American, African American, Russian Molokan, Armenian, and Chinese American communities, among others.

For generations, Eastside neighborhoods such as Boyle Heights and unincorporated East Los Angeles have been the backdrop to changing settlement patterns and numerous significant historical events, creating a vibrant and layered cultural presence that remains today, even as area demographics shift.

Housing discrimination was commonplace in early twentieth-century Los Angeles, and local housing covenants often prohibited “non-Caucasians” (anyone of Jewish, Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, or African American descent) from living in certain neighborhoods. These restrictions contributed to the multiculturalism of the Eastside, outside the center of the city, where different communities intermingled and, in many cases, worked together to create social change. 

This microsite offers a glimpse of three interconnected communities in the area's history - Latinx, Japanese American, and Jewish American - with additional layers, locations, and stories to be added over time. 

Use these pages to explore historic places in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles, and share your stories about these and other important Eastside sites!

Special thanks to Marisela Ramirez, one of the Conservancy's 2014 Getty Multicultural Undergraduate Interns, for her contributions to this project.