Announcing the Human Sacrifice true crime tour & free Bunker Hill tree history webinar, plus updated mask policy

Gentle reader,

Everybody who loves Los Angeles history knows the tragic tale of how the Victorian neighborhood of Bunker Hill was destroyed in the biggest eminent domain land seizure ever, and about how the last two mansions on the hill were moved to Heritage Square in a failed preservation attempt.

But did you know that at least one of the grand old Victorian era sentinel trees that witnessed the growth, decline and eventual demolition of Bunker Hill is still alive in Downtown L.A.?

Join us on Wednesday night at 7pm for the third in an occasional series of free webinars exploring timely historic preservation issues and how YOU can get involved: Saving the Sentinel Trees on old Bunker Hill, Then and Now.

Our guests are Bunker Hill historian Nathan Marsak, musician and writer Annette Zilinskas and distinguished horticulturist Dr. Donald R. Hodel.

In this webinar, we’ll introduce you to Morty, the grand old Moreton Bay Fig that was planted around 1890, and grew up into a magnificent specimen, before it too was displaced by the redevelopment agency. You’ll see how Morty looked over the decades in rare photos from Nathan’s personal collection and learn how it was moved in 1981—shortly after appearing as the non-human star of the film On the Nickel, with its poignant theme song by Tom Waits.

But what about Sunshine? That’s the name Downtown denizen Annette Zilinskas has given to a lonely, neglected Queen Palm that stands proudly above 2nd and Hill Streets on the dirt patch, the last piece of unflattened Bunker Hill topography, a parcel marked for redevelopment for the Colburn School’s expansion.

Annette will share how she fell in love with the pretty, neglected tree, Nathan will explore the history of Sunshine’s little plot, and Don Hodel will talk about how the tree has survived with little care and share options for saving it. And we’ll hear Annette’s sweet tribute poem to Sunshine and old Bunker Hill.

Tune in (live or later) to learn about two very special trees and how you can be a part of their happy futures. And we’ll take your questions about old Bunker Hill and its changing landscape.

What a hoot it’s been to get back out into the nooks and crannies Los Angeles on this new series of walking tours, seeing familiar and new friends and sharing the secrets and marvels of this city we love!

We had held off resuming in-person events until we felt we could do so in a safe way, and now that we’ve given a few tours and seen what works, we’re formally relaxing—but not eliminating—our mask policy.

On the All Around the Auto Club tour, John Parkinson's biographer Stephen Gee tells us about the Col. John E. Stearns House on St. James Park, a rare example of the architect's domestic work that has had only two owners. Filming revenue helps preserve it!

Here’s the skinny: because Covid is still widespread in Los Angeles and it’s nothing to mess around with, when we’re all gathered close together hearing stories, or talking one-on-one like at the check in table, we ask that you wear a good mask. For walking around from one tour location to the next, do what makes you most comfortable. As the wastewater metrics show community spread waning, we’ll hopefully see you back on the bus again soon for longer tours. Until then, come meet us on the sidewalk and let’s take a stroll back in time!

Like for instance this Saturday’s all-new tour celebrating the lost literary world of Downtown Los Angeles, a magical zone of offbeat book sellers and eccentric artists pecking out their dreams from Bunker Hill (John Fante) and nightmarish visions of Pershing Square (Aldous Huxley). Feeling peckish? We’ll take you to the exotic cafeterias favored by bargain hunting bards like Jack Kerouac, John Rechy, Charles Bukowski and Ray Bradbury, to the surprisingly literary Downtown department stores, with some special surprises along the way.

Then on September 3, it’s a different kind of true crime walking tour, Human Sacrifice: The Black Dahlia, Elisa Lam, Heidi Planck & Skid Row Slasher Cases. Join us as we dig into four fascinating and terrible tales in which grisly and mysterious death intersects with housing scarcity against a backdrop of 75 years of Los Angeles history, and the unfortunate victims take on larger than life legends in death. You’ll be surprised how much, and how little, has changed!

yours for Los Angeles,

Kim & Richard

Esotouric

Psst… If you’d like to support our efforts to be the voice of places worth preserving, we have a tip jar and a subscriber edition of this newsletter, vintage Los Angeles webinars available on demand, in-person walking tours, gift certificates and a souvenir shop you can browse in. Or just share this link with other people who care.