Of Tacos, Tar Pits and Toppled Trees

Gentle reader,

On a few terrible occasions, we’ve watched in stunned disbelief as a property owner, tenant or non-profit occupying an historic landmark squanders vast stores of community goodwill on a horrible remodel or rebranding, turning off the longtime patrons who are its biggest fans.

Often, the blame can be directly laid at the feet of one man in the throes of the Dunning-Kruger effect. We hesitate to write that these guys are “suffering from” D-K, because it’s really the rest of us who suffer, while they blithely skate along, convinced of their genius, wrecking the places we love.

But there’s been an interesting side effect recently to two of these terrible scenarios, where neighboring projects have taken a much better direction—we suspect in response to how poorly things went for the egomaniac down the block.

So in Hancock Park, the renovation plans for the La Brea Tar Pits Museum and landscaping have unfolded over several years of transparent public meetings, in which community feedback was treated with the enormous respect it deserves. The proposal makes a delightful contrast to the disaster that is the top-down, unpopular and underfunded LACMA remodel.

On Hollywood Boulevard, longtime fans look away when passing the Pig ‘N Whistle restaurant, illegally gutted for a Mr. Tempo Cantina by the taunting, flatulent scofflaw Jorge Cueva.

But as of this week, should you feel the need to combine a visit to Hollywood Boulevard with chain Mexican food and a stiff drink, you can ignore the former Pig ‘N Whistle entirely, and patronize Taco Bell’s new Cantina concept half a block away. It’s housed in the historic Pickwick Books storefront, with the battered Spanish Churrigueresque facade lovingly repaired by KC Restoration for the project.

It shouldn’t take the slow motion car crash of a LACMA remodel or the bold destruction of a Pig ‘N Whistle to inspire others to do right by the landmarks in their care. But we’ll take all the preservation and stewardship wins we can get.

And if we get to take stewardship into our own hands, that can be fun, too.

On Day of the Dead 2022, we met our environmental horticulturist pal Dr. Don Hodel at the Plaza off Olvera Street, to inspect the spot where one of four Moreton Bay Fig Trees (Ficus macrophylla) that had been planted in 1875 toppled over in 2019.

As discussions continue about what should be planted in its place—you can tune in to the El Pueblo Commission hearing on Thursday, 2/23 at 2pm for a presentation from the Ad Hoc landscape and tree committee—Don wanted to see for himself if the fruit on any of the three surviving trees was producing viable seeds that might replace the tree that was lost.

Richard went to work collecting fallen figs in his handkerchief, while Don explained to curious passersby what we were up to. Don took the figs and promised to report back. And we waited, and waited.

And this week, Don delivered his verdict, in the form of a photograph of happy little fig sprouts grown from the 147-year-old trees!

We’ve kept Olvera Street management informed about this experiment, and asked to make a presentation to the El Pueblo Commission about options for replacing the fallen witness tree with the offspring of one of its sisters.

But while this idea floats unrealized in the mist, here’s a suggestion to lovers of old Los Angeles: next time you’re at the Plaza and picking up souvenirs, why not include a couple of fallen figs to plant at home? One little sprout could grow to be a mighty tree, and a golden thread leading through L.A.’s historic heart to the soil-stained hands of Elijah Hook Workman.

With a huge storm on the way, Saturday’s previously announced Westlake Park tour will be postponed to a future date. Bundle up and we’ll see you in March for a stroll in the sunshine.

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 to stream, in-person walking tours, gift certificates and a souvenir shop you can browse in. Or just share this link with other people who care.

UPCOMING WALKING TOURS

Saturday, February 25 - Westlake Park Time Travel Trip (postponed due to rain)• Saturday, March 11 - Downtown Los Angeles is For Book Lovers • Saturday, March 18 - Franklin Village Old Hollywood • Saturday, March 25 - Angelino Heights & Carroll Avenue • Saturday, April 8 - John Fante’s Downtown • Saturday, April 15 - Raymond Chandler’s Downtown

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