Crenshaw is a district in the South Central LA bordered by Hyde Park in the south, Leimert Park in the north, Chesterfield Square in the east, and View Park in the west. The district is primarily populated by African-Americans. The district is largely residential and made up of Mediterranean bungalows and low rises apartments. Its industrial corridor is along Jefferson Boulevard.[1]
Crenshaw is one of the safer neighborhoods in South Central, although there are still pockets of rough areas such as the “Jungle” or Baldwin Village and the streets from W. 40th to 49th. Crenshaw’s residents are mainly middle-class African Americans and one of the pleasant things about this district are the towering palms that line the sidewalks, originally planted in preparation for Los Angeles’ 1932 Summer Olympics.[2]
Attractions
Crenshaw Boulevard
The heart of Crenshaw is Crenshaw Boulevard with its line of restaurants, record stores, and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, a multimillion-dollar shopping complex.[3]
Leimert Park Village
Around the Crenshaw Boulevard area, you’ll also find the Leimert Theater at 3300 43rd Place, which is in the heart of the Leimert Park Village and its blocks full of lively shops and fine restaurants. The Theater is the notable highlight of the Leimert Park Village, an Art Deco gem designed by the prestigious firm Morgan, Walls and Clements. It has a signature oil-derrick sign.[4]
Museum in Black
The Museum in Black is the main cultural attraction of Crenshaw. Located at 4311 Degnan Boulevard, it traces African and African-American art and history with a collection of over a thousand pieces, from knives, utensils, and totemic statuary of the Old World to memorabilia and artifacts of racist advertising and political propaganda of the New World. The most disturbing of the collection are 300 year-old papers on display documenting the purchase and transport of slaves from West Africa.[5]
History
Crenshaw largely developed in the early 1920s and was initially an exclusive white neighborhood. Restrictive covenants excluded African Americans and Asians from owning property in the area. After these covenants were ruled unconstitutional, many African Americans moved into the neighborhood and they continue to make up most of the district, although there has been an increase in Latino immigration in recent years.[6]
References:
“Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California.” < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crenshaw%2C_Los_Angeles%2C_California>
Dickey, Jeff. Los Angeles, 3rd Edition. Rough Guides, 2003. ISBN: 1843530589.
[1] Crenshaw
[2] Id.
[3] Dickey, 147
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Crenshaw
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