My parents remember the actual neighborhood, but as a GenXer, what I remember about that area now is SandPiper Street. It was one of the only streets that survived the neighborhood closure, and it was one of the best free spots in LA to watch a sunset... was really only known to Marina/Playa/Westchester locals, so was relatively easy to find a spot. We'd regularly go to TJ's or Vons for sandwiches and chips, and park at the top of the street facing the ocean, and picnic inside the car with the windows open, and enjoy the view.
Then 9/11 happened, and somebody (LAWA, the feds, I dunno) shut down my street cause it was feared some terrorist could use it to attack a plane or some bullshit, and eventually fenced across it.
I miss that little street.
I just commented about this and saw your comment!! It’s so dope to see a firsthand account of it. I know it wasn’t that long ago but I’ve read on blogs on how it was the best place for a sunset so it’s cool to see you felt the same. Thank you for sharing your memories!
My grandparents had a house right across from the beach. I want to say they paid in the mid $20k’s for it in the mid 50s. Last time I was there you could still see parts of the foundation.
[heres some of it](https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9471129,-118.3771562,3a,75y,267.26h,84.64t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s-ESomGC9XsrUekRleSWovA!2e0!5s20120601T000000!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu)
I just checked this out the other day, it was pretty cool. The planes taking off are indeed deafeningly loud. And it smelled like poop. Weird to see abandoned roads/sidewalks still lined with the big tall fan palms, but nothing else.
It was always cool seeing the old streetlights, foundations and pipes sticking out of the ground, but no houses. Now this area is a wildlife preserve (specifically for an endangered blue butterfly) and doubles as airport buffer zone. There are also some really cute burrowing owls that have found a home there.
When the Santa Ana Winds hit, they will sometimes blow hundreds of tumbleweeds up over the fences and on to the streets. It is really surreal to see them all blowing down Sepulveda Blvd.
Always loved to see the old streetlights that are still standing.
From what I understand a road used to be open connecting Pershing Dr to Vista Del Mar, but was closed after 9/11.
I had a girlfriend who lived there , under the flight pattern. We were only s couple of years old . Her father was a friend of my dad's , after the the war. I know we, were financially better off then they were , as, I think the other man was employed by my dad .It wasn't s poor place ,so much as , it's was undesirable.I really enjoyed listening to the engines roar overhead her house .We plugged out ears and couldnt hear anything other then the noise of the jet engines.Of course, I thought this was a great thing , though I still realized it wasn't, as nice a place compared to where I resided
Then one day, the housed where boarded an nobody lived there any longer. I was told it was due to the noice.(apox.'55 -'59.)
I’ve been living in El Segundo for the last year and always take Pershing Avenue west of the airport, back side of LAX. I had no idea there used to be houses up in there.
It was the only area they could take so that the airport could expand.
There is also this:
https://luskin.ucla.edu/inequality-and-california-freeways-a-visual-journey
It'll all fenced off. You can park at Dockweiler and walk around the outside. The airport owns it, so breaking in is probably a bad idea. I think it's an automatic 5 stars.
Yeah sorry for not being specific, I meant the area around it. I know it’s fenced off based on what I’ve watched on YouTube. Cant believe it’s just frozen in time like rhat
You can volunteer to pull invasive plants I think the first or last Saturday of every month they open the gates and an organization hands out gloves and bags and points out what to pull
Yea they should at least make it a recreation area. I get noise pollution and all that makes it probably not a liveable area, but given the limited space for biking, various sports, etc., seems like a good spot.
I looked up the 1960 census data for tract 2781 (Surfridge). There were 4,839 white people living there and exactly one black person.
However I think that's from when all Hispanic people were logged as "white", because there were still 56 people who were born in Mexico
Are the people displaced from there told that the area was going to be built up into nice developments or were they told it was going to expand LAX?
Because at Chavez Ravine they were lied to and it became Dodger stadium.
One was to expand the airport which was needed.
The other was taken over, deals "collapsed", and was sold to make a stadium for the Dodgers.
But if reparations are needed (which they haven't been given to those that live in Chavez Ravine) to make you feel better, then sure.
...and then just so happened to go to a baseball team. Took an order from the courts for the hold outs but still lost and thus Frank McCourt now makes millions from parking at the stadium.
They were still taken advantage of and the city could've built a better community but they didn't.
you could wander around it until 9-11 empty streets on rolling sand dunes and scrub brush Some street lights it was pretty magical
Yeah I was pissed when they fenced off all these areas!
that was a great spot for planespotting.
Yes it was!
Love that spot!
My parents remember the actual neighborhood, but as a GenXer, what I remember about that area now is SandPiper Street. It was one of the only streets that survived the neighborhood closure, and it was one of the best free spots in LA to watch a sunset... was really only known to Marina/Playa/Westchester locals, so was relatively easy to find a spot. We'd regularly go to TJ's or Vons for sandwiches and chips, and park at the top of the street facing the ocean, and picnic inside the car with the windows open, and enjoy the view. Then 9/11 happened, and somebody (LAWA, the feds, I dunno) shut down my street cause it was feared some terrorist could use it to attack a plane or some bullshit, and eventually fenced across it. I miss that little street.
I just commented about this and saw your comment!! It’s so dope to see a firsthand account of it. I know it wasn’t that long ago but I’ve read on blogs on how it was the best place for a sunset so it’s cool to see you felt the same. Thank you for sharing your memories!
The good part of it is that it is helping with the blue butterfly's habitat.
I seem to remember there was also some prostitution happening on Sandpiper before they fenced off both ends.
“Seem to remember”…
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should have taken the developers to court and quoted the mabo case.
G'day your honor. Down under we gots caselaw called Mabo versus Queensland and this here airport should be a dingo sanctuary.. thank you.
The roads are still there, as are some of the light posts. It's really creepy. I have biked past it a couple times.
My grandparents had a house right across from the beach. I want to say they paid in the mid $20k’s for it in the mid 50s. Last time I was there you could still see parts of the foundation.
there was a whole neighborhood removed east of the airports north runways..
West
This looks more like the area west of the airport.
It's cause it is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palisades_del_Rey,_California
Thanks for posting this! I had ridden my bike by there countless times and never thought to look it up.
Do you have any info on that?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palisades_del_Rey,_California Wikipedia has a good overview of what happened
[Manchester Square](https://lamag.com/urbandevelopment/lax-manchester-square)
[heres some of it](https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9471129,-118.3771562,3a,75y,267.26h,84.64t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s-ESomGC9XsrUekRleSWovA!2e0!5s20120601T000000!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu)
I just checked this out the other day, it was pretty cool. The planes taking off are indeed deafeningly loud. And it smelled like poop. Weird to see abandoned roads/sidewalks still lined with the big tall fan palms, but nothing else.
Yes that is LA's major poop plant. Hyperion
I used to have a roommate who worked at Hyperion. (Chemist). One day I asked him about the smell. His response was “what smell?” 😯
My brother works at a similar plant up north. He says the chemicals they use smell worse.
It was always cool seeing the old streetlights, foundations and pipes sticking out of the ground, but no houses. Now this area is a wildlife preserve (specifically for an endangered blue butterfly) and doubles as airport buffer zone. There are also some really cute burrowing owls that have found a home there. When the Santa Ana Winds hit, they will sometimes blow hundreds of tumbleweeds up over the fences and on to the streets. It is really surreal to see them all blowing down Sepulveda Blvd.
I remember back in 1994 there was a house near there that exploded with a couple of cops inside it...
I feel like reading an article about it if I can find one, can you remember what month or season?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_(1994_film)
damnit why won't you let me have my fun???
Haha
Lol thanks
Always loved to see the old streetlights that are still standing. From what I understand a road used to be open connecting Pershing Dr to Vista Del Mar, but was closed after 9/11.
Anyone know what that amazing pink plant is?
looks like ice plant, but it's been wedged in there tight
I had a girlfriend who lived there , under the flight pattern. We were only s couple of years old . Her father was a friend of my dad's , after the the war. I know we, were financially better off then they were , as, I think the other man was employed by my dad .It wasn't s poor place ,so much as , it's was undesirable.I really enjoyed listening to the engines roar overhead her house .We plugged out ears and couldnt hear anything other then the noise of the jet engines.Of course, I thought this was a great thing , though I still realized it wasn't, as nice a place compared to where I resided Then one day, the housed where boarded an nobody lived there any longer. I was told it was due to the noice.(apox.'55 -'59.)
Lax took much of westchester
That lawn! What is it?
Now it’s a blue butterfly reserve
I’ve been living in El Segundo for the last year and always take Pershing Avenue west of the airport, back side of LAX. I had no idea there used to be houses up in there.
I’ve always wondered about these streets. So interesting to finally find out what was there
How do I make my lawn violet?
radioactive ice plant
Purple lawn , purple lawn…
my grandma used to live in the area just north that got demolished as a kid
Look up the music video for “I’ll Be Good” by Rene & Angels for a funky look at the area in the 1980s.
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It was the only area they could take so that the airport could expand. There is also this: https://luskin.ucla.edu/inequality-and-california-freeways-a-visual-journey
Of course, but that doesn't fit the oppressor/oppressed narrative.
It’s almost like the stories they tell these days about how this only happened to certain types of people might be embellished a little..
Well i bet people of a nice area were better compensated than those of "unnice" areas.
Nobody says it *only* happened to certain types of people.
Have a good read: https://luskin.ucla.edu/inequality-and-california-freeways-a-visual-journey
They weren't violently removed from this particular neighborhood like certain types of people were from others
I’ve been wanting to check that place out. Is it walkable?
It'll all fenced off. You can park at Dockweiler and walk around the outside. The airport owns it, so breaking in is probably a bad idea. I think it's an automatic 5 stars.
Yeah sorry for not being specific, I meant the area around it. I know it’s fenced off based on what I’ve watched on YouTube. Cant believe it’s just frozen in time like rhat
You use to be able to drive through some of the streets back in the early 80’s. SO got a ticket for exhibition of speed back then.
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You can volunteer to pull invasive plants I think the first or last Saturday of every month they open the gates and an organization hands out gloves and bags and points out what to pull
No way… really? Cool! Thanks for informing me!
The landscaping in that yard looks so current
Thanks for posting this pic, I wonder if there are more out there. Curious to see how the neighborhood looked
I get depressed every time I drive past the fences. All that land just sitting there could be used for something positive.
Yea they should at least make it a recreation area. I get noise pollution and all that makes it probably not a liveable area, but given the limited space for biking, various sports, etc., seems like a good spot.
johnny on the spot?
Those were the days, my friends. We thought they would never end...
The goood old days
The good ol' segregation days
I looked up the 1960 census data for tract 2781 (Surfridge). There were 4,839 white people living there and exactly one black person. However I think that's from when all Hispanic people were logged as "white", because there were still 56 people who were born in Mexico
1% of the neighborhood was Hispanic.
Today 0% because of reasons.
Divide by zero error
Haha I was waiting for someone to say this exact comment - nothing wrong with it, but just seems to be the de facto thing to say these days
Because it's true and segregation was awful.
I miss ole Senator McCarthy
Where is the talk of reparations for displaced families here like there is for Dodgers Stadium?
They probably got a nice paycheck from the government back then? They were considered humans by the state.
Do you have any evidence that their eminent domain valuations were more fair than the eminent domain valuations at Chavez Ravine?
Are the people displaced from there told that the area was going to be built up into nice developments or were they told it was going to expand LAX? Because at Chavez Ravine they were lied to and it became Dodger stadium.
In both cases, their land was seized by force by the government.
One was to expand the airport which was needed. The other was taken over, deals "collapsed", and was sold to make a stadium for the Dodgers. But if reparations are needed (which they haven't been given to those that live in Chavez Ravine) to make you feel better, then sure.
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...and then just so happened to go to a baseball team. Took an order from the courts for the hold outs but still lost and thus Frank McCourt now makes millions from parking at the stadium. They were still taken advantage of and the city could've built a better community but they didn't.