Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Baldwin Hills
Neighborhood of Los Angeles
Baldwin Hills neighborhood sign located at the intersection of La Brea Avenue and Stocker Street
Baldwin Hills Location in Western Los Angeles
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
City	Los Angeles
Time zone	Pacific
ZIP Code	90008
Area code(s)	323

Baldwin Hills is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California. It is often called the "Black Beverly Hills." This area is home to Kenneth Hahn State Regional Park. It also has Village Green, which is a special historic landmark.

History of Baldwin Hills

Early Days: The 1800s

Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin

Long ago, Baldwin Hills was part of a large ranch called Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera. Later, a famous Los Angeles pioneer named Elias "Lucky" Baldwin owned the land. The old ranch house, Sanchez Adobe, became the center of a golf course in the 1920s.

The 1930s and the Olympics

In 1932, Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympic Games. Baldwin Hills was chosen for a very special reason. It was the site of the world's first-ever Olympic Village! This village was built just for male athletes. It had hundreds of buildings, including a post office, a hospital, and even a bank. Female athletes stayed at a hotel in another part of the city. After the Olympics, the village was taken down.

Changes in the 1950s and 1960s

In the 1950s, new homes were built in Baldwin Hills. They were designed by Paul W. Trousdale, a famous builder. These homes were advertised as being close to a big new shopping center.

Baldwin Hills reservoir after collapse of the dam in 1963

A big event happened on December 14, 1963. A crack appeared in the Baldwin Hills Dam. This dam held back water in the Baldwin Hills Reservoir. Water rushed out, and the dam broke completely. Police warned people to leave the area, but sadly, six people died. About 200 homes were destroyed, and many more were damaged. Most of Baldwin Vista and Village Green were flooded.

Engineers found that the dam broke because the ground underneath it was sinking. This sinking was caused by oil being taken from the nearby Inglewood Oil Field. After this, other similar dams in Los Angeles were closed. The Baldwin Hills Dam was never rebuilt. Instead, the empty reservoir was turned into Kenneth Hahn Regional Park.

The 1980s: Fire and a New Name

In the summer of 1985, a large brush fire started near La Brea Avenue. The fire quickly spread up a canyon and reached homes in Baldwin Hills Estates. Many homes were destroyed, and three people died. The person who started the fire was never found.

Around this time, in 1985, the Los Angeles Times newspaper noted something important. Baldwin Hills was now often called "the Black Beverly Hills." This nickname showed how important the neighborhood had become.

Geography of Baldwin Hills

Baldwin Hills is surrounded by several streets and neighborhoods. To the west is La Cienega Boulevard. To the east is Crenshaw Boulevard. Stocker Street is to the south, and Obama Boulevard is to the north. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard separates it from Crenshaw Manor. The neighborhood is next to Culver City on the west and Leimert Park on the east.

The Baldwin Hills mountain range is also part of this neighborhood.

Neighborhoods within Baldwin Hills

View from Baldwin Hills of Downtown Los Angeles in the distance and the San Gabriel Mountains

Baldwin Hills Village National Historic Landmark Plaque, at Village Green

Baldwin Hills has several smaller neighborhoods inside it:

• Baldwin Hills Estates is often called "The Dons." This is because most of its streets start with "Don." The oldest streets are Don Luis Drive and Don Mariano Drive. This area is known for hillside houses, many with swimming pools. It also has modern condominiums built on steep hills.
• Baldwin Village became its own recognized community in 1988. It has many apartment buildings built in the middle of the last century. These apartments are an important source of affordable housing in Los Angeles.
• Baldwin Vista is bordered by La Cienega Boulevard, La Brea Avenue, Coliseum Street, and Kenneth Hahn Park.
• Village Green was first called Baldwin Hills Village. It is a historic "garden city" with many apartment buildings. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 2001. The homes here are now condominiums with lots of open space.

Climate

Parks and Recreation

View of Hollywood Hills and San Gabriel Mountains from Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Park

Baldwin Hills has several great parks and places to play:

• Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park is a park with amazing views. You can find it at 6300 Hetzler Road in Culver City. It has an amphitheater, a discovery center, picnic tables, and walking paths.
• Kenneth Hahn State Regional Park is a very large park at 4100 South La Cienega Boulevard. It has lots of space for sports and other fun activities.
• Norman O Houston Park is located at 4800 South La Brea Avenue.
• Jim Gilliam Park & Recreation Center is at 4000 South La Brea Avenue. It also has a center for senior citizens.

Education

Susan Miller Dorsey High School, which serves Baldwin Hills

Baldwin Hills Elementary School

Schools in Baldwin Hills are part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. There are also some charter schools. Here are some of the schools in the area:

• Baldwin Hills Elementary School
• Audubon Middle School
• Susan Miller Dorsey High School
• Windsor Math/Science/Aerospace Magnet
• Hillcrest Drive Elementary School
• Marlton School
• New Designs Charter School

New LA Elementary School, a charter school, shares space with Baldwin Hills Elementary. A California law allows this. In 2022, some people in the community felt that sharing space made it harder for the public elementary school to work well. They wanted the charter school to move to a different place.

Media

Literature

• Magic Street is a fantasy novel by Orson Scott Card. It is set in Baldwin Hills.

Television

• Baldwin Hills was a reality show about African-American teenagers living in the neighborhood.

Notable people

Some well-known people who have lived in Baldwin Hills include:

• Danny Elfman
• Mike Love

See also

In Spanish: Baldwin Hills para niños