Out scouting again on the streets of East LA on yet another rainy morning. So I thought I’d share an interesting one I don’t think many people know about…
When you walk through City Terrace Park in East LA, look near the playground and you’ll see chunks of sandstone haphazardly tossed about. While they might seem ornamental at first, look a bit more closely, and you might just be able to make out some intricate design work carved into them…
That’s because these blocks are the sole remaining ruins of Los Angeles’ once grand county courthouse, built in 1888.
Originally located in downtown LA at the corner of Temple and Hill, the courthouse was once called the “jewel of Los Angeles,” and featured a large clocktower at its center. It also had an open-air elevator, and visitors would visit from all over just to catch a glimpse of LA from up high.
Sadly, the courthouse was terminally damaged by several earthquakes, most notably the 1933 Long Beach quake. It was demolished and fully removed by 1936.
For reasons that are sort of unclear, some of the ruins were schlepped up to City Terrace when the WPA began working on the current park. My guess is that someone had hoped they’d be integrated into some of the park’s design elements, but as of 2023, they’re just laying about for anyone who happens to wonder why Google Maps has marked the area as “Ruins of 1861 Los Angeles County Courthouse” (wrong year, Google, that was the one that came before!).
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