Your Support Needed For 1/21 HCM Hearing

To kick off 2021, Highland Park Heritage Trust and the Chicano Arts Collective need YOUR support!

Yes, you. We are presenting our case at the second and final Historic Cultural Monument hearing headed by the Los Angeles County Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) this coming Thursday, January 21st, at 10:00am, via Zoom. We need all the help we can get, so now is your time to shine!

There are three ways to help us achieve the goal of a “yes” vote on the 21st: 

1. Write a letter of support to the CHC. Tell them that you support our two nominations, and include compelling reasons why they should vote in our favor. You can email your support letter directly to the commission at chc@lacity.org. If you need a sample letter or suggested talking points, please email our media coordinator at sam.andrel@hpht.org. 
2. Make a public comment on the day of the hearing. The CHC will designate time during the actual hearing after our presentation for public comments. You can express your desire to comment by “raising your hand” on the Zoom call, which you can find details about here. 
3. Share our social media posts and graphics. We’ve created shareable graphics and posts on our Facebook and Instagram pages @highlandparkheritagetrust. Please share these with your networks, and encourage your friends, family and colleagues to share as well!

From one community member to another, we thank you for your continuing support and involvement! To those of you who have already emailed letters or written articles about the upcoming hearing, we are forever grateful and are so excited to see you all (virtually, of course), on the 21st! 

Background Information

We are presenting historical background and justification for the preservation of two of LA County’s most influential buildings during the Latino arts movement in the 1960s and 1970s: the Mechicano Art Center, located at 5337-5341 North Figueroa Street, 110 North Avenue 54; and the Centro de Arte Publico, located at 5605-5607 North Figueroa Street. 

These two buildings played a pivotal role in allowing Latino artists to express themselves and showcase their creative work in a welcoming environment. Now under threat of erasure due to ongoing city development, there’s a dire need to preserve these historic centers to ensure the stories and work of these artists stay alive for future generations of Angelenos. 

Our first hearing with the CHC, which took place on October 1st, 2020, resulted in them voting to consider our two nominations for designation as historical monuments. During this hearing, they will cast their final vote for HCM status for both buildings.