This rather spectacular estate was the Sisters’ Orphans Home. Built in 1890 by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul at 7th Street and Boyle Avenue in Boyle Heights just east of downtown, it was Los Angeles’ main orphanage. It lasted until 1950, and this photo is circa 1899. I couldn’t find out how many rooms they had, but it looks like they were able to accommodate hundreds of orphans at any given time.
Here is a rear view, courtesy of Al Donnelly:
These days, that site is occupied by a hellscape of freeways, where the 10, the 101, the 5, and the 60 twist around each other like snakes.
One of my uncles was sent there during WW1 due to poverty. My grandmother was raising 5 sons alone after my grandfather had been sent to the Sawtelle old soldier’s home due to shell shock. She lost one son to the Spanish flu but still could not feed them all, so she sent the oldest away for a couple of years.
There was probably a fair bit of that following the double whammy of WWI and the Spanish Flu.
The building appears as though it could be divided for boys and girls on either half, however, a rear view shows it is built much smaller in an “L” shape with a single playground area occupying the far side back. Only girls are seen in photos, and the history covering the origins inducates this was only girls at the start. So where did the boys go? In addition, the building’s foundations had apparently been weakend due to a road project around 1930 such that it was only used as a day school from that point on with students and staff housed at night in the basement of a hospital. Operation continued even with further damage over time. It was then declared unsafe in 1950 and was removed from useage, but it was not demolished until after 1957. A facility in Rosemead took over the functions when it opened in 1953, surviving to this day with an additional location.
Much thanks, Al, for all interesting info.
What amazes me is that the population of Los Angeles when this was built (1890) was about 50,000. People did not have the life expectancy we now have. That wouldn’t stop me from being teleported back to that time should the opportunity arise.
Me either, Deepy!