Echo Park | History of the area

Silver Lake, an area of 2.75 square miles, is an urban neighborhood located just west of Griffith Park and 5 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It is bordered by the Glendale (2) and Golden State (5) freeways, Hoover Street and Hyperion Ave. The area was originally called “Ivanhoe”. In 1942, an early visitor, a Scotsman named Hugo Reid, saw the green hills of the area and was reminded of the hills of his home land in Scotland. He named the area after the famous Scottish novel, Ivanhoe. That explains why many of the streets in the area have Scottish names, or names that are related to characters from the novel. Some examples: Herkimer, Rowena, Ben Lomond, Hawick, Kenilworth, St. George, etc.

In the beginning of the 20th century, it became a destination for the first movie studios, such as Mack Sennett, Tom Mix, Disney and Monogram. The majority of the studios produced Westerns and silent films at the time. Quickly, it became the area where numerous filmmakers, actors, and directors lived. The film industry and architecture of Silver Lake developed during the same period. The potential of premium residential development began around the 1920’s and 1930’s, when developers were encouraged to expand the city. Antonio Moreno, a well-known developer and a silent film star of the era,, was responsible for undergrounding the utilities and was the creator of the Moreno Estates, currently known as the Paramour Mansion. Built in the Spanish Mediterranean style, it had a high influence on the neighborhood aesthetics. It reflects the style of many homes with stucco, arches and roof tiles. (Silver Lake Architecture)

Secret Stairways | Echo Parks

Secret Stairways | Echo Parks

Secret Stairways | Echo Parks

Secret stairways are another feature that makes Silver Lake unique. Most of them were built in the 1920’s. As the neighborhoods pushed their way into the hills, residents needed a solution to get to and from their home. As a result, a network of concrete stairways was built, serving as connectors between streets and hills. Some of their locations were chosen for their proximity to trolley lines. Even though the trolleys are gone and the hills’ slopes are lined with paved streets, many of these secret stairways remain today. As a matter of in fact, there are still many houses today whose access is solely dependent upon a staircase. There are more than 50 stairways in Silver Lake with the longest being 231 steps. Today, the stairs that were meant to give residents easy access between streets and hills are now a unique feature that encourages walking and exercising in the city.

In 1932, Laurel and Hardy released a short comedy film called “The Music Box Steps”. One of the scenes shows the two floundering up and then crashing their way down a 131-step climb from Descano Drive to Vendome Street while moving the piano. The location is very close to the busy intersection of Silverlake and Sunset.

In addition to the stairs, most of the street lights in Silver Lake were also built around the same time (in 1920’s). In 1988, the city decided to replace the traditional lights with modern ones since they were old-fashioned and many of them were inoperable; and those still working were becoming hard to maintain. The renovation project later was canceled when local residents, wanting to preserve the character and distinct aesthetic of the neighborhood, protested against it.

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