Nickerson Gardens
| Nickerson Gardens | |
|---|---|
 Nickerson Gardens in 2019. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | 1590 East 114th Street, Watts, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Status | 1,066 units |
| Construction | |
| Constructed | 1955[1] |
| Other information | |
| Governing body | Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles |
Nickerson Gardens is a 1,066-unit public housing apartment complex at 1590 East 114th Street[2] in Watts, Los Angeles, California. Nickerson Gardens is the largest public housing development west of the Mississippi River.[citation needed]
Location[]
The complex occupies the blocks northeast of the corner of Imperial Highway and Central Avenue, and southwest of 111th St and Compton Avenue. It is on the border of both Watts (a district of South Los Angeles) and the Census Designated Place (CDP) of Willowbrook.
History[]
It was completed in the year 1955, and the original architect was Paul Revere Williams. It was named after William Nickerson, Jr., the founder and former CEO of Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company.[citation needed]
In the mid-1970s, Nickerson Gardens was 95% African American, by 2004 the African American population had decreased to 75% and continues to drop to this day.[3]
Nickerson Gardens was occasionally known as the recognized birthplace of the Bounty Hunter Bloods gang. A Los Angeles Times article on November 17, 2007 detailed that they were gangs which had patrolled in and around Nickerson Gardens.[4]
Operation[]
The complex is owned and managed by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. Nickerson Gardens consists of 156 buildings with townhouse style units made up on single bedroom units.
Media[]
The complex was one of the many locations featured in the action-thriller film To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).[5]
Education[]
Nickerson Gardens is assigned to the following Los Angeles Unified School District schools:
- Markham Middle School
- Jordan High School
References[]
- ^ "Timeline: South Central Los Angeles". Independent Lens. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Public Housing Developments" (PDF). Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. Hacla.org. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2013.
- ^ Freeman, Dennis (25 March 2004). "Nickerson Gardens Targeted for Redevelopment". Los Angeles Sentinel. p. A11.
- ^ "A quiet night's menace". Los Angeles Times. 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ "Gape at William Friedkin's Near-Masterpiece "To Live and Die in L.A."". VillageVoice. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
Coordinates: 33°55′56″N 118°14′52″W / 33.93229°N 118.24769°W
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- Public housing in Los Angeles
- Watts, Los Angeles
- Willowbrook, California
- Buildings and structures completed in 1955
- 1955 establishments in California
- Paul Williams (architect) buildings
- Los Angeles geography stubs
- Los Angeles building and structure stubs