Is Leimert Park L.A.’s Most Significant Neighborhood?

Is Leimert Park the most significant neighborhood in Los Angeles? Katie Horak thinks it might be. “I don’t think there’s any neighborhood in the city that tells so many different important stories about our history as a city, and that really has the integrity to still tell that story,” she says in this episode of Save As. A USC alum, principal at Architectural Resources Group, and adjunct professor, Katie took her students out of the classroom and into the neighborhood to document Leimert Park’s remarkable architectural and cultural heritage.

We also talk with three of Katie’s students—Zongqi Li, Emily Varley, and Kira Williams—about what they found on their adventure. They unraveled a mystery about how Leimert Park developed, saw how persistent racism affected African American and Japanese American residents, and traced the evolution of schools and churches. You’ll hear why Katie considers Leimert Park so important—and you might even agree.

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