General Plan Update - City of Inglewood

5.5 Historical and Cultural Resources
By 1888 Inglewood had a population of
three hundred. During the years immediately
preceding Inglewood’s incorporation in
1908, architectural development was sparse.
Most buildings were impermanent wood
frame construction. The principal
commercial building was the Hotel
Inglewood, whose two-story structure,
located at the southwest corner of
Commercial (now La Brea) and Regent
La Brea Avenue
Streets, contained commercial units that
fronted onto Commercial Street. Businesses addressing the agricultural and building
needs of the community were located on the west side of Commercial Street, north of
Regent. These consisted of a blacksmith shop, Inglewood Mills, and storage and repair
shops. During the early years of Inglewood’s history, Market Street was principally a
residential area with a street car line that dated from 1904.
By the 1910s, several churches were constructed in Inglewood. With the exception of the
First Methodist Episcopal Church at the northwest corner of East Pimiento (now West
Manchester Boulevard) and Commercial
Street, and St. John’s Catholic Church at
the northeast corner of East Pimiento
and South Locust Street, the churches
were constructed in the more sparsely
developed residential area south of
Nutwood Street, i.e., the Presbyterian
Church, the Church of the Brethren, and
the Christian Church. None of these
buildings survived (though the First
Christian Church at 215 East Hillcrest
Boulevard is on the site of the earlier
Christian Church). The only church that
Market Street Intersection
survived from this period, in an altered state, is the Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith,
located at the southeast corner of Grace Avenue and Locust Street, as shown in
Figure 5.5-1.
In the early 1920s, Inglewood’s collection of commercial buildings coalesced into a
downtown commercial district. The pattern of development shared features with the
development of other downtown districts in Southern California (and elsewhere
nationally). The buildings that were constructed have been labeled by architectural
historians as “taxpayer blocks”, so named since they were viewed as interim
improvements that would garner some tax benefit until more valuable development could
be carried out. These were typically multi-unit one- to two-story commercial buildings.
Offices or apartments would be located above the first story commercial units. Singlestory
buildings were particularly prevalent after World War I, when automotive traffic
City of Inglewood General Plan Update Technical Background Report
5.5-5