Neighborhood Spotlight: Lincoln Heights was L.A.'s first suburb

"First subdivided in 1873 as East Los Angeles, it was carved out of the 17,000-plus acres of the old Spanish pueblo by developers seeking to create a middle-class residential neighborhood. To overcome the perception of most Angelenos that the region east of the river was a rusticated wilderness, lacking the amenities to which the burghers of Bunker Hill had grown accustomed, the developers installed water pipes to serve the new subdivision."

"Many of the early residents were middle class, so the homes they built were in the Folk Victorian style, a more affordable version of the ornate mansions of the wealthy. Builders used pre-manufactured decorative elements shipped cross-country to be assembled on site, rather than expensive, bespoke carved gables and eaves."

"The public hospital that became Los Angeles County General opened its doors to patients in 1878, and in 1902 the Southern Pacific Railroad relocated its railyards to the new suburb. The manufacturing of libations also played an important role in the neighborhood's economy and continues to leave its mark today."

Lincoln Heights, subdivided in 1873 as East Los Angeles, emerged as the oldest suburb of Los Angeles on 17,000 acres of former Spanish pueblo land. Developers attracted middle-class residents by installing water infrastructure and establishing one of the city's first horse-drawn streetcar systems to connect commuters to downtown. Affordable Folk Victorian homes built with pre-manufactured decorative elements replaced perceptions of the region as undeveloped wilderness. Employment centers including Los Angeles County General Hospital (1878) and Southern Pacific Railroad yards (1902) anchored the neighborhood's economy. Italian immigration in the 1910s established wine-making as a significant industry, exemplified by San Antonio Winery. The film industry also operated there, with Selig Polyscope Company producing silent films.

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