Dear readers, I wish I had good news.
The French Colony was essentially erased by about 1940. Modern-day Francos can't even visit where the hub of the community used to be; it was obliterated for freeway construction.
One of the few public buildings that I could point to as proof of our existence was the French Hospital, which opened on the edge of town in 1870 - the second hospital in the city (only St. Vincent's had a longer history) and the first non-sectarian hospital in LA.
Some San Francisco carpetbaggers want to tear it down. I don't have to tell you that I have serious misgivings about people who feel entitled to change a city that isn't theirs.
My friends at Esotouric tipped me off to scaffolding around the French Hospital last night. I checked ZIMAS, and, well, you can see the screenshot above. A demolition permit has been issued.
It's not unreasonable to build out the lots (case in point: there are ample surface parking areas), but must it come at the expense of the French Hospital (which has been adapted before and could possibly be adapted again)?
I notified the OHR and CHC of the necessity of an archeological survey due to the site's significance. I very much doubt that ever took place. (I have submitted a follow-up email regarding this.)
To make matters worse, I alerted the city to a false claim in the application - specifically, the applicant falsely claimed there are no historic resources on or adjacent to the site. Not only is that a blatant lie, but the hospital appears in the city's own SurveyLA. This seems to have been ignored.
The city knows all of this. The city just doesn't care - about LA's rich history, about Chinatown, about any of us.
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