City Councilman Jose Huizar and members of the Wilson High School Band stand along side the new El Sereno Gateway Monument on Huntington Drive. The monument sign was unveiled in special ceremonies last Friday.
Story Created:
Aug 12, 2010 at 12:39 PM PST
Story Updated:
Aug 12, 2010 at 12:39 PM PST
EL SERENO — Community members gathered with City Councilman José Huizar and other city officials Friday to celebrate the new El Sereno Gateway Monument, which welcomes visitors to El Sereno and pays homage to the community’s iconic hillsides in its design.
The dedication for El Sereno (The Serene), established in 1771, is just one of many upgrades Huntington Drive has seen recently, including decorative sidewalks, business façade upgrades and street and crosswalk improvements designed to increase pedestrian traffic.
“This gateway monument is the latest in a series of improvements that we are working to bring to El Sereno and the surrounding communities,” Huizar said. “I’m especially proud that the area’s hillsides that we have all fought to protect are included in the monument’s impressive design.”
The 12-foot wide and 4-foot, three-inch-high monument reads: “El Sereno — City of Los Angeles,” while prominently featuring four green hillsides. On the sides of the monument are the “Historic El Camino Real” and “Route 66” markers.
The project was a collaboration among Council District 14, the Community Redevelopment Agency, the Bureau of Street Services, the El Sereno Gateway Monument Advisory Committee and the community of El Sereno.
Friday’s dedication took place right across from the recently launched El Sereno Farmers Market, which operates every Friday night. Other recent improvements include the Valley Boulevard Bridge, which ended 35 years of frustration by allowing commuters to avoid up to 30 freight-train crossings per day. Phase two construction on Ascot Hills Park is currently under way, which will make it the largest city-run open-space park on the Eastside when it is completed in early 2011.
Huizar also helped the city purchase 19 acres of land on Elephant Hill, which will protect the land as open space.
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