Portraits of homes in my neighborhood purchased by CalTrans in the 1960’s via eminent domain.
Hundreds of homes in Pasadena, South Pasadena, and the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles were intended to be demolished in order to extend the “stub” of the 710 freeway in Alhambra to the 210 freeway in Pasadena. Although many families were displaced over several decades, the 710 extension was officially killed by Governor Newsom in 2019 after years of community pushback. In early 2020, during Covid-19 lockdown, some of these homes were reclaimed by unhoused neighbors in an attempt to find safer living conditions during the pandemic. Many of these folks were subsequently evicted and prevented from buying back the vacant homes. El Sereno Community Land Trust, a grassroots organization, was also initially blocked from purchasing some of these homes, despite their intent to keep housing affordable for families in El Sereno and the surrounding neighborhoods of East Los Angeles. Some of these homes have been purchased by Habitat for Humanity and other non-profits and are currently undergoing renovations; many of them still stand vacant.
(click image to enlarge)
