The herald., 1893-11-05
HISTORY OF A NOTED STREET.
Some of the DISTINCTIONS of
FiguerOa Street,
AS Brought to Light by a Recent
Petition.
Propositions That Stir Up Resident,
Along It's Line-An Interesting
Sketch Covering Long
Period of Time.

uer0a street, between Pico and Sixth
streets, has lately been again stirred up
by the petitioned filed, asking the city
to vacate the street and give it, free
from dispute, to the parties who occupy
the land within its lines. and by the
numerous counter petitions filed by op-
posing parties.
| Some OF these petitions relate espe-
cially to the part OF the street between
Sixth and Seventh streets which the
petitioners claim is great Importance in
order to give access to the cable road for
very large hill district north of Sew
enth street. They make no serious OBJ
lection to vacating Figueroa street south
Of Seventh street, where the needs OF
the public are, to great extent, sup
piled by other streets. Many OF them
owned their property for many years
before they learned that any private
parties claimed the street. The follow
ing are portions of sketch of the his
tory of the street which was written
three or four years ago by Attorney j..
b. Mitchell. at the request OF members
Of the board of public works, and
| RTiutcu IOT bIlC use VI Jn6 Clbr COuHtll.
It'is TO be noted that the name Of Ward
street has been since changed to West
Sixth street:
Today the entire street from Pico to
Ward is under the control OF private
individuals and closed to the public.
The degrees by which the street has
been taken up are well illustrated by
the different maps Of the city which
lively hung on the Office walls of real
estate owners and brokers OF Los An
geles. Stevenson's map, published in
1876, great many copies of which can
/ still be easily iound, showed that street
as originally laid out. extending with
out any obstruction from the south
western corner of the city to and
through the northern hills. The new
edition of the same map, published in
! 1884, showed the street as somewhat
crossed and cut up by.private property
lines, but the lines OF the street were
still distinctly drawn through these new
subdivisions, to show that the claims of
private individuals were disputed. The
map since published by Rowan Il
| Koeberle, which has been the one
generally referred to by businees men
for year or two past, ignores the lines
of the street in those portions OF it
which are enclosed or plated as private
property, and would seem to chow only
those portions of it which nobody has
as vet set up any claim to. How much
of it will appear Oh the next map that
10 to come out it would at this time be
hard to predict.
The frst deed by which the council
conveyed away a part of F;gueroa street
may be found recorded in book 4, page
3S9 OF deeds, and is dated January 20,
1859. This instrument conveys to Will
liam Moore "a strip of land bounded on
the west by blocks So and 81 of Han
cock 8 survey, on the north by lot be-
fore sold to William Moore, and on the
east and south by city blocks, Captain
Ord's eurvev." The land intended to
be conveyed by this description ia a
great triangle extending from the juno
tion of Flgueroa and Pico streets along
the east line of blocks So and 81 to a
point in the prolonged south line of the
Bellevue Terrace tract, thence along this
line to the east line of Pearl street. and
thence along the east line of Pearl street
to the place of beginning and containing
So acres; and as will be seen by refer
ence to the map of the city, it purported
to include Figueroa street on the west
and Pearl street ON the east, through
their entire width, though this may
have been done through inadvertence,
and the intention may have been to
bound the land by the streets without
including them, as has been done in
former deeds.
That leading citizens did not for long
time after suppose that nearly mile OF
an important street had been conveyed
away, is shown by the petition of one OF
them on record, in which he appeals to
the council to give an outlet to his
property 'bv declaring Figueroa street
open throughout its entire length, as
surveyed and as it appears on the official
map"
In 1869 the city attorney was called on
for an opinion on the matter, full copy
Of which may be found in volume VIII,
page 2ll of the archives. His opinion
| was, latter careful examination, that
the city has the undoubted right to open
Figueroa and Grasshopper" (now Pearl)
''streets their entire length, if the coun-
Gil should be of the opinion that the
same shall be necessary. Grasshopper
street was established by Ord's survey
in 1849, and all persons purchasing lands
were compelled to take notice of the fact.
Figueroa street was established by
the same survey as far as Pico
street. In 1858 the city, by order OF the
mayor and common council, extended
their survey, making what is known as
35 acre donation lots. 1t is claimed by
some that Figueroa street was not
opened or continued by the Hancock
survey. but l am of the opinion that the
extension of the lots necessarily ex-
tended the streets necessary to make
the lots useful and valuable" The
opinion goes on to say that the convey.
ance of the streets in deed to William
Moore was unauthorized and invalid.
In connection with this report there is
presented an interesting official report
bv George Hansen, surveyor, relating tc
the necessity of extending some of the
city streets along the long, narrow strip
intervening between Pearl and Figue
roa 6treet5, among which is Ward street
which to the present day has remained
unopened.
saThere were, however, at this time
strong interests opposed to the reopenine
Of Figueroa street, and nothing wal
done, though the matter was nevel
wholly at rest. In 1883, while new OBJ
structions were being placed in this par
Of the { .eet, the matter was for time
sharply agitated in the council, and the
city attorney having given an emphatic
opinion in favor of the city's right tt
open the street. preserved in volume
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