Windsor Square, Los Angeles, California

Windsor Square is a small, historic and wealthy urban neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire region of Los Angeles, California.

Origins and history

Sometime between 1900 and 1910 a gentleman named George A.G. Howard envisioned a beautiful tranquil park as a setting for family homes such as one sees in the English countryside. He pushed the early city fathers to make his vision come true, and in 1911, Mr. Robert A. Rowan initiated a unique residential development and called it Windsor Square.

Location

The original "Square" ran from Wilshire Blvd. to Third Street, and from Plymouth Blvd. to Irving Blvd. The English flavor was enhanced by street names: Irving, Windsor and Plymouth. Lorraine Boulevard took its name from the developer's daughter Lorraine Rowan. Nurseryman Paul J. Howard designed and planted most of the magnificent gardens of Windsor Square and supervised tree planting. [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114525700044902338596.000451031d6804b9b970d&ll=34.069191,-118.32063&spn=0.013864,0.012059&output=embed&s=AARTsJoKZFXaGY42L8vZTisLvqpnuo9m7g Current map of Windsor Square] on Google Maps.

Expansion

Windsor Square was later expanded to the north, east, and west. Today, Windsor Square runs from Wilshire to Beverly Boulevards, and from Arden Boulevard to Van Ness Avenue. This is inclusive of the one-block strip of Larchmont Village, between First Street and Beverly Boulevard. Windsor Square is often mistakenly called "Hancock Park," even by long-time residents. But in fact, Hancock Park is the neighborhood immediately to the west. Windsor Square's homes have the same historic value as in Hancock Park, but most of the homes are built on a slightly smaller scale.

Windsor Square consists of approximately 1,100 homes, and it is one of the oldest - most well preserved neighborhoods in Los Angeles. With its broad lawns, mature trees and central location five miles west of downtown, Windsor Square is a garden oasis in the heart of a world-class city.

Windsor Square contains Larchmont, a "main street" for Windsor Square, which is particularly popular with teenagers and young adults. The Marlborough School for Girls, just three streets over from Larchmont and on Rossmore Avenue, is one of the most prestigious all-girls schools in Los Angeles.

Windsor Square is also home to Getty House, the official residence of the Mayor of Los Angeles.

The area was designated a City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone on September 29, 2004.

External links

* [http://www.windsorsquare.org/ Windsor Square Association]
* [http://www.scripophily.net/windsorsquare.html Windsor Square Investment Company Stock Certificate and History]
* [http://www.wshphs.org/ Hancock Park, Windsor Square Historical Society]
* [http://www.windsorsquare.org/pdf/WShistory.pdf Windsor Square History]