Lincoln Heights Historic Preservation Overlay Zone

Lincoln Heights, subdivided in 1873, is one of Los Angeles’ first residential suburbs. Lincoln Heights was originally named “East Los Angeles” and is located northeast of downtown. To ensure the success of this early community, water pipes were installed at a considerable expense by Dr. John Strolher Griffin, William H. Workman, and John Gates Downey. In 1876, Griffin and Downey established one of the city’s first streetcar lines to connect the East Los Angeles subdivision with downtown. Houses in Lincoln Heights vary in architecture and include examples of Victorian-era, Arts and Crafts, and Period Revival styles. The majority of residences were not architect-designed, but builder/contractor or homeowner constructed, and housed working- and middle-class families. The Lincoln Heights HPOZ was adopted by City Council in 2004.