Public Services

Public Services. . , Water in Highland Park , The Hunter Highland View, Highland Park, and Garvanza Tracts were subdivided in 1882, '85, and '86 respectively. Among the first order of business was the provision of municipal water. Toward that end, the Highland Park Water Company formed in 1885 and they along with the Garvanza Land Company built pumping stations and reservoirs which diverted water from the Arroyo Seco. That river, the name of which is Spanish for "dry stream," is often reduced to a trickle even in non-drought years. Compounding matters was the construction of a pumping station upriver in much larger Pasadena. By the beginning of 1887, with water and scenery as the main enticements, only a handful of lots had sold, and residents of the communities voted for annexation by Los Angeles in large part to secure more reliable access to water and increased police presence, two key public services. , To Protect and Serve , Construction of the Highland Park Police Station No. 11 began in 1925, making it the city's oldest surviving police station. It was here that a young Daryl Gates was briefly held in 1942 after assaulting a police officer who had written him a ticket for double parking in front of the Franklin Theatre. He was released after apologizing, and in 1963, returned to the station as its captain. It closed in 1983, and was subsequently ravaged by vandals, arson fires, and water damage. Through efforts of the Highland Park Heritage Trust, the station was salvaged and restored to its original Renaissance Revival style in order to eventually operate as both a police museum and police substation. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. , Engine Company No. 12 , Highland Park's first fire station was built in 1903, which was still during the days of horse-drawn, coal-stoked engines. At the time, it was a state-of-the-art facility outfitted with the most current equipment and best trained crew. In 1905, the Los Angeles Herald announced the "honorable discharge" of Babe, the department's oldest horse, who had served his final years at the Highland Park station. In 1913, "modern" engine trucks replaced the last of the horse-drawn variety. By 1947, the station was in such dilapidated condition that a fireman standing on the roof had actually caused the building to visibly sway. Soon after, a bond was passed and a new building was put into use on the same site, the same one in use today. , Signed, Sealed, Delivered , The first post office in Highland Park was an independent operation that ran out of J.P. Stockdale's general store starting in 1892. In 1901, six years after Highland Park was annexed by the City of Los Angeles, it became an official substation of the Los Angeles Post Office. Services moved to a dedicated building in 1906, where they remained for fourteen years, until the Highland Park Herald moved in. A few years after the fire station started replacing their horse-drawn wagons with motor-driven engines, the post office followed suit, using Ford Model Ts as delivery trucks. The post office moved several more times until settling into its current facility. , Schools in Highland Park , The first schoolhouse in the area was the Monte Vista Street School, which opened in 1887. Sixteen years later, in 1903, the school moved a block up the street and continued on as the main institution for public elementary education in the Highland Park community. Occidental College, one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast, moved from its original location in Boyle Heights, to Highland Park in 1898, and finally settled in nearby Eagle Rock. USC's College of Fine Arts was established in Garvanza in 1901, by Walter Lees Judson, of Judson Studios fame. The Optimist Home for Boys was founded in 1906, and provided a more nurturing environment than "reform school" for troubled youth. In the 70s, they began a major capital project to build their own high school to provide academics and vocational training for older boys. In 1916, Franklin High opened its doors, and boasts some notable alumni including Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, professional tennis player Bobby Riggs, and several Los Angeles city councilmen.