Lucky Deli

Lucky Deli. . , The Sepulveda House , The family that owns the building at 706 North Broadway can trace its roots in Los Angeles back to July 31, 1847, when the Ayuntamiento (Common Council) deeded a piece of property bordered by what was then called Bath and Vine Streets (the latter renamed Olvera Street in 1877) to one Señora Francisca Gallardo. She built a traditional one-story adobe home, then expanded it to two stories in 1870. In 1881, she gave the house to her daughter, Señora Eloisa Martinez de Sepulveda. Five years later, Bath Street was widened and renamed Main Street. The adobe was torn down and an Eastlake Victorian built in its place. , In the 1890s, Edward A. Gibbs, an Englishman who served as the chief engineer for the City of Los Angeles, married Señora Sepulveda's niece, also named Eloisa, and they, too, took up residence in the Sepulveda House. In 1901, the Sepulveda House was deeded to Eloisa Martinez de Gibbs. One year later, she gave birth to George, her fifth son and the last child to be born on Olvera Street. Three years later, as Chinese tong wars disrupted the neighborhood, the family moved but kept the house, where George and his brother, Carl, would later open Gibbs Brothers Electric Company. , In the late 1930s, after Olvera Street had become a tourist attraction, the Gibbs brothers bought the North Broadway building, which runs through to New High Street. On the Broadway side, the brothers sold appliances, televisions, and hardware; on the New High side, they continued with their electrical contracting, employ- ing over 100 electricians for defense work during World War II. , Gibbs Brothers Electric Company moved again in the late 1950s. The family has kept the Broadway building, which, over the years, was leased to a wholesale grocer then the Hong Kong Supermarket, and finally Lucky Deli. The Gibbs family sold the Sepulveda House to the state in 1958. It is now the Olvera Street Visitor Center, with displays by the Los Angeles Historical Society. , The Balance of Qi , This block is also home to several herb shops specializing in traditional Chinese medicine. The practice , which includes acupuncture and herbal remedies , is believed to date back to the legendary Yellow Emperor (2697 - 2597 B.C.). Central to the practice is the balance of qi , the essential life force. The body is seen as a universe containing the five elements , wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each of those elements governs a corresponding organ , the liver, heart, spleen, lungs and kidneys. If any of the six essences , wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness, or fire , is out of balance, then a body becomes weak and prey to disease. , During the early 20th century, many Chinese began trying western medicine. With this interest grew a need for physicians of Chinese descent. Margaret Chung, a 1909 graduate from USC Medical School, was the first Chinese-American doctor to practice in Southern California and tooled around town in her own Model T. During World War II, she became known as "Mom of the Flying Tigers" to hundreds of servicemen and worked tirelessly as the chief of China Relief's medical supplies division. , Two other doctors remain affectionately in the hearts of Chinatown residents. Dr. Julius Sue is believed to have delivered most of the babies born in Chinatown during the second half of the 20th century, while Dr. Marco Rago, an Italian American, offered a $5 flat fee to his patients who could afford it and waived his fee for those who couldn't.