Saving the Carlin G.

by Roberta Tinajero-Frankel

The Spanish word “zocalo” commonly refers to the center of a town, symbolizing a gathering space for a community of people. The Hill had potential for such a gathering spot, but an abandoned community center attracted only vandals, rodents and weeds in the early 1970’s until a small team of volunteers banded together to resurrect what is now the bustling Carlin G. Smith Recreation Center on Avenue 46. The group resurrected the Mt. Washington Association which had been dormant for nearly 20 years.

It was 1973 and serendipitously, their timing couldn’t have been better. Federal funds from the Model Cities Program were designated toward a proposed full-time child care center at the site for low-income surrounding communities, closing enrollments to Mt. Washington residents. “No studies on usage, fee structures, traffic impacts, etcetera had been done,” said Arline DeSanctis who at the time was a stay-at-home mom and who initiated the community effort to revive both the local association and center. “When we confronted the city councilman at that time, his response was ‘where’s Mt. Washington?”

With little experience in community organizing, public speaking, and governmental bureaucracy, Arline and her core volunteers were fueled to take on City Hall. They had a bigger vision for the center, and focused their efforts on making it a viable resource to both hillside residents and members of the neighboring communities. The city hosted the first community meeting about the center in the old Lincoln Heights jail building, a foreboding site before it was remodeled into a small theater. A representative from the City Department of Parks and Recreation presented the city’s plan to about 75 hill residents who then rallied together for an open process in determining the center’s future.

Volunteer architects and planners residing on the hill were engaged to develop a master plan for the site. The basket ball court, one of the hill’s most popular recreation spots today, was part of that master plan, as well as all of the site’s elements from the play and picnic areas to walk path to landscaping and sprinkler system.

Over a weekend, a volunteer crew from the Association’s Action Committee entered the dilapidated building, tore out the old kitchen and installed new tiles, counter-tops, a stove and refrigerator. Meeting minutes from 1974 tell us that “Mr. Joe Bunnell purchased a large coffee pot” as part of the renovation.

Around 1935, Eric Shaw went to a dance at the Carlin G. Smith Center and asked a young lady named Laura to dance. They married and moved up the street and forty years later were part of the volunteer team that labored to bring the center back to life.

A committee of women branched out of the new association calling themselves “Las Senoras de la Montana” or The Ladies of the Mountain. They feverishly embarked on a fundraising campaign. Las Senoras de la Montana dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to raising funds for the center’s programming. Every season was marked with an occasion to donate including a spring time bazaar, a rummage sale, a Halloween carnival, and a Christmas boutique. Jack Smith, the renowned Los Angeles Times columnist who lived on the hill until his death, often mentioned Mt Washington in his column. He had celebrity status on the hill, so when he purchased a rusted out garden tool at the annual flea market, the neighbors noticed.

In the fundraising fervor, someone had an idea to create a Mt. Washington quilt to be auctioned. Twenty women took on designing 42 squares capturing a piece of the neighborhood’s flavor. Flora and fauna, birds, landmarks like the school, the water tank and the old cable car that traversed the steep inclines in the early part of the century were captured on fabric. When the quilt was done, it was deemed too valuable to go on the auction block and now resides with the Southwest Museum. That year, a local realtor paid homage to the quilt makers and featured the artwork on its annual promotional calendar cover noting that “The preparation for the quilt was as detailed at the quilt itself. Charts and drawings were made to index materials used. Upon completion, each square was carefully placed in a safety deposit box.”

By then, the Mt Washington Association was again thriving and representatives from the local council office and Department of Parks and Recreation were attending its meetings. Community activist Arline DeSanctis was recruited to go to work in the local city council office. The city allocated funding for a full-time recreation director to oversee the center’s programming. Locals taught dance, sewing, yoga and other pastimes and the center quickly became a hot spot hang-out.

Today the center continues to host classes, is frequented by toddlers drawn to the swings and sandbox, draws voters on election day, and the patio is booked for birthday parties. A multitude of community meetings often draw a packed house at the center. Rarely is there an evening without basketball players on the court shooting hoops.

The site’s original two acres of land were donated to the city in 1929 by a slick developer named Carlin G. Smith. Although he was a key player in the growth of Los Angeles during the roaring 1920’s, the center is the only place in the city that bears his name. Smith isn’t a name much linked to local lore, yet locals can be overheard saying “I’ll meet you over at the Carlin G.”

Editor’s note: Action Committee volunteers included Jim Cater, Jill Masterman, Vi Grimm, Dorothy and Henry Spencer, and Virginia Schultze in addition to the Shaws and DeSanctis family. Quiltmakers were Janet Ames, Marcia Bond, Arline DeSanctis, Loetta Hammer, Allana Kusch, Toni Lindquist, Bridget Matlock, Carol Mahoney, Margit Meeker, Erika Nahrendorf, Karen Nieman, Theodora, Norton, Leah Pritchard, Pam Rucker, Lara Shaw, Virginia Schulze, Berta Sosa, Beverly Taylor, Edith White, and Marina Ratliff.