A different account of Chavez Ravine's timeline

Regarding Heather King’s article “The tragic history of Dodger Stadium’s Chavez Ravine,” we would like to share some facts.

In 1950, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, a federal agency of the U.S. government, authorized a housing project for Chavez Ravine, one of 11 housing projects in LA, and residents were notified that their properties would be appraised and receive compensation through the Superior Court system, with priority rights to the new “Elysian Park Heights” units. The Housing Authority used eminent domain. By 1952, 99% of the residents accepted and relocated, and those who refused remained on the properties not paying property taxes.

In 1953, for political reasons, the Elysian Park Heights housing project failed. Norris Poulson, who ran against public housing in 1953, was elected as new LA mayor. He negotiated with the U.S. government to repurchase the land for $1,279,000, an amount below what the government originally spent but with a “public purpose” clause. The city of Los Angeles then owned the land in Chavez Ravine. The land lay dormant for seven years. Poulson and the City Council struggled for years with how to use the largely barren and hilly area.

During this period, Walter O’Malley was in the midst of a 10-year effort to stay in New York and privately build a new stadium for the Dodgers in Brooklyn. In 1955, Los Angeles Councilmember Roz Wyman contacted O’Malley to arrange a meeting about the possibility of relocating. O’Malley chose not to meet as his sole focus was building a new stadium for the Dodgers in Brooklyn.

In 1957, when O’Malley’s options in Brooklyn were exhausted he looked elsewhere. The city of Los Angeles negotiated a contract with the Dodgers for an exchange of land and O’Malley’s commitment to privately build a 50,000-seat stadium. In March 1959, the city of Los Angeles issued notice of eviction, but the last remaining residents ignored these and were evicted on May 8, 1959.

For more information on Chavez Ravine, please visit walteromalley.com.

— Brent Shyer, executive producer, walteromalley.com