Toney and Lorraine Bradley with Councilwoman Heather Hutt unveil the Bradley home as a historic landmark. (Brian W. Carter/L.A. Sentinel)

Councilwoman Heather Hutt, Getty Conservation, and city officials unveiled plaques and visited three locations. 

Recently, Councilwoman Heather Hutt and the Getty held a series of plaque unveiling ceremonies celebrating three newly designated historic-cultural monuments that honor Black history and heritage in Los Angeles. 

 The sites were the late Tom and Ethel Bradley’s residence, home of L.A.’s first Black mayor and his wife; St. Elmo Village, a long-standing Black arts collective and residential space; and Jewel’s Catch One, a historic safe haven for Black LGBTQ+ nightlife and activism. 

“There’s some history and there’s some contributions of people who made a real effort to make our city great,” said Hutt.  

“So, you’ll be able to see them, look them up, kids will be able to look up more about the history, more about the contributions and more about why those contributions are making changes.” 

Councilwoman Heather Hutt gives remarks in front of Bradley residence. (Brian W. Carter/L.A. Sentinel)

These designations are part of the ongoing initiative by the African American Historic Places Los Angeles (AAHPLA). The L.A. Sentinel was on-site at the designation of the Bradley home where Hutt, Vince Bertoni, City of Los Angeles Planning Department; Rita Cofield, Getty Conservation; along with Lorraine and Toney Bradley and family members, spoke about the importance of this designation as a historical monument. 

“He was a mayor for 20 years in Los Angeles and he was the council member right here in the 10th district first,” said Hutt.  

Bradley family members pose for a picture. (Brian W. Carter/L.A. Sentinel)

“We’re in Leimert Park and what we’ve done is designated this home as a historical monument—it’s an amazing day.” 

Hutt continued, “His children are here, they’ve been able to talk about their experience growing up in the community, it wasn’t really as multicultural as it is today.” 

“Oh, it’s so very exciting because our parents were just the bravest people I could tell you—to move here, under such hostility and to make a life for all of us here was the best thing that could happen,” said Lorraine Bradley. 

“Getty has been really intentional about how they’re memorializing spaces all over Los Angeles,” said Hutt.  

From left, Toney and Lorraine Bradley give remarks about growing up in a very different community. (Brian W. Carter/L.A. Sentinel)

“It feels amazing because everyone knew it’s importance, but to get this plaque was solidifying,” said Cofield. “It’s putting a stamp on what everybody already knew.” 

 The AAHPLA initiative is very important stated Hutt, who says in today’s day and age, Black history is in danger. 

“It’s a very exciting day especially for folks that worked hard to commemorate this place at a time, where so much of our history is trying to be erased,” said Hutt. She shared that designating sites takes time, but she is happy to see it happening now. 

 “They went through the whole process and I’m happy that it’s happening under my watch,” said Hutt. 

“They saw opportunities that were better here and that’s one of the reasons we moved and the community finally came around, took a while, but look at this neighborhood now, fully integrated, everybody from every ethnicity here because they know they have the opportunity to make a life and that’s what it’s all about,” said Bradley. 

“I thank them so much for their courage and my sister and I made it because of them.”