Silver Lake: The Next Generation
by Mark Olick

Anyone from any town in and around the Los Angeles area can spout off about their community's cultural diversity, but few can truly back it up with a long spell of multiple generations. Silver Lake is one of the most diverse communities in Los Angeles county. As textured and turbulent as the actual land on which they reside, the people shift together through the stress of their work, or the leisure of their conflicts. Each nationality is represented here. Every type of lifestyle is easily imaginable and obtainable in the piled high hills of Silver Lake. From the lowest life types (as deemed by society) to the flamboyantly wealthy, all classes materializing before the categorizing eyes of establishment and authority. Everyone has their niche, yet everybody mingles. Officially no boundary is off limits. You are most likely to be tolerated anywhere. Even the gays and the gangsters, two distinctions with an extremely chequered past, now live in a mutually subdued harmony. They choose to get along. Many people of notable success either come from, or come to the nooks and knolls of Silver Lake. Doctors and lawyers keep homes alongside artists and musicians (some rich, some starving). All walks of life live and work here in their own little piece of the vast jigsaw puzzle known as L. A. What could be so appealing about an average community based around a fenced in water reservoir. A necessity sometimes ugly and pungent, other times glorious and reverent? Some might say "it's the location." Nestled between Hollywood to the West and Atwater to the East, with the North borders on Glendale and Burbank, and the Southern border of Downtown L.A. The actual street borders that I focused on would involve Los Feliz Boulevard as the North West division. Continuing on to the North East sector closed off by Riverside Drive and the parallel Golden State Freeway (5) on the South West side with the Glendale Freeway (2) and Alvarado Street sealing off the South East. The Plan "to encourage and contribute to the economic, social and physical health, safety, welfare and convenience of the people who live and work in the district." ("Silver Lake-Echo Park District Plan"). The community plan blends Echo Park and Silver Lake into one district. For voters this is the 13th district (currently counseled in city by Jackie Goldberg). According to the district plan the area of Silver Lake- Echo Park "contains 4557 acres (7 square miles) and latest population of approximately 79,000 (1983). The district is generally bounded by Temple street on the South, Hover and Hyperion avenues on the west, the Los Angeles river on the north and northeast, and North Broadway, Lilac Terrace and Marview Avenue on the east (SL-EP district plan). Like any community, the goal is to divide the land for business and residential purposes and to establish services and circulation. Public transportation brings 2 bus lines right near the reservoir and east/west trips are made easily along the well serviced Sunset Boulevard. The main issues recently have revolved around redevelopment. Currently residents are voting on the rebuffing of the Echo Park buildings on Sunset Boulevard, centered on the historical Jensen building. The proposal includes a recreation center for the youth in that area as well as restored housing and new and improved stores. It is being budgeted by the city at 1 million dollars and is stirring a hot bed of controversy on how the money should be invested. The heart of the area is the soft-trapezoid shaped man made water reservoir located in the main valley base surrounded by Silver Lake Boulevard. The features of the reservoir offer something for just about everyone. Many people like to exercise their bodies in this area. Any time of day, and even into the dark hours, the local residents can be spotted jogging, speed walking, casually strolling (for the youngsters and elders) or walking their dogs. People of the area voted for a dog park and they also saw to the creation of an exercise trail wrapping around the scenic reservoir. Just south of the dog park is the recreation area featuring a playground, basketball court and an activity center for the kids and adults alike (albeit different times). Families always occupy the playground taking full advantage of the slides, swings, and "spinners." A pick-up basketball game is always a possibility. The court itself is sometimes divided into two levels of play for the youngsters (at novice) and the adults (more advanced and taller). The activity centers offer daytime themes to kids interested in Arts and crafts as well as special things (Cub Scouts, Brownies). At night adults can take in language, arts and crafts, or cooking classes. The other side of the "lake" contains the treatment and maintenance offices. This is where the work and purpose of the reservoir are sustained. Right in the middle of all of this is another playground, this one aimed at the pre-schoolers. All the equipment is on a smaller scale for the little ones who play there. A Street Affair The Sunset Junction Street Fair is known as a Silver Lake event. Once a year the fair is held to show off the areas attributes and diversities. People from all over come here to experience the sights of shops and colorful customers, the tastes of the local food stands and restaurants, and the sounds of the onslaught of hired and volunteer bands and musicians. They come for the fun, the leave with the feeling of satisfaction. All worth the mere two dollar donation for admittance. The festival is still organized by perennial activists Michael McKinley, a man who got his start in public awareness with the first gay rights march on Washington DC. in 1979. He met many people who shared his views and lived in his area, Silver lake. Together they decided to address the overriding problems of their community by organizing an event that would "tear down the walls" of division. The main problem erupted between the gays and the gangsters. This was to be the first wall candidate to be torn down. The fair event gathers every type of person into it's concept, preparation, and realization. It gives aggravated youths an outlet of creativity and social planning. Everyone has a part in putting this event together. A mutual cause bridges the gaps in the community giving extremely distinctive groups a chance to accept and learn of each other. Two dollars granted me admission to the Sunset Junction Street Fair. Fenced in, a closed off section of Sunset Boulevard from the 3600 block to the 4400 block. The most eclectic assortment of people that I have seen in a very long time. All the shops were open and in full swing. Music blared from all over including two fully constructed professional stages. The smells of grilling hamburgers and hot dogs mixing with the Cuban meat pastels and falafel's. Beer gardens tempting the weary fair goer to soak their heated taste buds in quenching suds. The classic carnival rides, all arranged for the kiddies, gave the fair the playful atmosphere full of fun that appeals to families and children of all ages. I dined on pita bread and humous. I even sampled the barbecued alligator available for four dollars a portion. Many new experiences ripe in the making. I witnessed a couple of gangsters engaged in conversation with one of the events security people. No, that was an actual L.A.P.D. member openly socializing with a potential work subject. Most interesting was the activities located just outside the boundaries of the fair. These shops, stores, and eating places were all open as well, hoping for the overflow of the fair going public to spill into their territories. A state that demanded attention was one called "Your Devils Hole." The huge image of a demon playing human bagpipes, standing tall above the canopy at the store, welcomed the fairgoers and hopeful customers like a custodian to the gates of hell. An eerie sound of strange classical music was beckoning me to enter. Admission was free. "Your Devils Hole" was a record store, book store, art gallery, nightclub, all rolled up into one grand opening. All the diversity of the Junction Street Fair was condensed in this elaborate store front. What I stumbled on to was definitely the fair's after hours establishment. The perfect place to experience just a bit more entertainment while on the way out. Between the leather clad lesbian couple and the greasy haired biker dude, it was pointed out to me that standing there was the man responsible for this funky little store. After I sat through the punk upheavals of a band called Flutur, I inquired about an interview of sorts. He responded with an affirmative only after I agreed to pay full attention to the next group, Automatic Head Detonater. These bands were really cool especially while performing on such a small stage. When it was over in the wee small hours of the morning, I stood in conference with Simon Lee, the shop's organizer, owner, and manager. He was truly an excellent example of what the new Silver Lake generation is all about. Simon said that opening the store under these conditions was better than he had ever dreamed. He considered himself lucky among new store owners, many of whom had just ordinary grand openings. Meanwhile, Simon is playing the part as the new host for the new music scene as well as other artistic acts. Simon is also grateful that he has a limited agreement with the local L.A.P.D. noise enforcers, with whom he wouldn't be able to survive unsupported. "A Brief History of Time and Place" In the 1920s the motion picture industry was thriving as studios were being constructed all over Los Angeles. Big names such as: William Selig and Walt Disney arrived in the area with talents worthy of enormous investment. William N. Selig constructed his studio in the year 1909 when the Silver Lake was then ??????? called Edendale. He ran the place until Fox bought it in 1916. The area on Glendale Boulevard is now a south off ramp for the Glendale Freeway (2). Across and down the street from Selig Studios was Bison Studios, that eventually changed over to the Sennett Studios. Mack Sennett acquired the place in 1916. He then produced the infamous "Keystone Kops" movies. Custard Pie christened the new comedy movement with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, and "Fatty" Arbuckle. Walt Disney came to Hollywood in 1921 looking to sell his skills to the "big time" studios. No one was interested in his "crazy" cartoons and "wild" ideas about animated feature films. After the classic "turned down by everyone" tale, he finagled a way to start his own studio with financing from his brother Roy. Together they moved from 4649 Kingswell to live in a small boarding house near the new studios construction sight. The lot was located at the corner of Hyperion and Griffith Park Boulevards and was purchased in early 1926 (the down payment was $400). A small one level building served as the first creative studio for hard working Walt. eventually it grew into the Mickey Mouse producing that wrought appraisal in the feature epic "Snow White (1937)." The Post Mickey Mouse Club Generation Silver Lake's appeal among people of the artistic community had it's beginnings in the late 1920's (most surrounding the rise of Walt Disney Studios on Hyperion Avenue). For over seventy years people of the creative ilk have come to the area with their hopes and dreams goaded on by star reaching hills dotted with jewels of future fortune. Many other famous ghosts have their ties to these local haunts, such as: the great wandering poet Charles Bukowski. Although stationed downtown at the U.S. post office, and spending any earnings in the watering holes of Los Feliz, he often found himself awakening in a house in Silver Lake (2440 Edgewater Terrace). For the wiser residents the local historical sights are things like: the architect Neutra's House (2300 Silver Lake Boulevard) or the Sach Apartments (1811...Edgecliff Drive). While the young generation deems such sights as La Bianca House (3301 Waverly, the sight of the legendary Manson murders) and Millie's Restaurant (The Devil's Mess in the 1920s) as historical. As generations changed and the times flowed on, a population of artists and the open minded always dominated the Silver Lake area. Each new crop thinking that they were the first to discover such a place to settle in. Always a scene to be established, always a cool place to hang out with room for a day and night life. Many of the elders in the neighborhood snicker slightly when their attention is brought to the new wave, the next generation. They often point out that what is going on here is certainly not "new" and that the times of the past shared with the present situation. "We are artists ourselves, many of (the older people in the community) have achieved acclaim and success some are still working even, while others have passed on or retired," proclaims Melody Blake, an active poet and resident senior citizen. "I arrived here in the seventies looking for a quiet environment to relax and live in away from the business districts in which I worked. Silver Lake provide a place to meet other people like me with the same drives and inspirations. Most of all I guess I stay for the quiet." Feeding Grounds Development in Silver Lake is tightly controlled by the long term residents who wish to keep the hills quiet and the local streets as congestion free as possible. It is a very difficult process getting building permits for this area. When a new Burger King restaurant was proposed for the corner of Silver lake Boulevard and Glendale Boulevard the property owners of the community set forth a vigorous campaign to avoid the construction. A small gap formed between the generations. The youth seeking more fast food outlets for "nourishment" and more importantly employment, and the established residents in the hills trying to avoid additions in traffic and loitering as well as the loud noise of the drive thru intercom. The nays had it along with a vacant lot that will remain just fenced-in dirt for many more years. Meanwhile, down the street where the hill residents are less politically active and more foreign speaking. A new Jack-in-the-Box went up without a ripple; the only fast food chain to grand open in the last seven years. Cheap food and ideally cheap labor certainly serve well on this side of the community. Other restaurants have recently opened, though they are usually located in a previously rented older building. Ownership or management changes beside the re- decoration. The structure remains the same. High leasing costs and changing clientele have forced many closures. With the Sunset Junction District claiming to be "the new Melrose" renting costs began rising in anticipation of a new scene for entertainment, services, and even increased tourism. Unfortunately the new scene wiped out some of the more prominent long term establishments. Seafood Bay and Gloria's Cafe' are two examples of excellent eating establishments that have turned in their grill and spatula. One would wonder why they would have to close if they had such exceptional service. Perhaps only to be explained by rising costs and lack of demand. Older people might reminisce about the good old days spent eating breakfast at Gloria's, but the next generation could hardly bat an eyelid for they have plenty of dining spots to pick and choose. Involved in the on going trend of coffee house madness Silver Lake offers an array of beaneries on just about every major street. The aroma of fresh grounds and the frothing gurgle of cappuccino are like a symphony to the senses for the young and the young at heart. Seldomly visiting the younger hangouts the older folks stick with Astro's or frequent the Burger King chains. The young generation make their hang outs at the Back Door Bakery and Millie's each featuring sidewalk cafe' seating and always bustling with business. Rent or Buy? The mom and pop stores of yesterday are getting harder and harder to find these days. Sure there are a handful to be mentioned, but, they have mostly been reduced to a few liquor stores and apparel shops. Gone are the days of quality caring family service displaced by growing corporate greed and "new scene" infiltration's of the odd and extraordinary. Where the shoe repair shop once provided services to the locals now the magic and fetish shops offer oils and candles embedded in a theme of mystery and the supernatural. A clothing store that once featured a full line of maternity styles now sells only strange costumes and an assortment of lingerie and bondage gear. This is the common trend continuing throughout the community. Older merchants are outlasting their clients and finding out that there is no longer a demand for their goods or services. Why has a neighborhood hardware store that can't compete with the prices and sales of a Home Depot or Staples. The locations where these stores stood have been re-decorated into record and vintage clothing stores, or in many cases sidewalk cafe's. There is not a Blockbuster Video Store in Silver Lake, but there are many video stores. One of the first and the most famous is a place called Video Active located on Hyperion Boulevard for over thirteen years. Video Active had brought rare and unusual videos to the viewers of the community. The exact opposite of the morally opposite conservative Blockbuster video active chose to carry everything legally imaginable. The goal to "bring the fruits of a burgeoning technical revolution to their neighbors in Silver Lake and to see the art of film with as many people as possible" has continued after the deaths of co-founders Fred Chriss and Sam Strang. The store enjoys good business and in turn donates time, finances, and space to many activists causes that revolve around the tragedy of AIDS. The shelves in this store are lines with a wide assortment that you would not find in the ordinary stores. Many of the titles are controversial in some manner. Whether political, medical, social, or sexual, nothing is banned here unless it is entirely illegal. If it was filmed, yet not taped on video, your best chance to find such a feature is through these guys. They run their own releasing company that puts out videos nationwide of small independent films. Other works considered long forgotten are resurrected by Video Active Releasing. This is the tone set by the other entrepreneurs to meet the demand for the rare and unusual. To keep stocked in their inventories the things deemed odd or out of style, to establish a source for the finer hidden treasures of the new bohemian life. Unless the older generation shop owners take notice to the goods and services in local demand they risk losing business and customers. The property owners who lease to the businesses also run the risk of losing their tenants if they raise the rent too much and may find themselves sitting on empty buildings with no hope for new higher paying renters. In every major cluster of lousiness and buildings their exists open spaces currently available. Some have had their for lease signs up for more five years. Other locations have changed business several times over the past few years. Shock waves were sent out throughout the community last year when one of the longest term business owners of the area was violently gunned down in his pet-shop on Rowena Boulevard. The store has been closed ever since, leaving the question of business soon returning. It was the only local pet-shop. Crime also took it's toll at a bustling rehearsal studio located on Fletcher Drive. The Hully Gully warehouse space was famous for it's after hours parties and seasonal entertainment events. It closed down as a security risk (lack of funds to hire security) and a fire hazard. An Intimate Evening with Guitar Joe Silver Lake does not escape the common sights of homeless wandering the streets. If all walks of life are to be tolerated in this area than why not the nomads as well? By no means does this reservoir area match the extreme numbers of homeless located downtown or near Hollywood. Still, a unique contingent is recognizable throughout the hilly landscape of Silver Lake. The hills themselves are void of cart pushing derelicts, only occasionally hosting the unencumbered refuse scavengers. The territory here seems to tolerate a so called chosen few, while providing temporary passage back and forth from downtown, to Hollywood, and even out to the beaches. There are no tribes of runaway teens and disinherited youth pan handling the Silver Lake area. Only spotted if passing through, the young vagabonds prefer the tourist density areas (such as Hollywood). The general homeless population in the reservoir area is middle aged with many failed artists and war veterans making up the bulk of it. The wisest and perhaps most recognizable homeless man in the area is the infamous Guitar Joe. He pushes his grocery cart full of personal items along the baseline streets of the hills. He prefers to wear women's clothes whether he is entertaining or plying his trade of survival in the dumpster units scattered across the community. He merely states that this what is most comfortable to him. He doesn't care what people think. He is not a beggar, he prefers to earn his standard of nourishment (alcohol) by entertaining. Guitar Joe enjoyed his "fifteen minutes of fame" when the locally based Epitaph Records used his strange image in advertisements of popular bands. In all his glory: beer in hand, guitar slung on back, pushing his cart. Joe was seen all over the world. His fame founded in the new generation of grunge/punk/alternative. Failed artist of past ignites attention of the future. Joe says the youngest homeless person in Silver Lake is thirty-five. An army veteran whose name is Ben. Ben the veteran stakes out the 7-11 on Hyperion, pan- handling for cigarettes and liquor. He never offers services for entertainment, he just asks for spare change with an aura of harmless friendliness. He chooses to stay in this area because there is 'less competition." The homeless population of Silver Lake is dominated by the older street wise and practically avoided all together by the unsettled teens and twenty-something's. Only a small handful are permanent and noticeable. The most interchangeable area would be the Hollywood Freeway exit at Silver Lake Boulevard. This sight often features a new pan- handler on occasion, most likely new arrivals to the area or wanderers from the Pico/Union district. The Pico/Union homeless and new unsettled immigrants sometimes walk Alvorado Boulevard, but rarely venture between the hills of Silver Lake. There are very short ripples that occur in the calm waters of Silver Lake that impact the shores of racial, generational, and sexual diversity. Confrontation and violence are kept to a minimum, mostly in involving outsiders and the younger disrespectful gangs. The occasional gun shot is something everyone has grown used to. The senior residents can recall the days when their restfulness wasn't disturbed by the gun toting street thugs. They have trouble understanding all the violence in today's youth usually blaming it on the lack of education and the absence of proper parenting. The youth themselves see the problem in their own personal security and social status. A Brazilian college exchange student packs a handgun in his book bag because he came to this area (L.A) with the image of all kids protecting themselves, even while, and especially, at school. Surely Hollywood had a certain influence but these misconceptions brew at any level of class and in any ethnic community, even those ignorant to the glorification of violence on the small and the silver screens. To the remedy the situation the government has added more manpower and more machinery in their battles against the gangs and drugs. A majority vote that actually expanded the L.A.P.D. into a vitually militaristic organization. Whether the strong show of force will actually deter the criminals has yet to be proven. By most appearances it would be clear tat is has not cured the symptom but, has put an expensive band aid on a profusely bleeding amputation. Coda Silver Lake is an area that offers an abundance of information with limited resources. Though alot has been written on the "scene," overall; factual information is only accessible by basic field research and oral history through residents that have resided there for sometime. Future writers will always be welcome to add to the limited writings concerning this area. There are many stones left unturned for the searching minds of the generations to come. Each new generation will always feel like the first.