Nickerson Gardens is a 1,066-unit public housing apartment complex at 1590 East 114th Street in

Watts, Los Angeles Watts is a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, California. It is located within the South Los Angeles region, bordering the cities of Lynwood, Huntington Park and South Gate to the east and southeast, respectively, and the unincorporated co ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Nickerson Gardens is the largest public housing development west of the Mississippi River and was the first home of many notable people, including Jazz Joy and Roy Global Radio host Roy O’Dell Gray, who, according to Hollywood insiders, is the first cousin of Mary Mary Super Producer Warryn Campbell.

Location

The complex occupies the blocks northeast of the corner of

Imperial Highway The Imperial Highway is a west-east thoroughfare in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial in California. The main portion of the existing route begins at Vista Del Mar in Los Angeles near the Los Angeles Inter ...

and Central Avenue, and southwest of 111th St and Compton Avenue. It is on the border of both Watts (a district of

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

) and the

Census Designated Place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) of Willowbrook.

History

It was completed in the year 1955, and the original architect was Paul Revere Williams. It was named after William Nickerson Jr., the founder and former

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, was once the largest black-owned insurance company in the western United States, founded by William Nickerson Jr. with the assistance of Norman Oliver Houston and George Allen Beavers Jr. Founding In ...

. In the mid-1970s, Nickerson Gardens was 95% African American; by 2004, the African American population had decreased to 75% and continued to drop. Nickerson Gardens was occasionally known as the recognized birthplace of the

Bounty Hunter Bloods The Bounty Hunter Watts Bloods, also known as the Bounty Hunter Bloods, is a predominantly African American street gang situated in the Nickerson Gardens public housing projects in Watts, Los Angeles. History The gang was originally established i ...

gang. A ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' article on November 17, 2007, detailed they were gangs that had patrolled in and around Nickerson Gardens.

Operation

The complex is owned and managed by the

Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is a state-chartered public agency. Established in 1938, HACLA provides the largest stock of affordable housing in the city Los Angeles, California and is one of the nation's oldest public ...

. Nickerson Gardens consists of 156 buildings with townhouse style units made up on single bedroom units.

Media

The complex was one of the many locations featured in the action-thriller film '' To Live and Die in L.A.'' (1985). Nickerson Gardens is featured in the short film The memorial wall of Nickerson Gardens is featured in the short fil
"Brotherman" by Christopher Varnado
starring Darrell Britt-Gibson directed by Michael v. Greene

Education

Nickerson Gardens is assigned to the following

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...

schools: *Markham Middle School * Jordan High School

References

Public housing in Los Angeles Watts, Los Angeles Willowbrook, California Buildings and structures completed in 1955 1955 establishments in California Paul Williams (architect) buildings {{LosAngeles-struct-stub