St. Vincent's Place is the second location of Saint Vincent College in Central Los Angeles,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. St. Vincent's Place was designated a California Historic Landmark (No.567) on Feb. 25, 1957. St. Vincent's College was started by Vincentian Fathers in 1865 and was the first

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. St. Vincent's Place is located at St. Vincent Court at 7th Street and Broadway in the City of Los Angeles in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

. St. Vincent's College became L.A. College in 1911 and

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

in 1917. Saint Vincent's College used the

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

site from 1868 to 1887. Broadway was called Fort Street in 1868. St. Vincent's Court is now a small alley running through the center of the former Bullock's complex, this was the main entrance to St. Vincent’s College in 1868, a keen city promoter remodeled it as an imitation of a European village square. In 1865, the Vincentian Fathers were commissioned by Bishop Thaddeus Amat y Brusi to found St. Vincent's College for boys in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Father John Asmuth, was the first President Rector. Classes were held for two years in the Lugo Adobe on the east side of the Plaza while a new building was being finished. The historic home, aptly donated by Don Vicente Lugo, was one of few two-story adobes then in town. The house stood in the empty lot across Alameda Street between the Plaza and

Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

, (near Olvera Street). After two years, the college and school moved into a new, brick building several blocks south by the lower plaza, Pershing Square. Later, the brick building was replaced with a larger one in stone that became a familiar landmark for its stately, central tower topped by a mansard roof. The property took up the block bounded by Fort (Broadway), 6th, Hill, and 7th streets. When St. Vincent's later moved to a new campus, the old building became US Army Headquarters, and in 1907, the large Bullock’s department store was built and operated here until 1983. Today, the site is in the heart of Los Angeles's Jewelry District, encompassing St. Vincent Court. In 1869, St. Vincent's was accredited by the state. In 1887, the college moved to a new, more majestic campus—bounded by Grand Avenue, Washington Boulevard, Hope Street, and 18th—which would have a chapel, residence hall, cottages, and a traditional, brick-and-ivy complex housing classrooms and lecture halls. Like the second college building by Pershing Square, the new retained a tall, central tower topped with St. Vincent's trademark mansard roof. St. Vincent's Court was featured in ''Our Neighborhoods'' with Huell Howser.

Marker

Marker on the site reads: *No. 567 St. Vincent's Place was the site of Saint Vincent's College from 1868 to 1887. Founded by the Vincentian Fathers in 1865, the college was the first institution of higher learning in Southern California and is now known as Loyola University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Vincent's Place California Historical Landmarks 1868 establishments in California Seventh Street (Los Angeles)

Marker

See also

References