History
Crenshaw Manor was originally part of 4,481.5 acres known as "Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera" given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Vicente Sánchez as part of the Mexican land grants establishing major ranchos or settlements throughout Alta California, now present-day Los Angeles County. La Cienega derives from the Spanish word cienaga, which means swamp or marshland. “Paso de La Tijera” appears in 1860 maps where a path crosses a stream, at today’s intersection of Crenshaw Blvd. and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Some source says the term means “Pass of the Scissors” and was used by Spanish settlers to describe a pass-through Baldwin Hills which resembled an open pair of scissors. The areas encompassed by the dual-named are now known as Ladera Heights, Windsor Hills, Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, and Crenshaw Manor.
Vicente Sánchez was alcalde, or mayor, of Los Angeles from 1831-1832 and again in 1845 until his death in 1846. Upon his death the rancho was inherited by Sánchez widow Maria Victoria Higuera and his grandson Tomás Sánchez. Tomás was equally involved in the early governance of Alta California, having held positions as county sheriff and as a member of county and city legislative bodies. The younger Sánchez held control of the land until 1875 when he sold Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera to Francis Pliney Fisk (F.P.F) Temple, Arthur J. Hutchinson, Henry Ledyard and Daniel Freeman. Temple experienced financial difficulties and in 1875 Elias J. (Lucky) Baldwin acquired portions of the rancho giving his name to the hills that dominated the western section of the land, thereafter known as the Baldwin Hills.
Development
The development of Crenshaw Manor began during the early 1940’s, but the story began as a segregated and restricted white neighborhood before World War II. While Crenshaw Manor would later become known as a predominantly African American neighborhood, Japanese Americans stood at the forefront of the drive to break down racial exclusion and restrictive covenants in the years following World War II. At a time when nonwhite residents routinely experienced discrimination when seeking homes and mortgages, Kazuo K. Inouye launched the Kashu Realty company. The year was 1947, one year before the landmark Shelley v. Kraemer ruled state enforcement of racial covenants unlawful. His pursuit of customers coincided with a desire to bust open previously all-white blocks for Black, Japanese, and Mexican American homeowners.
Also, during that time, the Crenshaw Center, now the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza opened its doors on November 21, 1947. It was one of the first regional shopping centers in the United States. The May Company building opened on October 10, 1947, and a bridge was later built across MLK Blvd. (Santa Barbara Avenue at the time). The entire 7 acres block of the May Company became part of the mall property with the Broadway department store, Woolworth, and other stores covering a gross area of 550,000 square feet on 35 acres, with 13 acres of parking space for 7,000 cars along Santa Barbara Ave (now MLK Blvd.). The May Company was bought out by Robinson-May before being purchased by Macy’s.
https://www.kcet.org/shows/departures/growing-up-japanese-american-in-crenshaw-and-leimert-park
Tomás A. Sanchez: The Californio Sheriff of Los Angeles | KCET
