St. Vincent's Court (Los Angeles)
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St. Vincent's Place is the second location of
Saint Vincent College Saint Vincent College is a private Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Bene ...
in
Central Los Angeles Central Los Angeles is the historical urban region of the city of Los Angeles, containing downtown Los Angeles, and several nearby regions in southwest Los Angeles County, California. Geographic designation by The City of Los Angeles The Los Ang ...
,
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. St. Vincent's Place was designated a
California Historic Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...
(No.567) on Feb. 25, 1957. St. Vincent's College was started by
Vincentian Fathers The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, a ...
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 ...
in
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 Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3,878,704 residents within the city ...
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 Bullock's complex is a collection of nine historic buildings located at 639-651 south Broadway (Los Angeles), Broadway, the 300-block of 7th Street (Los Angeles), 7th Street, and 634-670 south Hill Street (Los Angeles), Hill Street in the Jewelry ...
, this was the main entrance to St. Vincent’s College in 1868, a keen city promoter remodeled it as an imitation of a
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village square. In 1865, the
Vincentian Fathers The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, a ...
were commissioned by Bishop
Thaddeus Amat y Brusi Thaddeus Amat y Brusi (Spanish: Tadeu; ; December 31, 1811 – May 12, 1878) was a Spanish Catholic prelate who served as the first Bishop of Monterey–Los Angeles. He was a member of the Vincentians. Early life Amat was born in Barcelona, ...
to found St. Vincent's College for boys in
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. Father John Asmuth, was the first President Rector. Classes were held for two years in the
Lugo Adobe The Lugo Adobe also called the Vicente Lugo Adobe or Casa de Don Vicente Lugo was a house in the city of Los Angeles, located on the east side of the Los Angeles Plaza at 512–524 N. Los Angeles Street. Don Vicente Lugo of the prominent Lugo f ...
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
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, (near
Olvera Street Olvera Street, commonly known by its Spanish language, Spanish name Calle Olvera, is a historic pedestrian street in El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, the historic center of Los Angeles. The street is loc ...
). 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 Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire specialt ...
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 Huell Burnley Howser (October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013) was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing ''California's Gold'' and his human interest sh ...
.


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.


See also

*
California Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County List table of the properties and districts listed on the California Historical Landmarks in Los Angeles County, Southern California. :*Note: ''Click the "Map of all coordinates" link to the right to view a Google map of all properties and distri ...
*
Lugo Adobe The Lugo Adobe also called the Vicente Lugo Adobe or Casa de Don Vicente Lugo was a house in the city of Los Angeles, located on the east side of the Los Angeles Plaza at 512–524 N. Los Angeles Street. Don Vicente Lugo of the prominent Lugo f ...
location of Saint Vincent College from 1867 to 1869, also a California Historical Landmark.


References

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