More than 400 years of Los Angeles history sits under Metropolitan's HQ building, according to Environmental Planning’s
Michelle Morrison
. Before the building was constructed, archaeological excavations found evidence of the Native American village of Yaanga dating back to the 1620s. This village was home to the original Angelenos, and later Spanish and Mexican settlers of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, as well as European-American and Chinese settlers. More recently, the site housed a parking garage built in the 1930s for Union Station.
During the excavation for the current building, vegetable stands, laundries and warehouses were identified as Chinatown businesses. Other
artifacts were linked to a more sordid history. The site was partly located on the former “Easy Jeannette Street,” "the largest red light district ever excavated in California," said Dr. Julia Costello, one of the archaeologists directing the dig. The Reform Movement, which took hold around 1902, brought an end to the red-light district.
The HQ construction project, like all of Met's work, was planned to preserve cultural history and archaeological artifacts. A few pictures are shown below.
