Talkin’ Hadda

On January 31st 2023, KCRW Public Radio was kind enough to invite me on for a brief 9-minute segment to talk about Hadda Brooks, as someone had told the producer of the show of my series of blog posts about her.  Hadda had a long, eventful, and interesting life, so it was challenge to convey…

The Kaspare Cohn Hospital and the Mt. Sinai Hospital and Clinic, Part Five

Editor’s Note:  We come to the end of this very interesting and informative post by Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member Rudy Martinez on the eastside origins of one of the signal medical care facilities in Los Angeles, including a fascinating politicized issue over a fresco mural at the Mount Sinai Home for the…

The Kaspare Cohn Hospital and the Mt. Sinai Hospital and Clinic, Part Four

Editor’s note:  Sorry for the delay in getting this fourth part of this great post by Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member Rudy Martinez published.  This part involves the later ownership of the former Kaspare Cohn Hospital property and introduces us to the early history of Mt. Sinai Hospital.  The fifth and final part…

The Kaspare Cohn Hospital and the Mt. Sinai Hospital and Clinic, Part Three

Editor’s note:  This third part of this excellent post by Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member Rudy Martinez takes us into the move and renaming of Kaspare Cohn Hospital to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in East Hollywood, as well as the fascinating and timely controversy involving a purported cancer treatment trial supported by cereal…

The Kaspare Cohn Hospital and the Mt. Sinai Hospital and Clinic, Part Two

Editor’s note: The second part of  this post by Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member Rudy Martinez takes us to the move of the Kaspare Cohn Hospital from Angelino Heights to what was later called East Los Angeles [Lincoln Heights was the original East Los Angeles.]  This part covers about a decade during the early…

The Kaspare Cohn Hospital and the Mt. Sinai Hospital and Clinic, Part One

Editor’s note: Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member Rudy Martinez returns again with another multi-part post on the fascinating history of Boyle Heights and the east side, covering the development of what evolved into today’s Cedar-Sinai Medical Center.  We start with this first installment about the East Los Angeles location of the Kaspare Cohn…

Sam Haskins (1846-1895): He Answered His Last Alarm, Part Three

This third and final part of Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board Member Rudy Martinez’ post on Samuel (Sam) Haskins, the first black member of the Los Angeles Fire Department, takes us to the long-overdue recognition of Haskins, who died in line of duty in an 1895 accident, being the first department member to do…

Sam Haskins (1846-1895): He Answered His Last Alarm, Part One

Editor’s note:  Rudy Martinez, a Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member and frequent contributor to this blog, provides another fascinating story of the community’s history with this post about Sam Haskins, the first black member of the Los Angeles Fire Department.  The three-part post begins with some background on Haskins up to and including…

From Boyle Heights to Beijing: Lotus Blossom Blog Post Appears in Chinese Film Journal

Boyle Heights Historical Society Advisory Board member and frequent contributor to this blog, Rudy Martinez, put together a fascinating multi-part post a little over two years ago on the 1920s silent film Lotus Blossom, the first Chinese-American movie and which was filmed in Boyle Heights. After Rudy’s post was published, contact was made by Dr.…