By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
At first look, the Washingtonia filifera fan palm tree in Exposition Park looks just like any other palm tree in California. That’s because it is, but with one historical distinction.
While it is a regular palm tree like the myriad that dot the Los Angeles skyline, this particular palm tree has an impressive history that has been documented and designated by SoCal Landmarks.
The Washingtonia filifera fan palm tree is considered the oldest palm tree in Los Angeles (at least the oldest documented one). It was planted around 1850, along San Pedro Street.
In 1889, it was moved to a prominent spot in front of the entrance of the Arcade Depot, the Los Angeles station for the Southern Pacific Railroad on Alameda Street.
When Southern Pacific moved to Central Station in 1914, the Arcade Palm, as it became known, was saved by a campaign led by the Los Angeles Examiner (a newspaper founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst in Los Angeles).
The tree was moved to Exposition Park on Exposition Park Drive just off Figueroa Street at the West 39th Street intersection, and, while it is unclear whether it was planted where it stands now, it has been at the end of the mall opposite the Memorial Coliseum for at least 100 years. It may be the most often moved palm in the city.
The Washingtonia filifera fan palm is the only species native to California although its natural habitat is east of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert.
Its history is closely associated with some significant events in Los Angeles, including the expansion of railway services, the need for new and better stations and the creation of Exposition Park.
Instead of being cut down, the tree was moved with the help of a campaign launched by the LA Examiner.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Exposition Park and the surrounding neighborhood were a far different area.
A lone survivor from the days at the end of the mall along Figueroa, the tree, one of many in the area, probably goes unnoticed by most people driving by or coming in to park for a game at the Coliseum or for a visit to the Science Center or Natural History Museum.
“In the four-plus years of our project, we’ve discovered that there are still a lot of people who are delighted to discover hidden or forgotten gems like this and that’s definitely a factor that keeps us going,” said a SoCal Landmarks representative.
The Washingtonia filifera fan palm tree became part of a SoCal Landmarks project because of the prolonged interest in the historic timber.
“That particular tree is a small reminder that sometimes people care enough about something like a skinny palm tree to keep it around and that’s not a bad thing,” said the SoCal Landmarks representative.
The history of the Washingtonia filifera fan palm, according to SoCal Landmarks, reportedly started life in the suburban wilds until it was uprooted and moved, probably to San Pedro Street between 2nd and 3rd streets in the 1850s.
That particular tree was chosen in 1889 to be moved to a featured spot in front of the entrance to Arcade Depot, the Los Angeles station for the Southern Pacific Railroad, on Alameda Street between 4th and 5th Streets.
As one historian recalls, “It made the city’s first impression on tourists and transplants disembarking at the station, a sign that they had reached the promised land of sunshine after a long journey west.”
About 25 years later, newspapers were describing the Arcade Depot as “ancient” and “unsightly and inadequate,” so Southern Pacific moved its operations to Central Station in 1914 and the Arcade Depot was history. The tree found a new home in Exposition Park, known then as Agricultural Park until it was renamed in 1913.
It is uncertain whether the tree was moved to its present location in 1914, or whether it spent time elsewhere in the park.
Now 100 feet tall, the tree remains healthy.
It is a survivor of three replantings and a witness to more than 170 years of Los Angeles history.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
