Introduction
Introduction
The Century/105 Freeway stands as one of the most litigated and controversial highways in U.S. history. Plans for the freeway were set in motion after Senator Randolph Collier and Assemblyman Lee Backstrand set the idea into motion in front of the Legislature's joint Interim Committee on Public Transportation in 1955. A principal route was laid out in 1963 by the Division of Highways, and the project was officially designated as an interstate (I-105) in 1966. However, it was not until 1993 that the freeway was officially completed, marking over three decades of tumultuous and heated development. The project faced numerous hurdles, including lawsuits, environmental challenges, design alterations, and route changes. Notably, construction was halted for eight years from 1972 to 1979 due to a court-ordered halt of the demolition of homes in the Right-of-Way path.Despite its groundbreaking features, the Century Freeway project faced numerous challenges and controversies. A Federal lawsuit filed in 1972 by local residents, civil rights groups, and environmental organizations delayed its progress, leading to a consent decree in 1979 overseen by Judge Harry Pregerson of the Federal district court. This decree not only altered the freeway's dimensions but also mandated substantial investment in social programs to mitigate the project's impact on communities.[1]
In response to the injustices of community displacement as a result of the planned freeway construction, a class-action lawsuit was filed against California and the federal government in 1972. The plaintiffs included a diverse coalition comprising the NAACP, affected homeowners, the Sierra Club, and the City of Hawthorne. Their collective grievance argued that the freeway project was inherently discriminatory, displacing residents without adequate consideration for the social and environmental consequences. Notably, construction was halted for eight years from 1972 to 1979 due to a court-ordered halt of the demolition of homes in the Right-of-Way path.
The communities along the proposed freeway corridor endured significant upheaval. A poignant article from The Daily Breeze in 1985 captured the sentiments of families who resided in the corridor but had their homes spared by chance. They described themselves as "castaways, fatalities of a freeway that had chipped off a neighborhood and left a fragment of it adrift." As a result of the changing landscape, these severed communities would never again be the same. The forced pause in demolition only exacerbated the damage already inflicted on these communities, forever altering their social fabric.[2]
This exhibit is primarily centered around the archival materials from the Century Freeway collection. It also considers the historical usage of eminent domain and “slum” clearance policies to acquire land for urban infrastructure projects, such as freeways, which disproportionately impacted marginalized communities. These notions of "progress" from urban project developers contributed to community fragmentation, relegating these communities to pollution-ridden areas, while more affluent neighborhoods encountered fewer freeway projects and less pollution. This exhibition exposes a glaring instance of environmental racism, one that represents yet another distressing episode in the region's enduring history of racial injustice.
Amidst this turmoil, some artists and photographers took to documenting the destruction of community and loss of home. Photographer Jeff Gates' photograph collection, originally displayed at the Downey Museum of Art and now kept at the Huntington Library in San Marino, stands as a poignant testament to this period of upheaval and fragmentation. This exhibition features select photographs from his collection, which may also be viewed at inourpath.com.
The final consent decree for the Century Freeway, filed in 1979, ushered in a new era of urban development, intertwining infrastructure with social progress. Under the purview of this groundbreaking decree, a range of initiatives emerged, including housing programs, job training, affirmative action measures, and child-care services, all within the context of a freeway project that also accommodated a future transit line.
The cost of the Century Freeway, at $127 million per mile, far exceeded previous highway projects. However, it also catalyzed the development of thousands of units of new affordable housing along its route, providing opportunities for those affected by the freeway's construction and beyond.
This exhibit will offer substantial contributions to sustainability and transportation studies, particularly by emphasizing the experiences of marginalized groups. Beyond examining environmental racism and the destruction of landscape, the exhibit will delve into the intricate meanings of home and community, exploring their fragmentation through various expressive mediums, including art and personal testimonies.
Related Documents
[1] [Opening New Freeway, Los Angeles Ends Era \(Published 1993\)](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/14/us/opening-new-freeway-los-angeles-ends-era.html)
[2] 1985 The Daily Breeze Article
[2] 1985 The Daily Breeze Article
