Places In Novel
Here you can find quotes, descriptions, and pictures of LA landmarks, street names, neighborhoods, and more mentioned in the novel. Their purpose is to help you get a better understanding of where the story takes place.
Thomas Sanchez has done a good job of incorporating Los Angeles accurately in the Zoot-Suit Murders; however, some of the places mentioned in the novel lack factual details. One significant error, is the author’s apparent confusion on the name, or spelling, of Olvera Street/Olvera Park. Instead of “Olivera,” which is how it’s continually recognized throughout the novel, the historical location is recognized by Angelenos (residents of Los Angeles) as Olvera. Even though the mistake is not too crucial, the importance of that location is. The issue with this is that a reader might attempt to search for that place and find nothing, or readers may even wish to visit the location––finding not “Olivera” Street, but Olvera Street in the portion of Los Angeles that separates the East from the West. Out of speculation though, this might have been the editor’s mishap. Another inaccurately mentioned site, is Pier 128 in San Pedro because no such place exists. The novel is set in the early 1940‘s, and some of the small businesses mentioned––such as Ortega’s White Owl Drugstore––are also untraceable. It is not certain whether Thomas Sanchez purposefully meant to develop his story with a sprinkle of imagination by inventing/altering certain locales or if they are untraceable because they are simply old and no one kept track of them.
Despite a few inaccuracies, the author’s overall orientation of Los Angeles is in fact effective. For example, the barrio and “La Zona Roja” were definitely portrayed accurately. Both of these settings can be found in the east side of Los Angeles. Although East Los Angeles was initially inhabited by the Anglo populations of California, after the 1930’s, this all changed drastically due to residentially exclusive developments––which occurred prior to, and during the WWII era. The residential developments caused Anglo populations to migrate towards the west side of Los Angeles, leaving the east practically deserted. Immigrants, primarily Mexicans, and their descendants––who were citizens––soon moved to East Los Angeles and took over the entire neighborhoods left behind by the Anglos. East Los Angeles, the barrio, then became a chaotic breeding-ground for Zoot-Suiters and several other groups of people that were being discriminated against at the time. Sanchez was successful in choosing this side of town for his novel. Hollywoodland, as it was still recognized in 1943, was also portrayed accordingly. The letters don’t read that today, but it’s original purpose served to advertise for a real estate company and the author was not mistaken in his use of the name. These are just a couple of the many examples that demonstrate Thomas Sanchez succeeded in geographically and historically depicting the city of Los Angeles.
Places Within Los Angeles, California:
“The sound of another siren huffed in staccato bursts from the cement needle crown of City Hall blocks away” (4). Later on, the City Hall in Downtown is once again noted for it’s “blunt, cement needle-top” (41). At 32 floors, the building was completed in 1928, and the materials used to build it were collected from several counties in California.
Nathan Younger is a “‘social worker in east Los Angeles’”(14). However, his job as a social worker only serves to hide the fact that he’s really an undercover agent for the FBI. He investigates suspicious happenings in the Barrio, including the “murders in east Los Angeles” at the beginning of the book (14). In the Barrio, “everybody is out. People sitting on their front porches, men with their shirts off, women fanning themselves with newspapers, kids running everywhere, lots of noise, loud radios. There is always lots of noise in the Barrio” (16).
“You can’t keep a quarter of a million people living in terror in the Barrio, make all of east Los Angeles a concentration camp” (219). East Los Angeles is comprised of the city of Terrace to the northwest, Lincoln Heights, the city of Monterey Park to the northeast, the city of Montebello to the east, and the city of Commerce to the south.
“‘I had just finished over at Lincoln Park with my CYO boys; we were in the summer baseball playoffs against Pico Rivera. We won’” (16). Lincoln Park is located in what is today known as Lincoln Heights, but before the area was renamed, it was simply known as East Los Angeles. Before the park made, the youth in East L.A. had to play in their neighborhoods and dirty, vacant lots. Lincoln Park was a place where kids from the barrio could go relax/play in a safer environment.
“Younger’s wall was one of the most dangerous Latin Fascist in California” (169). “Younger knew the Barrio was a giant, elaborate net, stretched across the east side of Los Angeles for one purpose” (169). Los Angeles, Califronia is the second largest populated city in the United States. Los Angeles, California is divided into areas as follows: Downtown Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, South Los Angeles (also known as South Central), the Harbor Area, Greater Holly wood, Wilshire district, The Westside, and the San Fernando and Crescenta Valleys.
La Zona Roja
Included in the Zona Roja are:
– Flores Street
Before the war, this street may have been peaceful, but after the war things changed dramatically and it became “dangerous, bars and clubs,young sailors prowling the streets for a good time. Not safe'” (16). “Flores Street was thick with people and howling with the sound of Friday night” (175).
The Flores Street found on a contemporary map of Los Angeles is definitely not the same Flores Street Thomas Sanchez is referring to in the Zoot-Suit Murders because it is too far from Downtown.
Note: The Beverly Center is in Beverly Hills, not anywhere near Downtown.
– Orange Street
“After the black out we continued to the intersection at Orange Street, where two sailors were fighting” (17). Younger was headed towards the intersection of Orange Street and Flores Street with his baseball team.
– Ortega’s White Owl Drugstore
There is no trace left of such a place in Los Angeles, but in the novel, it is where Younger takes his CYO boys for some Coke. It’s supposed to be located where Flores and Orange Street meet up. However, some street names have changed since the 1940s. For example, what was once Orange Street, is now named Wilshire. Knowing this, it is apparent that Wilshire runs into Downtown and crosses a street called Flower––which is the singular English translation for Flores. This would make sense because this intersection is closer to East Los Angeles than the actual Flores Street on the map today.
– Signal Gasoline Station
“A gang of Zoots leaning against the Signal Gasoline Station pumps on the corner moved onto the sidewalk to block Younger” (176).
This what the Signal Gasoline Station would have looked like:
Note: The actual location of the depicted gasoline station is in Portland, Oregon.
The Zona Roja was a place in the neighborhood of LA where all the chaos of the sailors against the zoot-suiters occurred.“Waves of Shore Patrolmen and Military Police commanded the Zona Roja” (p58).
Downtown
Downtown looks “like a phony movie set” (31).
There is a scene in the novel where Younger runs “across four lanes of honking cars on South Grand Street and up red-tiled steps into the old Spanish church” (32).
“They won’t come here. They’re all downtown” (211). Downtown Los Angeles is well know business district of Los Angeles, California and is located close the the center of the metropolitan area.
“The one short block of Olivera Street” is mentioned several times throughout the book, but it is misspelled (31). What Thomas Sanchez meant to include was Olvera Street. The street is a tourist attraction and is commonly known as La Placita Olvera/The Olvera Plaza.
“He put out the word to Wino Boy to tell the Zoot gangs he wanted Cruz to call him, to let Cruz know he went to Hollywoodland, he was late, but the kept his part of the bargain, he got there” (170). During the 194o’s Hollywoodland developers had sold the land north of Mulholland Highway, which included The Hollywoodland Sign to the City of Los Angeles. Later, Hollywoodland became part of Griffith Park. In 1949 the Chamber of Commernce contracted with the city of Los Angeles parks, which resulted in the change of the sign from “Hollywoodland” to “Hollywood”.
“How can you have no pride? You’re in the Barrio, chico, not Westwood” (177). Westwood was historically considered to be the subdivision of the Wolfskill ranch. Westwood was originally 3300 acres of scenic near Santa Monica, which later was opened for housing development.
“I found him here in Los Angeles way out on Fairfax Avenue, you know, where the Jews live” (p100). When Younger went to LA to look for his father, he found him on Fairfax Ave with another woman and then he no longer saw him again. Since World War II, the Fairfax has been a heavily Jewish neighborhood.
“Every Saturday afternoon we drove the limousine down from the Beverly Hills mansion to see one of the old man’s movies” (p101). As one of his first jobs in LA, Younger worked for a Hollywood Star, Jack Warner, babysitting his son. They lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills. “The president of Sea Biscuit is a retired admiral who lives up in Beverly Hills.”(120) Beverly Hills is one of the most affluent cities in the world, and is home to Hollywood celebrities, many corporate executives and numerous other wealthy individuals and families. In 2007, Coldwell Banker listed Beverly Hills as the most expensive housing market (second year in a row) in the United States.
“The harsh spotlight shooting down out of the high rafters of the Shrine Auditorium pinpointed her on the barren stage like a butterfly needled inside a large glass display case” (135). Opened in 1926, the current Shrine Auditorium replaced an earlier 1906 Al Malaikah Temple which had been destroyed by a fire on January 11, 1920. The new auditorium was designed in the Moorish Revival style by San Francisco-based theater architect G. Albert Lansburgh, with local architects John C. Austin and A. M. Edelman associated.
“Nathan Younger. Address, 5676 South spring Street. City and county, La, LA. (104) Nathan Youngers Home
“lets go up Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood” (152) Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to thePacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. The street is an icon of Hollywood celebrity culture and the phrase “Sunset Boulevard” is an enduring shorthand for the glamor associated with Hollywood.
“Oldest Place in the city. It’s called the Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles.” (152) Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles Asistencia was originally founded in early 1784 within the burgeoning Pueblo de Los Angeles as an asistencia (or “sub-mission”) to the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The assistant mission fell into disuse over time and a Catholic chapel, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles, was constructed in its place a mere thirty years later
“This whole Chinatown area nearly burned down five years ago, in thirty eight”.(153) China town is located in the city’s downtown area. Built in 1938, it is the second Chinatown to be constructed in Los Angeles. The original historic Chinatown was founded in the late 19th century, but was demolished to make room for Union Station, the city’s major rail depot, leaving its residents and businesses displaced
“The full height of the palms came into view as the cab sped by Echo Park.” (153) At the end of the 19th century, when the hills were still covered with native vegetation, a horse-drawn streetcar line served the dirt road that is now Echo Park Avenue. The community of Echo Park was founded by Thomas Kelly, a carriage maker turned real estate developer. In the late 1880s Kelly teamed up with a group of local investors, selling off pieces of what they called “the Montana Tract.” Legend says that the lake got its name after workers building the reservoir remarked that their voices echoed off the canyon walls.
“ Above its swinging glass doors an elaborate neon scroll announced: SCHWAB’S PHARMACY.” (154) Schwab’s Pharmacy was a drug store located at 8024 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, and was a popular hangout for movie actors and movie industry dealmakers from the 1930s through the 1950s.Like many drug stores in the United States throughout the mid-twentieth century, Schwab’s sold medicines and had a counter serving ice cream dishes and light meals. Schwab’s closed its doors in October 1983.Five years later, on October 6, 1988, Schwab’s was demolished to make way for a shopping complex and multiplex theater.
“ I should of stayed out at Wilshire Center like she said” (159). Wilshire Center is a district that is part of the larger Mid-Wilshire district in the City of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1895 by Gaylord Wilshire and is one of the oldest communities in Los Angeles. It is 3–4 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.
“Catching a glimpse up the boulevard of two neon signs hanging from the soaring sweep of a green-tiles pagoda roof over a surging crowd on the sidewalk GRAUMAN’S CHINESE“. (159) Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is a movie theater located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is located along the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922.
Places Considered To Be Apart Of The Greater Los Angeles Area Or Historically Relevant To The Setting Of The Novel:
At the beginning of the novel, Younger “[promises his team] Cokes if they [win] the ball game against Pico Rivera” (3). Pico Rivera is approximately 13 miles southeast of Downtown, Los Angeles.
Kathleen La Rue was “born in San Francisco,” which is north of Los Angeles (11).
“‘There was a Santa Ana blowing . . . the hot wind we get from the Mojave Desert’” (17). The Mojave Desert sends strong, dry winds directly into Los Angeles and all of Southern California during the Fall and Winter. The picture on the right is the direction of the winds, and the picture on the left depicts the Mojave Desert in the 1940s.
“The cheered the sight of the island like castaways abandoned to a cruel sea who hadn’t sighted land for days, rather than only several hours since leaving San Pedro” (162). “We have to hurry or the ship is going back to San Pedro without us” (167). San Pedro is a port district of the Los Angeles and was annexed in 1909 as a major seaport of the Los Angeles area.
“Kathleen was so thin and vulnerable, he feared she might blow away in the strong warm gust swirling about the ship as it eased into the open sweep of the Avalon harbor” (163). Avalon Harbor is apart of the Avalon Bay that links Los Angeles to Catalina Island.
“A split of land dominated by the five-story-high white dome of the Avalon Ballroom, perched improbably between land and sea like a sheik’s stretched tent on the desert” (163).”In the Avalon Ballroom beneath banners of a thousand balloons Younger thought Kathleen died in his arms (164). The Avalon Ballroom was an ”Art Deco” landmark built in 1929.
“A false dawn staggered down the empty street out the window over the palms, a strange and faint light coming from behind the bouldered peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains” (171). The San Gabriel Mountains are located in the northern part of Los Angeles County. They serve as a barrier around the Greater Los Angeles . 
“The Santa Ana came in unseasonably from the desert, its hot dry wind blowing through the empty streets of the Barrio” (216). Santa Ana was founded in 1869 and is located in Southern California and adjacent to the Santa Ana River. Because of its location the dry winds of Santa Ana are brushed into the city of Los Angeles.
“The Shitter was some crazy guy out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean who was terrorizing Marvin” (172). The make-up of the beach’s of California are made up of the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean also acted as a method of transportation for the ports and harbors of California, as well as, a method of transportation for out troops during war times. 
“A guy I know, went through boot camp with him right after Pearl Harbor, just a great guy, really” (173). ” That attack was as well planned as the Jap’s strike on Pearl Harbor” (219). Pearl Harbor is located in Hawaii. Pearl Harbor housed a United States naval base. The Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack by bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This attack is one of the major events around the world that led up to World War II.
“That’s why I want to leave this city, go to the Grand Canyon” (180). “I’m ready for a vacation up to the top of your Bright Angel Rim on the Grand Canyon” (202). The Grand Canyon, located in Arizona, is carved by the Colorado River that travel throughout the United States.
“Far away from people; nothing but the desert far as the eye can see, nothing but the lazy Colorado River winding its way through the bottom of the endless canyon” (202). The Colorado River is a located in the Southwestern United states and Northwestern Mexico. The Colorado River runs approximately 1,450 miles long.
“Stories were going around the Barrio that U.S. sailors were roaming the streets down south in San Diego, beating Zoots, even chasing them into stores and theaters” (186). San Diego is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California.
“Mexico lodged a protest over reports of brutalities against those of Mexican descent in Southern California” (186). Southern California is comprised of five major areas: Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, Grater San Diego and the Inland Empire.
“Before him the United States Army was marching triumphantly across the movie screen through the bombed and shattered city of Naples” (208). “Tough American troops and hard-fighting British Tommies who just five days ago fought and won the ferocious battle of Salerno have quickly smashed through to capture Naples” (208). Naples is a city in Italy and is the capital of the region of Campania and the province of Naples.
“My father was a farmer up in Oregon” (p99).Younger tells LaRule that he was born and raised in Oregon where his family owned some land, but when things got tough his father got up and left his family, fleeing from Oregon.
“The Jap army could be camped out on the Golden Gate Bridge by the time you come up with the information” (p88). Younger asked for some information from Senator Kinney and when he did not receive it he said the army could have advanced to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge by the time Younger received the information he needed.
Zoot-Suit Murders, by Thomas Sanchez 