ADAMS BOULEVARD

1238 East Adams Boulevard

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On January 6, 1903, the Los Angeles Express reported that a building permit had been issued to F. J. Sliter for the erection of a one-story, six-room frame residence at 1238 East Adams Street to cost $1,700. Frank Sliter and his wife, who was at least nominally involved in several of the couple's lot purchases, may have lived at 1238 themselves before moving on to a new project. Sliter had until recently been a farmer in the Fruitland district south of the city

By late December 1903, 1238 East Adams, "a new 6-room modern cottage," was being advertised for rent in the Times

By May 1904, Charles and Ethelene Streeter were noted to be living at 1238 East Adams Street. On November 8, 1905, Charles Streeter declared himself bankrupt in U.S. district court. "His debts amount to $781.30 and his assets consist of furniture, tools and horses to the value of $215," per the Herald's report the next day. The Streeters would be moving to San Francisco

1238 East Adams Street was rented briefly before its apparent purchase by Russian-born furniture salesman Bernard P. Fox, his ownership indicated in the 1910 Federal census enumerated in April

Bernard Fox, his wife Mary, and their four children did not stay long at 1238 East Adams; classified ads beginning in September 1910 offered the house for sale—"6-ROOM MODERN COTTAGE, best location on East Adams, between two car lines; must sacrifice." The property was still being offered in February 1911, noting that the owner was leaving the city. (It is unclear as to where the Foxes were moving from 1238, but they would be living a few blocks away from 1238 by the end of the decade)

Retired German-born farmer Cornelius Henry Jensen was the owner of 1238 East Adams Street by mid 1911 and would remain for the next 21 years. Federal censuses after 1900 give Jensen's marital status as "widowed," though his wife appears to have lived until February 1933. Jensen married the widowed Sophia Evers Grundt in Iowa in 1885; both brought several children to create a blended family, he adopting some of hers, with the couple going on to have two of their own. It is unclear as to where Mrs. Jensen might have lived after apparently leaving the household sometime between 1900 and 1910, though she was a resident of the Hollenbeck Home in Boyle Heights when she died. Cornelius Jensen died at 1238 East Adams Boulevard, as the Street was now designated, on February 22, 1932

As seen in The California Eagle, January 1, 1932

1238 East Adams Boulevard was on the market by early 1935 asking $2,000. Ownership after that time is unclear, though it appears that a number of renters occupied the house until its purchase by early 1942 by entertainer Lucille Z. Hall. The California Eagle of December 30, 1943, referred to Lucille as a "former star nightclub entertainer"—though there are indications that she was still pursuing her career—and as "a favorite in local cafe society."

On February 16, 1942, the Department of Building and Safety issued Lucille Hall a permit for foundation repairs at 1238 East Adams; on April 25, 1946, it was Zelma Thomas who pulled a permit for improvements to the basement, the document noting that "this work [is] being done by my father."

Lucille Zelia Howard Hall and her sister Zelma Margaret Howard Thomas—she was a cook for a private family—were born in Texas in 1906 and 1904, respectively. Zelma married James L. January, a waiter, by 1950, he and his four children moving into 1238. The Januarys moved to Monrovia by 1963; Lucille appears to have remained at 1238 until her death at 76 on November 23, 1982

1238 East Adams Boulevard appears to have been purchased by its current owners, Manuel and Teresa Villalpando, in 1983. Over the decades the Villalpandos have made improvements to the property including the addition of a two-story accessory building at the rear

Illustrations: Private Collection; The California Eagle

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