Jean Bruce Poole and the Founding of EPPA
El Pueblo Park Association (EPPA) supports El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, the historic heart of Los Angeles, and promotes exhibits, events and education at the site.
EPPA was established in 1983 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity (tax id # 95-3842289) and is governed by a board of public minded individuals. The organization was founded by Jean Bruce Poole, who was hired in 1977 by the State of California as the first historian and curator for El Pueblo de Los Ángeles State Historic Park.
In 1981, Poole collaborated with Los Angeles city librarian, Miriam Matthews, on the installation of a plaque honoring the multi-racial pobladores, the first settlers of Los Angeles. The plaque remains a critical learning site of the city’s diverse traditions and background for both Angelenos and visitors to the plaza.
Poole continued to work as the plaza’s historian when the site’s management transferred from the State of California to the City of Los Angeles in 1989. She was instrumental in integrating the historic buildings into today’s El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument. She also directed historic research, conducted tours and created scripts for the tour guides of Las Angelitas del Pueblo, which continue today.
El Pueblo was first listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 3, 1972. The nomination was amended in 1981 to include five additional contributing resources and to provide more information on two buildings listed in the original nomination.
In 2018, Poole was recognized for her work to preserve El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument at the 200th anniversary of the city’s oldest house, the historic Avila Adobe. She was honored with EPPA’s first Trailblazer Award, designed to honor leaders who contribute to an accurate and factual description of Los Angeles’ history.
Today’s El Pueblo Park Association continues in Jean Bruce Poole’s tradition of supporting events, exhibits and education at the historic site.
about el Pueblo de Los Angeles historic monument
The El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site covers approximately 9.5 acres in downtown Los Angeles and includes 22 contributing and 8 non-contributing historic resources, which date from the early 19th century and early 20th century.
The monument is centered around an open plaza and is roughly bounded by Cesar Chavez Avenue on the north, North Los Angeles Street and North Alameda Streets on the east, Arcadia Street on the south, and North Spring Street on the west. It represents a rare, intact, and diverse collection of historic and culturally significant resources that exemplify the founding and early growth of the city of Los Angeles. The resources include buildings and sites that document the city's Spanish, Mexican, and early American periods - from adobe buildings and large Victorian commercial blocks, to Spanish Revival buildings of the early 20th century.
El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument features low-rise buildings and some of the structures in the City of Los Angeles. It was the city’s center under Spanish (1781-1821), Mexican (1821-1847) and early United States rule (1847 through most of the 19th century). The Church of Our Lady Queen of Angels and the city’s first graveyard are designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments. The Plaza Substation is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a historical marker designates the western terminus of the Old Spanish Trail from New Mexico (1829-30 through mid-1850’s).
In addition, archaeological excavations within the monument area have uncovered artifacts from the period before European colonization. These include animal bones, household goods, tools, bottles, and ceramics.
The monument was initially designated a California State Park in 1953 and was managed jointly by the state, county and city, an arrangement that proved unwieldy. In 1988, the State of California gave administrative control to the City of Los Angeles with the exception of a small number of buildings west of the plaza that were retained by Los Angeles County. Today these buildings house LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, which focuses on the Mexican American experience.
Since 1983, EPPA has supported El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, through exhibits, events and education at the site.
Jean Bruce Poole and City of Los Angeles Librarian, Miriam Mathews at the unveiling of the plaque.