KEY PROJECTS ON TAP IN LITTLE ARMENIA
By Arin Mikailian
Los Angeles Independent
Aug 1 2008
CA
Little Armenia will be seeing significant changes starting this
fall and into the next year, say civic leaders and businesspeople in
the community.
Two of the largest Armenian news outlets in Southern California will
being moving their headquarters from Glendale to 1203 Vermont Ave. in
September, while a new youth center on Sunset Boulevard is slated to
open next fall.
Asbarez, a popular Armenian newspaper, will occupy the second floor
of what used to be the Armenian Center of Hollywoo; the cable channel
Horizon will set up offices on the first floor.
Harry Vorperian, general manager of Horizon, said he thinks the move
to the section of Hollywood was a good decision given the nature of
his company.
"We looked around and realized, us being an Armenian television
channel, that havnig a little Armenia address would be interesting,"
he said. "Those were big plusses for us."
Renovations at the community center began in April to prepare for
the arrival of the two media outlets in September.
However, some of the previous occupants of the community center won’t
be packing up for good.
A number of Armenian organizations had offices set up in the building,
including the Armenian Youth Federation and an office for Homenetmen,
one of Southern California’s largest sports organization for Armenian
youths.
Although those organizations are currently operating out of satellite
locations, they will find new homes next year in the upcoming Armenian
Youth Center.
On July 9, a groundbreaking ceremony was held near the corner of Sunset
Boulevard and Alexandria Avenue for the new Armenian Youth Center.
Armenian National Commitee Hollywood representative Harout Beshlian
said the 8,000-square-foot center will house a computer lab and other
facilities where local children can head to after school and engage
in various activities.
The center will also house an office for the Armenian Youth Federation
and the Los Angeles Chapter of Homenetmen as well as the Armenian
Relief Society Mayr chapter and the Armenian-American Council on Aging.
The occupants of a nearby private school and church on Alexandria
Avenue say they are looking forward to the youth center because it
will complement services they already offer.
One of those occupants is Dr. Viken Yacoubian, principal of Rose and
Alex Pilibos Armenian School, which opened its doors in 1969.
Yacoubian said having the new facility just a few hundred feet away
from the K-12 school will "bring a sense of community."
"It will make the area much more dynamic in terms of what [Little
Armenia] contributes to the larger society," he said. "This is going
to be a place where the youth can thrive after school and participate
in community activities. I think it’s going to be a great change."
He also added having the ability to create numerous resources for
the community proves to him how far Armenians have come since they
began to settle down in Little Armenia.
"We feel very comfortable here," he said. "We feel respected, embraced
and accepted."
The population of Armenians in Hollywood began to grow during the
late 1960s and 1970s after Armenians from mainly Lebanon and Armenia
left for America to avoid internal conflicts.
In the 1970s, it was mostly Armenians from Lebanon coming to Little
Armenia trying to escape the country’s civil war at the time, while
throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, more started to migrate from
Armenia during the decline of the Soviet Union.
Since then, it has served as a hub for newly arriving Armenians to
start a family, find work and move to other suburbs, such as Glendale,
Burbank or North Hollywood.
Some lifelong residents of Little Armenia, such as Manouk Choulian,
an arch deacon at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church, said while
growing up he could not recall an instance where he was singled out
for his heritage.
But one trend he said he has noticed was how his culture began to
interact more frequently with others in Hollywood.
Choulian said in the past two or three years he has seen whites,
Latinos and other cultures participate in the annual march for
recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, which, he said, in the
past was solely attended by Armenians.
"That has been changing a little bit," he said.
He added he expects to see more of that in the coming years.
According to the 2007 Hate Crime Report, released by the Los Angeles
Human Relations Commission on July 24, about 15 hate crimes were
committed against Armenians last year within the county, which is 2
percent of the 763 total crimes.
However, Yacoubian said he does not believe hate crimes or racism
have been an issue for Armenians living in Little Armenia.
Although he did say that does not mean racism doesn’t exist, the
Armenian community in Hollywood has been treated fairly throughout
the years, especially when Little Armenia was designated as its name
in 2000 by the Los Angeles City Council.
"It has really brought a sense of anchoring and grounding for the
Armenian community," he said. "The way we’ve been recognized and
acknowledged, it’s given us a sense of empowerment."