The first Lincoln High. The Tall building at the rear is the Auditorium.
This school was 3 stories.
In 1913 With the population increasing demands for a high school in the area became of paramount importance youngsters had to hop a trolley and travel to Los Angeles High accross the river, they were grumbling at the inconvenience and L.A. high was splitting at the seams. Ave 21 school became a temporary refuge for the students. The site on to which Lincoln was to be built, was purchased from Charles Woolwine (Woolwine Estate) but it took some time to get building underway. It was the same site of land on the "Enchanted hill" once awarded to Dr John S Griffin in 1865 by a city that was grateful to him for his work in stemming a smallpox epidemic. He deeded the land to his nephew Hancock Johnson. Johnson then sold the land to Baron De Roguiat who built a mansion overlooking the city.(this burned down 8 years later) Discouraged at their loss they then sold the property to the Wareneick bros who used the hill for an amusement park which annoyed the sleepy residents too much. The residents protested and the purchase was revoked. So the Baron became the owner again and sold the property to William D. Woolwine. The city next aquired the land and a school had become a necessity. The mansion formerly belonging to Mr Woolwine was transformed in to a schoolhouse and other buildings added to make room for the 600 students to be enrolled in the new school. Pending the constuction of the new school, Ave 21 intermediate school moved to the hillside site where students studied their algebra and english under the trees. Lincoln high became a real pioneer in industrial training. In 1919 the plant was extended across Lincoln park ave where 3 shops were still in use. So proud of the new school was the community that it was felt that the name of Lincoln should be extended to cover "northside" amusement park and lake. Later to become Lincoln Park. Through the consant effort of Dr Ethel Andrus principal of Lincoln during the early years, the park...... and then the community took the Lincoln name. The suberb on the east bank of the L.A. River became Lincoln Heights with Dr Andrus officiating at the change over. Lincoln Heights was originally called East Los Angeles. When Boyle Heights came into existance it was called the Northeast area. North Broadway was called Peppertree lane. In 1917 Eastlake the companion to MacArthur lake which was once called Westlake then became Lincoln park lake. Walnut ave became Ave 20. Hayes st Ave 19.Water st Ave 18.Thurman Ave was now Ave 24. With the constuction of the Bridge Across the L.A. River Downey Blvd became North Broadway. Buena Vista became Pasadena Ave. The oldest house in Lincoln heights was at the corner of Albion and Ave 18, It was an ornate shingled mansion. In 1921 the school added a Gymasium and in 1924 a Science building.

Another View The present school was built in the 1930 s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration.