The Plaza Fig Trees
roughly 150 years, planted in 1875Moreton Bay Figpin approximate
On 2 March 2019 one of these figs came down during a Chinese lantern festival in the plaza. It was 144 years old. Nobody was hurt, which given the crowd and the size of the tree was a considerable piece of luck. Three of the original four are still standing. All of them were planted in 1875 by the horticulturist Elijah Hook Workman around the old Plaza, the square the pueblo of Los Angeles was laid out from and the closest thing the city has to a founding address. That makes them among the oldest documented plantings in Los Angeles, level with the fig at St John's church in Palms and older than the figs of Beverly Hills and Figueroa Street by a generation. This is one entry for the group rather than three. The gazebo at the centre of the plaza is the place to stand, with the survivors around it and Olvera Street a few steps north. After the collapse the city inspected the remaining trees and found no risk to the public, and El Pueblo began a process to decide what should be planted in the gap. That is the last dated word we have on their condition, from 2019. If you have walked through the plaza lately, tell us how the three of them look.
The button above opens directions in your maps app. Downtown LA; Union Station (Metro Rail B/D/L lines, Metrolink, Amtrak) is directly across Alameda St, about a 5 minute walk.
The pin marks the right spot roughly, not the tree itself. It stands here, but we have not confirmed the precise position on the ground yet. Know exactly where it is?
- Species
- Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)
- Age estimate
- roughly 150 years, planted in 1875
- Location
- Los Angeles Plaza (the Plaza/gazebo at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument), near Olvera Street, Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Downtown Los Angeles / El Pueblo)
- Access
- Free. Stand in the open plaza around the gazebo at El Pueblo de Los Angeles / Olvera Street, open to the public at all times as a city park and historic monument.
- Getting there
- Downtown LA; Union Station (Metro Rail B/D/L lines, Metrolink, Amtrak) is directly across Alameda St, about a 5 minute walk.
Trees nearby
Ticking this one off, walks past several more, and your collection growing city by city: that is the Ancient Trees app.
Get the appThis page was researched from a distance. If you know this tree, you know things we do not: the species, the age, the size, whether the photo shows the right tree, or that it is gone. Every field on this page can be corrected.
Correct a detail on this pageSuggest another tree