February 18, 2023: Contrary to the story reported by CBS Saturday Morning, Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak and family residence is not a protected Los Angeles landmark! Please scroll down to learn how you can help save this historic site by sending an email to the decision maker, councilmember Heather Hutt.

This preservation advocacy page was published on March 15, 2022.

Real estate developers have drawn a bullseye around many of the most historic neighborhoods in Los Angeles, where they are displacing working class tenants, demolishing naturally occurring affordable housing, and getting parcels rezoned to build out-of-scale new projects that nobody who lives in these communities can afford.

They are aided in this harmful work by elected officials and civil servants operating under the shadow of a massive Federal racketeering investigation. Most of these property sales, land use hearings, evictions and demolitions happen quickly and are only observed by members of the “city family” and a small community of tenants’ rights advocates and historic preservationists.

But every once in a while, the forces of destruction target a Los Angeles landmark that’s so significant, the whole world takes notice.

Behold, the 87-year-old oak tree in the back yard of 1156 South Hobart, just north of Pico Boulevard. This tree was presented as a sapling to the son of the household, Cornelius Cooper “Corny” Johnson, on the occasion of his Gold Medal in the high jump competition at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. During the competition, Johnson was shunned by Adolph Hitler, who left the stadium rather than watch his winning jump and shake the hand of a black champion.

Medalists Tilly Fleischer and Sohn Kee-chung with their oaks.

Corny Johnson returned to his parents house and planted the sapling in the backyard, where it provided shade for his master plasterer father Shadrick and mother Pearl for many years.

But Corny wasn’t there to enjoy it. He joined the Marines and served in the Pacific, then stayed on as a merchant marine baker. In 1946 he was aboard the Grace Line ship S.S. Santa Cruz at dock in San Francisco when he suffered some kind of psychiatric emergency that was too much for his shipmates to manage.

The Pasadena Star-News reported, “The police said they found the athlete jumping around the deck in wild fashion and that they had trouble subduing him. Johnson was placed in an ambulance and pronounced dead on arrival at Harbor Emergency Hospital.” Despite exhaustive tests, no cause of death could be determined. He is buried in a family plot at Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, a mile from the family home.

Over the decades, many of the 129 Olympic Oaks given out during the Berlin games have died, or their locations been forgotten. USC had two, now one. But the tree on Hobart is not especially obscure. In 2007, Jerry Crowe wrote about Corny’s oak in the Los Angeles Times, describing an annual bus tour visit from a group hoping to get the tree declared a landmark. In 2005, New Zealand photographer Ann Shelton photographed it as part of a series on surviving Olympic Oaks.

And in 2017, the Vienna-based artist Christian Kosmas Mayer exhibited a multimedia installation, The Life Story of Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak and Other Matters of Survival, organized around cloned oak seedlings smuggled back into Europe and featuring video of the immigrant family that lived in the Johnson home and cared for the oak. We don’t know if the family still lives on Hobart today, but can’t help but notice that the tree looks much less healthy than when Mayer’s film was made.

But none of this matters to development drunk Los Angeles City Hall, where everything old that can be torn down for profit can be. The 119-year-old house has been on and off the market as a development opportunity since 2018. It sold in 2019 for $927,000, and was re-listed for $1,490,000 in 2020 with plans for a 4-unit townhouse apartment flush to the property line. A sale is pending.

There’s no room in this rendering for Corny Johnson’s Olympic oak, nor for a little front yard with roses for the tenants and neighbors and birds and butterflies to enjoy. It’s a fortress for newcomers who drive in and drive out.

But the demolition permit has not yet been granted, and the parcel has not yet been rezoned. The preservation community has begun raising the alarm, and brought the threat to the attention of the Cultural Heritage Commission and Office of Historic Resources. Yesterday, March 14, 2022, Building and Safety marked the demolition permit as withdrawn, and hit the reset button on the process. It’s not too late to stop before a terrible mistake is made.

We need to save Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak. We need to save the pretty, useful house beneath its branches. We need to save Los Angeles for Angelenos. We need to save the Eagle Tree, too. Will you join us?

Update May 5, 2022: An Historic-Cultural Monument application has been submitted for the Cornelius Johnson Residence and Olympic Oak. The first hearing will be June 2.

Update May 26, 2022: The HCM nomination has been posted in advance of the initial landmarking hearing (June 2, 10am). Here is the agenda with Zoom info.  The nomination was submitted by Susan D. Anderson, History Curator of the California African American Museum, and artist Christian Kosmas Mayer. It is an interesting nomination that draws on interviews with Cornelius Johnson’s family and the Tomas family who sold the house in 2019, as well as on German language newspapers. We look forward to the short presentation to the Cultural Heritage Commissioners and their discussion about the potential landmark.

But notably missing from the nomination, which describes the oak as “neglected and highly endangered,” is any feedback from tree experts on how it should be cared for to ensure its survival. This is essential if the potential landmark is not to be lost before it can even be saved. We also note an inaccurate account of Cornelius Johnson’s death, which period newspapers reported as occurring after a struggle with police, and not, as stated in the nomination, from bronchopneumonia contracted at sea.

We hope you’ll read the nomination and then call in to express support for landmarking this significant home and tree, and encourage the CHC to both advance the nomination to a second hearing, and to ask for an independent third-party arborist’s report, to advise on how the oak can be kept healthy as it moves through this process. It would be ideal if this arborist could produce their report before the CHC visits the property, and be available to answer their questions during that tour.

Update May 28, 2022: Efforts to preserve and advocate for this threatened site are featured in The New York Times, with a link to this blog post. Tim Arango reports that the LA84 Foundation and Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust are fundraising in hopes of buying the property, which presumes the property owner who failed to care for the tree while struggling to find a buyer for the proposed redevelopment site will sell to them. We believe eminent domain is also an option.

And Tim Thibault of the Huntington Gardens expresses grave concern about the health of the uncared for tree owned by real estate speculators, while dismissing the nominators’ idea to move it to the grounds of the California African American Museum, “I would be shocked if this tree could survive transplant.” We believe moving an historic tree should be a last resort. [Note the comment from Susan D. Anderson clarifying this point, below.]

Assuming all best results moving forward, caring for a neglected tree and transforming a single family home into an interpretive space will be a challenge. We think that if the tree can be kept alive and if the property is landmarked and purchased, a good model for maintaining and activating the historic house is the youth programming hosted at the South Seas House, operated by Rec and Parks.

Corny’s oak is worth saving, and starting a conversation about all of L.A.’s precious trees that real estate speculation is killing. They aren’t all Olympic relics, but they make our city better and ought to be protected. Read Tim Arango’s story: In Los Angeles, a Tree With Stories to Tell… is threatened with destruction to make space for luxury apartments. (Archive link)

Update May 31, 2022: West Adams Heritage Association (WAHA) are the undisputed experts on the history, architecture and preservation of their diverse Los Angeles neighborhood. This terrific document is their informed supplement to the landmark nomination for the Cornelius Johnson Olympic Oak And Johnson Family Residence that was prepared by Susan D. Anderson and Christian Kosmas Mayer.

Update June 1, 2022: Donald R. Hodel, author of Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles and an esteemed researcher and advocate for urban trees, sent this letter in support for the landmark nomination for the Cornelius Johnson Olympic Oak and Johnson Family Residence.

Update June 2, 2022: At its hearing today, the Cultural Heritage Commission voted unanimously to consider the Cornelius Johnson Olympic Oak and Johnson Family Residence as a landmark, and strongly urged property owner Bleu Kim to water the thirsty tree. For our live tweets of the hearing, click here. Audio of the proceedings can be streamed here, including public comment from our Richard Schave at 16:09 offering suggestions for how to assess and mitigate any further harm to the potential landmark oak.

Photos from Cultural Heritage Commissioners’ site visit on June 30, 2022

Update July 27, 2022: On 8/4/22, the Cultural Heritage Commission will hold its final vote on declaring the Cornelius Johnson Olympic Oak and Johnson Family Residence a protected city landmark, which would then send it on to City Council for two more votes. You can see more photos from their June 30 site visit, read the staff report and find instructions for calling in to support the landmarking  here. Since the first hearing, a judge has barred appointed temporary CD10 councilman Herb Wesson from performing any duties of public office, creating a leadership void at a time when the neglected oak desperately needs a champion who will ensure it is in the care of arborists. But Corny’s oak doesn’t just belong to CD10, it belongs to the world, and we can all be advocates for this beautiful tree and the lovely home it shelters. Please call on August 4 and ask the CHC to ask the Mayor’s office to initiate a robust care plan for the tree as they move the landmark nomination forward.

Update July 30, 2022: Three days ago, we visited the tree with distinguished horticulturist Dr. Donald R. Hodel, only to find it landlocked in concrete, apparently not being watered, with very few leaves covered in mildew. He is very concerned that without immediate action, the stressed and neglected oak tree will not survive to be a landmark. You can hear directly from Dr. Hodel and see the state of the tree when you tune in to our free preservation webinar, “Will Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak live long enough to become a Los Angeles landmark?”

We encourage concerned citizens to call in or send an email to the Cultural Heritage Commission before their 8/4/22 hearing and to ask the CHC to both vote yes on landmarking the Cornelius Johnson Residence and Olympic Oak, and most urgently to use their discretion to tap the city’s resources to immediately implement Dr. Hodel’s proposed tree assessment and care plan (below), to give the oak the best possible chance of survival.

Some horticultural/arboricultural points to implement to save the Cornelius Johnson Oak Tree:
1. Hire a certified arborist with a specialty in preservation of old historic trees to perform a thorough evaluation of the tree, and update this list with their additional recommendations.
2. Remove ALL concrete surrounding the tree, being careful not to disturb the root zone in doing so.
3. Perform a soil analysis, including N, P, K, Mg, pH, EC, OM, BD.
4. Install a drip irrigation system under the tree that extends out to at least the tree’s drip line and that will adequately irrigate the entire area. At each irrigation event, apply sufficient water to move it at least 12 inches deep. Likely irrigate once every two weeks in the summer and once every month in the winter if insufficient rain.
5. Apply 2-3 inches of good quality much over the entire irrigated area.
6. Consider hiring a certified tree pruner to remove dead growth.
7. Consider hiring a licensed pest control advisor/applicator to apply fungicide for the leaf disease currently present.

Update, August 4, 2022: At the second Cultural Heritage Commission hearing, the dire condition of the potential landmark oak was discussed, with recommendations that potential new owners work with the city and the current owner on a care plan as soon as possible. The landmark nomination passed unanimously! Next stop, City Council’s PLUM Committee. You can read our live Tweets of the hearing on Twitter or Facebook and stream audio of the proceedings here.

Update, August 10, 2022: We received the following email from Ken Bernstein, Principal City Planner with the Office of Historic Resources, outlining an encouraging urgent care plan for the Cornelius Johnson Oak organized by the Huntington, an institution that is very dear to us.

Richard and Kim,

Thank you for sounding the alarm last week on the urgent state of the Cornelius Johnson Olympic Oak. I wanted to update you on some of our significant follow-up work since last Thursday’s Cultural Heritage Commission meeting, all aimed at saving the oak in place.

On Thursday afternoon, soon after CHC ended, we met with the property owner, Mr. Bleu Kim, to explain what the Commission’s vote meant and how the process will proceed from this point. He is interested in selling the property and I shared with him the information on some of the nonprofit organizations that have informed us they are interested in participating in an acquisition. 

Given the desperate condition of the tree, we asked Mr. Kim for his immediate cooperation to allow for access to the property by qualified arborists and tree specialists. He indicated that he was happy to cooperate, but that he would not be able to spend thousands of dollars on professional consultants or concrete work for a property that he’d like to sell.

On Friday, I spoke with Tim Thibault, the tree specialist at the Huntington who was working closely with the HCM applicants, Christian Mayer and Susan Anderson. I connected Tim with Mr. Kim and helped make arrangements for Tim to visit the property on Monday morning.

For Monday’s visit, Tim also brought along the Huntington’s lead irrigation specialist. Once they were able to access additional views of the tree from within the property, they observed that the tree has new growth with visible buds, apparently just within the past several days. Tim said that when a stressed tree flushes new growth, that can be an indication that it may be stabilizing somewhat following its traumatic root loss and significant die-back between May and August of this year. 

The Huntington team determined that they could immediately install two irrigation lines of soaker hoses at the northern and eastern property lines, locations where they are confident there are absorbing roots. They have offered to do this at their own initiative and cost. 

However, they also believe that concrete removal at this precarious moment could be risky, given the shallowness of the root system in these locations. Their immediate preference is to begin the additional irrigation work immediately and monitor the progress closely. But they are also intending to bring in a qualified arborist with significant experience in addressing stressed trees, and Tim is speaking with one potential arborist this week. That team will be well qualified to assess and address the other recommendations made by Don Hodel.

Finally, while the City will not be directly involved with any purchase of the property, we will be encouraging the consortium of non-profit organizations to follow up expeditiously with Mr. Kim, given the openness he has expressed to us.

I hope this is a helpful — and largely encouraging — update.

Ken

Update, September 7, 2022: We received word from Tim Thibault of the Huntington that the drip irrigation system was installed today. Thank you to all who have worked together to get some water flowing for Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak!

Update, October 20, 2022: Christian Kosmas Mayer’s multimedia art installation The Life Story of Cornelius Johnson’s Olympic Oak and Other Matters of Survival is being exhibited through 1/10/2023 at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York. The press release for the show states incorrectly that “The nomination of the entire property as a Historic Cultural Monument… was finally granted in August of 2022. Since then, the property and the Olympic oak are officially protected by the City of Los Angeles. As such, Mayer’s artistic occupation with the tree goes far beyond the documentary-narrative: it enters into a close and lively connection with the tree in order to finally add a decisive new chapter to its life story.” In fact, the vote of the Cultural Heritage Commission is purely advisory, and offers no protection to the house or the tree.

Update, December 21, 2022: The attempt to declare the tree and home a protected landmark remains stalled in the civic system, with no City Council PLUM hearing yet scheduled. But site visits do show that the irrigation system has resulted in more growth of leaves around the lower trunk. And at the Huntington Gardens, Cryopreservation Research Botanist Raquel Folgado has dedicated one of her lab shelves to growing samples from the threatened Olympic oak in sterile tissue culture jars, with the aim that even should the original tree die, it can live on as a genetically identical clone.

Update February 18, 2023: The potential preservation of the Cornelius Johnson Olympic Oak and family home was a featured topic on the national broadcast of CBS Saturday Morning, including a visit to the Huntington Botanical Gardens lab, where cloned seedlings are growing under glass. Unfortunately, the report perpetuates the misinformation from the October 2022 art exhibition that the Cornelius Johnson Residence and Oak are now a protected city landmark. They are not!

The vacant house remains on the market today (archive link), listed at $1.2 Million with a deliberately obscured street address and nothing about the potential civic protection for house or tree mentioned. Worrying, the listing states: “This craftsman-style home is located in the smack center of Koreatown. A large parking lot allows room for an ADU. Bring your investor to remodel this fixer home.” There is no parking lot, just a paved back yard with the Olympic oak tree in the middle. The home itself, if declared a landmark, could not be remodeled, but could be restored.

Six months after the final CHC hearing, the designation process is still stalled in the city system. If you share our concern, please send an email to Councilmember Heather Hutt (heather.hutt@lacity.org) and to her Chief of Staff Kimani Black (kimani.black@lacity.org), and also upload your email as a public comment to the council file by clicking here. A sample email which you can personalize is below.

Subject: RE Council File: 22-0899 – 1156 South Hobart Boulevard / Cornelius Johnson Residence and Olympic Oak / Historic-Cultural Monument

Dear Councilmember Hutt,

On August 4, 2022, the Cultural Heritage Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Olympic oak tree gifted to gold medalist Cornelius Johnson, and his family home, be declared Los Angeles landmarks. On February 18, 2023, the story was featured on the national CBS Saturday Morning newscast. But as of this date, the house is still on the market, with the historic tree threatened with demolition for an ADU. Please schedule consideration of the monument to the PLUM Committee as soon as possible, so that it can be formally designated and its future preservation ensured.

Sincerely yours, [your name and neighborhood or city]

Update March 2, 2023: The process of designating the oak and home a landmark was featured in Rich Perelman’s The Sports Examiner, with our plea to councilmember Heather Hutt quoted in full.

Update March 3, 2023: The redevelopment threat to the Olympic oak was the angle taken in an Upworthy story, which includes a link to our May 2022 tweet thread.