Los Angeles has launched a citywide initiative honoring historic Boyle Heights businesses for their contributions to the city's Latino history and culture, placing new street markers outside a guitar shop, a seafood restaurant and a century-old dance hall that have anchored Cesar E. Chavez Avenue for generations. The rollout comes as part of a broader 140-site program spanning the city, with markers slated to appear on public lampposts outside each designated location.
According to ABC7 Los Angeles, The Paramount LA, which opened in Boyle Heights in 1924 and once hosted performances by Stevie Wonder and Celia Cruz, is one of three businesses recognized under HistoricPlaceLA Revealed: Latino Los Angeles. Frank Acevedo, who owns The Paramount LA ballroom, said historic places support tourism and community pride, telling the outlet the initiative cements the importance of those sites for both. The building at 2708 E. Cesar Chavez Ave. has lived many lives since it was built in 1924, originally serving as a Jewish community hub and home to the Jewish Bakers Union Local 453 before hosting Rita Hayworth's father's dance studio in the 1940s, 1960s Chicano rock acts, and the 1980s Vex punk rock scene, according to the LA Conservancy. The structure now also houses Brooklyn Ave Pizza Co. alongside its restored performance hall.
A Concentration of History on One Eastside Corridor
Boyle Heights locations are included in the citywide marker rollout, and Council District 14 is represented by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, per Council District 14. Jurado said the initiative aims to highlight Latinos' contributions to Los Angeles and that she hopes it makes the city's history more inclusive while helping residents learn local history, per ABC7 Los Angeles. The Boyle Heights sites are part of a broader citywide effort to highlight Latino history.
That concentration builds on years of groundwork. The marker initiative draws directly on LA City Planning's 2015 Latino Los Angeles Historic Context Statement, a citywide survey effort created under SurveyLA in partnership with the Getty Conservation Institute, according to Council District 14.
Family Businesses Behind the Markers
Candelas Guitars, recognized for helping shape Boyle Heights, has operated for almost 100 years and is now owned by Tomás Delgado, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Delgado said the shop is a family-owned business and that the marker recognizes a family's and community's service to others. Brothers Porfirio and Candelario Delgado-Flores moved their music business in 1947 after emigrating from Mexico. The LA Conservancy says Candelas gave back in part through the creation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers free music lessons.
El 7 Mares, a Mexican seafood restaurant that has united the community through food for decades, was also honored under the new initiative, per ABC7 Los Angeles. Judy Carolina Diaz, daughter of the restaurant's founders, said receiving the marker honors her father's sacrifice to the community, Boyle Heights and his family. ABC7 Los Angeles reported that Diaz's parents opened the restaurant. It is now a family-owned business with seven locations.
Markers, Not Landmark Status
Markers, Not Landmark Status. The markers do not confer formal historic designation; instead, signs are affixed to public lampposts near each site with QR codes linking to pictures, information and stories, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Los Angeles plans to unveil historical markers at 140 sites across the city, each featuring QR codes linking to photos, information and stories, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
Beyond commercial businesses, the Boyle Heights rollout also recognizes religious landmarks, including Dolores Mission Church, according to HistoricPlacesLA.
Economic Stakes Behind the Storytelling
Supporters of the program frame the markers less as passive plaques and more as placekeeping tools meant to draw foot traffic and economic support to long-standing small businesses, according to Council District 14. A Día de los Muertos celebration at Self Help Graphics is scheduled for November 7, 2026, in Boyle Heights.
