[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] tree that was older than the freeways, the legendary Red Cars, and frankly older than most L.A. buildings fell this month in the birthplace of Los Angeles.
At approximately 2:25 pm on March 2, a massive Moreton Bay fig tree that stood for 144 years fell near the outer rim of Los Angeles Plaza near Olvera Street in downtown. It happened during a Chinese lantern festival with firecrackers masking the sound of that giant piece of Los Angeles history toppling down.
It was one of four trees — characterized by their thick canopies and ruddy top roots that snake into the ground around it — that ringed the historic central “placita” of L.A. It is now an open wound of dirt and sap. No injuries were reported. The city is currently figuring out what to do next.
While technically not an indigenous tree of California, the Moreton Bay fig, or Ficus macrophylla, has set roots in the plaza since the late 19th century. And in a way the tree helped shape Southern California’s botanical identity.