‘Secret Stairs’ a hidden gem

Walkers take road less traveled



ONE STEP AT A TIME—Susan Pozouria from Oak Park and other members of the Uphill Moms Club, a Conejo Valley hiking group, on a recent Silver Lake stair climb. In the distance, a scenic view that is typical of the staircase treks. JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers

ONE STEP AT A TIME—Susan Pourzia from Oak Park and other members of the Uphill Moms Club, a Conejo Valley hiking group, on a recent Silver Lake stair climb. In the distance, a scenic view that is typical of the staircase treks.                          JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers

Local hikers enjoy a good trek along the pristine Santa Monica Mountain trails that run from the Conejo Valley to the Pacific Ocean.

Urban Angelenos are known to take a different tack when venturing outdoors. They have a backyard treasure of their own known simply as the “secret stairs,” which are hundreds of concrete staircases that were built beginning in the 1920s by Los Angeles planners who wanted to give residents living in the city’s iconic hills access to streetcars, schools and other nearby neighborhoods, by foot.

Automobiles weren’t always the preferred mode of transportation in early-to-mid-20th Century L.A., and housing developers knew that if people could trek up and down the hills using the concrete stairs that connected streets above with streets below, they’d be more inclined to buy property.

But as the trolleys disappeared and roads and automobiles improved, the once-popular staircases fell out of favor and many of them into a state of disrepair.

CALORIE BURNER—The stairs are always easier going down than up. JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers

CALORIE BURNER—The stairs are always easier going down than up.      JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers

Mostly, they were just plain forgotten.

That is, until Charles Fleming, a then 52-year-old with severe back problems, decided to walk the staircases in his Silver Lake neighborhood as a means to regain his health. It was 2007, and Fleming, a longtime Los Angeles Times columnist, began writing a book that has since become the bible for staircase walkers. It is titled, appropriately enough, “Secret Stairs, a Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles.”

Where are these stairs?

They’re everywhere, even though they’re difficult to spot. But keep an eye out and you just might walk by the former home of L.A. noir novelist Raymond Chandler, or a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr.

“The staircases themselves are historical reminders of a time when Los Angeles was not a city of cars,” Fleming writes in his book.

He told The Acorn, “I got curious. What is that weird house? Why does this street have this name?”

UP AND DOWN—Above left, Steven Finkel serves as a guide on the secret stair walks. The outings are held on thefirst Sunday of the month and are open to the public. Above right, Kathy Starr of Newbury Park (left) and Minoo Ad of Woodland Hills on a staircase in Silver Lake known for its lush setting, breathtaking views and quaint neighborhoods.

UP AND DOWN—Above left, Steven Finkel serves as a guide on the secret stair walks. The outings are held on the first Sunday of the month and are open to the public. Below, Kathy Starr of Newbury Park (bottom left) and Minoo Dorrani of Woodland Hills on a staircase in Silver Lake known for its lush setting, breathtaking views and quaint neighborhoods.

Fleming drew maps and wrote detailed accounts of more than 275 staircases from Pasadena in the east to Pacific Palisades in the west. Most can be found in Silver Lake and Echo Park, but many L.A. communities have at least a few.

“Some of the (staircases) are locked and not open to the public and some of them I didn’t include because they were just sort of off alone and it didn’t make sense to make a walk out of them,” he said. “I was still working with the idea of linking two or three or more together.”

Fleming published his book in 2010, followed by two other similar works, and the popularity of the stair walks mushroomed.

On weekends in the Palisades and in Santa Monica, athletes and casual walkers alike can be seen jockeying for position on some of the more popular staircases.

Others stairs lie in remote neighborhoods and wouldn’t even be on the radar if it weren’t for Fleming’s keen eye and perseverance.

Photos by JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers

Photos by JOHN LOESING/Acorn Newspapers

“They were just part of the landscape to me,” Fleming said. “Not particularly interesting, not particularly important. I didn’t really know where they went or who built them or why, until I started walking them.

“I located them and walked them and made little walks out of them, connecting this one to that one. And I was feeling so good and strong by the time I got to the end of the Silver Lake stairs, I thought that this is really a good thing, I better keep going.”

So Fleming beat a path and kept going. His larger goal was to “get people into neighborhoods they didn’t know,” where they could learn more about L.A.’s storied past.

“I wanted to get them moving at pedestrian pace instead of freeway pace so that they could experience Los Angeles in a new way, which is what happened for me,” he said.

Group walks

As he walked the stairs and his health improved, people in the neighborhoods began to take notice. Flattered by the curiosity, Fleming invited members of the public to join his walks. He organized group outings every first Sunday of the month, which target a different set of stairs each time.

“It’s been over 100 people per walk many, many times,” he said.

Members of a Conejo Valley hiking group, the Uphill Moms Club, participated in recent Silver Lake stair climb.

“I was impressed with the architecture and the great historical perspective in addition to the stairs we walked,” said Kathy Starr of Newbury Park.

“I love these hills and it’s great to explore them,” Oak Park hiker Susan Pourzia said as the more than two-dozen participants wrapped up their walk and returned on cobbled steps and winding streets to parked cars below.

“I would suggest to our group that we do one of these every couple of months, or find them in the book and come out on our own,” Pourzia said.

Keep on truckin’

Fleming’s book assigns a degree of difficulty to each staircase and gives a step by step description of how to navigate the climb.

Some staircases only have 100 steps. Others range from 600 to more than 1,000 steps and when taken briskly can turn even the healthiest calf and quadricep into a burning heap of muscle. Best be in shape.

Fleming announces his monthly outings on his Facebook page, “Secret Stairs.”

So, what about the future of the Los Angeles staircase? Has the city’s hidden gem outlived its usefulness, except for the diehard fitness and curiosity seekers who still plod the stairs daily?

“It’s pretty sketchy. They’re sort of the unwanted stepchild of all the city agencies,” Fleming says.

“Largely, in the areas I know, the stairs are kept clean and maintained by the homeowners who live on them or by people like me who have gone through (community) organizations and have adopted staircases.”

In addition to his books, Fleming writes an urban hiking column, “LA Walks,” that can be read each month in the Los Angeles Times.

STEP RIGHT UP

The most challenging climb in Charles Fleming’s 230-page“Secret Stairs”guide is found in the Pacific Palisades Riviera community.

Climb No. 42 has a total of 1,117 steps and sports a difficulty of 5 out of 5. Plan for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Fleming calls it a“monster” of a walk, a “lovely, bucolic stroll through a secluded canyon that culminates in a hideous climb of over 500 steps.”

Time to get moving.