Picfair Village is a residential district in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles, California. 'Picfair' refers to the corner of Pico and Fairfax, site of the former Picfair Theater.
Picfair Village's boundaries are Pico Boulevard on the north, Hauser Boulevard on the east, Venice Boulevard on the south, and Fairfax Avenue on the west. Picfair Village is part of the P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council, bounded by La Brea, Olympic/San Vicente, Venice and La Cienega. The Wilshire Vista neighborhood lies to the north, as does the Miracle Mile area where LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits are located, and South Robertson to the west. Primary thoroughfares through the area include Pico Boulevard, Venice Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue, and Airdrome, Pickford, Saturn and 18th Streets.
Picfair Village is primarily a middle-income area with a moderate African-American majority. Per the U.S. Census of 2000, racial representation is approximately 50% African-American, 20% non-Latino white, 25% Latino of any race, and 5% Asian/Pacific Islander. Median household income is in the area of $45,000. The housing stock is predominantly Spanish Colonial and Art Deco one- and two-family homes (the neighborhood is zoned R-2), with some multi-unit dwellings (mostly in the areas north of Saturn Street). The latter tend to be Mid-Century architecture. The main street of the "Village" is Pico Boulevard between Fairfax and Hauser, and is dotted to with trendier cafes, restaurants and boutiques, owing to the area's growing popularity and reasonable commercial lease rates.
In November 2004, Picfair Village was named as one of Los Angeles magazine's "10 Most Overlooked Neighborhoods in Los Angeles."
In January, 2007, the Los Angeles Times said Picfair Village is "on its way to becoming L.A.'s next trendy place to live and play."
Recently a number of websites were established for those interested in Picfair Village. www.picfairvillage.com.
As mentioned earlier, the area just south of Pico, but north of Saturn Street, has a mix of homes and 2 and 4 plexes. South of Pickford, you will find it is mostly single family residential homes. Another interesting feature of this neighborhood: The homes on the North/South Street tend to be all full size lots (5,000 - 6000 sq. ft.), while homes on the east/west streets tend to be bungalow (smaller) size lots."
Picfair Village takes its name from the majestic Picfair movie theatre which stood at the corner of Pico and Fairfax until the early 1980s.
Initially hailed as 'the New Wishire...[and] a delightful place for a home', what is now Picfair Village was part of the Santa Monica Land and Water Co.'s 1922 development called Pico Boulevard Heights. Their tract office was located on the Pico street car line at Fairfax and Pico. They offered 'choice lots on Genesee Street' starting at $1,250.
What is now Picfair Village was once home to the author Walter Mosley for a while, and one of his characters lived on Stanley. The neighborhood has been active since 1998 when it was first named the Pico Fairfax Neighborhood Association. At one of the early meetings, the group voted to change the name to the Picfair Village Neighborhood Association.
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