Historic Core | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 34°03′13″N118°14′43″W / 34.05349°N 118.245319°W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Los Angeles County |
City | Los Angeles |
Named | 1990s |
Zip code | 90013 |
Streets | 3rd Street, 4th Street, Broadway, Hill Street, Main Street, Olympic Boulevard, Spring Street |
The Historic Core is a district within Downtown Los Angeles that includes the world's largest concentration of movie palaces,[ citation needed ] former large department stores, and office towers, all built chiefly between 1907 and 1931. Within it lie the Broadway Theater District and the Spring Street historic financial district, and in its west it overlaps with the Jewelry District and in its east with Skid Row.
The Historic Core falls into two business improvement districts, Historic Core (south of 4th St.) and Downtown LA (from 2nd to 4th Street). The total Historic Core is thus composed of: [1] [2] [3]
Please consult the articles about the individual streets and historic districts above for a full discussion of the architectural landmarks in the district.
The Historic Core was the central business district of the city from the first decade of the 1900s through the 1950s. Before 1900 the business center was further north, between the Plaza and about Third Street. [4] [5] Starting in the 1950s what is now the Historic Core started to decline. Upscale shopping had moved west to the Seventh & Hope area starting in the 1920s, and to Mid-Wilshire by the 1930s. When consumers lived and worked near the prolific streetcar lines, it was relatively easy for them to reach downtown, the hub of both the Los Angeles Railway and Pacific Electric systems. Now, an ever increasing number of consumers had cars, lived further away from downtown, and due to the proliferation of suburban retail, were able to shop, dine, and go to the movies there without worries about downtown parking and traffic congestion. In addition, after World War II, financial institutions moved several blocks to the west, ending up on Figueroa Street, Flower Street, and Grand Avenue. In the 1950s the Historic Core became the center of Latino retail and entertainment in the city, e.g.: the Million Dollar Theatre featured the biggest names in the Spanish language entertainment world. This paralleled the general white flight occurring in Central Los Angeles at the time, which saw Broadway become a major center for Latino life in the city.
Although prostitution and drug dealing had occurred in the area as far back as the early 1920s, they became epidemic in the 1960s. The area's movie palaces, built between 1911 and 1931, became grindhouses. The last of them closed in the 1990s; the Orpheum Theatre recently underwent a complete restoration at a cost of several million dollars, and is now used for major movie premieres (such as "Collateral" in 2005), celebrity events (Michael Jackson's birthday party), comedy shows (Bill Burr), fashion shows, concerts (Opeth), and plays. Most of the older buildings have stores that cater to the Latino immigrant working class.
The developing street gang problem in Los Angeles which began to worsen at the end of the 1960s and got considerably worse in the late 1970s, also hurt traditional commercial activity in the area, as it did much of downtown. While the LAPD indicates that the area is a sort of neutral zone, which has not been claimed by any single gang and random gang violence is rare, the area remains one of the major areas for street drug sales in Los Angeles.
In 1999, the Los Angeles City Council passed an Adaptive Re-Use Ordinance, allowing for the conversion of old, unused office buildings to apartments or "lofts." Developer Tom Gilmore purchased a series of century-old buildings and converted them into lofts near Main and Spring streets, a development now known as the "Old Bank District." Other notable redevelopment projects in the Historic Core have included the Eastern Columbia Building, Broadway Trade Center, Higgins Building, The Security Building, the Pacific Electric Building, The Judson, and the Subway Terminal Building. As of 2005, redevelopment projects in downtown Los Angeles have been divided about evenly between rentals and condominiums; though projects near the Staples Center arena in the South Park neighborhood have been overwhelmingly dedicated to condominiums.
Landmarks are shown on the following street grid of the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles.
Abbreviations
Text, colors etc.
| Architectural styles
| Architects
|
|
H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T | 250 333 W. 3rd | 259 | B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y | 257 | S P R I N G S T R E E T S P R I N G S T R E E T S P R I N G S T R E E T S P R I N G S T R E E T S P R I N G S T R E E T S P R I N G S T R E E T | 256 | M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T | L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T | |||||
THIRD ST. | THIRD ST. | THIRD ST. | THIRD (orig. MAYO) ST. | ||||||||||
301–313 | 300–310
312-6 | 301–311 Washington B. |
now Reagan State Bldg 1990 | 300–4 | 126–30 E. 3rd | Toy District | |||||||
Angels Flight |
1897 JPHomer Laughlin B. | 318-22 | 337-41 |
Round House
| 312–324 Rotunda (rear) now 🅿️ | ||||||||
357–361 | 331–335 355–363 | 340 Trustee B. 1905 PB 350 O. T. Johnson Block1895 It RBY 356 O. T. Johnson Bldg | 361 | 354 | 103 W 4th | 332–346 | |||||||
FOURTH ST. | FOURTH ST. | FOURTH ST. | FOURTH ST. | ||||||||||
1915: 401–23 B'way, 414–34 Hill were joined as the: The Broadway Department Store1896–1973 | 400 | Angelus Hotel 1901–56d JP [32] | 400 410 | 400 | Toy District | ||||||||
417 | 436–8 St. Clarenden H. | 443–7 | 424 | 433 | 416 Dog Park | ||||||||
(411 W. 5th) | (515 W. 5th) | Chester Williams B.1926 | 453 | 460 | 451 | 121 E. 5th | |||||||
FIFTH ST. | FIFTH ST. | FIFTH ST. | FIFTH ST. | ||||||||||
PERSHING SQUARE | Fifth Street Store ds | 518 Roxie Th. 528 Cameo Th. 534 Arcade Th. now retail | 501 | 510 | 514 | 500–2 | 501 | ||||||
538–546 Spring Arcade 537–543 543 | 514 | 545 | 550 | ||||||||||
550 | 555–61 | 556–558 | (215 W. Spring) | 548 | 560 | ||||||||
SIXTH ST. | SIXTH ST. | SIXTH ST. | SIXTH ST. | ||||||||||
Consolidated Sun Realty B. 1931 635 | 606 608 | 601-605 615 | 600–610 616 620 630 Palace Th.1911 GAL RR 644 648 | 601 621 625 639 | 600 618 626 632–4 | 610 640 | |||||||
651–7 |
Bullock's ds 1907 P&B | 656–666 (219 W 7th) | 215 W. 7th 651–3 | now Jaide Lofts | |||||||||
SEVENTH ST. | SEVENTH ST. | SEVENTH ST. | SEVENTH ST. | ||||||||||
701 | 703 State Th. | 700 720 722 740 | 701 | 700–4 | 700 | ||||||||
[37] 757–61 | Union Bank | 756 | 755 | 756 Great | |||||||||
EIGHTH ST. | EIGHTH ST. | EIGHTH ST. | EIGHTH ST. | ||||||||||
825 |
May Company B. | 802 Tower Th. 812 Rialto Th. 842 Orpheum Th. | 200 W. 8th | 810 | 824 | ||||||||
855 | 850 | 849 | 833 | 851 | 860 | ||||||||
NINTH ST. | NINTH ST. | NINTH ST. | |||||||||||
small retail | 912 939 | 901 1927 W&E/CHC SG 929 | 910 | ||||||||||
OLYMPIC BL. | (formerly TENTH ST.) | OLYMPIC BL. | |||||||||||
1000 53 fl 🏠 | 1026 S. Broadway Broadway Palace Apts2017 S. Hill 1001–51 | ||||||||||||
1038 1927 SOC | 1023 1925 W&E BA | ||||||||||||
1061 | 1050 | 1060 | |||||||||||
ELEVENTH ST. | ELEVENTH ST. | ELEVENTH ST. | |||||||||||
1111 | (146 W. 11th St.) 1101 | 1100 | 1101 |
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a 5.84 sq mi (15.1 km2) area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents, with an estimated daytime population of over 200,000 people prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Civic Center neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, is the administrative core of the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, and a complex of city, county, state, and federal government offices, buildings, and courthouses. It is located on the site of the former business district of the city during the 1880s and 1890s, since mostly-demolished.
The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, 155-foot (47 m) Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a blue-green glazed architectural terra-cotta tile and situated diagonal to the street corner, the complex is considered one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the United States. The Wiltern building is owned privately, and the Wiltern Theatre is operated by Live Nation's Los Angeles division.
Broadway, until 1890 Fort Street, is a thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The portion of Broadway from 3rd to 9th streets, in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles, was the city's main commercial street from the 1910s until World War II, and is the location of the Broadway Theater and Commercial District, the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). With twelve movie palaces located along a six-block stretch of Broadway, it is the only large concentration of movie palaces left in the United States.
Downtown Long Beach, California, United States is the location for most of the city's major tourist attractions, municipal services and for numerous businesses. There are many hotels and restaurants in the area that serve locals, tourists, and convention visitors.
The Financial District is the central business district of Los Angeles It is bounded by the Harbor Freeway to the west, First Street to the north, Main and Hill Streets to the east, and Olympic Boulevard and 9th Street to the south. It is south of the Bunker Hill district, west of the Historic Core, north of South Park and east of the Harbor Freeway and Central City West. Like Bunker Hill, the Financial District is home to corporate office skyscrapers, hotels and related services as well as banks, law firms, and real estate companies. However, unlike Bunker Hill which was razed and now consists of buildings constructed since the 1960s, it also contains large buildings from the early 20th century, particularly along Seventh Street, once the city's upscale shopping street; the area also includes the 7th and Flower area at the center of the regional Metro rail system, restaurants, bars, and two urban malls.
The Million Dollar Theatre at 307 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in 1917 with the premiere of William S. Hart's The Silent Man. It's the northernmost of the collection of historical movie palaces in the Broadway Theater District and stands directly across from the landmark Bradbury Building. The theater is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Los Angeles Street, originally known as Calle de los Negros is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Los Angeles, California, dating back to the origins of the city as the Pueblo de Los Ángeles.
Paramount Theatre, formerly Metropolitan Theater or Grauman's Metropolitan Theater, also known as Paramount Downtown, was a movie palace and office building located at 323 W. 6th Street and 536 S. Hill Street, across the street from Pershing Square, in the historic core of downtown Los Angeles. It was the largest movie theater in Los Angeles for many years.
Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed Wall Street of the West, lined with Beaux Arts buildings and currently experiencing gentrification. This section forms part of the Historic Core district of Downtown, together with portions of Hill, Broadway, Main and Los Angeles streets.
El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, also known as Los Angeles Plaza Historic District and formerly known as El Pueblo de Los Ángeles State Historic Park, is a historic district taking in the oldest section of Los Angeles, known for many years as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula. The district, centered on the old plaza, was the city's center under Spanish (1781–1821), Mexican (1821–1847), and United States rule through most of the 19th century. The 44-acre park area was designated a state historic monument in 1953 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Main Street is a major north–south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California. It serves as the east–west postal divider for the city and the county as well.
The Tower Theatre is a historic movie theater that opened in 1927 in the Broadway Theater District of Downtown Los Angeles.
Walker & Eisen (1919−1941) was an architectural partnership of architects Albert R. Walker and Percy A. Eisen in Los Angeles, California.
The late-Victorian-era Downtown of Los Angeles in 1880 was centered at the southern end of the Los Angeles Plaza area, and over the next two decades, it extended south and west along Main Street, Spring Street, and Broadway towards Third Street. Most of the 19th-century buildings no longer exist, surviving only in the Plaza area or south of Second Street. The rest were demolished to make way for the Civic Center district with City Hall, numerous courthouses, and other municipal, county, state and federal buildings, and Times Mirror Square. This article covers that area, between the Plaza, 3rd St., Los Angeles St., and Broadway, during the period 1880 through the period of demolition (1920s–1950s).
7th Street is a street in Los Angeles, California running from S. Norton Ave in Mid-Wilshire through Downtown Los Angeles. It goes all the way to the eastern city limits at Indiana Ave., and the border between Boyle Heights, Los Angeles and East Los Angeles.
Victor Clothing Company was a retail clothing store at 242 S. Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles. Originally from 1926–1964 it was located at the Crocker Building #212–6 S. Broadway.
Retail in Southern California dates back to its first dry goods store that Jonathan Temple opened in 1827 on Calle Principal, when Los Angeles was still a Mexican village. After the American conquest, as the pueblo grew into a small town surpassing 4,000 population in 1860, dry goods stores continued to open, including the forerunners of what would be local chains. Larger retailers moved progressively further south to the 1880s-1890s Central Business District, which was later razed to become the Civic Center. Starting in the mid-1890s, major stores moved ever southward, first onto Broadway around 3rd, then starting in 1905 to Broadway between 4th and 9th, then starting in 1915 westward onto West Seventh Street up to Figueroa. For half a century Broadway and Seventh streets together formed one of America's largest and busiest downtown shopping districts.
Frederick Rice Dorn was an American architect based in Los Angeles, California. He was involved in numerous commercial and residential projects in the city during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Law Students' association of this city has selected permanent rooms in Pridham block, No. 317 South Main street.