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Downtown Los Angeles
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area.
The area features many of the city's major arts institutions and sports facilities, a variety of skyscrapers and associated large multinational corporations and an array of public art, unique shopping opportunities and the hub of the city's freeway and public transportation networks.
Downtown Los Angeles is generally thought to be bounded by the Los Angeles River on the east, the U.S. Route 101 to the north, the 10 Santa Monica Freeway on the south and the 110 Harbor Freeway on the west; however, some sources including the Los Angeles Downtown News and Los Angeles Times, extend the area past the traditional boundary to include the University Park (encompassing the University of Southern California (USC) and Exposition Park, just south of the 10 Freeway) and Central City West (just west of the 110 Freeway) neighborhoods as a part of the downtown map.
Downtown Los Angeles is currently undergoing a transformation, with many historic buildings being converted into lofts, several retail businesses and restaurants opening, many new high-rise residential buildings being built and slated to be built, and with two star projects being built: L.A. Live and the Grand Avenue Project.
Downtown Los Angeles was a premier attraction of the county and city. In terms of glamour particular during the middle 20th century, it was second only to Hollywood. The streets were home to the prime movers and shakers of Southern California with ornate and decorative banks, corporate headquarters, intermingled with major high department stores, restaurants, and boutiques all interspaced with family neighborhoods and diners.
 ATTRACTIONS OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
Some of the buildings of the Downtown core date from the early 1900s and most with a height of no more than 13 floors. Between 1911 and 1957, a city ordinance capped building heights at 150 feet, leading to an unusually homogenous skyline. This has been mistakenly said to be due to earthquakes, but it was done to keep a uniform height in the area and to prevent Manhattan style congestion.
However, starting in the 1950s developers started either ignoring the ordinances, challenging them in court, or receiving exemptions of dubious legality from the city commissioners. Thus, while the Los Angeles City Hall was the tallest building for decades at 454 ft., that ended with the development of the 18 Story California Bank Building at 600 S. Spring. That building is now being converted into condos.
The unique Bradbury building, built in 1893, has a courtyard with spectacular wrought iron staircases and railings, and a glass and iron ceiling over the spacious courtyard.
The Grand Central Market captures an early 1900s feel, with customs in distinct contrast to the current supermarkets of the U.S.
On the northeast edge of Downtown, the bustling Union Station is an example of the massive buildings, on a heroic scale, that served a vanished rail passenger market until the 1990s when a subway line (operated by the MTA) and six commuter rail lines (operated by Metrolink) began taking passengers there. The recent opening of Gold Line light rail at Union Station serves Chinatown, the northeast districts of Los Angeles, the city of South Pasadena, and Pasadena. Adjacent to Union Station is the historic center of the city, enshrined for local or tourist consumption as Olvera Street. Just one block away is the edge of Chinatown.
Up the hill from Union Station are the Civic Center buildings devoted to federal, state and city administration, including the Parker Center (LAPD headquarters) and City Hall. The main office of the Los Angeles Times is also in this corner of the downtown. When it first opened in 1935, it was the tallest building West of the Mississippi to house a newspaper press.
This area of downtown is also home to the Music Center, a complex of music and theatrical halls which imitates the architecture of New York's Lincoln Center. In 2003 the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened to increase the number of major theaters at the Music Center to four. Also in the building is the smaller REDCAT theater and art studio. Near the Music Center are the Museum of Contemporary Art, or MOCA, and the Colburn school of performing arts.
Down the hill, Little Tokyo still contains businesses with Japanese roots. Some of the buildings and sidewalks date back to the 1800s and still include hitching posts for horses. Little Tokyo also contains the Japanese American National Museum and another Museum of Contemporary Art campus.
South of Bunker Hill is the Library Tower, now known as the U.S. Bank Tower. At 310 m, it is the seventh tallest building in the United States. Built in 1989, it was initially called Library Tower because the purchase of the air rights from the Los Angeles Central Library, located across the street, were used to allow a building of such height to be built. The money went towards expanding and renovating the library, which had suffered two arson fires in 1986. The library itself was built in 1926.
The South Park area of town includes the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center. Many lofts and apartments are being built in this area, which is seeing a much needed revival.
The Old Bank District is the center of the loft movement downtown. A number of developers have purchased old buildings and are converting them into residential lofts.
Gallery Row is a creative district in the Downtown Historic Core. Starting with 3 art galleries in 2004, Gallery Row now claims 17 art galleries in 2005.
City West is a portion West of the Harbor Freeway (110) that is growing with new towering condos and luxury apartment complexes.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
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