Whats Wrong With Downtown L.A. (Los Angeles, Santa Monica: appointed, 2009, neighborhood)

[JohnG72]

About the upper floors.....

I used to work for the City of LA Tax and Permit Division as a field rep(now called Tax Compliance Officer) so I got to see all the insides of those buildings.

A few are storage, most are either jewelry makers, esp around 5th and Hill or they are sweatshops. The people do not put work into them because there is no point. So the places look old and shabby.

FWIW, lots have been turned into condos.

Downtown in the 20's to 50's was a pretty wonderful area. It had all the big department stores and people would bring their kids to see the movies and stuff along Broadway. You can still get an idea of this by looking at the old facades and marquees along Broadway. You can get an even better glimpse at the past by checking out the Bradbury Building at Spring and 3rd. First floor access only. The building's architecture is gorgeous and much of it is original as when it was built. The ironwork is amazing. Even hand operated elevators. Also the Edison night club is just kinda glamorous IMO and seems to be a bit like a roaring 20's upscale club might be like. And you can also check out Clifton's cafe as that has been downtown for a very long time.

Anyway, at some point in the late 50's/early 60's, white flight commenced out of downtown, and out of the neighborhods to the south. And downtown became a shell of its former self. During the 80's I just knew it as a place to stay away from. In fact, I got lost after the first Dodger game I went to without my parents when I was 16 in 1988. Wound up driving through downtown and bums had a huge bonfire set up in the middle of Broadway.

At some point in the mid-late 90's Richard Riordan(former mayor, owner of the Pantry restaurant downtown) started working on incentives to revitalize downtown. Soon enough the streets were cleaned up a great deal and some developers started building downtown.

So you have what downtown is now....a slowly revitalizing and gentrifying area.

[traveler36]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

About the upper floors.....

I used to work for the City of LA Tax and Permit Division as a field rep(now called Tax Compliance Officer) so I got to see all the insides of those buildings.

A few are storage, most are either jewelry makers, esp around 5th and Hill or they are sweatshops. The people do not put work into them because there is no point. So the places look old and shabby.

FWIW, lots have been turned into condos.

Downtown in the 20's to 50's was a pretty wonderful area. It had all the big department stores and people would bring their kids to see the movies and stuff along Broadway. You can still get an idea of this by looking at the old facades and marquees along Broadway. You can get an even better glimpse at the past by checking out the Bradbury Building at Spring and 3rd. First floor access only. The building's architecture is gorgeous and much of it is original as when it was built. The ironwork is amazing. Even hand operated elevators. Also the Edison night club is just kinda glamorous IMO and seems to be a bit like a roaring 20's upscale club might be like. And you can also check out Clifton's cafe as that has been downtown for a very long time.

Anyway, at some point in the late 50's/early 60's, white flight commenced out of downtown, and out of the neighborhods to the south. And downtown became a shell of its former self. During the 80's I just knew it as a place to stay away from. In fact, I got lost after the first Dodger game I went to without my parents when I was 16 in 1988. Wound up driving through downtown and bums had a huge bonfire set up in the middle of Broadway.

At some point in the mid-late 90's Richard Riordan(former mayor, owner of the Pantry restaurant downtown) started working on incentives to revitalize downtown. Soon enough the streets were cleaned up a great deal and some developers started building downtown.

So you have what downtown is now....a slowly revitalizing and gentrifying area.

I'm checking out the Bradbury Building today..is that an old style building that you can walk into and see the original look or has it been turned into something modern inside and are there any other buildings that I should check out, I had no idea which building was what.

Speaking of the 80s and bums roaming Downtown does anyone have pictures from that era?

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Sounds like a lot of opportunity for the right person or developer to move there and start revitalizing the area. I seldom venture to that part of the world other than to drive by on the 101 on our way to points south.

[LASam]

Originally Posted by traveler36

I'm checking out the Bradbury Building today..is that an old style building that you can walk into and see the original look or has it been turned into something modern inside and are there any other buildings that I should check out, I had no idea which building was what.

Bradbury is fantastic... still retains its original look. I'd recommend a walk down Spring St... that seems to be one of the strongest streets in the "Historic Downtown District". Also check out the market at the base of Angels Flight. That place is pretty cool.

[JohnG72]

Originally Posted by traveler36

Speaking of the 80s and bums roaming Downtown does anyone have pictures from that era?

It's possible that these guys might have something:

LAPD Historic Photo Archive

Other than that, there are still several thousand homeless downtown with the biggest concentration being at around San Pedro and 5th street.

[Island_OnThe_Land]

Originally Posted by traveler36

I'm checking out the Bradbury Building today..is that an old style building that you can walk into and see the original look or has it been turned into something modern inside and are there any other buildings that I should check out, I had no idea which building was what.

Traveler36: Really appreciate your interest in downtown LA. Bradbury building is a treasure. The interior has been used in multiple movies including "Blade Runner" from Ridley Scott circa 1982.

There is simply NO PLACE in So. Calif. with the diverse and historic architecture that exists in downtown LA. You should check out the Grand Central Market (across the street from Bradbury). Also, the Eastern Columbia Building (converted to lofts in 07) at 9th/Broadway. A one of a kind Art Deco building.

[krock1dk]

LA is called "80 suburbs in search of a city." And it isnt called that for nothing. There are numerous smaller 'downtowns' throughtout the LA basin, as downtown LA has lost its function and importance. LA is very spread out, as is the people. Most jobs in LA are not downtown either. I mean you can still live in LA 'proper' and maybe be 30-miles from downtown itself. Glendale, Pasadena, much of Orange County cities, Westwood, etc. all have their individual downtowns, and downtown LA just isnt as important as it usd to be. Downtown LA can be scary at night, but no less or no more safe than any downtown sector of any US city at night. Although it has been served by a subway for over a decade.

[Mike121]

The death of downtown was kind of inevitable once they old trolleys and Red Cars died out in the 1960s (?). Before that, the transit system forced downtown LA to be the center of the city. But it died a lot quicker that it had to for a ton of reasons.

Cheaper cars and freeways and suburbanization lead to new pseudo-downtowns and business districts. There was white flight at a time when whites had most of the money. The big events in white flight here were the end of racial covenants in the 1950s or so where the racist whites fled to farther areas, the cheap suburbanization because of GI Bill money after WW 2, the Watts Riots. The final nail in the coffin was probably the bussing experiment in LA in the 1980s, the rise of crack, the end of the state mental institutions, and the death of the service unions.

So yeah. The whole panoply of tragedy that is the city of LA pushed away those that could move away from downtown.

In the near term, the major force bringing it back to life is probably the return of trains that will take you downtown, minorities being able to make better money, and a white population that is less racist than their parents and grandparents (mostly still not "integrated" but at least willing to live side-by-side with people of color.)

But still, downtown is only going to become truly serviceable if it a place where you can set up a company that will make money. I don't see enough people talking about how to create or restore cheap office or manufacturing space downtown. So, I'm not sure if this restoration will go the distance.

[bhcompy]

Without some type of new commerce/industry to fill those vacant buildings, there's really no reason I see it ever becoming the business hub it may have been in the first part of the 20th century. WW2 ending and all the expansion of business in the South Bay and Long Beach really sealed that deal and started the trend that has yet to stop.

The end result is that it's cheaper to maintain business and attract employees in lower tax burbs as well as handle manufacturing and industry in places like Victorville(for example) where you can use rail to bring goods to you from the port much cheaper and more efficient than locating yourself in San Pedro or Carson and trucking it in.

[traveler36]

Originally Posted by Island_OnThe_Land

Traveler36: Really appreciate your interest in downtown LA. Bradbury building is a treasure. The interior has been used in multiple movies including "Blade Runner" from Ridley Scott circa 1982.

There is simply NO PLACE in So. Calif. with the diverse and historic architecture that exists in downtown LA. You should check out the Grand Central Market (across the street from Bradbury). Also, the Eastern Columbia Building (converted to lofts in 07) at 9th/Broadway. A one of a kind Art Deco building.

I really like the area, when I was younger I always wanted to live in New York until I realized that I just liked the buildings in New York and not the vibe....I like California's laid back atmosphere and it would be great to move here and live in downtown and then be at the beach or the mountains within minutes, but since downtown isn't up to par im looking instead at either Hollywood or Los Feliz/Silverlake.