The rise, fall and glory of downtown Los Angeles
When it comes to grandeur and history, nothing beats the story of downtown Los Angeles. The buildings and streets alone have inspired millions of stories both in and out of Hollywood. It has been said that you haven’t seen anything yet unless you’ve walked the streets of the central business district of one of the world’s most famous cities.
The city is filled with life. From buildings that tell decades of colorful stories to the different characters you come across on a daily basis. And to explore it is the best way to know the heartbeat of a city that the world is curious about. The history of downtown LA
The heart of LA was officially founded by a group of settlers who trekked north from present-day Mexico on Sept. 4, 1781. Land speculation increased in the 1880s, which was also the time when the population of the city exploded from 11,000 to a booming 100,000 by 1896.
Infrastructure enhancements and the laying of a street grid eventually brought development south of the original settlement into what is today the Civic Center and the historic core of the neighborhoods. The roaring ‘20s.
It was during the 1920s, however, that downtown reached its golden age due to its private and municipal rail lines that were the most sophisticated and comprehensive in the US in terms of mileage, even beating other famous cities like New York. Its rail lines connected four counties with over 1,100 miles of track. It was during this time that aggressive land developers transformed downtown LA into the large metropolitan we know today.
Banking institutions soon clustered south Spring Street forming what is now called the Spring Street Financial District or the Wall Street of the West. At one point, even the Los Angeles Stock Exchange was housed in the bustling street before moving in 1986. Thus began the boom of the city, and soon, hotels such as the Alexandria, the Rosslyn, and the Biltmore were erected, and Broadway became a way of life. Flagship stores of popular department stores also found its way downtown opening up a new world of retail and entertainment.
The Jewelry District, the mecca of jewelry trade and industry, also began in the ‘20s, when early jewelers such as the Laykin Diamond Company and Harry Winston found their beginnings between Spring and Sixth Streets.
The Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, now fondly called Union Station, opened in 1939 and unified local, regional, and long-distance passenger train services. It would be impossible to not find a way to downtown simply because its railway stations are touted as one of the last great railway stations in the US. The great fall of downtown
However, the glory of downtown fell into hard times following World War II after suburbanization, the development of the Los Angeles freeway network and increased automobile ownership led to decreased investment. Several corporate headquarters moved to neighboring towns that offer lower costs, leaving behind the grandeur of what once was.
Several historical buildings were also taken down to make room for parking lots. Residents moved out to other areas leaving behind grand Victorian houses marking downtown as a dangerous ‘has been’ place. The city continued its effort to create ‘new’ land for new tenants and it has been on the verge ever since. LA rises again
Today, downtown LA is taking on a second wind. Construction in old buildings is being touted as a ‘historical development,’ meaning, a grand renovation of historical places that people love without having to sacrifice the comforts of modernism.
Downtown LA’s architecture continues to bleed its history but with upgrades to match today’s generation. Locals still enjoy what used to be but are also given new places to wine, dine and enjoy a city everyone still loves until today. In fact, more residents have decided to recently return because of the many residential places that have been constructed. A lot of today’s young professionals flock to downtown to experience the vibrant heart of LA.
And with blazing street art, new restaurants and new ‘hip’ places to be in, truly downtown LA has reinvented itself again.