HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is also part of
Central Los Angeles __NOTOC__ Central Los Angeles is the historic urban region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Geography The City of Los Angeles The Los Angeles Department of City Planning divides the city into Area Planning Commission (APC) areas, each fu ...
. Downtown Los Angeles is divided into neighborhoods and districts, some overlapping. Most districts are named for the activities concentrated there now or historically, e.g. the Arts, Civic Center, Fashion, Banking, Theater, Toy, and Jewelry districts. It is the hub for the city's urban rail transit system plus the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail system for Southern California. Banks, department stores, and movie palaces at one time drew residents and visitors of all socioeconomic classes downtown, but the area declined economically especially after the 1950s. It remained an important center—in the Civic Center, of government business; on Bunker Hill, of banking, and along Broadway, of retail and entertainment for Hispanic Angelenos, especially immigrants. Now Downtown has been experiencing a renaissance that started in the early 2000s. The Crypto.com Arena anchors downtown's south end, and along Broadway, pre-war buildings are being restored for new uses, such as luxury condos, co-working spaces, and high-end retail.


History

The
Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historically ...
village of Yaanga was located in what is now downtown Los Angeles, possibly near or underneath where the
Bella Union Hotel The Bella Union Hotel in Los Angeles, California, constructed in 1835, is California Historical Landmark No. 656. It was effectively the last capitol building of Mexican California under Governor Pio Pico, in 1845–47, and was a center of socia ...
was located (now Fletcher Bowron Square).


Spanish and Mexican era

Father Juan Crespí, a Spanish
Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...
missionary charged with exploring sites for
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
missions in California The Spanish missions in California ( es, Misiones españolas en California) comprise a series of 21 religious outposts or missions established between 1769 and 1833 in what is now the U.S. state of California. Founded by Catholic priests of ...
, noted in 1769 that the region had "all the requisites for a large settlement". On September 4, 1781, Los Angeles was founded by a group of settlers who trekked north from present-day Mexico. Like most urban centers in the
Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...
, the town grew in a grid-like street patern around a central plaza which faced the first church. The area passed to American control in 1847, and the small town grew to 11,000 by 1880, The business district was centered along Main Street between the Plaza and First Street.


Victorian-era Downtown

Land speculation increased in the 1880s, which saw the population of the city explode from 11,000 in 1880 to nearly 100,000 by 1896. Infrastructure enhancements and the laying of a street grid eventually brought development south of the Plaza: Victorian Downtown Los Angeles in the 1800s and 1890s along Main,
Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...
and Broadway south to Third Street – all of which was razed to make way for today's Civic Center. After 1900, larger buildings were constructed along Broadway and Spring from Third to Ninth streets in what is now called the Historic Core.


Downtown's golden age

By 1920, the city's private and municipal rail lines were the most far-flung and most comprehensive in the world in mileage, even besting that of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. By this time, a steady influx of residents and aggressive land developers had transformed the city into a large metropolitan area, with DTLA at its center. Rail lines connected four counties with over of track. During the early part of the 20th century, banking institutions clustered around South Spring Street, forming the
Spring Street Financial District 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 W ...
. Sometimes referred to as the "
Wall Street of the West Wall Street West is a name used by real estate developers, city officials and news media in the United States to call particular streets or places west of Manhattan that have a high concentration of Wall Street companies or a major exchange. The mo ...
," the district held corporate headquarters for financial institutions including
Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
, Farmers and Merchants Bank, the Crocker National Bank, California Bank & Trust, and International Savings & Exchange Bank. The
Los Angeles Stock Exchange The Los Angeles Oil Exchange was a regional stock exchange in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1899, in 1900 the name was changed to the Los Angeles Stock Exchange. In 1956, it merged into the Pacific Coast Stock Exchange. History The Los An ...
was also located on the corridor from 1929 until 1986 before moving into a new building across the Harbor (110) Freeway. Commercial growth brought with it hotel construction—during this time period several grand hotels, the
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
(1906), the Rosslyn (1911), and the Biltmore (1923), were erected—and also the need for venues to entertain the growing population of Los Angeles. Broadway became the nightlife, shopping and entertainment district of the city, with over a dozen theater and movie palaces built before 1932. Department stores, most that had grown from local dry goods businesses, moved from Spring and Main streets around Temple and 1st, to much larger stores along Broadway, including The Broadway, Hamburger's, which became May Co., Robinson's,
Bullock's Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire special ...
, Coulter's,
Desmond's ''Desmond's'' is a British television situation comedy broadcast by Channel 4 from 1989 to 1994. Conceived and co-written by Trix Worrell, and produced by Charlie Hanson and Humphrey Barclay, ''Desmond's'' stars Norman Beaton as barber Des ...
,
Silverwoods Silverwoods, originally promoted as F. B. Silverwood, after its founder, was a men's clothing store chain founded in Los Angeles in 1894 by Francis Bernard (F.B. "Daddy") Silverwood, a Canadian-American originally from near Lindsay, Ontario. He was ...
,
Harris & Frank Harris & Frank was a clothing retailer and major chain in the history of retail in Southern California, which at its peak had around 40 stores across Southern California and in neighboring states and regions. Its history dates back to a clothing ...
, and the
Fifth Street Store The Fifth Street Store was a major department store in Los Angeles opened in 1905. Name The official name of the company and store changed many times: *1905–1909: Steele, Faris, & Walker Co. - the official company name and name under which the ...
/Walker's, serving a variety of socioeconomic groups from across the city and suburbs. All but Coulter's would, in the 1920s–1950s, launch branches dotting shopping centers across a growing Southern California. Numerous specialty stores also flourished including those in the jewelry business which gave rise to the Downtown Jewelry District. Among these early jewelers included the Laykin Diamond Company (later becoming Laykin et Ci

and Harry Winston & Co., both of which found their beginnings in the Hotel Alexandria at Fifth and Spring streets. The
Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States. It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande ...
(Union Station) opened in May 1939, unifying passenger service among various local, regional, and long-distance passenger trains. It was built on a grand scale and would be one of the "last of the great railway stations" built in the United States.


Decline and redevelopment

Following
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, suburbanization, the development of the Los Angeles freeway network, and increased automobile ownership led to decreased investment downtown. Many corporate headquarters slowly dispersed to new suburbs or fell to mergers and acquisitions. As early as the 1920s once-stately Victorian mansions on Bunker Hill were dilapidated, serving as
rooming house A rooming house, also called a "multi-tenant house", is a "dwelling with multiple rooms rented out individually", in which the tenants share kitchen and often bathroom facilities. Rooming houses are often used as housing for low-income people, as ...
s for 20,000 working-class Angelenos. From about 1930 onward, numerous more-than-100-year-old buildings in the Plaza area were demolished to make way for street-level parking lots, the high demand for parking making this more profitable than any other options allowing preservation. The drastic loss of local downtown residents further reduced the viability of streetfront, pedestrian-oriented businesses. For middle- and upper-income Angelenos, downtown became a drive-in, drive-out destination. In an effort to combat
blight Blight refers to a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral orga ...
and lure businesses back downtown, the city's Community Redevelopment Agency undertook the Bunker Hill Redevelopment Project in 1955, a massive clearance project that leveled homes and cleared land for future commercial skyscraper development. This period saw the clearing and upzoning of the entire neighborhood, as well as the shuttering of the Angels Flight funicular railway in 1969. Angels Flight resumed operation in 1996 for a period of five years, shutting down once again after a fatal accident in 2001. On March 15, 2010, the railway once again opened for passenger service following extensive upgrades to brake and safety systems. With Class A office space becoming available on Bunker Hill, many of DTLA's remaining financial corporations moved to the newer buildings, leaving the former
Spring Street Financial District 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 W ...
devoid of tenants above ground floor. Following the corporate headquarters' moving six blocks west, the large department stores on Broadway shuttered, culminating in the 1980s. The Broadway theaters saw much use as Spanish-language movie houses during this time, beginning with the conversion of the Million Dollar Theater in the 1950s to a Spanish-language theater.


Recent years

In the early 2000s, the neighborhood became popular with Artists and Creatives due to low rent, open loft space, and many vacancies. In mid-2013, downtown was noted as "a neighborhood with an increasingly hip and well-heeled residential population". Because of the downtown area's office market's migration west to Bunker Hill and the Financial District, many historic office buildings have been left intact, which is simply used for storage or remaining empty during recent decades. In 1999, the
Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro temp ...
passed an
adaptive reuse Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the o ...
ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...
, making it easier for developers to convert outmoded, vacant office and commercial buildings into renovated lofts and luxury apartment and condo complexes. As of early 2009, 14,561 residential units have been created under the adaptive reuse ordinance, leading to an increase in the residential population. With 28,878 residents in 2006,Cara Mia DiMassa,
Downtown L.A. has gained people but lost jobs, report says
", ''Los Angeles Times,'' February 21, 2007.
39,537 in 2008,
DowntownLA.com demographic study
and over 60,000 in 2017,Scott Beyer,
Downtown L.A. Is America's Most Colorful Neighborhood
", ''Forbes,'' April 28, 2017.
Downtown Los Angeles is seeing new life and investment. * Crypto.com Arena, which opened in 1999, has contributed immensely to the revitalization plans, adding 250 events and nearly 4 million visitors per year to the neighborhood. Since the opening of the Staples Center, the adjacent L.A. Live complex was completed, which includes the Microsoft Theatre and the Grammy Museum. * Los Angeles Metro Rail, a rail transit network centered on the downtown area, facilitates access to the city center, especially from the congested West Side. * Real estate developers and investors planned a $1.8 billion revitalization project along Grand Avenue, which included the development of Grand Park, a large city park, and the construction of major city landmarks, including the
Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...
-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall and contemporary art museum The Broad, which opened in 2015. *On August 7, 2007, the
Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro temp ...
approved sweeping changes in zoning and development rules for the downtown area.Sharon Bernstein and David Pierson,
L.A. moves toward more N.Y-style downtown
", ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 8, 2007.
Strongly advocated by Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa (; né Villar Jr.; born January 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Villaraigosa was a national co-chairman of Hillary ...
, the changes allow larger and denser developments downtown; developers who reserve 15% of their units for low-income residents are now exempt from some open-space requirements and can make their buildings 35% larger than current zoning codes allow. *In 2009 Bottega Louie opened on the first floor of the historic
Brockman Building The Brockman Building is a 12-story Beaux-Arts, Classical, and Romanesque Revival style building located on 7th Street in Downtown Los Angeles. History Built in 1912, the Brockman Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...
on Grand Avenue and Seventh Street. It contributed to the revitalization of DTLA by creating Restaurant Row, which has since brought numerous new restaurants and retail shops to the area. In 2012, the upper 11 floors of the Brockman Building were bought with the intention of being sold as luxury lofts. *In October 2015, an outdoor lifestyle center,
The Bloc Los Angeles The Bloc (stylized as THE BLOC), formerly Macy's Plaza and Broadway Plaza, is an open-air shopping center in downtown Los Angeles at 700 South Flower Street, in the Financial District. Its tenants include the downtown Los Angeles Macy's store, LA F ...
, replaced the old enclosed Macy's Plaza. *Several labels of Warner Music moved into the Los Angeles Arts District in 2019 where the company had purchased a former
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
assembly plant. * Broadway retail is transitioning from a broad mix of stores catering mostly to Hispanic immigrants and a burgeoning sneaker and
streetwear Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion and Californian surf culture to encompass elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding and Japanese street fashion. Eventually haut ...
retail cluster has emerged from 4th to 9th streets: Sneaker Row. * Oceanside Plaza has planned to open in 2020, but this was later changed to unknown date due to financial problems and costs. This building includes a shopping mall, office, and a hotel and it is located in Staples Center. Multiple
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
and
Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
events will be held in DTLA during the 2028 Summer Olympics and
Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...
. After six years of construction, the new
Sixth Street Viaduct The Sixth Street Viaduct, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, is a viaduct bridge that connects the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles with the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The Sixth Street Viaduct spans the Los Angeles River, the Sa ...
opened on July 9, 2022 at a cost of $588-million. This new bridge replaced a 1932 viaduct of the same name which was demolished in 2016 due to a fact that it would collapse if there were a major earthquake, and alkali-silica reaction – colloquially known as “concrete cancer.” Pedestrian and bicycle access points link to other projects such as 12 acres of new park space below the viaduct. In September 2022, it is announced that Oceanwide Plaza will restart work on stalled DTLA mega-project in 2023 following months of rumors of a shortfall in financing and halt on construction on three years.


Geography

Downtown Los Angeles is flanked by Echo Park to the north and northwest, Chinatown to the northeast, Boyle Heights to the east, Vernon to the south,
Historic South Central Historic South Central Los Angeles is a 2.25-square-mile neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, within the South Los Angeles region. It is the site of the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall. From the late 1800s to early 1910s, African Americans began re ...
and University Park to the southwest, and Pico-Union and Westlake to the west.
"Central L.A.," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''

"Downtown," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''
''The Thomas Guide,'' 2006, pages 634 and 674 Downtown is bounded on the northeast by
Cesar Chavez Avenue Cesar Chavez Avenue (Spanish: Avenida César Chávez) is a major east–west thoroughfare in Downtown Los Angeles, the Eastside and East Los Angeles, measuring 6.19 miles (9.96 km) in length. Named in honor of union leader César Chávez, ...
, on the east by the Los Angeles River, on the south by the Los Angeles city line with Vernon, on the southwest by East Washington Boulevard and on the west by the 110 Freeway or Beaudry Avenue, including the entire Four Level Interchange with the 101 Freeway.


Districts

The neighborhood includes these districts: * Arts District * Bunker Hill * Civic Center (built on the razed site of the Central Business District during the 1880s–1890s) * Fashion District * Financial District * Flower District * Gallery Row * Historic Core (contains the Broadway Theater District,
Spring Street Financial District 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 W ...
and Old Bank District) * Industrial District * Jewelry District * Little Tokyo * Skid Row * South Park * Toy District * Wholesale District or Warehouse District


Climate


Population

The 2000 U.S. census found that just 27,849 residents lived in the 5.84 square miles of downtown—or 4,770 people per square mile, among the lowest densities for the city of Los Angeles but about average for the county. The
Southern California Association of Governments The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) of six of the ten counties in Southern California, serving Imperial County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernar ...
estimates that downtown's daytime population is 207,440. The population increased to 34,811 by 2008, according to city estimates. By the end of 2019, the population of the district had grown to 85,000 residents, and 7,956 residential units were under construction. The median age for residents was 39, considered old for the city and the county. Downtown Los Angeles is almost evenly balanced among the four major racial and ethnic groups—
Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...
(23%),
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
(22%), Latinos (25%) and non-Hispanic whites (26%)—according to an analysis of 2010 census data made by Loyola Marymount University researchers. A study of the 2000 census showed that downtown was the second–most diverse neighborhood in Los Angeles, its diversity index being 0.743, outrated only by Mid-Wilshire. The ethnic breakdown in 2000 was Latinos, 36.7%; blacks, 22.3%;
Asians Asian people (or Asians, sometimes referred to as Asiatic people)United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purpos ...
, 21.3%; whites, 16.2%, and others, 3.5%. Mexico (44.7%) and Korea (17%) were the most common places of birth for the 41.9% of the residents who were born abroad, about the same ratio as in the city as a whole. The median household income in 2008 dollars was $15,003, considered low for both the city and the county. The percentage of households earning $20,000 or less (57.4%) was the highest in Los Angeles County, followed by University Park (56.6%) and Chinatown (53.6%). The average household size of 1.6 people was relatively low. Renters occupied 93.4% of the housing units, and home or apartment owners the rest. In 2000, there were 2,400 military veterans living downtown, or 9.7% of the population, considered a high rate for the city but average for the county overall. In 2010, census data concluded that 40,227 people lived in Downtown Los Angeles. In 2013, a study by Downtown Center Business Improvement District showed that of the 52,400 people resided in Downtown Los Angeles. The demographic breakdown was 52.7% Caucasian, 20.1% Asian, 17.0% Latino, and 6.2% African-American; 52.9% female, 47.1% male; and 74.8% of residents were between the ages of 23–44. The median age for residents was 34. The median household income was $98,700. The median household size was 1.8. In terms of educational attainment, 80.1% of residents had completed at least 4 years of college. The study was a self-selecting sample of 8,841 respondents across the DTLA area. It was not a "census" but rather a comprehensive survey of Downtown LA consumers. An additional study by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District showed that by 2017 the population has reached 67,324. In early 2020 the population was estimated to have exceeded 80,000 at the end of 2019.


Public transportation


Local and regional service

Downtown Los Angeles is the center of the region's growing rail transit system, with six commuter lines operated by Metrolink, as well as five rapid-transit rail lines and local and regional bus service operated by
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), commonly branded as Metro, LA Metro, and L.A. Metro, is the state agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the transportation system in Los Angele ...
(Metro). Major Metro stations in the district include Los Angeles Union Station, Civic Center/Grand Park station, Pershing Square station,
7th Street/Metro Center station 7th Street/Metro Center station is an underground light rail and rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the A, B, D, and E lines of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station also has street level stops for the J Line of ...
, Pico station, and
Little Tokyo/Arts District station Little Tokyo/Arts District station is an under construction underground light rail station on the Los Angeles Metro Rail system which will replace a former at-grade station with the same name. The former station was located on the east side o ...
. *The Los Angeles Metro Rail System has five rail lines that serve Downtown Los Angeles: the A Line, B Line, D Line, E Line, and the L Line. *In late 2009, the Metro J Line bus rapid transit project opened, replacing two unconnected bus rapid transit lines with through service at street level through the downtown area. *In 2006, a portion of the Metro Red Line (now the B Line) was rebranded by Metro as the Metro Purple Line (now the D Line), a heavy-rail subway line which runs from Union Station to Wilshire/Western station in Koreatown. A westward extension of the line to Westwood is currently under construction. *Metro operates an extensive bus network, including Metro Local, Metro Express commuter lines, and Metro Rapid buses with signal priority and limited stops. * Los Angeles Department of Transportation operates seven local
DASH The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
shuttle lines downtown on weekdays: Lines A, B, C, D, E and F.DASH Schedule
, LADOT.
Weekend service is operated on lines DD (Downtown Discovery), E and F.
, LADOT.


Amtrak

Amtrak operates intercity passenger train service on five routes through Los Angeles Union Station: the Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner,
Southwest Chief The ''Southwest Chief'' (formerly the ''Southwest Limited'' and ''Super Chief'') is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a route between Chicago and Los Angeles through the Midwest and Southwest via Kansas City, Albuquerque, and Flags ...
, Sunset Limited, and Texas Eagle.


Greyhound

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and ...
operates a major bus terminal in Downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of Seventh and Alameda streets.


Service to Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles World Airports operates a direct shuttle, LAX FlyAway Bus, every 30–60 minutes between Union Station and
Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the ...
.


Transit expansion

*The
Metro E Line The Metro E Line is a planned bus rapid transit route in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Edina. The route will operate from Southdale Center Transit Center in Edina, Minnesota to Westgate station in St. Paul. Running mostly on France Avenue, Hennepin ...
was built in two phases and completed in 2016. The first phase of the project connected
7th Street/Metro Center Station 7th Street/Metro Center station is an underground light rail and rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the A, B, D, and E lines of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station also has street level stops for the J Line of ...
downtown with Culver City via the former
Pacific Electric Railway The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway syst ...
Santa Monica Air Line The Santa Monica Air Line was an interurban railroad operated by the Pacific Electric between Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles. Electric passenger service operated over the line between 1908 and 1953. After abandonment as a freight railroad, ...
right-of-way. The second phase extended the line to Santa Monica. The E Line shares tracks with the
Metro A Line The Metro A Line is a bus rapid transit line in the Twin Cities, Minnesota operated by Metro Transit. The A Line operates primarily along the Snelling Avenue corridor and travels through the cities of Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Falcon Height ...
north of Washington Boulevard, and shares both the Pico Station and
7th Street/Metro Center Station 7th Street/Metro Center station is an underground light rail and rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the A, B, D, and E lines of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station also has street level stops for the J Line of ...
with the A Line. * Los Angeles Union Station is set to be a major stop on the under-construction California High-Speed Rail system, though it will not be a part of the project's Initial Operating Segment. The project would connect Northern and Southern California via the
San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven ...
, with service averaging . *Under construction as of September 2014, the Regional Connector Transit Corridor will connect the A, E, and L Lines between the Little Tokyo/Arts District (which will be renamed "1st Street/Central") and 7th Street/Metro Center stations. *Work is planned to bring streetcar-style trolley service to Downtown Los Angeles via Broadway, connecting the L.A. Live development with the Grand Avenue cultural corridor and Bunker Hill.


Parks and open space

Downtown Los Angeles is home to several public parks, plazas, gardens and other open space: *
Los Angeles Plaza Los Angeles Plaza or Plaza de Los Ángeles is located in Los Angeles, California. It is the central point of the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District. When Governor Felipe de Neve founded the Pueblo de Los Ángeles, his first act was to locate a ...
*
Olvera Street Olvera Street (also ''Calle Olvera'' or ''Placita Olvera'', originally Calle de los Vignes, Vine Street, and Wine Street) is a historic street in downtown Los Angeles, and a part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, the area immediatel ...
* El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument * Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels meditation garden and olive garden (park)
Biddy Mason Park
* Grand Park * Maguire Gardens * Pershing Square *
Los Angeles City Hall Los Angeles City Hall, completed in 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council. It is located in the Civic Ce ...
South Lawn *
Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...
's Police Administration Building South Lawn * Los Angeles State Historic Park * Los Angeles Union Station gardens * Walt Disney Concert Hall Community Park *The Water Court at California Plaza, an outdoor performance and dining space with water features, fountains, shaded seating areas and an amphitheater. *Japanese Garden and plaza at the Little Tokyo Cultural and Community Center Plaza *Japanese Garden at the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens *Garden at Bank of America Plaza Several future park proposals for the district make use of public-private partnerships between developers and the city of Los Angeles, including a public park at the proposed Nikkei Center development in Little Tokyo; a park at the Medallion development in the Historic Core; and a pocket park at the Wilshire Grand Hotel replacement project, currently under construction. Additionally, the city recently completed a new park located on the 400 block of South Spring Street in the Historic Core neighborhood.


Skyline

Despite its relative decentralization and comparatively new high-rises (until 1958, the city did not permit any structures taller than the 27-story City Hall building), Los Angeles has one of the largest skylines in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, and its development has continued in recent years. The skyline has seen rapid growth due to improvements in seismic design standards, which has made certain building types highly earthquake-resistant. Many of the new skyscrapers contain a housing or hotel component. Some current and upcoming examples of skyscraper construction include: *705 Ninth Street, a 35-story residential tower, was completed in 2009. *717 Olympic, a 26-story residential tower, was completed in mid-2008. *888 Olive, a 32-story apartment tower by Vancouver-based Omni Group, opened in 2015. *Concerto, a 28-story residential tower, was completed in early 2009. A second phase (Tower II) is currently under construction. *The
Grand Avenue Project The Grand Avenue Project is currently under development in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles along Grand Avenue. The project consists of a revitalization of Grand Park and surrounding lots administered by the Grand Avenue Auth ...
, designed by architect
Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...
, is a multi-phase project on four parcels and will include a 39-story hotel tower at the corner of First Street and Grand Avenue and a civic park. The project has been delayed due to funding issues but is now back on track and progressing. * L.A. Live, a multi-phased dining, entertainment and hotel development that includes a Ritz-Carlton and
JW Marriott JW Marriott is a luxury hotel brand owned by Marriott International. History The JW Marriott brand was established in 1984, with the opening of the first hotel in Washington, D.C. It was named as a tribute to J.W. Marriott, the founder of Ma ...
Hotel hybrid as well as Ritz-Carlton-branded condominiums, was completed in February 2010. * Marriott International completed a 24-story
Courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...
and Residence Inn tower near L.A. Live, which opened in July 2014, and plans to build a 20+ story
Renaissance hotel Renaissance Hotels is a luxury hotel brand of Marriott International. It was founded in 1981 as Ramada Renaissance, an upscale brand of Ramada Inns. In 1989 the brand was relaunched as Renaissance Hotels. It was bought by Marriott in 1997. As ...
to open in 2016. *Metropolis, a mixed-use four-tower project (60, 50, 38, and 19 stories) at Francisco and Ninth streets, is currently under construction. *''South'', a three-tower complex called Elleven, Luma, and Evo, spans the block from 11th Street and Grand Avenue to 12th Street and Grand Avenue, and was completed in phases ending in early 2009. *The Wilshire Grand Tower redevelopment, a 900-room hotel and office project built in 2017, is the tallest tower west of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
, at . *
Figueroa Centre Figueroa Centre is a 66-story, 975 ft (297 m) Modernist hotel/residential skyscraper proposed for 925 S. Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, California. Designed by CallisonRTKL. The rectangular steel-clad building design is similar to LA's ...
, a 975-foot residential and hotel tower proposed across from The Original Pantry restaurant on the Figueroa Corridor. The tower proposed will become the third tallest building in Los Angeles when completed. *
Angels Landing Angels Landing, known previously as the Temple of Aeolus, is a tall rock formation in Zion National Park in southwestern Utah, United States. A renowned trail cut into solid rock in 1926 leads to the top of Angels Landing and provides panoramic ...
, a proposed super tall tower at 1020 ft. Currently in the funding stage. Approved by the city council in 2017.


Building height limits: 1904–1957

The first height limit ordinance in Los Angeles was enacted following the completion of the 13-story
Continental Building The Continental Building, formerly Braly Block, is a 151 ft (46 m), 13-story high-rise residential building on Spring Street in the Historic Core of Los Angeles. The Continental Building is part of the Spring Street Financial District whi ...
, located at the southeast corner of Fourth and Spring streets. The purpose of the height limit was to limit the density of the city. There was great hostility to skyscrapers in many cities in these years, mainly due to the congestion they could bring to the streets, and height limit ordinances were a common way of dealing with the problem. In 1911, the city passed an updated height limit ordinance, establishing a specific limit of . Exceptions were granted for decorative towers such as those later built on the
Eastern Columbia Building The Eastern Columbia Building, also known as the Eastern Columbia Lofts, is a thirteen-story Art Deco building designed by Claud Beelman located at 849 S. Broadway in the Broadway Theater District of Downtown Los Angeles. It opened on Septemb ...
and United Artists Theatre, as well as the now-demolished
Richfield Tower Richfield Tower, also known as the Richfield Oil Company Building, was an office tower constructed between 1928 and 1929 and served as the headquarters of Richfield Oil in Los Angeles, California. History It was designed by Stiles O. Clements a ...
. The 1911 ordinance was repealed in 1957. The first private building to exceed the old limit was the 18-story United California Bank Building, located at the southeast corner of Sixth and Spring streets.


Flat Roof Ordinance

The pattern of buildings in Los Angeles to feature these "flat roofs" was the result of a 1974 fire ordinance which required all tall buildings in the city to include rooftop helipads in response to the devastating 1974 Joelma Fire in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in which helicopters were used to effect rescues from the flat rooftop of the building. The Wilshire Grand Center was the first building granted an exception by the Los Angeles City Fire Department in 2014. However, as the building was under construction, L.A. City Council removed the flat roof ordinance as of 2015.


Government and infrastructure

The
Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (abbreviated DHS and LADHS) operates the public hospitals and clinics in Los Angeles County, and is the United States' second largest municipal health system, after NYC Health + Hospitals. DHS ope ...
operates the Central Health Center in Downtown Los Angeles. The Southern California Liaison of the California Department of Education has its office in the Ronald Reagan State Building in Downtown Los Angeles. The
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Los Angeles Branch The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Los Angeles Branch, is the Southern California branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, located on West Olympic Boulevard and South Olive Street in southern Downtown Los Angeles. It is withi ...
is located in Downtown Los Angeles.


Economy

DTLA is a node in the tech economy that extends beyond Silicon Beach. A venture capital firm counted 78 tech-oriented firms in DTLA in 2015. This included mobile apps, hardware, digital media and clean-tech companies plus co-working spaces, start-up incubators, and other related businesses. The Arts District has become a popular spot for companies seeking out something different from typical modern offices. The central location is accessible from various parts of the Los Angeles Basin. The cultural life has also made the area attractive to young tech employees. Anschutz Entertainment Group has its corporate headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles. BYD Company, a Chinese technology firm, has its North American headquarters in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Last Bookstore The Last Bookstore is an independent bookstore located at 453 S Spring Street, Downtown Los Angeles. ''Conde Nast Traveler'' called it California’s largest new and used bookstore. History The store was founded in 2005 by Josh Spencer. The fi ...
is an
independent bookstore An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned. Usually, independent stores consist of only a single actual store (although there are some multi-store independents). They may be structured as sole proprietorships, c ...
that was called California’s largest new and used bookstore by '' Conde Nast Traveler'' in 2019. Cathay Bank has its headquarters in the
Los Angeles Chinatown Chinatown is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles, California, that became a commercial center for Chinese and other Asian businesses in Central Los Angeles in 1938. The area includes restaurants, shops, and art galleries, but also has a reside ...
.


Education

Downtown residents aged 25 and older holding a four-year degree amounted to 17.9% of the population in 2000, about average in the city and the county, but there was a high percentage of residents with less than a high school diploma. These are the elementary or secondary schools within the neighborhood's boundaries:
"Downtown Schools," Mapping L.A., ''Los Angeles Times''
* Ramon C. Cortines School Of Visual And Performing Arts, Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts,
LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...
high school, 450 N. Grand Ave. * Downtown Business High School, LAUSD alternative, 1081 W. Temple St. * California Academy for Liberal Studies Early College High School, LAUSD charter, 700 Wilshire Blvd. * Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High School, LAUSD charter, 644 W. 17th St. * Abram Friedman Occupational School, LAUSD adult education, 1646 S. Olive St. * Metropolitan Continuation School, LAUSD, 727 S. Wilson St. * Para Los Ninos Middle School, LAUSD charter, 1617 E. Seventh St. * Jardin de la Infancia, LAUSD charter elementary, 307 E. Seventh St. * Saint Malachy Catholic Elementary School, private, 1200 E. 81st St. * Tri-C Community Day School, LAUSD, 716 E. 14th St. * City of Angels School, LAUSD alternative school, 1449 S. San Pedro St. (formerly Central High School) * San Pedro Street Elementary School, LAUSD, 1635 S. San Pedro St. * Saint Turibius Elementary School, private, 1524 Essex St. *
American University Preparatory School American University Preparatory School (commonly referred to as AUP) is a private, for-profit, four-year, co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), i ...
, private, 345 S. Figueroa St. The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising is at 800 S. Hope St., and the
Colburn School The Colburn School is a private music school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Dance Academy. It is located adja ...
for music and the performing arts is at 200 S. Grand Ave.


Emergency services


Hospitals

Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center is located in the South Park district of Downtown LA at 1401 S. Grand Ave. The 318-bed community hospital has been providing high-quality care to residents of the district and its neighboring communities for over 126 years. Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center is known for its wide range of medical services, from women's health and maternal child to orthopedics and cardiology. The hospital also operates the only Level II Trauma Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and its emergency room treats over 70,000 patients each year. The hospital's neighbors include Staples Center, L.A. Live, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and the Fashion District.


Fire services

The Los Angeles Fire Department operates the following fire stations in Downtown Los Angeles: * Station 3 (Civic Center/Bunker Hill) * Station 4 (Little Tokyo/Chinatown/Union Station/Olvera Street) * Station 9 (Central City/Skid Row) * Station 10 (Convention Center area)


Police services

The
Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...
operates the Central Area Community Police Station in Downtown Los Angeles.


See also

* Central Business District, Los Angeles (1880–1899) *
LAMP Community LAMP Community (originally the Los Angeles Men's Place) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization located in Skid Row that seeks to permanently end homelessness, improve health, and build self-sufficiency among men and women living with severe ...
*
List of tallest buildings in Los Angeles The tallest building in Los Angeles, California, is the Wilshire Grand Center, which is tall and became the tallest building in 2017. It is also the tallest building in the state, the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, and the ...
* '' Los Angeles Downtown News''


References


External links


Central City Association of Los AngelesBlogdowntown community siteDowntown Los Angeles Art Walk, a California public benefit companyDowntown Los Angeles neighborhood guideDowntown Los Angeles crime map and statisticsUSC Dornslife Downtown Walking TourImage of Downtown Los Angeles and Glendale Freeway seen from Eagle Rock, California, 1984.
Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
DowntownLA
Downtown Center Business Improvement District


Videos

* {{Authority control
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
Central Los Angeles Economy of Los Angeles Neighborhoods in Los Angeles