Exposition Park is a in the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

region of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California, in the Exposition Park neighborhood. Bounded by Exposition Boulevard to the north, South

Figueroa Street Figueroa Street is a major north-south street in Los Angeles County, California, spanning from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington north to Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, Eagle Rock. A short, unconnected continuation of ...

to the east, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the south and

Vermont Avenue Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north–south streets in City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, California. With a length of , is the third longest of the north–south thoroughfares in the region. For most of its length be ...

to the west, it is directly south of the main campus of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

. The park was established in 1872 as an agricultural fairground, the park is now notable for containing several significant museums and sports venues, such as the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the Los Angeles Coliseum or L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hal ...

BMO Stadium BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC ...

, the

California Science Center The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter) is a state agency and science museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the University of Southern Cali ...

, the

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are par ...

, and the California African American Museum. The park is a public open space, managed by the Sixth District Agricultural Association. It has served as the Olympic Park on two occasions (1932, 1984) and will again in 2028.

Features

Exposition Park houses the following: * LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium *

** Home of

Los Angeles FC Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. It was establi ...

and

Angel City FC Angel City Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The formation of the team was announced on July 21, 2020; it beg ...

* Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (under construction) *

** Home of

USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represents the University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate ...

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...

Theater ** Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center - Home of Space Shuttle ''Endeavour'' (under construction) * Exposition Park Rose Garden * California African American Museum * Wallis Annenberg Building, formerly the Los Angeles Armory * Concrete hand and footprints signed by Ed Begley Jr. of ''

St. Elsewhere ''St. Elsewhere'' is an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as ...

'' and other actors from medical TV shows such as ''

Ben Casey ''Ben Casey'' is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member ...

'' * EXPO Center (includes the LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium) and the Soboroff Sports Field (soccer). Originally managed in 2006 by Bentley Management Group, the Soboroff Sports Field was relocated to the contiguous parcel in 2018 to allow construction of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. * Science Center School and Amgen Center for Science Learning (formerly California National Guard Armory) The cultural facilities mentioned above are operated by both the state and

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

Former venues

* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

History

The site served as an agricultural fairground from 1872 to 1910 (hence its original name, "Agricultural Park"). In 1880, John Edward, Ozro W. Childs, and former California Governor John G. Downey persuaded the State of California to purchase in Los Angeles to foster agriculture in the Southland. Farmers sold their harvest and arces on the grounds, while horses, dogs, and even camels competed on a racetrack where a

rose garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped ...

now sits and blooms. In 1909, a group of civic-minded individuals led by former Pasadena Mayor Horace Dobbins set about reforming the park, removing the racetrack and other activities and replacing them with gardens and museums. At the

2028 Summer Olympics The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA 28, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place July 14–30, 2028, in the United States. Los Angeles ...

, the Coliseum will host Athletics as well as the main closing ceremony. The BMO Stadium will be one of the soccer venues.

Public transportation

Along the northern edge of the park, the Metro E Line

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

line serves the park with its Expo Park/USC Station. On the northeast, (Flower Street and 37th Street), the Metro J Line bus rapid transit serves Exposition Park & USC at its 37th Street/USC Station on the Harbor Transitway. The J Line station is located on the freeway median level of the 1-110 freeway.

Department of Public Safety

The Exposition Park Department of Public Safety provides law enforcement and security services to the Park. DPS officers are California

peace officer A law enforcement officer (LEO), or police officer or peace officer in North American English, is a public-sector or private-sector employee whose duties primarily involve the enforcement of laws, protecting life & property, keeping the peace, ...

s sworn under section 830.7 of the

California Penal Code The Penal Code of California forms the basis for the application of most criminal law, criminal procedure, penal institutions, and the execution of sentences, among other things, in the United States, American state of California. It was origin ...

and have peace officer powers of arrest while on duty. Since 2014, the DPS has been managed under contract by the

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...

, who provide management, leadership, training, and policy development for the DPS. The Chief of the Department is CHP Captain Adam Smith.

References

External links

Official website
— ''Exposition Park''.
University Park Family
— ''an online newspaper and social network focused on the neighborhoods around USC and Exposition Park, and the surrounding areas''.
Leimert Park Beat
— ''a collaborative online community focused nearby Leimert Park: "The Soul of Los Angeles and the African American cultural center of the city"''. {{coord, 34.014659, -118.287177, display=t, type:landmark Parks in Los Angeles Exposition Park (Los Angeles neighborhood) Landmarks in Los Angeles Tourist attractions in Los Angeles Museums in Los Angeles Neighborhoods in Los Angeles Olympic Parks California Natural Resources Agency South Los Angeles Venues of the 1932 Summer Olympics Venues of the 1984 Summer Olympics Venues of the 2028 Summer Olympics