Historic Core, Los Angeles

The Historic Core is a district within Downtown Los Angeles that includes the world's largest concentration of movie palaces,^{[citation needed]} former large department stores, and office towers, all built chiefly between 1907 and 1931. Within it lie the Broadway Theater District and the Spring Street historic financial district, and in its west it overlaps with the Jewelry District and in its east with Skid Row.

Historic Core
Neighborhood
Eastern Columbia Building
Historic Core Location within Downtown Los Angeles
Coordinates: 34.05349°N 118.245319°W / 34.05349; -118.245319
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles County
City	Los Angeles
Named	1990s
Zip code	90013
Streets	3rd Street, 4th Street, Broadway, Hill Street, Main Street, Olympic Boulevard, Spring Street

The Historic Core falls into two business improvement districts, Historic Core (south of 4th St.) and Downtown LA (from 2nd to 4th Street). The total Historic Core is thus composed of:^[1][2][3]

• Los Angeles Street from 2nd to 6th streets,
• Spring Street and Main Street from 2nd to 7th streets,
• Broadway from 2nd to 9th streets,
• Hill Street from 2nd to 10th streets

History

The Historic Core was the central business district of the city from the first decade of the 1900s through the 1950s. Before 1900 the business center was further north, between the Plaza and about Third Street.^[4][5] Starting in the 1950s what is now the Historic Core started to decline. Upscale shopping had moved west to the Seventh & Hope area starting in the 1920s, and to Mid-Wilshire by the 1930s. When consumers lived and worked near the prolific streetcar lines, it was relatively easy for them to reach downtown, the hub of both the Los Angeles Railway and Pacific Electric systems. Now, an ever increasing number of consumers had cars, lived further away from downtown, and due to the proliferation of suburban retail, were able to shop, dine, and go to the movies there without worries about downtown parking and traffic congestion. In addition, after World War II, financial institutions moved several blocks to the west, ending up on Figueroa Street, Flower Street, and Grand Avenue. In the 1950s the Historic Core became the center of Latino retail and entertainment in the city, e.g.: the Million Dollar Theatre featured the biggest names in the Spanish language entertainment world. This paralleled the general white flight occurring in Central Los Angeles at the time, which saw Broadway become a major center for Latino life in the city.

Although prostitution and drug dealing had occurred in the area as far back as the early 1920s, they became epidemic in the 1960s. The area's movie palaces, built between 1911 and 1931, became grindhouses. The last of them closed in the 1990s; the Orpheum Theatre recently underwent a complete restoration at a cost of several million dollars, and is now used for major movie premieres (such as "Collateral" in 2005), celebrity events (Michael Jackson's birthday party), comedy shows (Bill Burr), fashion shows, concerts (Opeth), and plays. Most of the older buildings have stores that cater to the Latino immigrant working class.

The developing street gang problem in Los Angeles which began to worsen at the end of the 1960s and got considerably worse in the late 1970s, also hurt traditional commercial activity in the area, as it did much of downtown. While the LAPD indicates that the area is a sort of neutral zone, which has not been claimed by any single gang and random gang violence is rare, the area remains one of the major areas for street drug sales in Los Angeles.

Redevelopment

See also: Broadway (Los Angeles) and Downtown Los Angeles

In 1999, the Los Angeles City Council passed an Adaptive Re-Use Ordinance, allowing for the conversion of old, unused office buildings to apartments or "lofts." Developer Tom Gilmore purchased a series of century-old buildings and converted them into lofts near Main and Spring streets, a development now known as the "Old Bank District." Other notable redevelopment projects in the Historic Core have included the Eastern Columbia Building, Broadway Trade Center, Higgins Building, The Security Building, the Pacific Electric Building, The Judson, and the Subway Terminal Building. As of 2005, redevelopment projects in downtown Los Angeles have been divided about evenly between rentals and condominiums; though projects near the Staples Center arena in the South Park neighborhood have been overwhelmingly dedicated to condominiums.

Map of landmarks

Landmarks are shown on the following street grid of the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles.

Abbreviations B.    Building Ctr    Center Dept Store, DS, ds    department store H.    Hotel HCM    L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument 🅿️    parking (lot or structure) 🏠    residential use ret    retail Th.    Theater/Theatre T&SB    Trust and Savings Bank Text, colors etc. Blue    Banks Brown    Residential apts./condos Gold    Jewelry marts/shops Green    Retail (except jewelry) Orange    Hotels Purple    Theaters, cinemas Non-italic text    Current building name or tenant Italic text    Demolished or previous name/tenant

Architectural styles AD    Art Deco BA    Beaux-Arts BR    Baroque Revival Chur    California Churrigueresque CR    Classical Revival GR    Gothic Revival IRR    Italian Renaissance Revival It    Italianate NC    Neoclassical Nov    Novelty architecture Rom    Romanesque RR    Renaissance Revival SE    Second Empire SG    Spanish Gothic Vic    Victorian

Architects AR    Alfred Rosenheim ACM    Albert C. Martin, Sr. BMP    B. Marcus Priteca C&B    Curlett & Beelman CB    Claud Beelman CHB    Carroll Herkimer Brown[6] CHC    C. Howard Crane D&F    Dennis & Farwell EPC    Eli P. Clark EM    Ernest McConnell FN    Frederick Noonan GAL    G. Albert Lansburgh GEB    George Edwin Bergstrom GW    George Wyman HA    Harrison Albright HT&W    Howard, Train & Williams[7]

JM    Julia Morgan JP    John Parkinson LLS    Loy L. Smith[8] M&W    Morgan & Walls MW&C    Morgan, Walls & Clements MW&M    Morgan, Walls & Morgan N&W    Norton & Wallis P&B    Parkinson & Bergstrom RB    Reid Bros. (James and Merritt) RBY    Robert Brown Young S&W    Schultze & Weaver SH    Sumner Hunt SOC    Stiles O. Clements W&E    Walker & Eisen WLW    William Lee Woollett

For the area north of Third Street, see Victorian Downtown Los Angeles

For the area to the west of Hill Street, see Financial District, Los Angeles

H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T H I L L S T R E E T

250  333 W. 3rd Conservative Life B. aka Western & Mutual Life B. 1901⁠-⁠?d HT&W⁠[9]⁠[10]⁠[11] now 🅿️

259  1895– SH Irvine Byrne B. 1899–1911 I. Magnin/ Myer Siegel 2007– Pan American Lofts

B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y B R O A D W A Y

257  1899 RB Douglas B. So. Pac. RR ticket office now Douglas Lofts

S P R I N G S T R E E T                   S P R I N G S T R E E T                       S P R I N G S T R E E T                       S P R I N G S T R E E T                       S P R I N G S T R E E T                 S P R I N G S T R E E T

256  Stimson B. 1893⁠–⁠1963 CHB now 🅿️

M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T M A I N S T R E E T

L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T L O S A N G E L E S S T R E E T

THIRD ST.

THIRD ST.

THIRD ST.

THIRD (orig. MAYO) ST.

300  F. P. Fay Bldg 1904⁠–⁠90d D&F[12]⁠[13] now 🅿️ garage

301⁠–⁠313  1895⁠–⁠1917d Muskegon Block 1918 WLW/ACM Chur Million Dollar Th.

300–310  Bradbury B. 1893 SH/GW Wilson Court former alley  312-6  Gilbert Block c.1900–c.60 Central Th. 1929–c.57[14] now Guadalupe wedding chapel

301–311  Washington B. 1912 P&B[15]

300–4  J. B. Lankershim[16] Bldg a.k.a. National Title[17] Bldg 1897–1959d RBY[18]  301–9  Schwartz Block 1888⁠-⁠d⁠[19] Hotel Jackson 1890s Citizens Nat'l Bank/ Cotton Exch Bldg 1906-?d [20]⁠[16]⁠[17]⁠HA now Reagan State Bldg 1990

300–4  Thom Block d⁠[21] Milan H. Blakesley H. Lewis drugstore[22] now 🅿️[23]

126–30 E. 3rd Empire/ Unique Th. 1905 RBY now 🅿️

Toy District

Angels Flight

312-322   315–325  1897 JP Homer Laughlin B. ds 1898–1905 Coulter's ds 1905–17 Ville de Paris 1917– Grand Central Market

318-22  Blackstone B. 1906–pres RBY Blackstone DS 1906-17 The Fair Cozy Theater 1930s-50s[24]  324-6  Shannon B.  328-30  Boos Bros Cafeteria  332-4  So. Cal. Music  336-8  Gray B. 1950s: Central Stationery & Printing Co.

337-41  Salisbury Block  343-7  Hogan B.

308–314   311–317  Round House a.k.a. Garden of Paradise 1850s–1889 [16][17]c.1890–? 311–3 Pinney Bldg [25]⁠315–7 Pridham Block 319–25 Turnverein Hall (Turnhalle)/ New Star Vaudeville Th. 335–9 Belasco Th.

312–324  Panorama B. 1880s-1984 Rotunda (rear) 1887⁠–⁠1907: Siege of Paris panorama/[26] stables⁠/icerink 1907–52: Adolphus/ Hippodrome Theatre[27] now 🅿️

357–361  1913–d Black B.[28] now Pershing Sq. ‍

331–335  ds 1900–35 Jacoby Bros.  355–363  1898/1902 JP Grant Bldg jewelers Montgomery Bros. shoes W. E. Cummings

340  Trustee B. 1905 PB  350  O. T. Johnson Block 1895 It RBY  356  O. T. Johnson Bldg 1902 JB Rom

361  Citizen M hotel 2021–

354  Hellman Bldg 1903 AR now HWH 🏠

103 W 4th [29]1897 M&W Hotel Van Nuys now Hotel Barclay⁠🏠

332–346  Hotel Westminster 1888⁠–⁠1960d RBY now Medallion Apts⁠🏠

335–399  Germaine [30]Bldg d [22]Edison H. now retail, 🅿️

FOURTH ST.

FOURTH ST.

FOURTH ST.

FOURTH ST.

400–412  Hotel Clarendon/ Hotel Sherman 1895–1939 now 🅿️ lot  414–434  Wilson Bldg/ Occidental Hotel/ Clark Hotel ?–1913  401–5  J. A. Williams Dry Goods/ Broadway Department Store Building 1895– 1914d 1915: 401–23 B'way, 414–34 Hill were joined as the: Broadway Dept Store Bldg 1915 P&B 1999 renamed Junípero Serra B. #2 The Broadway Department Store 1896–1973 State of California offices 1999–present

400  Mason B. c.1897–d[31] Perla on Broadway 🏠 2020

Angelus Hotel 1901⁠–⁠56d JP[32] now 🅿️

400  Continental Bldg 1902 JP/GB BA a.k.a. Braly Block now Continental Lofts  410  Isaias W. Hellman Bldg Annex 1914 MW&M BA now Hellman Lofts 🏠

401  Farmers and Merchants Bank Bldg 1905 MW&M BA  411  Isaias W. Hellman Bldg 1905 MW&M BA now Hellman Lofts 🏠

400  San Fernando B. 1906 IRR

Toy District

417  Subway Terminal B. 1925–55 Pacific Electric now res Metro 417

436–8  Boos Bros. Cafeteria St. Clarenden H.

443–7 ?–⁠1911 Brockton Shoes ds 1911⁠–⁠22 Myer Siegel ds 1922⁠-⁠c.1927 Bon Marché 5&10¢ 1927⁠–⁠mid⁠-⁠90s:  J. J. Newberry's Fallas Paredes ds 1996-2022

424  Judson C. Rive B. 1907

433 Title Insurance & Trust Co B. 1928 UCLA Extension

416  Stowell/ El Dorado Hotel 1913 FN El Dorado Lofts Dog Park

(411 W. 5th) 1929-30 P&P AD Title Guarantee B. now 🏠

(515 W. 5th)  451–459  1913 JP⁠/⁠GEB RR  Metropolitan B. 1914⁠–⁠34 Owl Drugs 1913⁠–⁠26 Public Library Foreman & Clark ds c.⁠1915⁠–⁠28 1916⁠–⁠28 Janss land dev. Fallas Paredes ds 1996⁠-⁠2022 Now small/vacant retail, Downtown Metro Lofts

Chester Williams B. 1926

453  Spring Arts Tower P&B Citizens Nat'l Bank 1915–63 Crocker Bank 1963–70s Pacific Stock Exchange 1970s Now art studios, The Last Bookstore

460  Rowan B. 1912 The Rowan 🏠

451  1914 P&B BA Hotel Rosslyn now Rosslyn Lofts

121 E. 5th King Edward Hotel 1906 P&B now 🏠.

FIFTH ST.

FIFTH ST.

FIFTH ST.

FIFTH ST.

PERSHING SQUARE

Pershing Square ‍

Fifth Street Store ds

518  Roxie Th.  528  Cameo Th.  534  Arcade Th. now retail

501  Hotel Alexandria 1906

510  Security Bldg 1907 PB Security T&SB now Security Bldg Lofts

514  Hotel Rosslyn Annex

500–2  Charnock Block 1889 Vic/SE Pershing Hotel now New Pershing Apts

501  Baltimore Hotel 1910 now 🏠

538⁠–⁠546     Spring Arcade     537⁠–⁠543   (a.k.a. Broadway Arcade) 543 Desmond's ds 1915–24

514  Security T&SB 1916 JP BA now L.A. Theater Center

545  🅿️

550  Topaz Apts 2018

550   Paramount Th. International Jewelry Ctr

555–61   ds Swelldom

556–558   ds Silverwoods (1904–74) now Broadway Jewelry Mart

(215 W. Spring)  561  1910 JP/GEB Trust & Savings Bank Bldg 1910 L.A. T&SB 1922 Pacific SW T&SB now Randolph Lofts

548  Marley Lofts

560  Santa Fe B. 1908 M&W BA now Santa Fe Lofts

SIXTH ST.

SIXTH ST.

SIXTH ST.

SIXTH ST.

Consolidated Realty B. 1908/35 now California Jewelry Mart Sun Realty B. 1931 L.A. Jewelry Center  635  Harris & Frank B. 1925 Harris & Frank 1925⁠–⁠50 now Wholesale Jewelry Exchange

606   Western Jewelry Mart  608  William Fox B. 1932 Fox Jewelry Plaza

601-605  1907 P&B H. Jevne Co B. grocer 1907–20 H. Jevne 1921–31[33] Bedell Dept Store 1936–8 Jacoby's 1940–? Zukor's[34] now Three One Four apts  615  Los Angeles Th.

600–610   Walter P. Story B. 1909 MW&C BA Mullen & Bluett ds  616  Desmond's ds  620   Schaber's cafeteria  630   Palace Th. 1911 GAL RR  644   Joseph E Carr B. 1909 HH W & J. Sloane 1909–1935 Brooks Clothing Co 1935–47 Harris & Frank 1947⁠–⁠80  648  Boos Bros. Cafeteria 1916 Clifton's Cafeteria 1935–

601   Hotel Hayward  621   E. F. Hutton 1931  625   California Canadian Bank 1923  639   Barclays Bank 1919

600  United California Bank B. 1961 CB U.C.B. HQ 1961–73 now Thurman Lofts  618  Stock Exchange B. 1931 P&P CM L. A. Stock Exchange Pacific Stock Exch. now ExchangeLA nightclub  626  Mortgage Guaranty B. 1913 City Lofts  632–4  Banks & Huntley B. 1930 P&P AD

610  Pacific Electric B. 1905 Pacific Electric Lofts  640  Hotel Cecil 1924–pres LLS[35]

651–7  410 W. 7th 1920 BMP BA Pantages/ Warner Bros Th now Jewelry Theater Center

640–50   639–59  Bullock's ds 1907 P&B now St. Vincent Jewelry Ctr

656–666  (219 W 7th) Haas B. 1915 MW&M BA now 🏠, hotel, retail

215 W. 7th  651–3  Bartlett Bldg 1911 P&B Union Oil HQ 1911–23 2002–pres 🏠

650  Bank of America Bldg 1924 S&W now Jaide Lofts

SEVENTH ST.

SEVENTH ST.

SEVENTH ST.

SEVENTH ST.

701  Foreman & Clark B. 1928 C&B AD/NG Foreman & Clark ds

703  State Th.

700  Hotel Lankershim 1905⁠–⁠80s d now 🅿️ w/1st floor retail  720  Z. L. Parmelee B. 1907 Parmelee Co. gas/electric fixtures  722  Sassony B. 1909 Barker Bros. furniture 1909⁠–⁠1936 at 724⁠-⁠732 728–734 is now 🅿️ w/1st floor retail  740   Garland B. 1913 MW&M NC Globe Th. orig. Morosco Th.

701   Van Nuys Bldg M&W 1911 RR now Van Nuys Apts

700–4   140 W. 7th Financial Center Bldg N&W 1924 BA[36]

700   Dearden's ds 1909-2017

[37]⁠ 757–61   401–15 W. 8th [38]⁠Title Insurance & Trust Co ?–1928 Garfield Bldg 1930–pres

Union Bank & Trust Co. B. 1922 C&B now Union Lofts

756   Chapman B. 1912 EM BA HCM #899 orig. L.A. Investment Co B. now Chapman Flats

755   Griffin on Spring 🏠 24 fl. 2018

756  Great Republic Life B. 1927 W&E BA Gr. Rep. Life now Gr. Rep. Lofts

EIGHTH ST.

EIGHTH ST.

EIGHTH ST.

EIGHTH ST.

825  1922–63 RKO Hillstreet Th. now 820 Olive / 825 S. Hill 🏠

830   801  May Company B. Hamburger's ds 1908–1923 May Company ds 1923–1986 Broadway Trade Center –2015 retail, garment manufacturing planned retail, offices, hotel[39]

802  Tower Th.   1927 BR  812  Rialto Th.   1917 AD/CR  842  Orpheum Th.  (1926 BA)

200 W. 8th 1923 Lane Mortgage B. now The Craftsman

810  National City Tower 1924 AW/PE⁠⁠[40]⁠[41]

810  California Th. 1918–90 BA

824  Gray B.

855  Coast Fed. Savings B. 1926 JM

850  The Alexan planned 26 fl. 🏠

849  Eastern Columbia B. 1930 CB AD 1930–57 Eastern Col. DS 2006–pres Eastern Col. Lofts

833  City Club B. 1925 LLS⁠[42]

851  Harris Newmark B. 1926 C&B RR

860  Cooper B. 1926 C&B Cooper Design Space

NINTH ST.

NINTH ST.

NINTH ST.

small retail

912  May Co Garage B.1926  939  South Park 🏠

901  Blackstone's ds 1907–1917 1927 W&E/CHC SG  929  Cal. Petroleum/Texaco B. 2014–24 Ace Hotel now STILE hotel 1927⁠–⁠89 United Artists Th. 1989 Gene Scott's church 2014–24 Th. at Ace Hotel now United Th.

910  Gerry B. 1947 SM

OLYMPIC BL.

(formerly TENTH ST.)

OLYMPIC BL.

1000  53 fl 🏠 Olympic & Hill

1026  S. Broadway Broadway Palace Apts 2017 S. Hill  1001–51

1038  1927 SOC Mayan Th.

1023  1925 W&E BA Western Pacific B.

1061  White Log bar/rest. 1932 Nov[43]

1050  1926 MWC Chur Belasco Th.

1060  L. A. Railway HQ 1925 now Hoxton Hotel

ELEVENTH ST.

ELEVENTH ST.

ELEVENTH ST.

1111  Sky Trees Tower planned 43-fl. 🏠[44]

(146 W. 11th St.)  1101  1914 Herald Examiner B. newspaper 1914–89 Herald Examiner

1100  Commercial Club (Chamber of Commerce social club) 1926 C&B RR now Proper Hotel

1101  110 W. 11th Harris B. 1923 BA

See also

Within Downtown Los Angeles

• Broadway (Los Angeles)
• Broadway Theater District
• Central Business District, Los Angeles (1880-1899)
• Old Bank District
• Spring Street Financial District