Downtown LA Walks
Popular Routes: History (A)

You can't walk anywhere in Downtown Los Angeles without coming across part of the city's rich architectural heritiage.  The Los Angeles Conservancy offers a range of walking tours highlighting the history of the central city.  Below are a few highlights in the northern part of downtown.

Start on Alameda Street near the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue, to see...

1) Union Station (1939)
800 North Alameda Street

The last great railway station built in America, Union Station served as the gateway to Los Angeles for decades.  The premier father-son architectural team of John and Donald Parkinson designed this grand complex in a combination of Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco styles, making it both modern for its day and evocative of Southern California's heritage.  Its extraordinary design features soaring ceilings, garden patios, massive chandeliers and fine finishes in  marble, tile and bronze.  When it opened in 1939, Union Station served three different railroads and 7,000 people a day.  It still serves as a transportation hub now for subway, light rail, Amtrak and Metrolink passenger trains.  Beautifully restored, Union Station is both a local and national landmark.  Photo credit: Brigham Yen

 Cross Alameda Street to enter...

2) Olvera Street

Olvera Street is part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, widely regarded as the birthplace of Los Angeles.  The historic buildings lining the street include the Avila Adobe (1818), built by former mayor Francisco Avila; the Pelanconi House (1855), the oldest brick house in the city; and the Sepulveda House (1887). The street had declined considerably by 1903, when socialite Christine Sterling led a campaign to revitalize the street and adjacent plaza.  Olvera Street was closed to vehicle traffic in 1929 and opened with great festivity as a colorful Mexican marketplace on Easter Sunday, 1930.  Several of today's merchants descend from the original vendors.  Olvera Street continues to be a major tourist attraction, drawing as many as two million visitors a year.  Free docent-led and self-guided tours are available through El Pueblo and its docent organization, Las Angelitas.

Walk south on Main Street several blocks, then cross Temple Street to see...

3) City Hall (1928)
200 North Spring Street

Next to the Hollywood sign, City Hall is arguably the city's most widely recognized landmark.  This towering three-tiered building embodies all the energy and ambition of its day.  Designed by architects John Austin, Albert C. Martin, and John Parkinson, the 27-story building was the only structure allowed to break the 13-story height limit maintained by the city until 1957.  City Hall was Los Angeles'  tallest building from its completion until the late 1960s.  Although it incorporates Greek, Roman and Renaissance design elements, its spirit is purely American, symbolic of the optimism of 1920s California.  Seismically stabilized and restored to its original splendor in 2001, City Hall stands both as a monument to the era of its creation and as an example of historic preservation at its best.  Photo Credit: Los Angeles Conservancy

Head west (uphill) on Temple to Second Street, where you'll find...

4) Hall of Records (1962)
320 West Temple Street

The Los Angeles County Hall of Records is an outstanding example of post-World War II Modern civic architecture.  Designed by a team of architects led by Modernist master Richard Neutra, it is the only high-rise office building by Neutra in L.A. County.  It includes a number of technological innovations, most notably the massive 125-foot-tall louvers on the south-facing walls that move depending on light and cloud conditions to save energy and reduce glare.  Next to the main entrance on Temple Street is an 80-foot mosaic mural by renowned artist Joseph Young, depicting the county's main water sources through colored glass tiles, marble, granite, and water itself.  Though in need of maintenance, this unique building remains essentially intact and in original condition - a true rarity, particularly for mid-century office buildings in Downtown Los Angeles.

Continue up Temple to Grand, then cross Grand to explore...

5) Music Center (1964-67)

Now the Music Center/Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles, this striking complex includes three interrelated theaters on a sweeping plaza overlooking the Civic Center.  Designed by renowned Los Angeles architects Welton Becket and Associates, the Music Center was built in two phases over five years.  The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was the first theater constructed and is the most imposing, enclosed in a freestanding colonnade.  The interior lobby with massive chandeliers and sweeping staircase exemplifies 1960s sophistication.  The Ahmanson Theatre (1967) has been extensively remodeled.  The circular Mark Taper Forum (1967) is adorned with a striking low-relief sculpture.  The central sunken plaza was designed to integrate the three buildings while serving as a public gathering space, becoming an integral part of the complex.

Head east on First Street, back down the hill.  Cross Broadway and go half a block more to see on your right...

6) Los Angeles Times Building (1935)
202 West First Street

The 1935 Los Angeles Times building is the oldest of the six buildings that make up Times Mirror Square.  Designed by Gordon Kaufmann, who also designed Santa Anita Racetrack and Hoover Dam, the granite and limestone building won a gold medal at the 1937 Paris Exposition for its Moderne architectural style.  The circular Globe Lobby features a revolving aluminum globe five-and-a-half feet in diameter.  Its mosaic floor depicts a giant compass made of 13 types of marble from around the world.  Ten-foot-high murals, illustrating the production and influence of a newspaper, were painted by Hugo Ballin.   The murals were restored in 1990 after nearly 30 years of being covered by aluminum panels.

Continue down First Street, turn right (south) on Main and go south one block to see...

7) Cathedral of St. Vibiana (1876)
114 East Second Street

One of Los Angeles'  few remaining nineteenth-century structures, this Spanish Baroque cathedral was designed by L.A.'s first prominent architect, Ezra F. Kysor, with extensive renovations by John C. Austin in 1922.  It was nearly demolished in 1996, until an intense preservation effort by the Los Angeles Conservancy spared the cathedral as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles built its new cathedral on Bunker Hill.  After years of planning and painstaking restoration and rehabilitation, the cathedral building will soon reopen as a performing arts center, inspiring future generations of Angelenos.  Photo credit: Tom Zimmerman Photography

 Return to First Street, then head east (right) two blocks to San Pedro Street to see...

8) Little Tokyo National Historic Landmark District
North side of First Street between Central Avenue and San Pedro Street

Little Tokyo has been the center of Los Angeles' Japanese community for more than a century.  It includes a National Historic Landmark District of 13 pre-World War II brick buildings that illustrate the development of this close-knit community.  Anchored at one end by the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, the district is the focal point of one of the largest concentration of Nikkei (Japanese Heritage) in America.  During the internment of Japanese citizens in World War II, more than 6,000 Little Tokyo residents were forced to leave their homes and businesses.  It took decades for the neighborhood to come back to life after the war, yet it now thrives once again as a vibrant community with strong ties to its rich heritage.

The Los Angeles Conservancy offers a dozen walking tours of historic architecture in and near Downtown L.A.  For more information, visit www.laconservancy.org or call 213-623-2489.

Downtown LA Walks
Popular Routes: Historic Sites (B)

You can't walk anywhere in Downtown Los Angeles without coming across part of the city's rich architectural heritage.  The Los Angeles Conservancy offers a range of walking tours highlighting the history of the central city.  Below are just a few highlights in the heart of historic Downtown.

Start on the west side of Hill Street, between Third and Fourth Streets, at...

1) Angels Flight Railway (1901)
Hill Street, between Third and Fourth Streets

Angels Flight Railway is one of Los Angeles’ most enduring landmarks. Originally built in 1901, it was designed to carry passengers up and down the steep incline between downtown and Bunker Hill, then a fashionable residential district. The ride took one minute and cost one cent. Billed as the “shortest railway in the world,” Angels Flight is actually a funicular: its two cars, Olivet and Sinai, are counterbalanced and are connected to the same cable. The railway became threatened with demolition in 1959 as part of the Bunker Hill Urban Renewal Project. Although loyal riders and enthusiastic supporters won Angels Flight a reprieve, ridership declined over the next decade, and cars were dismantled in 1969. Twenty years later, Angels Flight was moved half a block from its original site, restored, and re-dedicated in 1996. The cars are now in storage while a new drive system is being installed in 2006.

Cross Hill Street to enter...

2) Grand Central Market (1897)
315 South Broadway

Grand Central Market (formerly known as the Homer Laughlin Building) was built by retired Ohio entrepreneur Homer Laughlin, founder of the Homer Laughlin China Company. It was designed by renowned architect John Parkinson and was the city’s first fireproofed and steel-reinforced structure. In 1905 the building was expanded through to Hill Street, and in 1917 the Grand Central Market opened on the ground floor. The market has more than 50 stalls, selling fresh produce, prepared food, coffee, and other offerings. In the early 1990s, the late developer Ira Yellin restored the Grand Central Market, Million Dollar Theatre, and Bradbury Building (see below), helping to launch the downtown revitalization that continues today.  Photo credit: Courtesy Grand Central Market

Exit Grand Central Market on Broadway, then look to your left at...

3) Million Dollar Theatre (1918)
307 South Broadway

One of the first movie palaces in the country, the Million Dollar Theatre was named after the amount reputedly spent on the project. Architect Albert C. Martin designed the theater for legendary showman Sid Grauman. Its lavish terra-cotta ornamentation includes whimsical Wild West imagery, including bison heads and Texas longhorn skulls. The interior is equally dramatic, with Spanish Baroque organ screens and a magnificent coffered dome. The theater is part of the Broadway National Historic Theatre District, with splendid marquees visible all the way down the street. (See #5.)

Cross Broadway at Third Street, and enter...

4) Bradbury Building (1893) 
304 S. Broadway

This magnificent building is the oldest commercial building remaining downtown and one of L.A.’s unique treasures. Behind its modest exterior lies a magical light-filled Victorian court that rises almost 50 feet with open cage elevators, marble stairs and ornate iron railings. The building’s design has been attributed to both Sumner Hunt and George Wyman. Many consider the Bradbury Building to be the first truly modern structure in Los Angeles, breaking from architectural convention and just as inspiring today as it was a century ago. The building is a National Historic Landmark, the highest level of historic designation in the U.S.  Photo credit: Bruce Boehner

Exit the Bradbury Building on Broadway, then head south (left) on Broadway and look up to see the marquees of...

5) Broadway Historic Theater District
Broadway between Third and Ninth Streets

In 1931, Broadway between Third and Ninth Streets was the West Coast equivalent of New York’s Great White Way. With a dozen major theaters in a six-block area, the Broadway district contained the highest concentration of movie palaces in the world at the time with a combined seating capacity of more than 17,000. The district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as a singular example of the rise of the entertainment industry in America. Most of these theaters are now shuttered and used as swap meets or film locations. Yet a crown jewel of Broadway, the 1926 Orpheum Theatre (near Ninth Street), was beautifully restored in 2001 and has spurred revitalization in the surrounding area. The remaining movie palaces on Broadway sit silently, waiting for their encore.

Go west one block to Hill Street and turn right to head north.  At Sixth Street, cross Hill  Street going west, go through Pershing Square, cross Olive Street, then turn right on Olive and look for the grand entrance of...

6) Millennium Biltmore Hotel (1923)
515 South Olive Street

When it opened to great fanfare in 1923, the Biltmore Hotel was the largest hotel west of Chicago. Architectural firm Schultze and Weaver designed the Biltmore in the grand Beaux Arts style with Renaissance Revival touches. The Olive Street façade of the hotel remains one of L.A.’s best examples of this type of architecture. The opulent public spaces of the Biltmore blend a range of architectural styles and a remarkable selection of finely painted murals by Italian muralist Giovanni Smeraldi and legendary Los Angeles artist Anthony Heinsbergen. The original lobby (now the Rendezvous Court) boasts a Moorish beamed ceiling and a giant Spanish baroque staircase leading to a 350-foot-long galleria. Now the Millennium Biltmore Hotel is one of the most often-filmed locations in Los Angeles. The hotel underwent several renovations in the late twentieth century, yet its historic spaces remain intact and unparalleled. Photo credit: Los Angeles Conservancy Archives, Courtesy Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

Exit the Biltmore on Grand Avenue, turn right, cross Grand at Fifth Street going west, and walk half a block to...

7) Los Angeles Central Library (1926)
630 West Fifth Street

The last work of the major American architect Bertram G. Goodhue, the Central Library is one of L.A.’s most beloved landmarks. Its design was remarkably innovative for its time, seamlessly blending the past with the modern age. It evokes ancient cultures from Rome to Egypt, as well as Spanish Colonial and other revival styles, yet its massive expanses of unadorned concrete and skyscraper-like profile herald modern architecture. The brilliantly colored tile pyramid at the building’s summit features a sunburst and a hand-held torch symbolizing the light of knowledge. When the library was threatened with demolition in the 1970s, concerned citizens formed the Los Angeles Conservancy to save the library and work to preserve other historic landmarks throughout L.A. County. Ultimately, the historic building was saved and restored, and architects Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates added a new wing on the library’s east side. In 2003, the Conservancy celebrated its 25^th anniversary by permanently lighting the mosaic pyramid atop the library.  Photo credit: Courtesy Los Angeles Conservancy

The Los Angeles Conservancy offers a dozen walking tours of historic architecture in and near Downtown L.A.  For more information, visit www.laconservancy.org or call 213-623-2489.