now’s your chance: public input needed for broadway streetscape plan
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Broadway, running through the heart of Downtown LA, was once home to magnificent movie palaces and historic department stores where a broad Angeleno middle class once shopped, dined and gathered.
The corridor is still bustling with activity, though many of those architecturally significant details have fallen into disrepair, the department stores and theaters converted into swap meets in the decades following a post-World War II suburbanization push.
In recent years, a citywide effort to restore historic properties and convert them to residential uses has gained steam as former commercial buildings have become loft housing. Broadway itself has seen several “adaptive reuse” projects take hold, including the acclaimed Eastern Columbia Building, the Judson Lofts and the Chapman Building.
But in order for Broadway to shine as one of the city’s premier destinations, the public and private sectors have to work together to make it happen. In short, the city needs to fix the street.
That’s where you come in.
Bringing Back Broadway is a partnership between city government and local property owners working to restore the architectural heritage of the district and to include programmatic uses that are conducive to the original intent of the properties.
Under that umbrella, the Broadway Streetscape Plan is a set of projects that will enhance the pedestrian experience with a focus on street furniture, lighting, sidewalk infrastructure and signage. Public input is needed to identify those improvements most wanted by the community.
On February 17, 2009, the community is invited to the Broadway Walk, a self-guided tour of the corridor. From the public invitation on Facebook:
This Broadway Walk is the kickoff for the community process that will inform the Streetscape Design — come and share your input! All are welcome!
1. Meet at The Chapman Building * — Get inspired by what other communities are doing to improve their streets.
2. Take a stroll at your own pace along both sides of Broadway — Share your vision for the Broadway Streetscape. Tell us what you think is special about the street and what could be improved or changed.
3. Bring your camera to document what you see! — We will solicit your photos to share with everyone via Flickr after the Walk.
4. Return your completed worksheet to us at The Chapman Building.
* Check-in and receive worksheet forms at The Chapman Building starting at 4:00 PM, then embark on a self-guided walk to observe and compile input. We recommend allowing 60 minutes or more to walk both sides of Broadway, from 2nd Street to Olympic. The Chapman Building base camp will be open from 4:00–7:00 PM.
See you on Broadway!
Broadway Walk
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
4:00pm–7:00pm
Meet at the Chapman Building, 756 S. Broadway (at 8th Street)
Want new sidewalks? Benches? Trees? Let us know your ideas in the comments!
61 comments
with no disrespect to those that’s business function on Broadway… but alot of them will have to be closed to or fixed up. There is such a disrepair among so many shops. Ugly old signage that was just built into some beautiful buildings - some seem irreversible. How many wedding dress shops do we need? How many shops selling bootlegged toys that look dingy and dusty?
I’d like to see Broadway cleaned up and turned into a bustling, metropolitan street with theaters and classsic movie houses return and department stores return and take over these eye-sore swap meets - but then all of what I’d like to see also conflicts with my views on the gentrification of downtown - i don’t want to see the culture replaced that already exists there - I guess I just wanna see places that have more pride in their business and don’t look so dumpy…
I don’t really know what I’m saying…
Turn Broadway into a non-auto zone between 4th and 9th street. It works in so many other cities why not here. (except for residents of course)
Those stores are not going away for 20+ years. It’s been talked about over and over, they’re paying high rent. Like a building owner is going to spend a ton of money to renovate for attracting an upscale restaurant who would pay less $ for sq ft.
Add benches, trees… thats all cool, but you’re not going to get rid of those shops.
Continue to clean the facade of these old buildings changing the windows and changing old signage with new ones. Also just painting over old dirty walls makes a huge change.
It would be nice to move those swapmeat stores to Santee Alley but I don’t see that happening in the near future.
I’ve got to agree with Michael on this one … no disrespect to the business owners on Broadway but if there is a big push to reinvigorate the area they are going to need to go at some point.
The streets need a makeover and theaters need to establish themselves as the place to be in the area, then ever so slowly things will change over (much like the area around State Street in Chicago).
However, I wonder if Broadway theater and such events would attract enough attention in Los Angeles to help spurn a change in the area. I say this because LA has so much to offer, to so many different people. It’s not as if the theater and a few sports teams are the only game in town. There are a million places to see a concert, show, movies, the attractions of the LA area and so forth.
I’d love to see it happen but I’m an optimistic skeptic at this point
First and foremost, get of the all of the disgusting businesses currently on the street. I know it won’t happen, but those things are the biggest blight on broadway.
It’s like a frickin’ 3rd world country walking down Broadway…you barely hear anyone speaking english and almost every store is blasting horrible music (don’t they even understand what a sound ordinance is?).
Close down the repetitive run down retail for a start.
Okay, let’s set some parameters: Things BESIDES the retail. Streetscape stuff. I don’t think Bringing Back Broadway has any power or authority with regard to retail.
The city needs to work to clean up the side walks. If the city doesn’t work to keep the streets clean and safe do you really think the businesses will too?
Theres nothing wrong with the shops and they can very well co exist with the movie houses if they were all renovated.
I love Broadway the way it is and rather have it with the current mix of shops then looking like say Old Town Pasadena.
The street needs some community love and elbow grease not some uncalled for remarks about the language spoken or dress shops.
Broadway could be a even more beautiful street but I would hate to see it lined with Gaps and Pottery Barns.
(Unfortunately I’m at work from 5pm till 2am so looks like Ill be missing this)
By all means, I’m no expert in this field, but I really think what has to change is how business licenses are handed out. I can’t believe how many of the same business selling the same products you can find on one block. When anyone applies for a business license is this even a consideration? What we really need is not gentrification, it’s organization.
In terms of the movie palaces, it’s a great time to refurbish them. With digital film becoming more and more prevalent, what a perfect time to retrofit them with digital projectors and new sound systems while keeping the allure of the early days of cinema alive. That has to be cheaper than building a new theatre right?
Here are a few things the City could do to promote a cleaner, more attractive and pedestrian friendly Broadway-
1. Replace the current tree planters with more permanent and substantial street landscaping.
2. Install more street lighting - Preferably historic replicas
3. Widen sidewalks
4. Repair/Clean sidewalks - There are some great original materials in front of some buildings that are a real asset
5. Increase number of trash cans to discourage littering
6. Create a signage program for the district that is more than vinyl streetpole banners
7. Improve bus stops and coordinate with proposed street car route
8. Open up Biddy Mason park to the street, it is currently an afterthought
9. Do something about that building on 4th Street that burned a couple years ago - That scaffolding has been there FOREVER. Is there a law against this??
10. Install bumpouts at intersections and crosswalks
11. Introduce street parking in some areas
Why not make it a signage district?
And no, it would NOT ruin the architecture…..
No matter what, I agree with the rest. Broadway’s become Tijuana. I love culture, but no matter what you do to fix up the sidewalk, it doesn’t matter if you have dirty businesses with filthy patrons. We don’t need a Pottery Barn, but those shops create 95% of the blight.
It will take a lot to convince me that repairing the sidewalk or planting a tree will do anything to make Broadway better without a substantial change in the mindset of building owners and their tenants.
Everyone’s obsessed with Broadway but I think that Spring Street has much more potential for revitalization. We know that the Broadway retail isn’t going away so why not focus on a street that has empty storefronts, gorgeous architecture and new buildings filled with new residents ready to go shopping?
Li has a better idea for the moment. The retail tenants on Broadway have been paying the mortgages and earning the profits for the property owners of the street for years. Ever wonder why many of those buildings are not accessible above the first floor - the ground floor tenant pays enough rent to cover everything, and there were no tenants to occupy the space upstairs.
By redoing Spring, and Main Street that has already been happening, then Broadway will naturally fall into place, but it will take around 20 years or so, as some of those tenants have long leases.
Unless of course, someone builds a better Hispanically-appealing retail shopping area outside of the downtown area that attracts the customers of these merchants, and thus forces them to walk from their sites as the shopping patterns of their customers will be changed, and forever!!!
Change the demand side of the equation, not the supply side.
All I ask is for more trash cans, not just on Broadway but throughout Downtown. I’ll walk around and have a smoke, but, when I’m done, there’s usually no trashcans or ashtrays around. I was recently in Downtown Washington DC, and there are trashcans or ashtrays everywhere. This will hopefully discourage people from littering the streets as well.
More lighting!
Brightness will make me feel safer there!
Li said it. Spring street should be the focus - the buildings are just as beautiful, if not more so, and many are vacant or underutilized. Existing businesses would not have to be pushed out/ instead a vibrant alternative could be created. It is really poised to become a vibrant walkable corridor if the focus is there, and if BBB see this, and reaches out to make it happen. True the broadway theaters are gems, and if possible to make some of them viable agian, then absolutely do so.
All of the points the jgmg makes are valid/ great common sense improvements that should be applied to Spring street as well. Main st. at 4th is the center of the historic core now, and this area should expand out, down main street, and encompass spring street between 3rd and 9th as well.
Residential buildings are opening up all along Spring street: the Rowan, and El dorado, and new buildings on spring and 8th, (NCT and Great Republic lofts) and all of Barry Shy’s beautiful (despite what you may think of him, you cant deny that most of his buildings are truly magnificent) buildings: SB Manhattan, SB Lofts, SB Tower, SB Spring, SB Main the Bartlett, all add to the existing Spring Tower Lofts, Premiere towers, City Lofts, and the Security lofts at 5th, the Douglas building at 3rd .
It really is primed, and the “bringing back broadway” initiative should really reevalutate their mission and consider changing it to “bringing back the historic core”. (i searched for a like clever alliterative phrase, but oh well, a better concept trumps a clever alliteration.) Imagine a spring street with a beautiful green park with trees, surrounded by restaurants, cultural venues like theaters LATC, and little independent retail stores that are open into the evening. Its happening now, and a shift of focus to encourage it would certainly help.
BBB should consult with South group because they understand streetscapes, Downtown Properties and Tom Gilmore, because they understands independent retail, and KOR because they understand design, and how to reach out to retail that previously would not even think about moving downtown.
i honestly think that, that whole corridor needs to be shut off to traffic and from 2nd to olympic, make it a grand pedestrian boulevard. trees along the sidewalks, long stretches of grass, innovative water features/fountains, outdoor art, bright retro lighting, seating, trash cans, a small plaza for performances, shows, outdoor speeches or gatherings. as far as the actual businesses that are there, i’m sure if city officials were doing their jobs, they would find numerous building and operational violations and shutter those spaces. i don’t think they all should be shuttered, but give these businesses guidelines similiar to those of a neighborhood association in regards to following certain asthetic aspects, charge a small monthly or yearly fee to cover cleaning and adding signage, be it awnings with the same color or window decals, that the business can have their logos added to. and yes, a few chain or larger named stores or companies do need to be brought in because once they start spending money, others will follow suit, just establish some guidelines so that smaller businesses aren’t pushed out. as far as accessing those places, provide non-stop shuttle services via trolley or open air vehicles, similar to the grove or americana. and there are ample places to build parking structures along broadway accessible via hill and spring, just allow those that live, work at, or own businesses with broadway addresses a nicely reduced rate to park their vehicles. or everything i just said can just go in one ear and out the other and we can have this same conversation 10 years from now…see you in 2019!
I actually had a business on Broadway and yes, everyone is right about the streets and the lights, but it was really the unresponsiveness of the city employees that kept me from having a decent retail space. One of the streetlights went out and it took almost 3 months before even someone came to just look at it. Needless to say, there would be several days where I would walk out of my store and trip over a homeless person camping right in front!
Also, they should REALLY try to beef up regulations on some of the stores around there because ALOT of them are not legit, meaning there is no proper documentation of ANYTHING! I got sick of dealing with the landlord of my building too because I don’t think even he was running the place legitmately—water pipes busted once and we had no running water for a day, electricity went out, rats everywhere, etc.
i dont think you guys understand that whole movie palace set up,they were built by movie companies to showcase there movies,i mean it could happen but were talking about a standard house that seats 2500..itll be hard to pack the place.however i do think that they should have some sort of expanded version “last remaining seats” maybe a once a month thing where all of the theatres are open and you can have your choice of what movie to see.that way the word gets out and then you have people who might want to invest.
also bringing shows back to them would be great,the big thing would be parking but that would be solved if the “people mover” gets installed,you could park and ride..explore and go see a show.bottom line there needs to be something to do on broadway other than ridding the red car and going shopping.
lighting
trash cans/ash trays
more trees
better maintnace on the streetscape
and
movie palace/concert venues
thats what im seeing so far
I can’t make it to the meeting on the 17th. Below are my comments.
1) Contract with an established movie theater company to coordinate with the theaters on placing new movies in them. Los Angeles is a movie city, not a musical city. Lofty goal: Work with the movie companies to premier movies there before releasing it to the nation.
2) Create a signage district. This will help brighten and liven the street.
3) Close the street completely or reduce it to two lanes, widen the sidewalks, plant trees, allow for street parking and sidewalk patios, and install bike racks.
4) Let bars and clubs stay open till 4am.
greenscaping’s great, but it should be water-conserving … (grass and water features tough in this regard). native plants will fare better and require less to maintain.
rich, great topic, as ever — thanks.
The easiest way to clean up Broadway is to set up a few LAPD and I.C.E. Substations along the street.
This would help to get rid of a ton of the public drunks, gang members and illegal aliens, which would dramatically reduce the number of potential customers for the terrible, knock-off stores/bridal shoppes/horrible music stores/2nd rate toys and knick-knack stores.
Not only would the reduction in customer base result in the stores eventually closing, it would make Broadway feel like less of a foreign country.
Thomas R. Now we are to control the kinds of retail allowed? Seems a bit authoritarian to me. And “get rid of the illegal aliens?” Are you suggesting we all carry Identity papers? Hispanics bring in millions of dollars. And they have a very real historic foothold. And might I remind you the majority of those in the City are Hispanic. Should Hispanics only be allowed to open business and sell to Hispanics in approved areas?
Don
I hate to talk about Vegas and the Broadway Revitalization in the same sentence, but I have to say that I was impressed with what Vegas did to clean up their downtown area. I’m not talking about the gaudy “Fremont Experience” corrider/cover, but the bright lights and music/festive atmosphere does bring the tourists. And tourists spend money. Retailers like that.
Also, I was impressed about how Vegas was committed to keeping the street clean. I passed three men on their hands and knees scraping gum off the main walkway. That’s what Broadway needs, hardworking city maintenance workers (and the city council’s commitment to funds) who are willing to work hard, everyday, to keeping the city streets clean, even if it means getting on your knees. Not just a superficial street sweep once a month.
yes, the type of retail allowed should be controlled…how many bridal shops, latino music stores and knick-knick stores that all sell the same thing are needed in a 4 block stretch?
As for illegal aliens, they shouldn’t be catered to at all…they should be removed. One other posted said it correctly: broadway already seems like a 3rd world country. Part of taking back broadway should be an effort to stop this.
I agree. People who are here illegaly have no social obligation to anyone but themselves. They can come and go as they please with their false IDs. Not only do they take advantage of our neighborhoods, but they are also taken advantage of by greedy employers, landlords, etc. If there is so much illegal activity going on in the maintainance of these buildings as leesa suggests, wouldn’t investigating that be a great place to start? I’ve heard stories of reputable people aquiring buildings in Downtown on the cheap by doing just that.
Firstly…These last few comments seem slightly racist to me. Just because someone is Latino does not mean that they are illegal aliens.
Secondly…Broadway does not need to have all Hispanic retail taken out of it. It merely needs: more lighting, store front upkeep codes, new signage, a few coffee shops, reuse of the old movie theaters (either in the form of concert venues, or actual movie venues), and trash/recycling containers.
Half of the joy of Broadway should be the fact that so many cultures can cohabit on this particular street.
I kinda like that Broadway gives me the feeling that I’m in another country. They should just clean it up but don’t get rid of what the place is known for. Downtown should invest in making each street have its own specific purpose. Broadway can be the 3rd world area, Spring street can be the restaurant and gallery row, another street can be the nightclub and nightclub eateries section. etc;
As a business owner on Broadway, I am trying to do something to make Broadway nicer. I think that many people don’t actually walk around their own hood. I have seen lots of new places going in, granted not all on Broadway, but if there were incentives & outlets to tell people about the new places that would be great. I don’t have the budget to do mass advertising & probably lots of you don’t even know my business exists on Broadway. Come check us out siptea & see the changes that ARE being made. http://www.siptea.biz 852 S Broadway.
Taken all around, I like JGMJ’s (#11) suggestions. A few things I’d add:
1. As others have said, maybe Broadway’s rejuvenation will “spring” mostly from Spring & Main’s rejuvenation. Focus on that and Broadway will benefit, too.
2. From what I’ve heard and read, crime is not a major issue here. So what’s with the folding metal doors that close up the street at night? After 6 or 7 the street looks like something out of Blade Runner. Ban those damn things.
3. Minor point Rich….There was no post-war “push” to the suburbs. People were “drawn” to the burbs…not pushed there. This was made possible by a post-war economic boom, GI loans and cheap gasoline. Similarly, people need to be “drawn” back to town, not pushed there.
4 . Following with #3, the shopowners (and their shoppers) on B’way were drawn there by cheap rents made available when the “anglos” left for the burbs. So let’s not blame Latinos for being on B’way.
5. And it’s been said before but a streetcar line, more trees, wider sidewalks, and maybe enforcement of a noise ordinance, if there is one, would be steps.
6. Finally, return the north facade of the Los Angeles Theater to match the ‘unmodernized’ south facade. That north facade has always pissed me off.
It’s just a minor point, but development standards, infrastructure incentives and investments very much discouraged urban infill/development. It was as much “pull” as it was “push.”
But again, that’s neither here nor there. Also, I totally agree about the north face of the LA Theatre. When the hell did THAT happen?
I don’t want movies on Broadway — you can find that anywhere. I want theatrical productions (plays and musicals). What LA lacks is a true theater district.
Seems Mr. Thomas R is attempting a White Homeland for Broadway, LOL. Will the police/ICE check the IDs of anyone looking Hispanic? How about Asians or Blacks, maybe they’re from China or Africa and not the US. Are they to be stopped? This is totally silly. Sort of neo-fascist, like Germany 1936. The reality is that Hispanics have a right in Downtown like anyone else. And not liking the complexion or businesses because it’s too 3rd World is simply racist. Don
The LAPD/ICE folks should get rid of ALL illegal aliens…it doesn’t matter there they’re from.
“not liking the complexion or businesses because it’s too 3rd World is simply racist”
Racist? If white-trash/asian/afrian/european folks were littering the sidewalks and blasting their music with no regard for the noise ordinance, barking out what they have for sale over a PA system or setting up multiple stores selling the same knick-knack junk items, THEY’D be adding to the 3rd world type of environment too…
The area is like a 3rd world country not because of the people directly, but because of how the people use and maintain the area. If asian folks set up rice patties or white trash folks were cooking up meth…I’d still feel the same.
Messy, sloppy and noisy with the same 5 types of stores every 300 yards…just like any marketplace in any 3rd world country that I’ve ever been to, which is quite a few. Yes I’m offended that my neighborhood seems like a 3rd world country, because America isn’t a 3rd world country.
Perhaps someone is just a bit too sensitive because they KNOW that this is one of the issued, but chooses to deflect it.
Much of what’s been said here is unrealistic (limiting business licenses) and pointlessly racist. Nevertheless, it does bring up the fact that streetscape improvements alone aren’t going to fix Broadway. Much of the problem lies with the buildings and tenants themselves. Broadway (and much of Downtown Los Angeles) need some strict codes and ordinances to eliminate blight and become more pleasant and walkable.
One of the key things that will change the feel of the street is getting rid of the metal roll-up doors and replacing them with curtain-wall glass storefronts w/ security mesh on the inside. This will also stop shop-keepers from creeping their business into the street and blasting music outside. Along with this, we need a restriction in sign height. And building owners whose properties are filthy need to be fined, fined enough so that it’s cheaper for them to clean the building that to leave it dirty and in disrepair.
It’s unrealistic to think we can apply these ordinances retroactively, but perhaps the city can make street improvements- sidewalk repair, lighting, furniture, trees- dependent on property owners making these changes.
As to the issue of the retail being monotonous, with the needed improvements, I think we’ll see the character of retail change on Broadway.
Oh, and since someone brought up Spring St:
I think it could easily accommodate wider sidewalks (traffic flow is relatively low), perhaps a grade-separated bike-lane and/or angled parking. And I realize that I’m dreaming here, but it would look great with a cobble-stone look/texture.
westsidelife #34…yes there are alot of movie theatres in la,but not alot of older theatres showing classics.i think that a mix use movie/live production thing would bring more people to broadway i.e.
“oh girl i just saw mildred pierce at the globe…”
“oh really im gonna see rob lowe in ‘some kind of wonderful’ live on stage..its gonna be off the hook”
lol but you get what im saying,if the movies are shown like once a month to generate enough people to fill the house im sure it would be worth having.
and i do agree with you on la not having a theatre district,but also remember la is a movie city.
^ “LA is a movie city”…
You can go see movies anywhere. We need to make Broadway special.
Movies would not give a West LA or Valley resident any reason to travel all the way cross town when they could just go to their local Renaissance/AMC theater, instead.
The only way DTLA can be successful is if it offers things you can’t find anywhere else in the city.
The latin stores have propped up Broadway for years. I’m pretty confident in saying that we still have as much as we do on Broadway because of those businesses. Anyhow, that’s unimportant and whoever brought that up is truly pathetic. My own experience with the latin culture tells me that if theaters attracted people into the night, along with street improvements and a street car, those businesses would extend their hour to cater to theater goers. If more people are there at night, along with more police presence, it’s likely we’d say goodbye to the metal roll up doors. If these businesses remain so horrible to this day, it’s my belief that it’s because buildings owners and the city have long disregarded the area. A little sprucing up would go a long way toward lifting the pride of the community, both businesses and residences alike.
As far as the theaters.. it’d be my preference if it were live theater. A little unknown fact. LA has more theaters than any other city on the face of the planet. However, they’re all movie theaters. We don’t need more movie theaters. Thank you.
for the record im not trying to get new movies donw on broadway…only older ones pre 1967.with all the theatres down there i dont see why 3 or 4 older palaces showing some old movies would hurt.
I agree with the lack of streetlife… just moved in this month to the Judson on Broadway/4th, and the streets were nearly empty and boarded up by 7pm. If the theatres were restored for movies/musicals, etc., restaurants, cafes, etc. would open longer to cater to pedestrian traffic. Look at Hollywood Blvd’s revival, which was quite desolate and a major blight in the late 80s.
As for the Latino/ethnic businesses, I think they can coexist and improve the neighborhood too - like Koreatown along Western Ave. Many of the landlords should be held to more strict maintenance standards, or be forced to pay more for overall improvement costs along Broadway Ave given its historic importance. Perhaps a historic designation or more zoning requirements like on Hollywood Blvd (if that’s what happened… I don’t recall)? Hope to make it on Feb 17.
Charlie Sheen —
I think showing old movies on Broadway would be great, but I don’t see it as something that would happen daily — perhaps a showing every Saturday evening, or so. I don’t think it would spark enough interest, although it’s a great idea. Old movies could also be shown in the park (Civic Park, when it’s completed). That would be fun too.
Recommendation: make Broadway only accessible for pedestrians, taxis, buses, and delivery trucks.
Anyone here ever been to Las Ramblas in Barcelona? I think it serves as a good model for Broadway revitalization efforts.
Restore it to its historic beauty. Think Oldtown Pasadena or the Gaslamp in SD. Preservation if the historic architecture will also bring income from films looking for local spots to shoot period pieces. For god’s sake, don’t start tearing down old properties and modernizing buildings so that in 20 years when the trends change everything will look gawdy again.
yeah westsidelife i was thinking more of a once a month thing…on one saturday once a month they show classic movies in about 4 movie palaces,for one day and one day only.then that way if there is a live performace it wont disturb the sets and whatnot.
How about giving me 24 hour parking actually adjacent to the judson…grrrr
I would love to see some more stores open late night on Broadway. The Rite aid closes at 7! I need a 24 hour bodega type deal….hell give us one of the hundreds of famimas opening to the north.
The truth is that the shops on Broadway don’t currently cater to the diverse new group of residents in the area. This is why most of us don’t bother shopping there. I’m not saying they should all go away but there should be some diversity in offerings.
As someone who frequents many of the businesses also utilized by the immigrant and illegal alien population and as a frequent angelenic reader, I’m surprised the anti-illegals/immigrants comments took 24 posts to finally post. I hope those ideas are from the minority of angelenic readers as well as downtown residents/fans.
Broadway went down the tubes after WWII when everyone went suburban. The Los Angeles and California economies having been built on a foundation of illegal and immigrant labor created the scene we see today where Broadway feels more akin to Mexico City than to a main street in an important Pacific Rim and of course American city.
Right now Broadway’s shoppers consist of more of “them” than “us”. There aren’t that many of us new residents downtown as it is. So Broadway shall continue to cater to who is there. Want to change Broadway, shop and eat at the businesses that cater to what you want. Even if it’s only Sip Tea.
I am all for the revitalization of Broadway. I foresee an opportunity for the street to cater to diverse populations which will ultimately benefit us all. But after decades of neglect, it is why it looks the way it does today.
Please just don’t turn it into Third Street Promenade or Old Town Pasadena and especially not that horrific L.A. Live where corporate America prevails and uniqueness is scorned.
I do recommend people checking out El Huarache Veloz on Broadway just south of the Rite-Aid and 5th Street for amazing Mexican food in the regional style of Mexico City. The food there is amazing. Also people seem to be hesitant about shopping at Grand Central Market but I’ve always enjoyed the various vendors of dry goods (grains, beans, mole, tea, etc.), produce, seafood and of course the various ethnic food stalls. I doubt any of you’d go to “La Fiesta” which is the nameless business next door to Grand Central Market that has live entertainment, cheap beer and a sense of having woken up in Mexico. The same is true of La Casa India across the street and they have a better food menu if you like Mexican and Salvadorean food.
There are more non-white business recommendations for Broadway, but I’ve said enough for now…
I agree with 32. Ban the folding metal “doors”. They’re awful and make the street seem more dangerous than it is. The city should steam clean the sidewalks regularly. Plant more trees!
First off, many of the business owners on Broadway are not Hispanic or Mexican, but either Arabs (some are Christian Arabs, not all Arabs are Muslim), Persians, Armenians or Russians. As are a lot of the building owners. Some are Israeli and/or Jewish. It’s mostly the customers that are Mexican or Central American.
It’s not the shop owners that are responsible for the crappy looking buildings and storefronts. It’s the landlords that are responsible for the upkeep or lack thereof, and I blame them.
Yes, absolutely we don’t need multiple shops selling cheap luggage and tube socks.
In fact, I think Mexican and Central Americans would also like some more upscale stores to shop in. I think Tiffany’s or stuff like that would NOT work, but that’s what Beverly Hills is for. But Pottery Barn or Cost Plus World Imports would not do badly, and I’ll bet Mexican people would even shop there. How many shops selling cheap radios do we need? Okay, one or two, but on Broadway there’s many more than that.
Clearly, just a small adjustment is needed. Just a few more types of stores and a good scrub down would go a long way towards making people feel better about Broadway.
Clearly you guys don’t know the pleasure that is browsing mexican electronic stores for bootleg ipods the size of 80’s walkmans.
someone should ask the Target exec who was posting on the thread about the Macy’s closing about opening up a target.
Broadway needs a 2 story Gap like the one in time square and the one near the Kodak theater ……the rest will follow……maybe even a Hard Rock!
So glad to see the interest in this subject, we hope you’ll participate in the Broadway Streetscape Walk this Tuesday Feb. 17 and register your ideas about the Broadway pedestrian experience with the design team!
For your info, here’s an update on how the Broadway Streetscape Walk will go, including the topics for discussion at each of the eight interactive stations which will be set up along Broadway:
(1) Meet at The Chapman Building —756 S. Broadway (at 8th Street) Open House format from 4-7pm (leave at least an hour to finish walk before 7pm) Get inspired by what other communities are doing to improve their streets.
(2) Take a stroll at your own pace along both sides of Broadway — Share your vision for the Broadway Streetscape. Tell us what you think is special about the street and what could be improved or changed.
Eight interactive stations will be set up along the route, staffed by members of the design team, to discuss and receive input on:
* Green Streets (environmental-friendly ideas)
* Street Design
* Character/Historic Influence
* Transit Stations
* Design Palette
* Paseos/Open Space
* Curb Extensions/Crossings
* and Pedestrian Safety & Comfort
(3) Please bring your camera to document what you see! — We will solicit your photos to share with everyone via Flickr after the Walk.
(4) Return your completed worksheet to us at The Chapman Building. The Chapman “basecamp” for the walk will be open from 4-7pm.
Thanks and we’ll look forward to your input.
Jessica Wethington McLean
Executive Director, Bringing Back Broadway
Office of Councilmember Jose’ Huizar
http://www.BringingBackBroadway.com
There is a stunningly common belief that a Broadway without automobiles, etc. would be ideal. In a downtown core that is so behind the trend of reinvigoration as compared to even smaller cities, LA needs to preserve every form of vitality it still has. Like it or not, car and bus traffic help enhance the safety of pedestrians, or their sense of safety, particularly during off-hours for businesses, when Broadway is essentially lined by a steel wall of riot gating. There are so many more examples of unsuccessful pedestrian-only principal downtown streets in US cities, than not. LA must carefully weigh ways in which all modes of transport can co-exist in as aesthetically appealing a way as possible.
Uh, when did Broadway become a neighborhood accune to Queens?
Seriously? Is the Hollywood Redevelopment Agency hogging ALL of the pressure washers for the sidewalks in this town? There’s step one.
Downtown, like the rest of the country, needs change. But in my short 30 years of being a TRUE native (no offense to those who consider themselves natives after 5 years), the talk of Downtown revitalizing has come and gone numerous times. But recently I’ve only taken it seriously within the last 3 years. (Housing boom to blame?) This can seemingly happen this time as long as the conversational momentum and public interest remains as it is. As long as these exploratative (sp) groups keep meeting, and making the powers that be realize this needs to happen. I mean, Manhattan was @$$ for far too long, then the city finally started to take action. Some valiant moves, kicking out the homeless, and fixing up building facades (Where did the homeless go in Time Square anyway?) was dealt with.
This is Los Angeles’s turn. Villaragosa can finally have a great highlight to his administration. Granted, we spoiled Americans have far greater causes we should fight for; education, health care, et al. But, this would definelty set the stage.
But seriously, Hollywood, can downtown borrow ONE pressure washer? It would create a job! Something everyone can agree, would help the economy.
One theatre that has been renovated and continues to evolve is the Million Dollar Theatre. Hopefully it reaches its potential…but have your heard about the apartments above the theatre…Grand Central Square Apartments…they are pretty nice…and affordable.