Broadway is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Mission Road in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood and heads due west (although signs along the street read "North Broadway"). After crossing the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5), it curves to the southwest, passing through the old railyards north of Downtown before descending into Chinatown, passing through Central Plaza and the Dragon Gate. After crossing César Chávez Avenue and the Hollywood Freeway, Broadway enters the Los Angeles Civic Center. It then passes the Los Angeles Times building at First Street and enters the historic Downtown commercial district.
From Downtown, it continues south into South Los Angeles for about another 10 miles (16 km), merging with Main Street just north of the San Diego Freeway in Carson. A section of Broadway in South Los Angeles was originally named Moneta Avenue.
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History
One of the oldest streets in the city, it was laid out as part of the 1849 plan of Los Angeles made by Lieutenant Edward Ord and named Fort Street. Fort Street began at the south side of Fort Moore Hill (a block north of Temple Street) at Sand Street (later California Street).
In 1890, the name of Fort Street, from First Street to Tenth Street, was changed to Broadway. The rest of Fort Street, from California Street to First Street, was changed to North Broadway.[1][2]
The Broadway Tunnel under Fort Moore Hill was opened in 1901, extending North Broadway to Buena Vista Street at Bellevue Avenue (later Sunset Boulevard, now César Chávez Avenue). In 1909, construction on a bridge across the Los Angeles River was begun to connect Buena Vista Street to Downey Avenue, which ran from the river to Mission Road. The names of Buena Vista and Downey were then changed to North Broadway.[3][4] The bridge, which continued to be referred to as the Buena Vista Street Bridge for a good while, was opened to traffic in late September 1911.[5]
For more than 50 years, Broadway from First Street to Olympic Boulevard was the main commercial street of Los Angeles, and one of its premier theater districts as well. It contains a vast number of historic buildings and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Before World War II, Broadway was considered by many to be the center of the city, where residents went to ornate movie palaces and shopped at department stores. Some historically significant buildings include the Bradbury Building and the Julia Morgan-designed Los Angeles Examiner building.
Virtually all of the movie theaters on the street have fallen into disuse and disrepair, and some were replaced with parking lots. The department stores have closed, but Broadway has for decades been the premier shopping destination for working class Latinos.[6]
Revival Plans
Currently, the Bringing Back Broadway initiative is working on reviving the famed Los Angeles boulevard. Led by City Councilman Jose Huizar the commission has recommended widening sidewalks, eliminating traffic lanes, constructing new parking structures, and even bringing back a streetcar, reminiscent of the city's past.[7].
Landmark Theaters
Between Third Street and Olympic Boulevard are a dozen historic theaters known as the Broadway Theater District—the largest surviving collection of pre-WWII movie palaces in the United States, including the 1918 Million Dollar Theater, the first Los Angeles movie palace built by Sid Grauman, the 1931 Los Angeles Theatre and the 1926 Orpheum Theatre.[8]
- Million Dollar Theater (1918)
- Roxie Theatre
- Cameo Theatre
- Arcade Theatre
- Los Angeles Theatre (1931)
- Palace Theatre (1911)
- State Theatre
- Globe Theatre
- Tower Theatre (1927)
- Rialto Theatre
- Orpheum Theatre (1926)
- United Artists Theatre (1927)[6]
Public transportation
Metro Local lines 2, 4, 30, 31, 40, 42, 45, 214, and 302 operate on Broadway, as well as Metro Rapid lines 730, 740 and 745.
See also
References
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Sep. 6, 1889, "City In Brief," p. 8.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Feb. 18, 1890, "No Title," p. 4.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Nov. 30, 1909, "A Literary Fog," p. II4.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Jan. 22, 1911, "The Lancer," p. II5.
- ^ Los Angeles Times, Sep. 24, 1911, "Majestic. --- Great Viaduct About Ready. --- Cars Run Over the Buena Vista Structure. --- Concrete Bridge Across Los Angeles River Weighs Nearly Forty Thousand Tons, Cost Two Hundred and Seventy-five Thousand Dollars—Without a Peer in West," p. II1.
- ^ a b DiMassa, Cara; Bloomekatz, Ari B. (January 28, 2008), "L.A. plans Broadway face-lift", Los Angeles Times: B1, B8, http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-broadway28jan28,1,1421189.story?ctrack=5&cset=true
- ^ Bringing Back Broadway
- ^ Geffner, David (January/February 2008), "Screen Gems", Westways 100 (1): 62–65
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Broadway (Los Angeles) |
- USC Geography Department Old Broadway page
- You-are-here Broadway Photo Gallery
- The Broadway Initiative of the Los Angeles Conservency
- The Broadway Theatre Tour
- Bringing Back Broadway Plan
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