the modernist's guide to iconic wilshire boulevard - CicLAvia

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5 Westlake/MacArthur Park 5. MacArthur Park Postcard showing Westlake Park by moonlight, c. 1930 Westlake Park, created out of a mud pit and garbage dump, became a civic attraction by the turn of the twentieth century, and was ringed by grand structures serving city elite by the 1920s and 1930s. The 1934 viaduct connected Wilshire Blvd. to downtown, permitting car travel right through the park. Yet by the time the park was renamed for General Douglas MacArthur in 1942, the area around it was already considered an investment risk by federal housing agents that financed suburbanization. The park and its surrounding neighborhoods shifted with the times, serving diverse populations and orientations by the 1950s and 1960s, the tens of thousands of Central American immigrants fleeing civil wars and violence by the late 1970s and 1980s, and as a central locale for social services by the 1980s and 1990s, when it was also the hub for the LA drug market and gangs. Revitalization in decades since has come from the public art program of the 1980s, the 1996 completion of the Metro line, downtown’s renewed economic vitality, and the conversion of commercial buildings into housing. The park’s recreation center, soccer fields, and informal economy of vending have restored its dense utilization. The historic bandshell—originally built in1896, replaced in 1957, and a modern icon in part for hosting break dancers and hip hop artists in the 1980s—was restored in 2007 and hosts regular concerts. Throughout this time, the park has continued to host May Day gatherings and serve as a rallying point for parades, strikes, and boycotts.
6 Westlake Theatre Richard Bates, 1926; S. Charles Lee, 1936 636 S. Alvarado St. The nearly 2,000-seat theater (operating until 1991) broadcast its offerings with an intact three-story neon sign. Bustling with activity as a swap meet, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) purchased the building in order to restore it; with the CRA’s disbanding, future plans are not clear. On the southern wall is a mural by Hector Ponce, Los Angeles Teachers (1997), featuring Jaime Escalante and the man who portrayed him in the movies, Edward James Olmos. 6. WESTLAKE THEATRE SIGN Detail of rooftop neon sign Photo by Aaron Paley. 7 Langer’s Delicatessen Unknown architect, 1932 704 S. Alvarado St. Al and Jean Langer opened their delicatessen in 1947 and it has been an LA institution since, now also offering curbside service. Even by 1947, the Jewish population, which had peaked in this area in the late 1920s, was heading west or to the suburbs. Yet the Langer’s continued to serve this neighborhood. Langer’s still wins prizes around the world for its mile-high, $14 pastrami sandwich, though as you walk in you are more likely to hear Nuahuatl than Yiddish spoken. LANGER’S 7. DELICATESSEN Entrance and sign on 7th Street Photo by Aaron Paley.
Page 1 and 2: THE MODERNIST’S GUIDE TO ICONIC W
Page 3 and 4: About the Podcast As part of Pacifi
Page 5 and 6: 1. ONE WILSHIRE/DOWNTOWN LA Aerial
Page 7: 3. 110 harbor freeway Postcard show
Page 11 and 12: 10 American Cement Building DMJM, 1
Page 13 and 14: 15 Lafayette Park Senior Citizen Ce
Page 15 and 16: 17 High Society Unknown architect,
Page 17 and 18: 21. tishman towers Triplet highrise
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Page 21 and 22: 28 Tidewater (Getty) Oil/ Harbor Bu
Page 23 and 24: 32 Lee Tower W. Douglas Lee and D.
Page 25 and 26: 36 Seibu/Ohrbach’s/Petersen Autom

the modernist's guide to iconic wilshire boulevard - CicLAvia

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