Civic Center

Civic Center is a district in Downtown Los Angeles and the administrative core of the City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles, and numerous state and federal government offices and courthouses. The Civic Center district is in the northern section of Downtown Los Angeles adjacent to Chinatown, Little Tokyo, and Bunker Hill. The Music Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion are all located within the Civic Center district. Other significant buildings include, the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Los Angeles County Hall of Records, California State Building, Spring Street U.S. Court House, Los Angeles City Hall, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Los Angeles Federal Building.

 

Los Angeles City Hall

Los Angeles City Hall, completed in 1928, is the center of government for the City of Los Angeles. It contains the mayor’s office and the offices of the Los Angeles City Council. Los Angeles City Hall is in the Civic Center district of Downtown Los Angeles in the area bounded by Temple Street, First Street, Main Street, and Spring Street. The 32 story building has an observation deck on the 27th floor that is open to the public. City Hall was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1976.

 

Central Los Angeles

Central Los Angeles is a 57.9 square mile region comprising twenty three neighborhoods within the City of Los Angeles, as well as Griffith Park and Elysian Park. The population is over 900,000. Central Los Angeles includes Downtown Los Angeles, Chinatown, East Hollywood, West Adams, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Koreatown, Larchmont, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.

 

Los Angeles Convention Center

The Los Angeles Convention Center, constructed in 1971 and expanded several times, is a 720,000 square foot facility in Downtown Los Angeles. It is one of the largest convention facilities in the entire United States. The Los Angeles Convention Center hosts numerous annual conventions and other large events each year. It serves all of Southern California and beyond.

 

Central City Association of Los Angeles

The Central City Association of Los Angeles (CCA) advocates on behalf of Los Angeles businesses. It is the voice of businesses in the City of Los Angeles as well as Los Angeles County. CCA advocates for the business community before the Los Angeles City Council, the County Board of Supervisors, and the California State Legislature. CCA provides excellent networking opportunities for its members and many other valuable benefits.

 

Los Angeles Music Center

Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles Music Center, officially called the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County, was founded in 1964 and is commonly referred to as “The Music Center”. Located on 22 acres in Downtown Los Angeles, The Music Center consists of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with 3,197 seats, the Mark Taper Forum with 739 seats, the Ahmanson Theater with up to 2,007 seats, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall with 2,265 seats. Other venues include The Music Center Park and Grand Park. More than two million people attend performances each year. Resident Companies include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera, the Center Theatre Group, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The Music Center has several membership groups.

 

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), founded in 1979, is a contemporary art museum with locations in Downtown Los Angeles near the Walt Disney Concert Hall, in the Little Tokyo section of Downtown Los Angeles, and in the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. The museum’s exhibits are primarily American and European contemporary art created after 1940. Donors pay approximately 80% of the expenses of operating the three branches.

 

Triforium, The

The Triforium is the name of the 60 foot high, 60 ton sculpture at the Los Angeles Mall Civic Center complex located at the intersection of the Temple Street and Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles.

 

 

Los Angeles Plaza Historic District

El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic District

The Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, also known as El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic District, is a historic district located in the oldest area of Los Angeles. The district, located in Downtown Los Angeles, was the center of Los Angeles under Spanish rule (1781 - 1821), Mexican rule (1821 - 1847) and United States rule (after 1847). The area was designated a state historic monument in 1953 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Long before Spain claimed California, the Tongva People, also referred to as the Gabrielo Indians, established settlements along the Los Angeles River near the location of the Los Angeles Civic Center. Over time, the Tongva were removed and assigned to serve at the various Spanish missions in Southern California.

 

Pico House

The Pica House, also known as Casa del Pica, is a historic building in Downtown Los Angeles built between 1869 and 1870. It is part of the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District and was occupied by the last Mexican governor of Alta California, Pio Pica. The magnificent three-story building was a Victorian designed hotel with 80 rooms when it was constructed. The Pico House is listed as a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark.

 

Rio de Los Angeles State Park

Rio de Los Angeles State Park is a 247 acre California State Park in Downtown Los Angeles adjacent to the Los Angeles River and not far from Chinatown. The park includes several multi-purpose sports fields, a children’s play area, a wetlands area featuring native plants, and lots of green open space. Wildlife includes gray fox, coyotes, skunks, raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and rabbits. More than 170 different species of birds have made their come at Rio de Los Angeles State Park including egrets, heron, hawks, geese, ducks, gulls, doves, crows, and cormorants.

 

Olvera Street

Olvera Street is in the oldest section of Downtown Los Angeles and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Olvera Street was adjacent to the Original Chinatown, also known as the Old Chinatown which was razed to make space for Union Station. The New Chinatown is only a few blocks from Olvera Street. The Avila Adobe (1818), the Pelanconi House (1857), the Sepulveda House (1857), and twenty four other historic buildings have been preserved on Olvera Street. Today, Olvera Street is a popular tourist attraction, a living museum, a great place for Mexican food, and a fun place to shop.

 

Little Saigon

Little Saigon is a densely populated Vietnamese ethnic enclave covering about six blocks in City Heights, which is in central San Diego. The community is located south of Mission Valley and northeast of Balboa Park. The area includes many Vietnamese restaurants, and both social and cultural resources. The Little Saigon San Diego Foundation organizes a popular Vietnamese new year celebration each year and other community events.

 

 

Historic Filipinotown

Historic Filipinotown is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles and one of five Pacific Islander neighborhoods that receive federal recognition. They are Historic Filipinotown, Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown , and Thai Town. The Filipino Christian Church, built in 1915, is a historic cultural monument featuring German Gothic Revival and Craftsman architecture. The classic church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The community is home to the Filipino American WWII Veterans Memorial dedicated to the 250,00 Filipinos and 7,000 Filipino American soldiers who bravely fought during WWII.

 

Thai Town

Thai Town is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles and the only officially recognized Thai Town in the United States. The neighborhood consists of a six block area bordered by Los Feliz to the north and east, Hollywood to the west and Little Armenia to the south. On the first Sunday in April of each year, Thai Town celebrates the Thai New Year. People from all over Southern California join the popular celebration.

 

Little Armenia

Little Armenia is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles named after the hundreds of thousands of Armenian Christians who were murdered by the Islamic government during the Armenian Genocide perpetuated by the Republic of Turkey (then the Ottoman Empire or Turkish Empire) starting in 1915. It also honors the survivors. The genocide has been recognized by every country in the world except for the Republic of Turkey which still denies what took place. Armenian Genocide Memorial Day in Los Angeles is observed across Southern California on April 24 of each year.

 

 

Little Bangladesh

Little Bangladesh is a small neighborhood in Central Los Angeles consisting of a four block area. Officially designated by the City of Los Angeles, it is the cultural and culinary hub of the local Bangladeshi community. It includes many excellent restaurants, shops, and art galleries along with residential areas. The community is surrounded by Koreatown on all sides.

 

Little Ethiopia

Little Ethiopia is a neighborhood in Central Los Angeles located on Fairfax Avenue between Olympic Boulevard and Whitworth Drive. Carthay Square is to the west, Wilshire Vista is to the east, Fairfax Heights is to the southwest, Picfair Village is to the southeast, and Miracle Mile is to the northeast. The neighborhood is well known for its Ethiopian restaurants, markets, and other businesses. There is a large percentage of residents in the community from Ethiopia and Eritrea which borders Ethiopia.

 

Alvarado Historic District

The Alvarado Historic District is a designated historic district located just southwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Six homes and one church were designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in 1971 and the entire district was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The homes were built between 1902 and 1905. They include Victorian, Craftsman, Bungalow, Mission and Tudor style architecture. The six homes include the Boyle-Barmone House, the Cohn House, the Gilbert House, and the Kinney-Everhardy House. The church is the former First Church of Christ, Scientist built in 1912. The chuch was designed by Elmer Grey who was the famous architect that designed the Huntington Library, the Pasadena Playhouse, and the Beverly Hills Hotel. Anyone interested in architecture or construction should visit the Alvarado Historic District.

 

Avila Adobe

Avila Adobe, built in 1818, is the oldest standing residence in the city of Los Angeles. The structure is located on Olvera Street and is part of the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, a California State Historic Park. The building is a California Historical Landmark, a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The walls of the Avila Adobe are 2.5 to 3 feet thick and are made of sun-baked adobe bricks. The Avila Adobe is open for public touring during limited hours.

 

Lotus Festival

Every year, in July, since 1975, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks has sponsored the Lotus Festival at Echo Park Lake in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles just northeast of Chinatown and Little Tokyo. Festivities include good music, great food, boat races and a short film on the history of Echo Park and its famous bed of lotus flowers that have flourished in the lake since the 1920s.

 

Union Station - Los Angeles

Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS) is the primary railway station in Los Angeles and is the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States. It opened in 1939 and consolidated the rail services of the Santa Fe, Union Pacific, and Southern Pacific Railroads into a single terminal location. Los Angeles Union Station was the last major railway station built in the United States and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is owned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The original Chinatown in Los Angeles was demolished to accommodate the construction of Union Station. A new Chinatown was constructed and opened in 1938.

 

Los Angeles Historic State Park

The Los Angeles Historic State Park is a 32 acre open space park in Downtown Los Angeles located adjacent to Chinatown. The park offers walking paths, bike paths, picnic areas, and great views of the city. Several historic buildings are within walking distance. On the north side, the Flat Iron Building is the second oldest industrial building in Los Angeles, constructed in 1890. On the southern end of the park, the Capitol Milling Company building, constructed in 1893, can be viewed. The park is currently in development.

 

Solano Canyon

Solano Canyon is a canyon within Elysian Park and the name of a small residential community at the southern end of the Elysian Park community. It is north of Los Angeles State Park, Chinatown, and Downtown Los Angeles.

 

Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium is a 56,000 seat baseball park in Downtown Los Angeles, immediately north of Chinatown. The stadium overlooks Downtown Los Angeles, much of the Los Angeles Basin, and offers excellent views of the surrounding hills and San Gabriel Mountains. Completed in 1962, Dodger Stadium is home to the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League baseball team.

 

Los Angeles Central Library

Los Angeles Public Library

The historic Los Angeles Central Library in Downtown Los Angeles, constructed in 1926, is part of the Los Angeles Public Library system. The landmark has been renovated and expanded several times and now contains 538,000 square feet, an eight-story atrium, and seating for more than 1,400. The Los Angeles Library system operates 72 branch locations which include Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Koreatown, Pacific Palisades, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, West Los Angeles, Westwood, and Woodland Hills.

 

Elysian Park

Elysian Park is one of the largest parks in Los Angeles. The 600 acre park is located in the neighborhood of Elysian Park with a portion extending into Echo Park. Angels Point is a hill in Elysian Park overlooking Dodger Stadium and the Downtown Los Angeles Skyline. The park is home to Chavez Ravine Arboretum which opened in 1893. It contains more than one-hundred varieties of trees from around the world. Elysian Park was part of the original Spanish land grant for the Pueblo de Los Angeles settled in 1781. Chinatown is located to the southwest and west.

 

Pershing Square Park

Pershing Square Park, developed in 1866, is a large public park in Downtown Los Angeles that is both a concert and event center. There is a large parking garage below the park. The original name of the park, "La Plaza Abaja", was changed in 1918 to honor General John Joseph Pershing who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. The park is located between S. Olive Street and S. Hill Street, and between E. 25th Street and W. 6th Street across from the famous Biltmore Hotel.

 

Grand Park

Grand Park is a 12 acre park in the civic center of Downtown Los Angeles that includes much of the area between the Los Angeles City Hall on Spring Street and the Los Angeles Music Center on Grand Avenue.

 

Spring Street Park

Spring Street Park is a community park located in Downtown Los Angeles at 426 S. Spring Street. The park features a beautiful fountain and landscaping, benches, a large children’s play area, and lots of green open space.

 

Vista Hermosa Natural Park

Vista Hermosa Natural Park is a 10.5 acre park in Downtown Los Angeles located on First Street west of the Harbor (101) Freeway at Toluca Street. The park features a soccer field, extensive walking trails, streams, an outdoor amphitheater, a children’s play area, picnic areas, great views of downtown, and lots of green open space.

 

Wells Fargo History Museum – Los Angeles

The Wells Fargo History Museum features Wells Fargo’s heritage in Southern California starting in 1852. Exhibits include an original Concord Stagecoach, historic maps of the Los Angeles Basin, a recreated express office, excellent photos, and much more. The museum is inside the Wells Fargo Bank building at 333 S. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. The museum offers a great opportunity to learn about early California.

 

Figueroa Corridor

Downtown Los Angeles is anchored to the south by the Figueroa Corridor which is best known for being home to University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Exposition Park, and the Shrine Auditorium. The area is also home to numerous architectural landmarks particularly in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angles.

 

Exposition Park

Exposition Park is a 160 acre public space that is directly south of the University of Southern California main campus which is just south of Downtown Los Angeles. It is a rectangle bounded by Exposition Boulevard on the north, South Figueroa Street on the east, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the south, and Menlo Avenue on the west. Located within Exposition Park are the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the California Science Center, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the California African American Museum, and the Exposition Park Rose Garden.

 

California Science Center

The California Science Center, founded in 1951 , is a state agency and science museum located in Exposition Park in Los Angeles next to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the University of Southern California. The museum features numerous exhibits of aircraft and spacecraft, including Space Shuttle Endeavor which draws visitors from all over the world.

 

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, established in 1913, is the largest natural and historical museum in the Western United States. The world famous museum is located next to the California Science Center in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. Its collections include nearly 35 million specimens and artifacts and covers over 4.5 billion years of geologic history. The museum is associated with the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park and the William S. Hart Ranch and Museum in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Sawtelle Japantown

Sawtelle Japantown, also known as Little Osaka, or Sawtelle is a community in West Los Angeles along Sawtelle Boulevard primarily between Olympic Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard. The area has important Japanese American cultural and historical significance and a large Japanese American Population. The area should not be confused with the much larger Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles. Businesses include Japanese grocery stores, upscale sushi bars, Boba tea shops, several artisan stores, Japanese restaurants, and historic plant nurseries.

 

California African American Museum

The California African American Museum (CAAM), established in 1981, is a 44,000 square foot museum located in Exposition Park just south of Downtown Los Angeles. The mission of the museum is to “To research, collect, preserve, and interpret for public enrichment the history, art, and culture of African Americans with an emphasis on California and the western United States.” CAAM hosts various educational programs, and is home to numerous artifacts, objects of art, memorabilia, photographs and other exhibits of interest and value to anyone interested in American history. The museum is definitely worth visiting.

 

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena is a multipurpose arena located at Exposition Park near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on the University of Southern California campus which manages and operates both venues. All three facilities are just south of Downtown Los Angeles.

 

Grier Musser Museum

The Grier Musser Museum is a beautifully restored turn-of-the-century historic Queen Ann house just west of Downtown Los Angeles that displays fascinating, unique collections of antiques. The museum features various exhibits throughout the year. Those who are interested in the Victorian period and architecture will find the Grier Musser Museum a truly valuable experience.

 

Cathedral of Saint Vibiana

The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, built in 1876 in Downtown Los Angeles, is a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument and the former Catholic cathedral for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It was constructed in the Italianate architectural style. The property is now used as a special events center. It is one of the last remaining buildings from the early period of Los Angeles history.

 

Angeles Temple

The Angeles Temple, dedicated in 1923, is a National Historic Landmark and is on the List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles. The Angeles Temple is located at 1100 Glendale Boulevard in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles which is just outside of downtown. The temple was the central house of worship for International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and has a seating capacity of 5,300. During the 1920s and 1930s, the church was filled to capacity three times every day, seven days a week making it the largest Christian congregation in the world. The building is now the home of Angeles Temple Hispanic Church. The building is absolutely magnificent.

 

Neighborhood Council Meetings

There are currently 99 Neighborhood Councils in the City of Los Angeles, each serving an average of 40,000 people. A Neighborhood Council is an advisory body that advocates for their community on important issues affecting their neighborhood. Each council has a budget funded by taxpayer dollars. Board members are elected every two years. Each council meets monthly, where residents may express their concerns and make recommendations. Additional information is on the Los Angeles City website. See: Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles.

 

California State University Los Angeles

California State University Los Angeles, also known as Cal State LA, established in 1947, is a 175 acre hilltop public university in Los Angeles and is part of the California State University System. Monterey Park and Alhambra, which are in the San Gabriel Valley, are immediately to the east. The campus serves all of the San Gabriel Valley and a significant portion of Southern California. The student body averages over 23,000 undergraduates and over 4,000 graduate students. Cal State LA is organized into 9 colleges with over 50 academic departments, divisions, and interdisciplinary programs. The university offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 master's degree programs and 4 doctoral degrees. It also offers 22 teaching credentials. The founder of our company, Michael Chulak, is a graduate of California State University Los Angeles.

 

Los Angeles Trade-Technical College

Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC), founded in 1925, is a public community college in Los Angeles and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, the American Culinary Federation, and the League of Nursing. Average enrollment exceeds 17,000 students. The 25 acre college offers comprehensive courses in automotive technology, nursing, culinary arts, accounting , and construction.

 

Greater Los Angeles

Greater Los Angeles, also referred to as the Southland, encompasses five of the ten counties in Southern California: Ventura County, Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and Orange County. Major subregions include the Antelope Valley, Pomona Valley, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, and the South Bay.

 

Venice, Los Angeles

Venice is a neighborhood within the Westside of Los Angeles founded in 1905 as a seaside resort community called Venice by Abarca. It was an independent city until it was annexed by the City of Los Angeles in 1926. Venice is about two miles south of Santa Monica and Ocean Park and 14 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles. The ocean front community is known for its boardwalk, 1,200 foot long pier, its beach, and several miles of canals. Marina Del Rey is to the south and east.