Broadway Discussion Missing a Key Ingredient

Any attempt at flash will be a flash in the pan. At some point that will emerge in the fashion district, where it belongs.

Once upon a distant time there was Church Lane, a narrow thoroughfare which connected Fort (Broadway) with Hill. On the south side there was the (1868) First Methodist Church and on the north there is now Grand Central Market. That building with the blue paint on it (the remaining ground floor of Lane Dry Goods Department Store) leads straight towards Angel's Flight. That's where Church Lane was located.

How about a direct pedestrian connection between Broadway and the funicular - an intimate paseo with the sort of charm that Olvera Street has? And when it is not crowded, one can stand on the Broadway sidewalk and look directly at Angel's Flight and the Bunker Hill skyscrapers above/behind.

Now, about that grass covered hillside south of Angel's Flight: how can we make it easier to get up to the watercourt from the Redline portal? We need more housing for seniors; this time let's do it right!

psst.. Hey Eric! It was Thursday night I attended this event, not Saturday.

The Methodist Church is still in downtown - we just moved. Our services are held at the Villa Flores Community Room (Olympic and Flower) at 10 a.m. on Sundays.

We own the beautiful parking lot on the corner, and are in the process of building a new sanctuary. Fun Times!

Ginny-Marie: "We own the beautiful parking lot on the corner" - wow, a beautiful parking lot? Aren't we trying to get rid of these things?

Yes - we are. We are going to replace the parking lot with a sanctuary and hopefully more.

I agree completely. It was unfortunate that no representation of the retailers on Broadway were present. This was a clear oversight on the part of the organizers. Frankly, I doubt it even occurred to the organizers to include these stakeholders. I've noticed no one does. For example, the Downtown News never includes these stakeholders in their coverage of Broadway revitalization. These are the invisible stakeholders.

If you look at the composition of the panel, it is skewed politically towards institutional interests. Inclusion of the Bus Riders Union renders the whole panel suspect. The Bus Riders Union is essentially a fringe organization which has successfully inserted themselves into various conversations when in fact they are not representative at all of the interests of transit riders.

It would have been more useful if represenatives of the residential community, retailers and Broadway shoppers were present. However, language, class, and culture are real barriers here to building an effective coalition which can articulate the interests of the community. Heck, having a meaningful conversation would be an extraordinary accomplishment.

The fact the discussion, as reported, got sidetracked into homelessness is also unfortunate. But, given the people on the panel and the moderator, it doesn't surprise me. Aside from Steve Needleman, who owns a thriving business on Broadway, my hunch is the other people on the panel don't have a clue because they don't live or work on or near Broadway. Discussing homelessness is the default talking point for the uninformed about downtown.

The idea was good. The execution was poor.

ps: Eric: thanks for the shout-out, btw! ;) much appreciated!

I dont see why broadway is such a contentious issue.

Broadway has the largest massing of historic theatres outside of west midtown manhattan. More than SF, Chicago, Seattle, etc.

LA is the largest hotbed of growing arts and culture in the US. It is growing faster than SF, Chicago, etc. It is getting international recognition as a growing arts town.

If you put two and two together, you can EASILY see broadways role on the city, state, and western united states.

It seems like a no brainer to me

1) Reactivate ALL of the theatres 2) Clean up the area (just like times square) 3) Add retail that SUPPORTS the theatres. 4) Add proper transit.

DONE

I dont see what the debate is

Greatest Unused Historic Theatre District + Fastest Growing Arts Region in the US + Revitalization of downtown core = No brainer

Jeremy, some people might liken your plan to ethnic cleansing and find it objectable on those grounds. I think the notion that Latino Broadway is analogous to Times Square is inaccurate. Times Square in New York City in the early 1990s was plagued by crime, prostitution and various sex-related theaters and businesses. Latino Broadway is a lively and thriving retail district which caters to low-income Latinos. Yes, it is a gritty place.

Eric's point is that these stakeholders -- the Latino retailers and their low-income Latino customers -- ought to be part of the conversation. They are the dominant users of the street and have been here for a couple of generations. I notice you don't even identify these people. That's the problem. No one does.

What exactly does your plan to "clean up the area" and "add retail that supports the theaters" mean for these people? I suspect since these people aren't really part of your life, you don't really care. That's potentially ominous for them.

All right. I think Jeremy R has the right plan and David Kennedy is being patronizing. I'm a 'latino' and I could tell you with confidence that the community on Broadway (made up of many cultures) could care less about the street, they're just here because it is an affordable place to hock cheap goods. I grew up downtown as a kid and I live here again as an adult. Broadway is a Theatre District not an Olvera Street. These business people come and go, and none of the business people that I talk to could care less whether thay make a living on Broadway or Hill; they're just trying to give it a go at what they can. They definitely don't feel as if it's their native or historical right to be on Broadway. I'm Latino and currently have my life invested in Downtown and I want to see the Arts and Theatre district thrive. You don't have to worry about 'ethnic cleansing', latinos don't just sell junk, we'll still be around; you see we are also artists and patrons of the theatre.

Good point David Kennedy.

when I say clean up the area like Times Square, I dont mean put in Applebees and make it cheesy. I dont mean add corporate offices. I dont mean demoliition of any kind.

Latino owners are already paying 10$/sqft, so I doubt they will be priced out by any cleanup. The cleanup will only be done to promote patronage of the district by ALL Californians past 5pm. If you know me, you know that I dislike San Diego's Gaslamp district. That is the LAST thing I want.

I am completely against evicting latino merchants or favoring national chains. I only want the following:

activate the theatres; Clean(as in soap and water) up the street; Add security if necessary (nothing too intrusive); rebadge broadway as a multicultural historic theatre district; fix the transit/parking issues; allow for liquour licences to get approved along the corridor; encourage latino cultural attractions to go into the area DISCOUAGE CHAINS; then let the free makret do its thing.

The LATC is already operating in the district providing latino culture. In my mind, I would love to see more true latino culture on broadway and in LA in general. LA needs way more latino culture, and for that, I think pico-union/westlake, Boyle Heights, Highland Park, Olvera St, and even the Music Center area all need to pitch in WITH broadway to help enhance latino culture in this city.

I dont see how activating broadway would damage LA county's latino culture.

Selling 4$ T-shirts to people who make less than 15,000 is not latino culture simply because the customers and owners are latino. If that were true, then hollywood circa 1995 was the center of latino culture as well. Add Inglewood, Pico/Union, and every other swap-meet central in la county as well.

That isnt to say that there arent true gems on broadway that need preserving. There are! I hope this places stay in business after the cleanup and theatre restoration. Only time will tell. If the city can help preserve true historic latino gems, then I am all for it.

Using the most storied historic buildings to sell $2 shirts is not utilizing the land well at all. Los angeles st, san pedro, pico, olympic, outer china town, outer south park, are all just as suitable for 2$ T-shirt sells as broadway. There are probably hundreds of streets that can support many of the merchants on broadway, and for FAR less rent.

We have to ask ourselves if letting the best theatre district in southern CA go underutilized is for the GREATER latino good, or for the 100 merchants whose business might suffer a bit. Remember. There are probably 100 retail spaces along broadway. Having 20 of them be NON-chain businesses (possibly latino owned and operated) that cater to the AFTER 5pm theatre crowd isnt going to destroy latino culture in LA as we know it. I dont even think the land lords should favor after 5pm businesses. All I am asking is for the city to provide infrastructre and zoning that will help enhance the theatre district. I think all Angelenos need to think about how to preserve and ENHANCE latino culture, but refusing to fix broadway to help a fledgling business owner keep his fake jewerly store open in the name of cultural preservation is wrong!

Lastly I will say, that I SEEK out latino culture, and it is good when I find it. Right now, Boyle Heights, North East LA, parts of Echo Park, and to a lesser extent, Olvera St have some good latino cultural gems. LACMA has done very well at presenting good latin art, and the Long Beach Latino Art Musuem is a true gem that belongs in DTLA.

"Lastly I will say, that I SEEK out latino culture, and it is good when I find it"

what are you talking about...? stop speaking of latino culture as if it were some novelty... those fake jewelry stores are people's livelihood!

I think many of the comments here suggest a common reality: educated, open-minded people like to herald their support for the little guy, or those that have stuck it out and made money on Broadway for decades, and that they should have a big say in how Broadway evolves. It would have been entirely appropriate to have had representatives from the Broadway retail community on the discussion panel - not specifcally Latino business owners. If they happened to be Latino, fine.

These same people, however, who bemoan a less Latino Broadway will wind up patronizing the businesses that do move in.

It's like complaining about sweatshop labor but still wearing Nike sneakers or other brand name clothing.

Broadway evolved as the spine of the city's business district over the last century and a half. It was not an area built originally for one demographic. As times changed, it became a center of Latino businesses and patronage. As times continue to change, Broadway will again evolve. If ultimately times call for it to be a mix of Latino and national chain stores, that's life.

Further, no downtown should be anyone's ethnic enclave - that's just my opinion. They are to be hubs for all ethnicities and each will have to make room for another and share the spaces both public and private.

It's just ridiculous to behave as though a neglected area that was never intentionally allowed to decline so much, shouldn't be rethought by civic and business leaders that know it could be more than it is. It's the heart of the nation's second largest urban region - it has to look good and thrive for more than just banks and Latino shoppers.