Broadway Walk Offers Chance for Education and Input
Ed Fuentes
The Los Angeles Conservancy's Mike Buhler surveys handouts at 7th and Broadway.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The threat of rain wasn't enough to keep those interested in Broadway's future from joining in on last night's "Broadway Walk," a street-level think-tank put together by the Bringing Back Broadway effort and landscape architecture firm Meléndrez.
Eight themed stations were scattered along Broadway, from Grand Central Market at 3rd to the Eastern Columbia building at 9th. The displays offered guidance on what articipants should look for in giving their input on streetscape enhancements.
For some attendees, the event was their first time re-thinking the street and its role in the city. For others, like Eric Hillsman, the tour was a chance to share a backlog of ideas dating to the 1980s.
Speaking volumes were the off-and-on moments when the current street life of business owners and shoppers paused to listen in, some offering a few ideas of their own.
Meléndrez will take the input from Tuesday's event and use it to help guide a streetscape plan intended to be completed this summer.
Dan Goshin on February 18, 2009, at 11:38PM – #1
What fascinates me is that this street is apparently the largest revenue generator in the entire city of Los Angeles for retail. What exactly are we "bringing back". I'm all for improvements but I'm curious to know more details. I think the street level and storefronts on Broadway look horrendous but tit serves a clientele that doesn't seem to mind.
Alberto Cueto on February 19, 2009, at 12:10AM – #2
I am all for "bringing it back." Broadway (and in fact, the whole Historic Core) used to be a vibrant street filled with lively crowds, movie and vaudeville houses, and large flagship department stores. It was home to the Broadway department store, as well as Hamburger's (which would later become May Company). These stores were multiple stories, and represented some of the finest examples of engineering and architecture of the time. As this was before the popularization of the automobile, streetcars were used to bring in people from other areas of the city. I think that the automobile, the rise of the modern movie theatre, and the proliferation of the suburban center shopping center all contributed to Broadway's decline.
In essence, the area provided Los Angeles with a true urban centralized downtown, similar to those in New York and Chicago. It represented a new era of consumer culture and a new emphasis on mass leisure tailored for the working class. I think ultimately, the whole "bring it back" movement is in part an effort to bring some of this vibrancy back, as much as possible, even if times have changed.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on February 19, 2009, at 07:08AM – #3
Dan: If it was ever the case that Broadway generated the most retail sales, that wouldn't be the case now. You've got a lot of vacancy up and down the street (up around 20%), and shopping numbers aren't what they were even a couple years ago. Broadway is changing whether anything is done about it or not.
Li on February 19, 2009, at 10:03AM – #4
I've said it before and will say it again: why focus on Broadway when you have acres of empty retail on Main and Spring? It would be much easier and cheaper to encourage development on those streets.
Bert Green on February 19, 2009, at 10:21AM – #5
Li, the changes on Main and Spring have been enormous in the past 10 years, but not so much on Broadway. Although Broadway looks like it has more tenants on the ground level, its the upper floors which are mostly empty, and the buildings are seriously deficient in terms of the city code. Main and Spring got its "bringing back" moment ten years ago with the adaptive reuse law. Broadway did not respond to that, so its time to do something to help Broadway along.
This is not just about retail. The streetscape effort is part of the larger push to make Broadway go to the next level, to make it more viable in more ways than just retail.
Bert Green on February 19, 2009, at 10:23AM – #6
Oh, and by the way, Ed, I love the black and white photos.
Li on February 19, 2009, at 07:09PM – #7
This is not just about retail. The streetscape effort is part of the larger push to make Broadway go to the next level, to make it more viable in more ways than just retail.
Do you mean converting the buildings to residential lofts? Everything I've read so far has focused on cosmetic upgrades and more upscale retail, so I'd like to know more about what else is planned/hoped for on the upper floors.
Bert Green on February 19, 2009, at 07:59PM – #8
The adaptive reuse law managed to change Main and Spring Streets from a collection of mostly empty or underused commercial buildings into a district of almost fully converted residential buildings (with a few remaining commercial). The empty retail that is left is the responsibility of the building owners, and not strictly a condition of blight. I would prefer to see them rent that space for a reasonable amount, but many of them are waiting for the right price. That compares to years ago when nobody would rent that space for any price. In 2003 with DLANC I did a walk-through of Main and Spring and about 75% of the space was empty. That proportion is now reversed. So there has been a lot of progress.
Broadway did get a few residential conversions, but there are a large number of other buildings that did not respond to the incentives, for whatever reason. The Bringing Back Broadway effort is multi-pronged, and yes, retail, parking and streetscape are a part of it.
But it is mainly a loan program for building owners to get low cost capital to upgrade their properties, not just for the ground floor, but to activate the upper floors with commercial and residential uses by bringing the buildings to code. The idea is to leverage the existing strengths of Broadway, especially the built environment of landmarks, to create an entertainment corridor. For that, commercial is better than residential, so the incentives need to reflect that.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on February 19, 2009, at 10:21PM – #9
Many of the buildings on Broadway aren't residential candidates, since they tend to bump up against each other much more so than do buildings on Spring or Main. That creates code issues for you when it comes to required light and air. Residential uses also become problematic when bumped up against such dense entertainment use. Both of those are why you'll see more creative office / retail uses on Broadway than on Main and Spring.