26 Years Ago: Updated Pershing Square Rededicated
Los Angeles Times / UCLA Library
Looking down at Pershing Square rededication festivities on July 12, 1984, after a $600,000 renovation designed to clean up the park for the Olympic Games.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — On July 12, 1984, a black-tie gala and a hot air balloon were among the features of a rededication for Pershing Square, which had just received a $600,000 makeover in preparation for the Olympic Games.
Downtowners who have only ever known the results of the park's early 1990's redesign might be shocked to see the simple and traditional design of the previous look.
A pair of diagonal crosswalks cut across the flat space, meeting at a central fountain. Sightlines across the space were clear, lacking the raised elevations and walls of the later design.
An L.A. Times story about the rededication noted the thousands of new marigolds and petunias, 130 new palm trees, and 16 pushcart vendors selling hot dogs, pretzels, nachos and juices and an outdoor restaurant.
The update didn't quite drive the Downtown revitalization that city and business leaders hoped for at the time. Instead, the neighborhood's recent revival have led for calls to redesign the park. It's quite possible the park could end up looking quite similar to the way it once did.
Matthew Jackson Cooper on July 12, 2010, at 03:16PM – #1
Here's hoping
bill on July 12, 2010, at 03:24PM – #2
Pershing Square is such a wasted resource. It has become a hangout for homeless and all the urine smells that go with that. Although my dogs and I traverse the park, I never feel quite safe there. It reminds me of the run-down parks in Mexico. It could be a jewel. Instead it is an embarrassment.
Rich Alossi on July 12, 2010, at 04:05PM – #3
What I'd really like to see is what prompted the current Legoretta/Olin design? What were the editorials in the Times when someone proposed scraping and rebuilding the '84 Olympic design? Not quite sure what they were hoping to accomplish...
Nancy Richardson (@nanorich) on July 12, 2010, at 04:06PM – #4
Well...
I don't know about Pershing Square being much of a jewel(by the depression, that was all over)...but John Rechy writes vividly about cruising there in the Los Angeles classic "City of Night."
By the fifties, it was pretty much owned by the bums and hustlers......
Tornadoes28 on July 12, 2010, at 04:19PM – #5
26 years ago they converted Pershing into a horrible desert of a park.
bill on July 12, 2010, at 04:29PM – #6
It's all pretty disgusting, but probably the worst is the trough that spills water to the pond below. The water is so filthy it empties from the tough in a dark brown color. The pool below is nasty dirty. But then, the whole park is
Jeff Alu on July 12, 2010, at 05:27PM – #7
I live right above Pershing Square, with almost exactly the same view as the photo above...I have to admit, I kind of like this older, more streamlined look. I don't think we can really complain about the homeless, they will end up where they will end up. I do agree that it's a wasted space (at times) but at least there is improvement with all of the concerts/art/festivals. Now if only more people would show up for those events...
Dixon on July 12, 2010, at 06:10PM – #8
Pershing Square still has a gay scene, although it's more social now and less sexual than it was when Rechy wrote about it. Gay men congregate in the park after the sun is finally behind the big buildings, giving the area more user-friendly shade.
The northeast section is the gayest. Young hispanic gay men linger individually and in small groups. You can even find elderly gays there too, remnants of when downtown hosted busy gay bars such as the Waldorf, Harold's, the Circle and Crown Jewel.
By the way, the gay bar La India on Broadway is just a couple of blocks away and beer-serving China Cafe in Grand Central Market turns mostly gay from mid-afternoon to closing. The bar bordering the Market to the south also is mostly gay during mid-afternoon to closing in the early evening. Sometimes it even features drag shows.
Of course, after those places close the park is busiest, especially now in the summer. Rechy's playground still serves the gays.
Guest on July 12, 2010, at 07:50PM – #9
I think the problem is people through the years have believed design alone -- such as that of Pershing Square -- will somehow make up for the problem of downtown still being mecca for a lot of undesirables, including druggies, bums and outright thugs. The 1984 makeover didn't stem that problem, and the revamp in the 1990s didn't do the trick too.
Cities like New York have managed to create a counterweight to the down-and-out by also having a huge number of well-off residents and tourists. That group unfortunately has been in short supply in Los Angeles.
I'm always amused by the folks who love to sound so idealistic about the crustiness (and homeless folk) of downtown. "Live and let live!," they proclaim. But as soon as the sun goes down, or as soon as they're able to latch onto the excuse of needing to quickly scurry back to their highrise office, or as soon as they start thinking about their security-monitored apartment or house, too many of them -- not all of them, mind you, but more than enough -- get the heck away from places like Pershing Square, if not LA's nitty-gritty urban center in general.
iluvhatemail on July 12, 2010, at 09:26PM – #10
wow look at that grass. What was Legoretta thinking when he replaced all that with concrete?
Guest on July 12, 2010, at 09:57PM – #11
Oh wow is it time to bash Pershing Square again! Where shall we start .. how about that freakin ice rink. The zillion dollar ice cube. Yes lets start there.
Guest on July 12, 2010, at 10:00PM – #12
Forget the fountain and the ice rink what about the security. What do they do? I walk my dog there and the homeless are zombies laying all over.
Jeff Alu on July 12, 2010, at 10:10PM – #13
I'm curious about security as well. I just walked through the Square on my way back from working out. All was quiet (quieter than usual actually) but I noticed one of the security guards walking by. Not meaning to be insulting, but the guy was overweight and limping. Who is he going to protect? Will he turn in to a Ninja when duty calls? I'm doubting it.
Guest on July 12, 2010, at 11:12PM – #14
Parks is desperate for money so they are going to sell the Pershing garage and the park. The BID is going to buy it and then the purple people will secure it.
El Dabe Sherif on July 13, 2010, at 09:35AM – #15
The current design is weak. The old design with the clear sight lines is fantastic.
In the early 80's, my father worked in the jewelry district and I grew up around Pershing Square. It was more vibrant back then. Now, I live near the park and I never go there.
Thanks!
-El Dabe Law Firm
El Dabe Sherif on July 13, 2010, at 09:36AM – #16
Sorry, not sure why my link signature failed.
Steve Marks on July 13, 2010, at 11:53AM – #17
I agree that adding concrete to Pershing Square was a terrible remodel idea. Worst of all is that huge concrete wall. What were they thinking? The 1984 design looks great.
Guest on July 13, 2010, at 06:16PM – #18
Is it me or does the new design of the civic ground breaking park set for thursday look like the old design of pershing park.
Guest on July 13, 2010, at 06:54PM – #19
the stage is being built at the park for the summer concerts. other than the homeless and pee stink the summer concerts are really good. if you havent been to one you should check it out. somebody there is actually trying to some good.
Guest on July 13, 2010, at 08:15PM – #20
The park lady is gone they have some handicap volunteer working there now. I went in the other day and she couldn't tell me anything about the concerts. Great customer relations and the office smelled of pee.
Guest on July 14, 2010, at 08:19AM – #21
The park lady is still at pershing. The other person is a volunteer of some sort.
Guest on July 14, 2010, at 09:41PM – #22
Even the staging is ugly for the summer concerts.
Does no one downtown in urban planning or events have even a shred of an aesthetic sense?
Guest on July 15, 2010, at 09:37AM – #23
nothing is ever top or near top of the line because all money made from parking goes someplace else or on the ice skating.
Jim Shafer on July 15, 2010, at 11:36AM – #24
The square may look nice in the photo above, but as you can see, they brought in dozens of potted trees to make things look respectable for the '84 Olympics. It was actually pretty dreary there before and after the Olympics. The real damage occurred in the 50's when a truly beautiful, lush park was completely dug up to put in the parking levels and 4 infamous ramps. In 1986 an open competition was held and won by James Wines of SITE Architects. It featured an undulating concrete "carpet" covering the entire block that was too bold for Los Angeles at the time, so eventually, another closed competition led to the current Legorreta/Olin design, for better or worse. Getting rid off/relocating some or all of the ramps and removing the walls would be a huge step in the right direction.
Guest on July 15, 2010, at 09:29PM – #25
I've heard the Weeneez people are going to come at 2am and rip out the park's grass and sell it to the Chinese.
Guest on July 15, 2010, at 11:19PM – #26
Weenez .... if that happens it will be rec & parks who sets up the deal. have you ever tried to get a permit at the park? they charge 25.00 bucks to use a plug.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on July 16, 2010, at 01:52AM – #27
Jim Shafer has it right. There was no redesign of the park in 1984, that was done in 1952 when the park was replaced by a parking garage with a "park" on top. The plants kept dying because there was not enough soil underneath. In '84 they just spruced it up with new plants. Which died soon after. There is not much you can do with 4 levels of parking underneath. Grass and trees need earth under them, not cars.
The current Pershing Square is still paying off the bond for its construction, but once that is done there is the will to redesign it again, and hopefully this time do it properly. But the garage makes the city a lot of money. No way will they give that up.
Guest on July 16, 2010, at 07:50AM – #28
The square actually looks more lushly landscaped today, but as viewed from the street than it did after the overhaul in 1984. I remember that previous redesign, which contained mainly palm trees in white planter boxes situated around the perimeter of the property.
The limitations of landscaping sitting atop a concrete base also poses a problem and challenge to redoing the Civic Center mall area from the Music Center east to City Hall.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on July 16, 2010, at 10:27AM – #29
Agreed #28, that's also why the space that is the greenest at the new Civic park is the parcel across Spring from City Hall, which is the only one that does not have a garage below it.
Jim Shafer on July 16, 2010, at 10:56PM – #30
About a year and a half ago I found out that the parking garage under Maguire Gardens (just outside the Central library along Flower) has roughly half the spaces that the Pershing Square garage has, yet it does just fine with one ramp that serves as entrance and exit. That suggests to me that Pershing Square could probably do without one or two of its four ramps, which could be closed off, returning a few thousand square feet to the park after more than fifty years and starting to reconnect it with the surrounding neighborhood.
Guest on July 17, 2010, at 07:58PM – #31
You can enter Pershing on Olive , 5th and 6th. You exit on Olive, 5th and Hill but only if you have a pass. Between 4-6pm on a work day all gates are open to exit except 6th. On weekends only Olive is open for exit unless you have a pass and still some gates are closed even if you have a pass. My point not all ramps are needed and the monthly fee I pay is insane.
Bert is right that garage must make a ton and if so why do they have such a rinky dink security office? Why cant they fix the clock? Why cant they put in a magaizine stand in the downstairs loby and a shoe shine guy? They actually have a car wash set up which I would like to take advantage of but nada. Pershing Square the little parking lot that could.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on July 17, 2010, at 09:51PM – #32
Guest #31: Good questions. We at the Pershing Square Advisory Board have been asking similar questions for a long time. No answers have been forthcoming, so it's just a matter of time before we demand an audit and an investigation.
Guest on July 18, 2010, at 09:10PM – #33
I've lived across the street from Pershing Park for 6 years and it's a weird space. It has these events like skating and concerts and every year there are more of these things but they are all events on the fringe. None of the programs ever really get to level of a Grand Performance or the Santa Monica Pier concert seies. It's always just a little below the bar. Bike ride no water. Cafe but no food in it. Dog area but no grass in it. It's all half ass. Can't they take a % of money from the parking and put it into things the neighborhood wants at Pershing.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on July 19, 2010, at 11:23AM – #34
Guest #33. Exactly. That's what we are trying to do. But there is a problem in the Dept of Rec and Parks. Someone there has an agenda to prevent Pershing Square from serving the community. It's just a matter if time but it will be exposed and corrected soon.
Guest on July 19, 2010, at 06:40PM – #35
Bert Green what exactly do you do at Pershing Square. You seem to know a lot about the ins and outs of the place. Can you suggest grass in the area where they have the dog signs and by the way the doggie bag despensers are empty. Who do we talk to about getting all that taken care of at the park.
Bert Green (@bgfa) on July 19, 2010, at 11:02PM – #36
Guest #35: As I said before, I am on the volunteer Pershing Square Advisory Board. Who are you? Do you care to use your real name?
The "Pet Care Area" was mean to be only Phase One of a fenced-in dog facility. Phase Two was supposed to add to that a grassy area but the city budget mess cancelled that (or so we think, we can''t get a straight answer). The fence is coming soon though. The bags were being donated by local dog supply businesses, and they have ceased their donations.
You really want to help? Start complaining LOUDLY to Jan Perry's office and to the Rec and Parks Commission about the problems at the Park. Don't stop complaining until they get fixed. No point complaining to the Pershing Square Park management; they can't do anything unless City Council and the Commission say so.
Brigham Yen on July 27, 2010, at 01:16AM – #37
Here's hoping that one day Park Fifth is funded/breaks ground and the Quimby Funds are used to bring Pershing Square BACK to the previous design (like the one pictured). Get rid of the hideous embarrassment that is Pershing Square's current failed attempt at design.
Guest on July 28, 2010, at 10:25AM – #38
i'm part of a downtown group of gardners that will be putting up some flowers in the pet area. look at the large art work and sculptures. all of that helps overlook the design and make the park better.
Guest on August 17, 2010, at 01:52PM – #39
yes please! -LL
BobbyD on September 18, 2010, at 06:16PM – #40
BobbyD on September 19, 2010, at 01:17PM – #41
One added comment- the Santa Barbara News-Press had a short piece saying that only the "designers" and the people they had hired to do the work showed up for the ceremony.