CORNFIELD TO BECOME `WORLD-CLASS PARK' LOT TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF RESIDENTS HAIL OPENING OF CONTROVERSIAL DOWNTOWN SITE.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer Its soil had met native Gabrielenos, Spanish explorers and trains full of immigrants headed into ``the Ellis Island Ellis Island, island, c.27 acres (10.9 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, SW of Manhattan island. Government-controlled since 1808, it was long the site of an arsenal and a fort, but most famously served (1892–1954) as the chief immigration station of the United of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. .'' The former railyard once known as The Cornfield opened downtown Saturday as the city's newest urban park. The Los Angeles State Historic Park was hailed as a community and legislative victory following a 10-year fight to make the gritty lot green. ``Right here is the future of Los Angeles,'' Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. declared during a ceremony of city, county and state officials and about 200 community members. ``We've begun the process of making a reality the dream of the Olmstead brothers who said we should use the (Los Angeles)River as an emerald necklace For the Emerald Necklace of Greater Cleveland, see . The Emerald Necklace consists of an 1,100-acre chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. to connect the city with parks all along the riverway.'' City and state leaders said the $1.4 million temporary glade of 18 acres east of Chinatown is only the beginning. The 32-acre Cornfield site, bordered by North Broadway and North Spring Street, is now the center of an international design contest to build a ``world-class park'' adjacent to the Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River is an intermittent river flowing through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. . Three finalists will introduce designs on Oct. 14 for a park with a flair for local history. A designer will be picked in November, with plans made final after extensive public input. On Saturday, residents celebrated their park atop the one-time terminus of the transcontinental railroad transcontinental railroad, in U.S. history, rail connection with the Pacific coast. In 1845, Asa Whitney presented to Congress a plan for the federal government to subsidize the building of a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific. , where corn once grew from seeds thrown from incoming railcars. Drawn by live bands and food, many came to stroll a meandering walkway with views toward downtown and the historic 4th Street Bridge. ``I'm a neighbor, and this park is welcome,'' said Alexandra Leh, a film producer and screenwriter who lives in a loft downtown. ``This is a very big brick in building this community.'' ``It's almost unbelievable to be here and see something like this take place,'' added Carole Magnuson, of Westwood and a longtime member of Friends of the River. Once slated for industrial warehouses, the controversial Cornfield site had became the subject of lawsuits and lengthy community protests. In 2001, the state bought the parcel for $36 million with an eye toward developing its first urban park. ``This has been a struggle,'' said state Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg Jackie Goldberg (born June 16, 1937) is an American politician and teacher, and a member of the Democratic Party. She is a former member of the California State Assembly. , D-Los Angeles, flanked by state parks officials. ``When people insist on parks on this side of town, we get parks on this side of town. ``So never be shy on raising your voice.'' dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Nellie See Sooty albatross Rios-Parra and her children, Alexander, 4, left, and Nicholas, 1, check out the new Los Angeles State Historic Park. (2) Shuyan Zhu feeds a donkey in a petting zoo that was brought in to help celebrate the grand opening of the Los Angeles State Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or on Saturday morning. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer |
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