Community pushes to bring back area's ethnic heritage. (Spotlight on Filipino Town).

TODAY, it's a nondescript, largely Latino neighborhood sandwiched between Silver Lake and Westlake, just west of downtown. But 40 years ago, the Temple-Beverly Corridor was the heart of Filipino culture in Los Angeles and one of the largest Filipino communities outside the Philippines.

The 1.5-mile long strip along Temple Street and Beverly Boulevard between Hoover Street and Glendale Boulevard drew thousands of Filipino immigrants in the 1950s and 1960s. They went to work in the small stores and restaurants that thrived in the area and eventually bought small homes nearby.

But much of the next generation moved to the suburbs. Over time, the community slid into decay, becoming a no-man's land between more distinctive neighborhoods like Silver Lake, Angelino Heights and Echo Park. It also became a magnet for the next wave of immigrants from Latin America.

Now, the Temple-Beverly corridor is an eclectic mix of residential and commercial properties, dotted with vacant lots and abandoned buildings.

Burgers, cops

The area, now 75 percent to 80 percent Latino, is best known for two landmarks, neither of them Filipino. One is Tommy's Original Hamburger stand at Beverly and Rampart boulevards. More recently, the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart police station at Temple Street and Benton Way was the epicenter of the misconduct scandal that rocked the law enforcement agency three years ago.

Yet through the decades, a small core of Filipino residents and businesses remained, especially along Temple Street. In 2000, 7,000 Filipinos lived within the boundaries of Historic Filipinotown, according to U.S. 2000 Census Tract data.

In the last year or two, they teamed up with new L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti to try to preserve the area's Filipino heritage and draw in more Filipino investment. The result was the official city designation of the Temple-Beverly corridor as "Historic Filipinotown."

"The local Filipino community here was one without an identity," said Chito Tenza, district office deputy to Garcetti and a Filipino American. "What we've been trying to do is help the community establish that identity."

The Historic Filipinotown designation; Tenza said, is a first step in the revival efforts. The goal is to lure back second- and third-generation Filipino-Americans and attract investment from the Philippine islands. A byproduct, Tenza said, would be the building of office space or more trendy commercial centers.

Some Filipino investment already has taken place. Filipinos own many of the properties in the area, even if they have Latino tenants.

What's more, housing prices are on the rise, although much of that is due to a spillover effect from nearby Silver Lake and Echo Park. Prices in the 90026 ZIP code, which includes the Beverly-Temple corridor and portions of Silver Lake and Echo Park, rose 15 percent last year, according to DataQuick Information Systems Inc.

Convincing consulate

A return to the thriving Filipino community is not likely. Younger generations are ensconced in their suburban communities, especially in Carson, according to Jose Baldonado, president of the Filipino-American Community of Los Angeles.

Plus, many Filipinos who live in or near Historic Filipinotown commute a short distance to their office jobs along Wilshire Boulevard.

"This is not the place for offices. People think Wilshire is better," said Ramon Manalo, co-owner of Rally Express USA Inc., a freight-forwarding firm specializing in deliveries to and from the Philippines.

But local Filipino leaders say this mindset could be turned around. The first challenge is to convince the Philippine consulate, now in the mid-Wilshire area, to relocate or at least open a branch in Historic Filipinotown.

Tenza said some progress was made with the acting Philippine Consul General earlier this year, but there's a new Consul General, Marciano Paynor and he has yet to weigh in on a possible move.