Downtown Los Angeles: the heart of business and culture: a look at the new Downtown Los Angeles: an ideal spot for work and play.

If you haven't strolled around Downtown lately you're missing what's now arguably the most vital section of the county--literally bustling with a thriving local economy by day and shoppers, food-hounds, architecture buffs and nightlife thrill-seekers on the weekends and at night. In short, Downtown is busy once again--busier than it's been in years. Shiny new marquee destination developments such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Staples Center, and the new Cathedral have helped mandate improved and increased transportation options. And besides being easier to get to, Downtown is fun again, too. Be it business, entertainment, commercial and residential development, or arts & culture--Downtown has it all, and locals have clearly taken notice.

As a growing cross section of businesspeople, families and night-time-is-the-right-time hipsters continue to select Downtown as their principle gathering place for business and pleasure, what was once a forgotten throwback to the boom days of the 50s now offers the widest and most concentrated collection of culture and commerce in Southern California.

Local economic experts have been using terms like "resurgence," "rebirth" and "revitalization" to describe Downtown's comeback, and while these monikers may be appropriate, the region's rich cross-pollinated boom of both work and play merits the label "Renaissance."

Returning to a Prosperous Time

Unlike other major cities around the country, Los Angeles' uniquely sprawled diversity of communities, neighborhoods and "hot spots" has in recent years made it increasingly easy to overlook the pulsing heart of the city that is Downtown. Admittedly, the region has not been the healthiest of hearts since, say, the early 80s. The new, revitalized Downtown, however, is poised to return the area to a state of former glory not seen since the 50s.

Jack Kyser, economic guru for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) sounded invigorated as he reported on the area's revitalization in an interview earlier this year.

"Plain and simple, Downtown Los Angeles is back," he said. "And that's not strictly economically speaking, although Downtown's financial resilience in the face of tough economic times is in itself remarkable. The area offers so much on so many levels now. The Business Improvement Districts have done wonders by boosting the cleanliness and safety of the region. That plus the array of transportation offered--including multiple freeway access, Metrolink, MetroRail and the new Gold line which will be available soon--cement the area as the true hub of Southern California. More companies are moving here, more people are living here, and more people are visiting, and there's still a substantial amount of additional commercial and residential development underway."

Kyser agrees with the notion that the "new" Downtown is somewhat reminiscent of its glory days. "It's true that we saw a burst of activity Downtown in the early 80s," Kyser noted, "but we haven't seen a concerted move to make Downtown the true and active center of the whole region since the 50s. The 90s were tough on Downtown, largely because of the loss of some major corporate headquarters like Security Pacific, the Times Mirror, and others. That can really set an area back--and here in LA, there are so many places to live and work, an area has to be thriving to be noticed. It hasn't been easy, but Downtown is back now in a very big way."

Even during the "lean" years, Downtown LA's premier hotels and steak houses managed to remain the stuff of legend. But for many, there was not much else going on outside, say, the menu at the Pacific Dining Car. Now there's plenty.

"The region really does have so much to offer visitors and residents alike," enthused Kyser. "Beyond the obvious spectacle of entertainment centers such as the Disney Concert Hall, the Cathedral and Staples Center, there are many other enjoyable treasures here that not everyone knows about."

Among the sites of interest Kyser lists as examples are the "funky shopping alternatives" throughout the Downtown area; Toy Town, which he said should really be called "Everything Town" thanks to its diverse shopping and bargain opportunities; the newly restructured Hall of Justice; the original stage coaches housed at the Wells Fargo Historical Museum; the "very hip" crowd and spectacular city vistas from the top of the Standard Hotel; and the soon-to-be-completed new Cal Trans building, which Kyser calls "striking and architecturally significant."

Perhaps more than any other area of Los Angeles, Downtown breathes an air of authenticity. Its urban texture includes the pre-dawn bustle of the Flower Mart, the ethnic food stalls of the historic Grand Central Market, mixed with new and restored upscale hotels and restaurants. And it's all accessible. Workers and visitors can walk or hop on the DASH mini-buses to the bargains in the Jewelry District or the Fashion District.

Macy's Plaza, 7th+Fig and ARCO Plaza offer a wide variety of national retail stores, local shops, boutiques and eating places. Thousands flock to the shopping area on Broadway that pulsates with activity. Preliminary planning is under way for optimizing an additional 400,000 square feet of available space suitable for all types of retailing.

"The cultural and artistic boost that Downtown has seen in recent times is also significant," said Kyser. "Many aren't aware that housed within the Colburn School of Performing Arts' new facility Downtown there is now a four-year college-level program, which is attracting some of the top musical students from around the world. The apparel industry here is gaining more national attention as well, with major shows drawing top designers."

The new Colburn School joins the Music Center and the forthcoming Walt Disney Concert Hall along Grand Avenue--swiftly becoming the City's "Cultural Corridor." Nearby Exposition Park drew hundreds of thousands of people last year to the California Science Center, Natural History Museum and California African-American Museum. Three other museums reflect the City's ethnic diversity: The Southwest Museum (Native American art); Japanese American National Museum; and the Latino Museum of History, Art & Culture.

Meanwhile, thousands annually continue to view avant-garde works at the Museum of Contemporary Art, or tour the beautifully restored Los Angeles Public Library and surrounding Maguire Gardens. For diversity, tourists and residents alike continue to enjoy food and shopping on Olvera Street, in Chinatown or Little Tokyo. Special events, such as the Los Angeles Marathon and Fiesta Broadway, also draw thousands more to Downtown.

"You look at the Downtown of ten years ago and there were problems, sure," said Kyser. "Those problems have been fixed. The Downtown of today is cleaner, safer, easier to get to, and jam-packed with things to do. It's become an exciting place to visit, a natural place to work and a great place to live."

Commerce and Construction

"With all the unique and beautiful buildings here," said Kyser, "Downtown is the perfect place for architectural tourism."

With countless new developments springing up alongside some of LA's classic buildings, it's not hard to see what he means, nor is it hard to notice the flurry of business activity taking place within those buildings. The region is rapidly being rediscovered as an ideal site for national and regional corporate headquarters. Boasting Los Angeles' largest concentration of Class A office towers, Downtown is home to the City's five largest law firms and all major national accounting practices.

Downtown has also established itself as the location of choice for other key Information Age industries, as well. For example, the area is the regional hub to virtually all major and second-tier telecommunications companies, which have expanded rapidly here to meet the burgeoning demand for their services.

Businesses and gathering places catering to a wide variety of tastes enrich Downtown: over 200 restaurants, from gourmet to grab-and-go, plus numerous prestigious retailers, health clubs, and other amenities provide a dynamic mix that helps attract a diverse, highly educated work force from all over the world.

Thanks to a strong Downtown economy and expansion of businesses in the Downtown Center District, demand for office space has accelerated in Class A office buildings, especially prestigious projects such as the 73-story Library Tower, the City's tallest structure. New attractions such as the Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral make the timing opportune for new economic investment in the area, both in real estate and commercial development. The area offers two significant competitive advantages in cost and choice. The office market remains attractively priced, and there is a wide range of desirable office towers, ranging from more than 20 Class A skyscrapers to several historic structures of architectural note, such as the Oviatt and Bradbury buildings.

On the residential real estate side, Downtown continues to see substantial development, including both new, market-rate units, as well as the conversion of older office buildings into "loft" style units. Most of the area's units are currently located in the Bunker Hill area. Once the site of Victorian mansions, sleek office towers linked by spacious plazas, monumental sculptures and fountains now dominate the area--a convenient in-town home for executives.

Plans to convert historic office structures, among them the City's earliest skyscraper will add additional residential units and cosmopolitan retailing to the area. A major new residential project overlooking Staples Center is also on the drawing boards. Currently, the LAEDC reports that there are plans for three new apartment structures with 624 units Downtown while 17 older buildings are also being converted to loft apartments, with a unit count of 3,766.

Multiple modes of transportation make getting people into, and around, Downtown convenient--day-in and day-out. In the Downtown area, the Metro Blue and Red lines become subways, swiftly delivering passengers from outlying communities to the majestic Union Station. In addition, the "Gold" line, which runs from Union Station to Pasadena, recently started operations.

Daily commuter trains arrive from as far away as San Diego and Santa Barbara. Four freeways with numerous access ramps serve as the major arteries for passenger cars and van pools. Freeway enhancements along the Alameda Corridor will provide for future growth. Also, dozens of MTA bus lines converge on the Downtown Center District. Once in town, many workers catch the DASH buses or take the historic Angel's Flight tram to reach their destinations. Shuttles and other express ground transport options provide easy access from hotels to Burbank and Los Angeles International airports.

Clearly, there's a new source of pride for everyone who contributed and continues to bring to tangible reality the "new" Downtown. Now, as entrepreneurs and workers fill Downtown office buildings and shoppers, tourists and patrons of the arts converge at the City's Center, it can't be denied that the future looks bright for an area whose Renaissance is unmistakably in full swing.