Los Angeles may finally have a defining feature to represent the
city with the opening of the long-awaited Walt Disney Concert Hall.
The city, along with private organizations, has invested millions
of public and private dollars into Bunker Hill on Grand Avenue with
hopes that concert-goers will enjoy the community rather than hop
back on the freeway after a show.
Though there are hot spots downtown, such as Chinatown, Little
Tokyo, the artist loft district and the fashion district, there is
little unity between them. Like the Staples Center, the Disney hall
aims to further centralize the city.
Kacy Keys, a former senior development specialist for downtown
under Mayor Richard Riordan, stresses the magnitude of development
required to create a true downtown.
“I don’t know if (Walt) Disney Concert Hall will act
as a catalyst for (the downtown area),” said Keys, who got
her masters degree in urban planning from UCLA. “If some
retail, restaurants and nightclubs move in, you can really have a
cosmopolitan feel to the area.”
Though plans are underway to build shops and restaurants that
complement the Walt Disney Concert Hall and its neighbors, the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Mark Taper Forum, Keys believes
competition with the beach continues to play a role in the lack of
urban development.
The overwhelming homeless situation in downtown also means that
demand for residential space in the area has in the past been small
compared to the rest of the city. The Central City Association of
Los Angeles, an organization representing over 300 businesses in
Los Angeles has played a major role in the housing development
process. According to the association’s vice president of
government relations, Victor Franco, the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance
was passed in 1996 to allow developers to turn former commercial
buildings into housing, resulting in the rising popularity of loft
space.
Keys’ husband, former Economic Development Director Craig
Keys, is a self-professed party hopper who frequents the artist
loft district, which currently houses a community of galleries and
events. According to Craig, these places attract “individuals
who would like to have a little spice in their life.” The
unique independent restaurants, ranging from the Soul Folks
Café to the L.A. Artcore Brewery Annex Gallery, are what make
the area vibrant.
Given the resurgence of housing, entertainment is sure to
follow. Jose Luis Valenzuela, a theater professor at UCLA, worked
at the Los Angeles Theater Center in 1996, and is actively trying
to revitalize the downtown theater venue as a multicultural arts
hub.
Valenzuela links the downtown’s decline to the rise of
malls, but times may well be changing.
“Now it’s a renaissance,” said Valenzuela.
“Places are being redeveloped so that you can go to a center
of entertainment. There are stores, bars, theaters and movie houses
so people feel more a part of the city.”
With the Walt Disney Concert Hall in close proximity, downtown
looks like it has a promising future.