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We are lucky to celebrate many creative types in the Historic Core. We have visual artists, authors, musicians – you name it. Ed Rosenthal, one of the Historic Core’s local poets (among other things), wrote the following:
Independence Day by Ed Rosenthal
Dedicated to HDBID
I saw him do things the old ways
A contract agreed in single seat car
The Basement inspected in the dark
Demolitions before the closing day
Things you whisper of in memory
Of the action before authorities
Lifted an eye lid in a failed inquiry
But he still will do what he wills
Claiming they had naught to share
His partner rode a boat down stairs
But not for the future was he cast
He sought icons of history past
Here In this corridor of the moon
As if by magic as if made in dark
Things appear like mushrooms
Surprising startled lights of day.
Dressed in dirty pants and shoes
Coyotes of the core take clues
From loons flying over the moon.
In August 2013, we launched a pilot project to add Dog Relief Areas in unused, abandoned tree wells throughout the neighborhood. Along with new signage on many of our trash cans, the artificial turn deodorizer plots are designed to help remind pet owners to be responsible for their pet’s waste and to mitigate the cleanliness and health issues associated with having such a dog-dense community.
We’ve seen great response to these initiatives from residents and business owners in the area as well as in the press. See links below:
– Curbed LA
– Los Angeles Times
– CBS / KCAL News
The City of Los Angeles, DLANC and the Historic Core BID will honor the Historic Core’s iconic architecture by recognizing the intersection of 5th & Spring as John Parkinson Square. Establishing an architecture firm on Spring Street in 1896, John Parkinson was responsible for much of Los Angeles’ most recognizable architecture. Landmarks such as City Hall, Union Station, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Bullocks Wilshire, and Grand Central Market were all designed by Parkinson and his firm.
In Downtown’s Historic Core, examples of his work can be seen all along Spring Street, including the Alexandria at 5th/Spring, the Rosslyn Hotel at 5th/Main, and the Continental Building at 4th/Spring. With such a direct impact on the look and feel of the Historic Core, John Parkinson deserves great recognition and credit for his contributions to the neighborhood.
In a move to support Southern California farmers and to encourage local residents to purchase fresh and healthy produce, Chipotle is donating $2,500 in $5 tokens at the Historic Downtown Farmers Market on Sunday, August 11, 2013.
The Historic Downtown Farmers Market, which takes place every Sunday from 9am to 2pm on 5th Street between Spring Street and Broadway, is always a highly-anticipated event in the Historic Core. This week’s farmers market, however, is going to be even more special, thanks to Chipotle.
The popular Mexican grill chain will be giving away $2,500 worth of $5 tokens to residents attending the event. Valid only for that day, tokens may be redeemed to purchase any of the items at the market. They will be given at a one-token-per-person basis until supplies last.
“We’re thrilled to have Chipotle on board,” said Blair Besten, BID Executive Director. “We strive to make fresh, local produce affordable and accessible to everyone in our community so it’s great to have a company like Chipotle on our side. Its contributions truly go a long way in supporting our local economy, as well as numerous Southern California farmers.”
Besten furthered that this isn’t the first time that the Mexican grill chain extended its generosity. “Chipotle has been working with us all summer, donating to our farmers market through various means and during different occasions. The company has provided a total of $7,500 worth of contributions so far, and we’re very grateful.”
Aside from handing out tokens, Chipotle will also be hosting salsa-making demonstrations at the event, using produce from the farmers market vendors to teach the community how to make fresh and delicious salsas.
“It’s going to be fun,” added Besten. “We’re encouraging everyone to attend and to get there early to avail of the tokens and see the demonstrations.”
Chipotle and Farmers Markets
The Chipotle Farmers Market Tour is one of Chipotle’s numerous efforts towards its commitment to serve “food with integrity.” The company has partnered up with various farmers markets across the nation to raise awareness about eating locally-grown produce and to support small farmers all over the US.
About the Historic Downtown Farmers Market
Held every Sunday from 9am to 2pm on 5th Street between Spring and Broadway, the Historic Downtown Farmers Market is funded and managed by the Historic Core BID and operated by the Southland Farmers’ Market Association.
Frequented by more than 2,500 people every week, the farmers market brings together fresh produce vendors and connects them with local residents. It also accepts Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), allowing the market to serve the entire community, from market-rate condo owners to low-income residents.
he readers of LA Downtown News have spoken: The Historic Core has the best business improvement district in the area for the second consecutive year.
The Historic Core Business Improvement District (BID) proudly announced that it was voted Best Business Improvement District in 2013 by readers of LA Downtown News. This marks the second year in a row that it was awarded this distinction, despite the fact that the Historic Core has one of the smallest geographic areas of any Downtown LA BID.
According to LA Downtown News, “Spring Street is flush with new businesses, a new park and a farmers market that survived the growing pains of its first year. And that’s just Spring! The entire Historic Core seems energized, and the BID, which operates cleaning and safety programs, is one of its cornerstones.”
“It’s truly an honor to be named the best Business Improvement District for the second year in a row,” said Blair Besten, Executive Director. “We’ve made every effort to make Historic Downtown more pleasant and exciting, and while we’re very proud to have received this distinction, we’re even prouder to have accomplished many goals for the district in 2012 and 2013.”
Cleaning Up Los Angeles
Cleaning and straightening up the district is certainly one of its most notable achievements. In 2012, the BID successfully removed 2,025,725 pounds of trash from the district by cleaning up cans, sweeping sidewalks and addressing illegal dumping in the area.
But that’s just the beginning. In addition to eliminating trash, the BID also painted over 7,600 graffiti tags, hauled away more than 4,080 bulky items, and pressure washed 528 hours. Additionally, over 70 trees were trimmed by the BID staff this year alone.
The Historic Core is also a much safer place thanks to the BID’s diligence in addressing service calls. According to Besten, they answer more than 800 calls each month, some of which include: transient activity, thefts, auto and bicycle accidents, and illegal vending.
Organizing Events and Teaming Up with Other LA Entities
The HDBID has also joined forces with several groups and entities in Los Angeles to organize projects and activities in the district. Such partnerships include:
– Teaming up with LAPD on various criminal task forces
– Coordinating with City services for area issues that would have otherwise taken months
– Working with CD 14 on the LA Streetcar, Bringing Back Broadway, and other initiatives that directly benefit the Historic Core
-Working with the Historic Downtown Merchants’ Association to nurture small businesses in the area
The BID was also responsible for bringing the first weekend farmers market to Downtown LA, and it continues to pay for permits, cleanup, safety, and promotion of the event week after week.
About the Best of Downtown Awards
Best of Downtown is Los Angeles Downtown News’ compendium of the most excellent establishments in the area. The publication has been running it for the past 25 years, with each year bringing more participation than the last. For 2013, all the voting took place online from May 4 to 25. More than 3,400 people voted for their favorite establishments in over 130 categories.
Our new neighborhood pocket park, Spring Street Park, is now open in the Historic Core. The 0.7 acre space, which was formerly a surface parking lot, brings much needed green space, a playground, and recreation opportunities to our community.
The ribbon cutting was honored by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Councilmembers José Huizar and Jan Perry, Downtown Neighborhood Council President Patti Berman, and other local stakeholders.
The first thing one notices upon walking into the offices of Vain Media is the color scheme: pink and black adorn the windows, walls, and furniture. Then there are the giant stuffed animals, which according to Steven Schkolne, Vain’s chief executive officer, help maintain a calm office environment. We sat down with him to learn more about his mobile app and game company, and what drew him to the Historic Core.
Those stuffed animals are awesome. What is this place?
We are Vain Media, and we develop, market, and sell interactive software products for online, mobile, as well as other emerging media platforms. Our clients are very diverse, from corporate brands and entertainment companies to celebrities and boutique businesses. In fact, we started in the Toy District, and have been in the Historic Core for two years now. However, I’ve been living here for eight years, and so I’m no stranger to downtown. It has definitely changed, but even with all of the economic development and change you still get that mixture, which makes it feel more vibrant.
But specifically, why Vain, and why Historic Downtown LA?
There are certainly a lot of similar companies on the West side, but I think there is a migration to the East side because that environment isn’t as creatively stimulating as it is here. In this part of town, we see the old and the new coming together. You see cultural forces coming together. There’s a great mix of languages, socio-economic levels, and visuals–like Spring Street. Just the way people dress walking along Spring St., you see experimentation. And here at Vain Media, we are often on the cutting edge in trying to forge new ground, and I think having that variety and culture is a really great source of energy for the work that we do.
Find out more about Vain Media by visiting them on Facebook.
Boris Mayzels’s chiropractic clinic and wellness center is situated in the historic Haas Building on Broadway, which was built in 1915. When Boris invited into his office to talk about his business, the first thing he showed us was an old picture of Broadway hanging by the entrance. It depicted a Downtown LA from the early half of the 20th century. As he brought us onto his balcony to take in the sweeping view of the same block, it was striking to see the contrast of where the Historic Core is now, and where it is headed. Having won “Best of Downtown” several times for his clinic, Boris has literally watched the area change through his office window.
Tell us about your wellness center.
We’ve been here in this spot since 2009. In fact, myself, the Rabbi next store, and the leasing office were the first to move in here, after the building had undergone a five-year restoration process. All of this was pretty much vacant for years and years. Pigeons, that was it! But I had always envisioned this particular space as a medical space, because I am a chiropractor, and this neighborhood needed more health care services. You can’t build a neighborhood with just bars and restaurants, you need other things as well. Here I take care of the body, the Rabbi takes care of the soul, and that’s our synergistic coupling. And, after a while I saw that I couldn’t do this myself so I brought in an acupuncturist, and now I’m bringing in a medical doctor. I’ve always looked at this space as a kind of multidisciplinary healing center.
What’s it like working in the Historic Core?
It’s not without it’s challenges. Some folks from outside the area are a bit intimidated about coming downtown because they’ve never been. That has caused me to focus more on the people in the immediate area, because they know and are comfortable with the neighborhood and can even just walk here. I’ve looked at my charts and I know that most of my patients, let’s say 70-80 percent, work or live in the area. Here, because I’m kind of in the heart of Downtown, you get a lot of different things coming together. I get people from the Fashion District, I get people from the Jewelry District, and I get people from Bunker Hill. I get artists, writers, some of the Hispanic population that shops around here. It’s definitely a sampling of everything. And I like the diverse mix, it makes my clinic a lot more unique than if I had set up shop in some of the other more bland and homogenous areas of the city.
The funny thing is, a lot of times I’m one of the first people new residents meet, because they are moving boxes, then they throw out their back, and now they are looking for a chiropractor! Really I see myself as an amenity for the building, but also for the community.
