Such amazing posts FredH! Thanks for posting such great pics. I've been staring at the large photo of Little Tokyo for a while now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Those Who Squirm
(Emphasis mine)
Sadly, this is what was lost. When the County took over in 1953, the merchants and whatever residents there might still have been were sent packing and the buildings were padlocked. I consider it likely that the local storefronts and inhabitants were thought to represent the quintessence of urban blight--poor, transit-dependent people renting rooms in the Pico House and depending on cheap cafes, stores, and other businesses in the area. More so on Bunker Hill, but also to a definite extent in the Plaza, the urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 60s might better be termed suburban renewal, because it was largely a suburban aesthetic that was imposed. In the Plaza area, most of the historic buildings were cleared away not only for parking lots, but also simply to be replaced by bits of greenery here and there whose siting made them anything but inviting--but if you knock down an old building you have to put something in its place anyhow.
Recently I brought an out-of-town colleague to La Golandrina, and as we drove past the Plaza he asked if there was a street festival going on. Of course there wasn't; it was just the ordinary summer evening rush, so I guess we can be grateful that the area does yet live, in spite of everything that's been done to it.
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I totally agree with you about the suburban aesthetic. It's a shame that so much was torn down in the Plaza area.
What'd your colleague think of La Golondrina? I really like that restaurant.