Broadway Vision:

Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar, with support from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, an impressive slate of City leaders, downtown residents, civic and business organizations and property owners of the largest historic theatre district west of the Mississippi, shares a vision for Bringing Back Broadway.

The historic Broadway corridor, in the center of downtown Los Angeles and the heart of the Historic Core, features one of the largest concentrations of historic theatres on one street in the nation. Twelve beautiful theatres are located within nine blocks, set between a bevy of beautiful architectural gems; these structures stand in tribute to the architectural and engineering achievements of the early 20th century. The Broadway corridor is part of an important National Register Historic District. 

Broadway enjoys a colorful history as the birthplace of vaudeville and cinematic entertainment in Los Angeles and was once considered the retail capital of the United States.  It was also an important west coast center for business and commerce and was one of the most popular destinations for Angelenos and tourists utilizing the city's former streetcar system.

For its rich history and tremendous future potential, Broadway is a true treasure in Los Angeles which is not meeting its potential in a number of different ways. Right now, Broadway bustles with Latino shoppers and many others during the day, but there is an progressively high vacancy rate among ground floor retail shops and existing retail customers are increasingly being lured away to municipalities offering a wider variety of goods, services, and family activities in one stop. Very few of the glorious historic theatres offer entertainment programming, more than a million square feet of commercial space is currently vacant in the upper floors of Broadway's buildings, and the boulevard does not serve the needs of the downtown community - especially at night. These challenges combine to threaten the long-term utility of this precious historic corridor, and also reduces the City's ability to capture revenue, create and retain jobs and to sustain the viability of its urban center Downtown.

To address these challenges, provide critically important assistance, and focus on Broadway's needs from both the public and private sectors, Bringing Back Broadway was launched in January, 2008, and continues working on a ten-year plan to revitalize the district. 

 

Bringing Back Broadway is a public-private partnership initiative focused on an ambitious ten-year plan to:

  • Revitalize the historic Broadway district between 2nd Street and Olympic Boulevard
  • Activate inactive theaters
  • Re-active more than a million square feet of vacant commercial space
  • Assist retailers and prevent further retail vacancies
  • Increase parking and transit options to serve Broadway
  • Encourage cultural, entertainment and retail uses on Broadway that will sustain generations
  • Create a sense of place and history through urban planning, design and lighting guidelines and streetscapes
  • And make the dream of once again riding a streetcar downtown a reality.

As a link between the past and the future, the revitalized historic Broadway corridor will ensure that the vibrant, cultural character of Broadway remains, while helping Broadway provide something for everyone, day and night by complementing and connecting new large-scale downtown entertainment and cultural destinations, as well as galleries, restaurants, and cultural activities throughout Downtown.