BROADWAY (LOS ANGELES)

'Broadway' is a major road in the city of Los Angeles and it is also a major road through downtown Los Angeles. It starts off at Mission Road in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood and it heads due west (although signs along the street read "North Broadway"). After crossing the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5), it curves to the southwest, passing through the old railyards north of downtown before descending into Chinatown, passing through Central Plaza and the Dragon Gate. After crossing Cesar Chavez Avenue and the Hollywood Freeway, Broadway enters the Los Angeles Civic Center. It then passes the Los Angeles Times building at First Street and enters the historic downtown commercial district.
One of the oldest streets in the city, this section of Broadway (originally called Fort Street) was laid out as part of the 1849 plan of Los Angeles made by Lieutenant Edward Ord. Broadway from First Street to Olympic Boulevard was for more than fifty years the main commercial street of Los Angeles and one of its premier entertainment districts as well. This commercial and theatre district contains a vast number of historic commercial buildings and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Between Third Street and Olympic Blvd there are a dozen historic theaters, the largest surviving collection of pre-WWII theatres in the United States, Including the 1918 Million Dollar Theater, the first Los Angeles Movie palace built by Sid Grauman. Other historically significant Downtown buildings along Broadway include the Bradbury Building and the Julia Morgan-designed Los Angeles Examiner Building.
Metro Local 40, 45, 46, and Metro Rapid 740 and 745 operate on Broadway.
As of May 2007, there are plans to close of Broadway to car traffic between 2nd. and 9th streets to widen sidewalks. The street would only be accessible for buses and delivery trucks.

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External links

External links

★ USC Geography Department Old Broadway page

★ You-are-here Broadway Photo Gallery

★ The Broadway Initiative of the Los Angeles Conservency

★ The Broadway Theatre Tour