Neighborhood Guide: LA's Wilshire

A Legendary Road Spawns a Community

Los Angeles has several famous roads that crisscross the area. Sunset, Hollywood, Sepulveda, Crenshaw, and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH to locals) are just a few of those streets known worldwide.

Of these streets, one stands out for its longevity and connection to the natural and social history of the city. Wilshire Boulevard not only cuts a 15.83 mile east-west path through some of the most affluent neighborhoods, it follows a path that goes by the region's most unique geological features. From downtown LA, westward through the city’s west side and onward into the cities of Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Santa Monica, Wilshire truly is a road map to the metropolitan area.

Despite its connection from downtown to the sea, this thoroughfare has spawned several neighborhoods that have been collectively known as the Wilshire Community. And, within these neighborhoods are some of LA's most iconic destinations.

The Wilshire Community

The Wilshire Community is a conglomeration of several neighborhoods on Los Angeles’ west side. They are:

*Mid-City

*West Wilshire

*Mid-Wilshire

*Koreatown

*Beverly Grove

*Miracle Mile

*Wilshire Vista

*Wilshire Center

In addition, the area is a hodge-podge of different socio-economic and ethnic groups. Some of Los Angeles’s wealthiest neighborhoods such as Larchmont and Hancock Park can be found east of Beverly Hills.

If anything, the Wilshire community incorporates several new and predominantly ethnic, enclaves. By far, the best known of these areas is Koreatown (which was originally where Korean immigrants moved to, hence, the name, but has become multi-ethnic over the years). Nearby (but not exactly on Wilshire Boulevard) are places such as Little Ethiopia and the much established Fairfax District, which has L.A.s’ largest Jewish community.

Its borders are not well defined; however, much of it exists on the street between Hoover Street and La Cienega Boulevard. Downtown Los Angeles is to the east while Hollywood to the west. the city of Beverly Hills to the west; Hollywood and the city of West Hollywood to the north; and Interstate 10 to the south.

Due to its location, Wilshire connects the west side of the city to the city's downtown. Along the way, it contains several key attractions. While some are on adjacent streets they are close enough to be considered part of the Wilshire community. These include:

* LA Farmer’s Market, a major open-air mall combined with a traditional farmer’s market that’s open daily;

* CBS Television City on Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard (where such shows as The Young and the Restless and The Price is Right are taped);

* George C Page Museum (associated with the La Brea Tar Pits); and

* the historic El Rey Theatre.

The latter is an art deco-styled theater that was built in 1936 as a single-screen movie theater. It operated as a movie theater until the 1980s. It later became a dance club before becoming a music venue.

Its unique design has made it a popular backdrop for movies such as “License to Drive” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (Actually, El Rey was featured in the movie but was not filmed there. It was at a similar façade on Hoover Street).

Miracle Mile’s Attraction

By far, one neighborhood has become a cultural center for LA. Miracle Mile on Wilshire Boulevard is the home to Museum Row, a collection of museums to the west of the tar pits. The museums are:

*Craft and Folks Art Museum,

*Pavilion for Japanese Art,

*Los Angeles County Museum of Art,

*Peterson Automotive Museum, and

*Architecture and Design Museum. Further west near La Cienega is Zimmer Children’s Museum.

A Brief History of Wilshire Boulevard

The Wilshire Boulevard as we know it today can be traced back to 1895 when the millionaire Henry Gaylord Wilshire developed a 35-acre parcel of land near Westlake Park (now known as MacArthur Park).

In the beginning, it was populated by horse-drawn carriages. By the turn of the century, cars began to share the road with them. By World War I the cars and trolley dominated the roads on or near the boulevard.

No doubt, the road is the most unique attraction. In some of the accompanying streets and neighborhoods, century-old homes have been preserved while skyscrapers continuously go up along the boulevard.

While 1895 is its official birth, it is actually much older. Once, the road as a meandering dirt road formed within the dry grasslands that once made up the region. Before the arrival of Europeans, it was used by the Tongva people as a route between their village and the ocean.

Later, Spanish explorers and missionaries began using the path. And from there it became an important road in the early days of colonization, Mexican ownership, and eventually as property of the United States.

Incredibly, the pathway may be much older than that. Legend has it that Wilshire Boulevard is the oldest road in the world. Not only was it well traveled by the Spanish missionaries and Native Americans many years ago, it was traversed by prehistoric animals for more than a million years! Many of those animals used this route to find various water sources. One particular watering hole, however, proved to be trap (more on that later)

Today, the thin dirt road heading to the coast has been replaced by wide asphalt lanes with high-rise apartments, hotels, homes, museums, and numerous retail shops. Still, some of its old travelers - or what remains of them - can be found nearby at the La Brea Tar Pits.

Le Brea Tar Pits

By far, the tar pits are the best known natural attractions in all of the Wilshire Community. In prehistoric times, the tar pits were deceptive traps. It appeared to be a watering hole for the animals that once roamed the area. Dire wolves, mammoths, sloths, and saber-tooth tigers ended up getting stuck in the goo underneath the water, forever encasing them.

Today, the George C.Page Museum in the middle of the tar pits consists of an on-the-spot research center and excavation sites near the pool. Visitors can watch paleontologists unearth the remains of long extinct creatures, as well as view the skeletal remains, which are on display in the museum’s hall.

Le Brea Tar Pits is on Wilshire Boulevard in Hancock Park . It’s open daily (9:30 to 5), but closes on holidays. It usually costs $18 for adults; Senior, students and youth (13-17 ),$14; and for children under 12, $7.

ARTICLE SOURCES AND CITATIONS

Wilshire_Boulevard

La Brea Tar Pits.

The El Rey Theatre

Miracle Mile