BUSINESS
February 6, 2014 | By Roger Vincent
Broadway, the sparkling entertainment district of mid-20th-century Los Angeles, had a long fall. As residents moved to the suburbs, opulent movie palaces dating to the early days of the film industry closed their doors. Upscale shops were closed, and department stores decamped for newer neighborhoods in the 1970s and 1980s. Businesses catering primarily to Latino immigrants kept the sidewalks active, but most buildings fell empty above the first floor. Much of downtown has enjoyed a renaissance since 2000.
NATIONAL
November 6, 2013 | By Martha Groves and Alan Zarembo
Hundreds of landmarks on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs properties are at risk of being permanently abandoned or demolished because of the agency's lack of maintenance and its failure to comply with federal laws aimed at protecting historic buildings, according to a new study by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The VA has more than 2,000 historic buildings across the country, including many on the 11 campuses built in Ohio, Tennessee and elsewhere in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. In West Los Angeles, the sprawling VA campus has about three dozen buildings that have been designated as historic structures or have been deemed eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
November 6, 2013 | By Martha Groves and Alan Zarembo
Hundreds of landmarks on U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs properties are at risk of being permanently abandoned or demolished due to lack of maintenance and the agency's failure to comply with federal laws to protect historic buildings, according to a new study by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The VA has more than 2,000 historic buildings across the country, including many on the 11 campuses built in Ohio, Tennessee and elsewhere immediately after the Civil War. In West Los Angeles, the sprawling VA campus has about three dozen buildings designated as historic structures or deemed eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
BUSINESS
September 25, 2013 | By Roger Vincent
One of the pioneers behind a lively strip of new bars and restaurants in downtown Los Angeles has launched plans to expand. The owners of busy Bottega Louie restaurant - known for its vast menu, long waits, tasty pastries and deafening crowds - have rented quarters in a historic office building across 7th Street. They are adding a kitchen, tasting room, training facilities and headquarters offices. The move is part of an accelerating expansion of bars, restaurants and residences along 7th Street, which was once a key shopping boulevard but fell moribund in the closing decades of the 20th century as much of downtown decayed outside of the financial district.
BUSINESS
May 29, 2013 | By DiAngelea Millar, Los Angeles Times
Silent slapstick filmmaker Mack Sennett moved to Los Angeles in 1913, setting up shop in what is now Echo Park, and began to make short movies starring an upstart comedian named Charlie Chaplin. Three years later, he built a set of soundstages to make movies with his movie star girlfriend, Mabel Normand. Now those Silver Lake soundstages, which became part of the Mack Sennett Studios, are getting a face-lift under new owners. PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments Jesse Rogg, a Grammy-nominated music producer, bought the production space for about $3.3 million this year from Stephen Collins, a former photographer who owned the property for nearly three decades.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 23, 2012 | By Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times
Joe Nicoletti started out painting houses in New Jersey. These days, he paints Los Angeles City Hall. Since a major renovation of the historic building began nearly 20 years ago, Nicoletti has been the city's go-to guy when a skilled hand is needed to restore a frieze or touch up a mural. His most recent assignment - repainting the elaborately decorated ceiling of the Main Street lobby - took the 50-year-old Santa Monica resident two weeks and eight assistants to complete. His crew toiled at night, the better to stay out of the way of city bureaucrats, and Nicoletti livened the work space with the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and the like.