Civic Center, Los Angeles, California
Encyclopedia
The Civic Center neighborhood of Los Angeles, California
is the administrative core of the City of Los Angeles
and a complex of city
, state
, and federal
government offices, buildings, and courthouses.
, bordering Bunker Hill
, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and the Historic Core
of the old Downtown. Depending on various district definitions, either the Civic Center or Bunker Hill
also contains the Music Center
and adjacent Walt Disney Concert Hall
; some maps, for example, place the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
in the Civic Center but the Disney Concert Hall in Bunker Hill.
The Civic Center has the distinction of containing the largest concentration of government employees in the United States outside of Washington, DC. The reason for the high concentration is simple: Los Angeles is the largest county in the United States and its second largest city, and houses several state and federal functions for the region.
, the 101
and 110 freeways, and the Metro Red Line and Purple Line's Civic Center Station
are also in the vicinity. OCTA
, Foothill Transit
, DASH shuttles, Commuter Express and other municipal bus lines also serve the area.
, which aims to develop existing parking lots in the area for residential use as well as create a pedestrian park between the Music Center
and City Hall
.
operates the Central Health Center in Downtown Los Angeles
, serving the Civic Center.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
is the administrative core of the City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and a complex of city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, and federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
government offices, buildings, and courthouses.
Location
The Civic Center is located in the northern part of Downtown Los AngelesDowntown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
, bordering Bunker Hill
Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California
Bunker Hill, in the downtown area of Los Angeles, California, is a short, developed hill with its peak located roughly around 3rd Street. It is located directly east of the Harbor Freeway...
, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and the Historic Core
Historic Core, Los Angeles, California
The Historic Core is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles between Hill and Main streets on the west and east, and 3rd and 9th street on the north and south. It overlaps with the Jewelry District on its western end and Skid Row on its eastern end. It was the center of the city before World War II...
of the old Downtown. Depending on various district definitions, either the Civic Center or Bunker Hill
Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California
Bunker Hill, in the downtown area of Los Angeles, California, is a short, developed hill with its peak located roughly around 3rd Street. It is located directly east of the Harbor Freeway...
also contains the Music Center
Los Angeles Music Center
The Music Center is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center is home to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall...
and adjacent Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
; some maps, for example, place the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center . The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.The Pavilion has 3,197 seats spread over four tiers, with chandeliers, wide curving stairways and rich décor...
in the Civic Center but the Disney Concert Hall in Bunker Hill.
The Civic Center has the distinction of containing the largest concentration of government employees in the United States outside of Washington, DC. The reason for the high concentration is simple: Los Angeles is the largest county in the United States and its second largest city, and houses several state and federal functions for the region.
Transportation
The Civic Center is served by numerous Metro buses, most of which run to adjacent Union StationUnion Station (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
, the 101
Hollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route over the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley...
and 110 freeways, and the Metro Red Line and Purple Line's Civic Center Station
Civic Center (LACMTA Station)
Civic Center Station is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located on Hill Street between 1st and Temple Streets in the Civic Center area of Downtown Los Angeles. This station is served by the Red Line and the Purple Line. It is also served by the...
are also in the vicinity. OCTA
Octa
Octa may refer to:*Octa, Ohio*Octa of Kent , early king of Kent*Okta, a cloud cover over one eighth of the sky in weather reports*octa, an Infrastructure-as-a-Service portal for Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization...
, Foothill Transit
Foothill Transit
Foothill Transit is a joint powers authority of 21 member cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. It operates a fixed-route bus public transit service in the San Gabriel Valley of Greater Los Angeles, California.-Overview:...
, DASH shuttles, Commuter Express and other municipal bus lines also serve the area.
Development
The Civic Center is part of the Grand Avenue ProjectGrand Avenue Project
The Grand Avenue Project is a project currently under development designed to revive downtown Los Angeles, like L.A Live. The $3 billion project, which is to be built on Grand Avenue next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, is designed to give Los Angeles a thriving city center. It has been compared...
, which aims to develop existing parking lots in the area for residential use as well as create a pedestrian park between the Music Center
Los Angeles Music Center
The Music Center is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center is home to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall...
and City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
.
Landmarks
- Los Angeles City HallLos Angeles City HallLos Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
- Olvera StreetOlvera StreetOlvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town....
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the AngelsCathedral of Our Lady of the AngelsThe Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also called "COLA" and the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States...
- Walt Disney Concert HallWalt Disney Concert HallThe Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
- Dorothy Chandler PavilionDorothy Chandler PavilionThe Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center . The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.The Pavilion has 3,197 seats spread over four tiers, with chandeliers, wide curving stairways and rich décor...
- Los Angeles Music CenterLos Angeles Music CenterThe Music Center is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the nation. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the Music Center is home to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theater, Mark Taper Forum and Walt Disney Concert Hall...
- TriforiumTriforium (Los Angeles)The Triforium is the name of a six story 60 ton public sculpture in the Los Angeles Mall Civic Center complex, located at the intersection of Temple and Main Streets in Downtown Los Angeles.-History:...
- Union StationUnion Station (Los Angeles)Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California. The station has rail services by Amtrak and Amtrak California and Metrolink; light rail/subways are the Metro Rail Red Line, Purple Line, Gold Line. Bus rapid transport runs on the Silver Line...
Government and administrative buildings
- Los Angeles City HallLos Angeles City HallLos Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
- Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
- Stanley Mosk L.A. Courthouse
- Hall of RecordsLos Angeles County Hall of RecordsThe Los Angeles County Hall of Records, a rare high-rise by Richard Neutra , sits in the northern end of the Civic Center in Downtown Los Angeles. An exemplar of modernist architecture, the building includes louvers similar to the Kaufmann Desert House...
- Law Library
- Courthouses: Federal, State, County
- Parker CenterParker CenterParker Center was the headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department from 1954 until October 2009, and is located in Downtown LA. It is named for former LAPD chief William H. Parker. Originally with the prosaic name, the Police Administration Building, ground for the center was broken on...
- Caltrans District 7 HeadquartersCaltrans District 7 HeadquartersThe Caltrans District 7 Headquarters building at 100 South Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles, California serves the California Department of Transportation and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Built on a $165,000,000 budget it opened on September 24 2004...
- Alameda St. Detention Facility
County representation
The Los Angeles County Department of Health ServicesLos Angeles County Department of Health Services
Health services to over 10 million residents in the Los Angeles County are provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Mental health services are provided by the County Department of Mental Health...
operates the Central Health Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
, serving the Civic Center.