Its small village green just off Crenshaw Boulevard became a community gathering place for festivals, jazz concerts, and press conferences. Host Don Cornelius would also source telegenic and talented dancers from local Crenshaw area high schools.
Musician Patrice Rushen recalled in the LA Times hanging out at a local park only to be approached by none other than Cornelius himself. It was just such a fun neighborhood. Cruising reached its peak in the early s, when more than a thousand cars would jam Crenshaw Boulevard, from Jefferson Boulevard to Florence Avenue. Faced with mounting pressure by frustrated Crenshaw Boulevard business owners and civic leaders, in the LAPD began to barricade 3.
But this and other deterrents had little effect, with cruisers simply going farther south on Crenshaw or taking side streets. In April , a popular Banning High football player named Dupree Taye was shot and killed in a random act of violence when the red Ford Thunderbird he was cruising in got a flat tire.
Dre rapping about the hard realities that faced many South LA youth. Years of disinvestment in resources and infrastructure by the city and state also took their toll.
In , the construction of the 8. This and the encroaching gentrification of areas like Leimert Park led to the formation of Destination Crenshaw , a planned 1. Building at grade would cause major disruption on the street, splitting it in two and making it less a walkable main street and more like a drive-though thoroughfare. Community and civic leaders decided to turn what they saw as an insult into an opportunity.
And that there ought to be a place, like we have Chinatown, like we have the Fairfax district, like we have Little Tokyo, like we have San Pedro Targeted to be completed in spring , Destination Crenshaw will include permanent art installations extolling the history and culture of black Angelenos.
The Leimert Theater is being fully restored and modernized, and there are plans for a public amphitheater and 10 new parks and miniparks. The architecture firm of Perkins and Will will oversee the design and construction. Landscape design will be provided by Studio-MLA.
Destination Crenshaw is going to be just that. Another community partner involved in Destination Crenshaw was the rapper, philanthropist, and civic leader Nipsey Hussle. Earth Focus. City Rising. Lost LA. See All Shows. More on Art in the Desert. More on Filipino Eats. More on Cinema Series. Your donation supports our high-quality, inspiring and commercial-free programming.
Other Ways to Give. Connect with Our Team. PBS Passport. Leadership Circle. Gift Planning. Corporate Support. Recognizing Your Generosity. Crenshaw Boulevard: Cruising Through the Decades. By Alvaro Parra. Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn. Everyone came by It was the kind of high-energy scene that was relaxed enough to attract the Hollywood elite. It was word of mouth.
Muhammad Ali would come in and work as the disc jockey, doing his rhymes. Williams said that a Crenshaw Line stop at Leimert Park, about two blocks south of his shop, would help with economic revitalization of the area. The fountain at Leimert Park Plaza makes a relaxing lounging spot. The park was designed between and by the Olmsted Bros. Drummers and dancers make merry in Leimert Plaza Park. The neighborhood is considered the cultural heartbeat of black L.
Leimert Park, developed in the s, is a neighborhood rich with Art Deco apartments and office buildings, Spanish colonial homes and post-war bungalows. A resident walks by shops along Crenshaw Boulevard. Some have expressed frustration at the inability to attract retailers that other boulevards have been able to woo. A soul food restaurant in the Crenshaw district advertises its fare.
The district has long been a power base for African Americans in L.
0コメント