Hollywood Boulevard
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Former name(s) | Prospect Avenue (1887–1910) |
---|---|
Maintained by | Bureau of Street Services, City of L.A. DPW |
Nearest metro station | |
West end | Sunset Plaza Drive in Hollywood Hills West |
Major junctions | Highland Avenue in Hollywood Vine Avenue in Hollywood US 101 in Hollywood Western Avenue in Hollywood Normandie Avenue in Hollywood Vermont Avenue in Los Feliz |
East end | Sunset Boulevard/Hillhurst Avenue/Virgil Avenue in Los Feliz |
Other | |
Known for | Hollywood and Vine Hollywood Walk of Fame |
Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District | |
Built | 1939 |
NRHP reference No. | 85000704 |
Added to NRHP | April 4, 1985 |
Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in
Route description
Hollywood Boulevard's western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the
East of Gower Street, Hollywood Boulevard crosses the Hollywood Freeway (US 101) before running through East Hollywood. The portion of the boulevard between the Hollywood Freeway and Vermont Avenue forms the northern boundary of Little Armenia,[1] while the portion between Western Avenue and Sunset Boulevard forms part of the southern boundary of Los Feliz.[2] Thai Town is centered along the six blocks of Hollywood Boulevard between Western and Normandie Avenues.[3] After crossing Vermont Avenue, Hollywood Boulevard heads southeast to its eastern terminus at Sunset Boulevard.
Three B (Red) Line Metro Rail stations are located on Hollywood Boulevard: Hollywood/Highland station, Hollywood/Vine station, and Hollywood/Western station.
History
1890s to 1910
Part of today's Hollywood Boulevard was called Prospect Avenue, a dusty road that ran through
In May 1900, the railroad connecting Hollywood and Los Angeles was completed, and another one was under construction. In 1901, the Town of Hollywood opened the new macadamized road surface with
In 1903, Hollywood became a municipality, and Prospect Avenue became sometimes called as the Boulevard of Hollywood, albeit unofficially.
In 1910, the town of Hollywood was incorporated into Los Angeles, and Prospect Avenue was officially renamed Hollywood Boulevard.
1920s
In the early 1920s, real estate developer
Regional shopping district
Starting around 1920, the boulevard and adjacent streets became a major regional shopping district, both for everyday needs and appliances, but increasingly also for high-end clothing and accessories, in part because of the nearby film studios. Chains that opened includes Schwab's in 1921,
The following diagram shows the major businesses along Hollywood Boulevard in 1927 or 1928, from the intersection with Vine Street at the top (east) to the intersection with La Brea Avenue at the bottom (west). It is read like a map turned on its side, with east at the top. The first column is the north side of the boulevard, the rightmost column is the south side. There are a few relevant notes about major buildings added after 1928. Numbers from 6100–7200 are addresses on Hollywood Boulevard.
Businesses along Hollywood Blvd. in c.1927-8
Based on artistic map by the "Hollywood Boulevard Association", at right.
continued in next column |
|
|
1940s–1960s
In 1946, Gene Autry, while riding his horse in the Hollywood Christmas Parade — which passes down Hollywood Boulevard each year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving — heard young parade watchers yelling, "Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus!" and was inspired to write "Here Comes Santa Claus" with Oakley Haldeman.[15]
In 1958, the
Decline
In the 1970s, the street became very seedy and was frequented by many odd characters as shown in pictures by photographer Ave Pildas.[16]
Revitalization
In 1985, a portion of Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the "Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District". In 1992, the street was paved with glittery asphalt between Vine Street and La Brea Boulevard.[17]
The El Capitan Theatre was refurbished in 1991 then damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The full El Capitan building was fully restored and upgraded in December 1997. The Hollywood Entertainment District, a self-taxing business improvement district, was formed for the properties from La Brea to McCadden on the boulevard.[6]
The Hollywood extension of the
An
Beginning in 1995, then
In the summer of 2005, the city made revamping plans on Hollywood Boulevard for future tourists. The three-part plan was to exchange the original streetlights with red stars into two-headed old-fashioned streetlights, put in new palm trees, and put in new stoplights. The renovations were completed in late 2005.
In the few years leading up to 2007, more than $2 billion was spent on projects in the neighborhood, including mixed-use retail and apartment complexes and new schools and museums.[19]
In 2021, the Vogue Theater, on Hollywood Boulevard, at Las Palmas, reopened as the Vogue Multicultural Museum.[20][21][22][23]
Renovations of the Hollywood and Highland Center began in 2020. The renovated complex was renamed Ovation Hollywood in 2022.[24][25][26]
In 2022, for the return of the
Heart of Hollywood / Walk of Fame Master Plan
Advocates promote the idea of closing Hollywood Boulevard to traffic and create a Pedestrian zone from La Brea Avenue to Highland Avenue citing an increase in pedestrian traffic including tourism, weekly movie premiers[28] and award shows closures, including 10 days for the Academy Award ceremony at the Dolby Theatre.[29] Similar to other cities in the US, like Third Street Promenade, Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Market St. in San Francisco or the closure in Times Squares Pedestrian Plaza's created in 2015.[30]
In June 2019, The City of Los Angeles commissioned
Also in East Hollywood area, another plan for boulevard revitalization is planned.
Major intersections
The entire route is in
mi[41] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 0.0 | Sunset Plaza Drive | Western terminus | ||
1.8 | 2.9 | Laurel Canyon Boulevard | |||
2.0 | 3.2 | Fairfax Avenue | |||
3.0 | 4.8 | La Brea Avenue | Western end of Hollywood Walk of Fame | ||
3.4 | 5.5 | Highland Avenue | Serves Ovation Hollywood, Hollywood/Highland station | ||
3.8 | 6.1 | Wilcox Avenue | |||
3.9 | 6.3 | Cahuenga Boulevard | |||
4.1 | 6.6 | Vine Street | Hollywood and Vine intersection; serves Hollywood/Vine station | ||
4.3 | 6.9 | Gower Street | Eastern end of Hollywood Walk of Fame | ||
4.6 | 7.4 | US 101 (Hollywood Freeway) | |||
5.0 | 8.0 | Western Avenue | Serves Hollywood/Western station | ||
5.5 | 8.9 | Normandie Avenue | |||
6.1 | 9.8 | Vermont Avenue | |||
6.4 | 10.3 | Sunset Boulevard/Hillhurst Avenue/Virgil Avenue | Eastern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Gallery
-
From a rooftop at Dale Street (or Orange Street?), c. 1905
-
The intersection of Hollywood, then named Prospect and Highland avenues 1907
-
Cruising circa 1909
-
Screencap from promotional film Hollywood Snapshots (1922), Hollywood Line streetcar near Garden Court Apartments
-
Hollywood Boulevard, looking west towards the Hollywood Pantages Theatre
-
Hollywood Boulevard, looking west
Events
A popular event that takes place on the Boulevard is the complete transformation of the street to a Christmas theme. Shops and department stores attract customers by lighting their stores and the entire street with decorated Christmas trees and Christmas lights. The street essentially becomes "Santa Claus Lane." The route of Hollywood Christmas Parade partially follows Hollywood Boulevard.[42]
Landmarks
- Barnsdall Art Park
- Bob Hope Square (Hollywood and Vine)
- Broadway Hollywood Building
- Grauman's Chinese Theatre
- Dolby Theatre
- Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
- El Capitan Theatre
- Fonda Theatre
- Frederick's of Hollywood
- Ovation Hollywood
- Hollywood Pacific Theatre
- Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Hollywood Wax Museum
- Hollywood Masonic Temple
- Madame Tussauds Hollywood
- Musso & Frank Grill
- Pantages Theatre
- Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Odditorium
See also
References
- ^ "Part of East Hollywood Is Designated 'Little Armenia'". Los Angeles Times. October 7, 2000.
- ^ "Los Feliz". Mapping L.A. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ "City Council Designates Area as 'Thai Town'". Los Angeles Times. October 28, 1999.
- ^ Masters, Nathan, How Prospect Avenue Became Hollywood Boulevard (By Nathan Masters, Los Angeles Magazine) [1]
- ISBN 1-57145-794-1.
- ^ a b Vaughn, Susan (March 3, 1998). "El Capitan Courageous". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^ "Advertisement for Boadway Bros., Inc". Holly Leaves (magazine). July 1, 1922. p. 37. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ISBN 9780977629930.
- ISBN 0262122006.
- ^ a b c d e As of 1934 in this photo: "[Columbia Outfitting Company] (2 views) [graphic]". California State Library. 1934. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Hillview Apartments". Architizer. February 17, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Frederick's of Hollywood in the old Kress department store, 6608 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, circa 1960s". Martin Turnbull. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Spotlight on Café Montmartre". Martin Turnbull. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Hollywood Theatre in Los Angeles, CA - Cinema Treasures". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Home – The Hollywood Christmas Parade." The Hollywood Christmas Parade. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014.
- ^ MacLaren, Becca (July 17, 2015). "The Seedy, Funky, and Fabulous Hollywood Boulevard of the 1970s". The Getty Iris. The Getty. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ Krikorian, Greg (September 5, 1992). "Hollywood Blvd. to Be Paved With Glitz". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
- ^ Martin H and McCormack S (September 24, 1999): Idled by the Law : As Cities Crack Down on Cruising, Car Culture Aficionados Find Other Outlets. Los Angeles Times archive. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Steinhauer, Jennifer (January 26, 2007). "Development at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street spurs Tinseltown renaissance". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "Vogue Multicultural Museum". The Hollywood Partnership. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "Their Mortal Remains". The Pink Floyd Exhibition – Official Site. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "A preview of The Pink Floyd Exhibition at the Vogue Multicultural Museum". KTLA. September 17, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "Hollywood & Highland makes name change official just in time for the Oscars". bizjournals.com. March 22, 2022.
- ^ "New Owners of Hollywood & Highland Center Plan Renovation". August 6, 2019.
- ^ "Hollywood & Highland is getting a big makeover that includes turning stores into offices". Los Angeles Times. August 5, 2020.
- ^ "Hollywood Boulevard to Get New Look With Lights Under 111 Trees | KFI AM 640 | LA Local News". Kfiam640.iheart.com. June 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "Alerts Archive". Only In Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ Walker, Alissa (March 2, 2018). "Make the Oscars street closures permanent". Curbed LA.
- ^ Crotty, Emilia (December 30, 2015). "Opinion: Here's a New Year's resolution worth keeping: Close Hollywood Boulevard to cars in 2016". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame's $4-Million Master Plan Moves Forward". Urbanize LA. June 14, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame Update Coming, City Selects Firm to Design Improvements". NBC Los Angeles. June 12, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ Nelson, Laura J.; Vega, Priscella (January 30, 2020). "L.A. considers bold makeover for Hollywood Boulevard: Fewer cars, bike lanes, wider sidewalks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ Barragan, Bianca (January 31, 2020). "'Exciting' Hollywood Boulevard makeover unveiled. But don't call it radical". Curbed LA. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
- ^ "WALK OF FAME MASTER PLAN | Heart of Hollywood". Heartofhollywood.la. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame to Get Streetscape Improvements | KFI AM 640 | LA Local News". Kfiam640.iheart.com. July 28, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ @numble (July 5, 2023). "LA City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez has filed a motion for LA city to negotiate with LA County on potential tax-increment finance district (EIFD) for Hollywood. Prior council-member intended EIFD to fund Walk of Fame Master Plan" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Tapp, Tom (March 21, 2024). "Hollywood Boulevard Revitalization To Include Wider Sidewalks, More Crosswalks, New Bike & Bus Lanes; Aims To Build "Hollywood Around People Instead Of Cars"". Deadline. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Walk of Shame? Some say Hollywood Boulevard renovation could signal a new era". Los Angeles Times. March 21, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
- ^ "Project aims to make Hollywood Boulevard safer for pedestrians". August 31, 2023.
- ^ Google (March 23, 2024). "Route of Hollywood Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Masters, Nathan. "When Hollywood Boulevard Became Santa Claus Lane" | LA as Subject | SoCal Focus | KCET." KCET. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014.