Historic Downtown Walking Tour | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by: Jessica Hodgdon /L.A. Conservancy (3)

Historic Downtown Walking Tour

Historic Downtown Walking Tour

Saturday, June 3, 2023 - 9:45am Sold Out
Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 9:45am Register
Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 9:45am Register
Saturday, June 24, 2023 - 9:45am Register

Enjoy a socially distanced exploration of some of L.A.’s most beloved landmarks, such as the Central Library, the U.S. Bank Tower, and the Bradbury Building! 

Never taken one of our tours? Our Historic Downtown walking tour offers a great overview of downtown L.A. history and architecture, from the eighteenth century to the present.

Discover—or rediscover—the area’s unique character as you visit the areas surrounding Pershing Square, the heart of downtown. Learn about the founding of this great city, and the story of its growth, as told through its magnificent architecture.

Note: Click on the getting there tab for more information about our Covid-19 safety policies. 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Los Angeles Conservancy recognizes the Gabrieliño Tongva as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land, water, and natural resources in the unceded territory of Los Angeles.

Walk-ins Not Accepted
Meeting Location

Pershing Square, a one-block park located between Olive, Hill, Fifth, and Sixth Streets at 532 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles, 90013.

Covid-19 Safety and Important Policies
  • Tour will run rain or shine.
  • The L.A. Conservancy highly recommends but does not require wearing a face mask while inside.
  • The L.A. Conservancy highly recommends but does not require being vaccinated against Covid-19.
  • Social distancing of at least six feet should be maintained between L.A. Conservancy docents, staff, and other individuals who have not been isolating together.
  • The L.A. Conservancy is following all City and County of Los Angeles guidelines, and all Covid-19 protocols are subject to change.
  • You can change your reservation date if you contact us at info@laconservancy.org at least 24 hours before your original reservation date.
  • No pets.
  • This tour is not recommended for young children.
  • Strollers not recommended.
  • If a member of your party is in a wheelchair, please let us know in advance by emailing info@laconservancy.org.
All participants in the Los Angeles Conservancy-sponsored Walking Tours knowingly and freely accept and assume all risks, both known and unknown, and AGREE TO RELEASE, DEFEND, INDEMNIFY, NOT SUE, AND HOLD HARMLESS the Los Angeles Conservancy, its principals, officers, employees, volunteers, sponsors, agents and other participants from any and all claims, damages (including medical expenses and attorneys’ fees), injuries and expenses arising out of, or resulting from your voluntary attendance/participation in Walking Tours.

Featured Location(s)

Grand Central Market
Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy
John Parkinson
Harrison Albright

Grand Central Market

In continuous operation as a market since 1917 out of two adjacent buildings built in 1897 and 1905, one of which was the first reinforced concrete building erected in Southern California.
Photo by Douglas Hill/ShootingArchitecture.com
Sumner P. Hunt
George H. Wyman

Bradbury Building

Still splendid more than 100 years after its 1893 opening, its magical light-filled Victorian court, open cage elevators, marble stairs, and ornate iron railings make this one of downtown's most photographed icons.
Metro 417
Photo by Floyd Bariscale
Schultze and Weaver

Metro 417

Designed in the Beaux Arts style with Italian Renaissance ornamentation, this 1926 building has dual entrances, one to the offices above, and one to a concourse that served the city's early subway.
Photo by Larry Underhill
Schultze and Weaver

The Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

Opening to great fanfare in 1923, the Biltmore was then the largest hotel west of Chicago and this day it remains one of L.A.'s best examples of Beaux Arts style architecture.
Photo courtesy Rising Realty Partners
Dodd & Richards
Parkinson & Bergstrom

PacMutual

Designed by premier L.A. architects, the former headquarters of Pacific Mutual Life Insurance is now teeming with new life as creative office space.
Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy
Allison & Allison

The CalEdison

One of the first all-electrically heated and cooled buildings constructed in the western United States, this fourteen-story, steel-framed 1931 treasure follows a classically inspired Art Deco design.
Photo by Jessica Hodgdon/L.A. Conservancy
Lawrence Halprin

Bunker Hill Steps

The ties between downtown L.A. and its Bunker Hill origins have been tenuous at best. The Bunker Hill Steps, built in 1989, aimed to remedy that.
Photo by Annie Laskey/L.A. Conservancy
Col. J. W. Eddy

Angels Flight

One of L.A.'s most enduring landmarks and the "shortest railway in the world" opened in 1901, and the funicular still carries passengers between Hill Street, just steps from Metro's Pershing Square Station, and the top of Bunker Hill.