Central Plaza | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by Hunter Kerhart

Central Plaza

In 1950, New York developer Norman Tishman stopped in Los Angeles on the way to a Palm Springs vacation and stayed overnight at the Ambassador Hotel. When he looked out his window, he saw a golf driving range west of the hotel and considered it a waste of prime Wilshire Boulevard frontage. 

Tishman Realty and Construction bought the driving range and by 1958 had constructed five major office buildings on the boulevard. The first entries in 'Tishmanville' were the three small towers built at Mariposa Avenue. These buildings heralded Wilshire Center's transition into a home for Fortune 500 companies.

When asked to explain why his company invested so heavily in postwar Wilshire Boulevard, Tishman explained: "We think Wilshire will be the New York of the West Coast."

Photo courtesy Architectural Resources Group

Bailey House (Case Study House #21)

Built for a couple open to the idea of a steel-framed house, which allowed architect Pierre Koenig to realize his vision of an open plan design that was both affordable and beautiful.
Photo by Marisela Ramirez/L.A. Conservancy

Ruben Salazar Park

Laguna Park, now Ruben Salazar Park, was the terminus of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium march and the site where protesters and law enforcement first clashed.