The Financial District (Financial Core) is the central business district of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

along Olive, Grand, Hope, Flower and Figueroa streets from 4th Street to 8th Street. It is south of the Bunker Hill district, west of the Historic Core, north of

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand ...

and east of the

Harbor Freeway A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

and Central City West. Like Bunker Hill, the Financial District is home to corporate office skyscrapers, hotels and related services as well as banks, law firms, and real estate companies. However, unlike Bunker Hill which was razed and now consists of buildings constructed since the 1960s, it contains large buildings from the early 20th century, particularly along Seventh Street, once the city's upscale shopping street; the area also attracts visitors as the 7th and Flower area is at the center of the regional Metro rail system and is replete with restaurants, bars, and shopping at two urban malls.

History

What is now the Financial District was originally agricultural land, then a residential area of single family homes, then around 1900 started attracting businesses as Victorian-era Downtown L.A. expanded south along Broadway past 3rd Street and "around the corner", west along Seventh Street. Around 1915, 7th Street between

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

(on which corner stood

Bullock's Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire special ...

) and

Figueroa Street Figueroa Street is a major north-south street in Los Angeles County, California, spanning from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington north to Eagle Rock. A short, unconnected continuation of Figueroa Street runs just south of Marengo Driv ...

, became downtown's upscale shopping district. This began with

J. W. Robinson's J. W. Robinson Co., ''Robinson's'', was a chain of department stores operating in the Southern California and Arizona area, previously with headquarters in Los Angeles, California. History Joseph Winchester Robinson was a merchant from Waltham, ...

deciding to build their flagship store in 1915 on Seventh far to the west of the existing Broadway shopping district, between Hope and Grand streets. The Ville de Paris and

Coulter's Coulter's was a department store that originated in Downtown Los Angeles and later moved to the Miracle Mile shopping district in that same city. History Coulter's was founded by B. F. Coulter, a minister and entrepreneur from Kentucky, wh ...

as well as numerous specialty shops came and rounded out the district. The area lost its exclusivity when the upscale downtown stores opened branches in Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, Westwood and Pasadena in the late 1920s through the 1940s, notably the establishment of

upscale landmark branch

Bullocks Wilshire Bullocks Wilshire, located at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, is a Art Deco building. The building opened in September 1929 as a luxury department store for owner John G. Bullock (owner of the more mainstream Bullock's in D ...

Mid-Wilshire Mid-Wilshire is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. It is known for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Petersen Automotive Museum, and the Miracle Mile shopping district. Geography City of Los Angeles bound ...

in 1929. Thirteen large office buildings opened between 1920 and 1928. By 1929, every plot on 7th between Figueroa and Los Angeles Streets had been developed. The area remained an important, if not the most exclusive, center of retail and office space throughout the 1950s, but started a slow decline throughout the 1980s due to suburbanization. It was also the concentration of Downtown financial activity on Bunker Hill, a few blocks north. The flagship department stores like Bullock's (1983), Barker Brothers (1984) and Robinson's (1993) had closed and only the Broadway/Macy's at The Bloc, previously named Broadway Plaza remained. However, in 1986, the Seventh Market Place mall, now FIGat7th, opened, bringing a smaller retail cluster back to Seventh such as the

7th Street/Metro Center station 7th Street/Metro Center station is an underground light rail and rapid transit (known locally as a subway) station on the A, B, D, and E lines of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. The station also has street level stops for the J Line of ...

opening in 1991. The Financial District was created by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency to provide an alternative to the old

Spring Street Financial District Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed W ...

, which fell into decline in the second half of the 20th century. Demand for apartments in downtown Los Angeles surged in 2010 and the years following. In 2015, thousands of apartments were under construction or proposed for the area around 8th Street.

Historic photos

File:Panoramic view of Los Angeles, showing Sixth Street, Figueroa Street, Flower Street, east side of Sixth Street, ca.1916 (CHS-5790B-p).jpg, 1916 view towards the east on 6th St. from near the Southland Hotel at SW corner of 6th and Flower. Baker-Detweiler Building is on south side of Pershing Square between Olive and Hill. File:BIOLA on Hope.jpg, Looking north on Hope Street past Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University), 1912 File:Panoramic view of Los Angeles, looking west from the Pacific Electric building, with Main Street and 7th Street in view, January 1, 1907 (CHS-5774).jpg, 7th Street looking west from Main Street, 1907, not yet a commercial district File:SeventhStreetWestFromSeventhBHDyasVilleDeParis1917.jpg, 7th Street looking west from Broadway, 1917. Bullocks far right; B. H. Dyas sporting goods store, right; Ville de Paris, at left. File:J. W. Robinson's new 7th Street store at launch 1915.jpg,

flagship store on Seventh Street at launch, 1915. Robinson's locating on 7th marked the beginning of the street as the upmarket downtown shopping district File:Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church, Hope Street between 7th Street and 8th Street, ca.1890-1905 (CHS-1314).jpg, Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church, Hope between 7th/8th, c.1890-1905 (CHS-1314).jpg File:First Congregational Church on Hope Street, ca.1905 (CHS-1777).jpg, First Congregational Church on Hope Street between 8th/9th, c.1905 File:First Christian Church, Eleventh Street and Hope Street, ca.1910 (CHS-2442).jpg, First Christian Church, Hope and 11th, c.1910

Transportation

The

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), commonly branded as Metro, LA Metro, and L.A. Metro, is the state agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the transportation system in Los Angele ...

( Metro Rail & Metro Busway), and LADOT (DASH & Commuter Express) provide heavy rail (subway), light rail, and local bus services throughout the Financial Core and to the

Greater Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino ...

. 7th St/Metro Center station provides primary access to Metro B Line, D Line, A Line, and E Line.

Landmarks

File:Westin Bonaventure Hotel.jpg, Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, SE corner 4th/Figueroa File:PaulHastingsCityNationalTwinTowers.jpg,

City National Plaza City National Plaza is a twin tower skyscraper complex on South Flower Street in western Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. It was originally named ARCO Plaza upon opening in 1972. History Richfield Tower The present complex is o ...

, 5th to 6th, Flower to Figueroa File:Citigroup Center Downtown Los Angeles.jpg,

FourFortyFour South Flower FourFortyFour South Flower, formerly Citigroup Center, is a 48-story skyscraper at 444 South Flower Street in the Bunker Hill area of downtown Los Angeles, California. When completed in 1981, the tower was the fifth-tallest in the city. His ...

, NE corner of 5th/Flower File:Los-angeles-central-library.jpg, Richard J. Riordan Central Library (Los Angeles Public Library), 5th and Hope File:Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles.jpg,

Millennium Biltmore Hotel The Millennium Biltmore Hotel, originally the Los Angeles Biltmore of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels group, is a luxury hotel located opposite Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Upon its grand opening in 1923, the Los Angeles Biltmo ...

, west side of Pershing Square (S side of 5th from Olive to Grand) File:FigueroaWilshire.jpg, Figueroa at Wilshire building, SW corner 6th/Figueroa File:Panoramic view of Los Angeles, showing Sixth Street, Figueroa Street, Flower Street, east side of Sixth Street, ca.1916 (CHS-5796.7).jpg, View east along 6th incl. Southland Hotel at SW corner 6th/Flower c.1916. Demolished 1971. now site of Pacific Financial Center. File:Superior Oil Company Building, Los Angeles.JPG, Superior Oil Company Building, NE corner 6th/Flower File:Downtown Los Angeles - Aon Center.jpg, Aon Center, W side of Hope from 6th to Wilshire File:523 W. Sixth Street, Los Angeles.jpg, PacMutual building, north side of 6th from Grand to Olive File:ErnstYoungBuildingLosAngeles.jpg,

Ernst & Young Plaza EY Plaza, formerly known as Ernst & Young Plaza, is a 534-foot (163 m) tall skyscraper in Los Angeles, California. It was completed in 1985, has 41 floors and is the 18th tallest building in Los Angeles. The tower is currently owned by Brookfiel ...

, SW corner 7th/Figueroa File:777 Tower Los Angeles Pelli LC-HS503-502.jpg,

777 Tower 777 Tower (originally known as Citicorp Center and also known as Pelli Tower) is a , 52-story high-rise office building designed by César Pelli located at 777 South Figueroa Street in the Financial District of Downtown Los Angeles, Californi ...

at NW corner 8th/Figueroa File:Fine Arts Building of Los Angeles.png, Fine Arts Building, N side of 7th, W of Flower File:MCICenter02.jpg, MCI Center (orig. Broadway Plaza), SE corner 7th/Flower File:Brockman Bldg - Los Angeles.JPG,

Brockman Building The Brockman Building is a 12-story Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts, Classical Revival architecture, Classical, and Romanesque Revival architecture, Romanesque Revival style building located on 7th Street (Los Angeles), 7th Street in Downtown L ...

, SE corner 7th and Grand File:Wilshire Grand.jpg,

Wilshire Grand Center Wilshire Grand Center is a skyscraper in the financial district of downtown Los Angeles, California, occupying the entire city block between Wilshire Boulevard and 7th, Figueroa, and Francisco streets. Completed in 2017, it is the tallest b ...

a.k.a. Korean Air Tower, SW corner Wilshire/Figueroa File:Southern California Gas Company Complex.jpg,

Southern California Gas Company Complex The Southern California Gas Company Complex is a group of buildings on Flower Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The main building, completed in 1925, was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by John and Donald Parkinson. It was originally us ...

, SE corner 8th/Flower Landmarks in the district include, from west to east and north to south: Fifth Street: * Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, block bounded by 4th, 5th, Figueroa, Flower; 404 S. Figueroa, opened 1976,

John C. Portman, Jr. John Calvin Portman Jr. (December 4, 1924 – December 29, 2017) was an American neofuturistic architect and real estate developer widely known for popularizing hotels and office buildings with multi-storied interior atria. Portman also had a pa ...

, architect. *

, formerly Citigroup Center, 48 floors, 191 m (627 ft.), NE corner of 5th and Flower, 444 S. Flower, opened 1981, Albert C. Martin & Associates, architects * Richard J. Riordan Central Library (Los Angeles Public Library), south side of 5th at Hope, 630 W. 5th St., opened 1926,

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 – April 23, 1924) was an American architect celebrated for his work in Gothic Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for ...

, architect. *

, on south side of 5th from Olive to Grand, facing Pershing Square, opened 1923 * Pershing Square, between 5th, 6th, Hill and Olive Sixth Street: * Figueroa at Wilshire, originally Sanwa Bank Plaza, 53 stories, 218.5m, 717 ft., SW corner 6th and Figueroa, 601 S. Figueroa, opened 1990, Albert C. Martin & Associates, architects. * SW corner of 6th/Flower: Pacific Financial Center, 18 stories, 1973, architect

William Pereira William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably pr ...

and Assoc. Site of Southland Hotel, opened 1910, demolished 1971. * Superior Oil Company Building (The Standard Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles), NE corner 6th and Flower, 550 S. Flower, opened 1956, Claud Beelman and William Simpson, architects. * 611 Place, NW corner 6th and Grand. * PacMutual Building, (originally the Pacific Mutual Building), northwest corner of 6th and Olive, completed in stages in 1908, 1921, 1926, 1936; architects Dodd & Richards and Parkinson & Bergstrom, Beaux-Arts and Moderne architecture. * Aon Center, 67 floors, height 261.52 m (858.0 ft), W side of Hope between 6th and Wilshire, 707 Wilshire Bl., opened 1974,

Charles Luckman Charles Luckman (May 16, 1909 – January 26, 1999) was an American businessman, property developer, and architect known for designing landmark buildings in the United States such as the Theme Building, Prudential Tower, Madison Square Garden, ...

, architect. *

James Oviatt Building The James Oviatt Building, commonly referred to as The Oviatt Building, is an Art Deco highrise in Downtown Los Angeles located on Olive Street, half a block south of 6th St. and Pershing Square. In 1983, the Oviatt Building was listed in the Na ...

, former home of Alexander & Oviatt men's clothing store, 6th and Olive Seventh Street: *

a.k.a. Korean Air Tower, 73 floors, 335 m (1,100 ft.), occupying the block from Wilshire to 7th and from Figueroa to Francisco, 900 Wilshire Bl., opened 2017, AC Martin Partners, architects. Site of the 1952 Hotel Statler, later the Los Angeles Hilton. *

, 41 floors, 163m, 534 ft., SW corner of 7th and Figueroa, 725 S. Figueroa, opened 1985 * Fine Arts Building, near NW corner 7th and Flower, 811 W. 7th, opened 1927, Albert Raymond Walker and Percy Augustus Eisen, architects. * MCI Center (originally Broadway Plaza), 33 floors, 126 m (414 ft.), SE corner of 7th and Flower, 700 S. Flower, opened 1973, Luckman Partership, architects. The Bloc shopping center is located in the complex. *

, SE corner 7th and Grand, 520–530 W. 7th, opened 1912,

Barnett, Haynes & Barnett Barnett, Haynes & Barnett was a prominent architectural firm based in St. Louis, Missouri. Their credits include many familiar St. Louis landmarks, especially a number related to the local Catholic church. Their best-known building is pr ...

, architects. *

, originally ARCO Plaza, twin towers, occupying the entire block from 5th to 6th and from Flower to Figueroa, 505–555 S. Flower, opened 1971, Albert C. Martin & Associates, architects *

Los Angeles Athletic Club Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) is a privately owned Sports club, athletic club and social club in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California, United States. Established in 1880, the club is today best known for its John R. Wooden Award pr ...

, NE corner 7th and Olive, 431 W 7th, opened 1912, by John Parkinson and George Bergstrom, architects. Eighth Street: *

(originally Citicorp Plaza), 52 stories, NW corner 8th and Figueroa, 777 S. Figueroa, opened 1991; and the adjacent FIGat7th (originally Seventh Market Place) shopping center, opened in 1986. *

, SE corner 8th and Flower, 800–830 S. Flower, first part opened 1925,

Parkinson & Parkinson John and Donald Parkinson were a father-and-son architectural firm operating in the Los Angeles area in the early 20th century. They designed and built many of the city's iconic buildings, including Grand Central Market, the Memorial Colise ...

et al., architects. Six-story extension at 820 S. Flower: opened 1942,

Robert V. Derrah Robert V. Derrah was an American architect. His work included designs for the Crossroads of the World (1936), Coca-Cola Building (Los Angeles) and a 1942 extension on the Southern California Gas Company Complex. He died at the age of 51 in 1946 ...

History

Historic photos

Transportation

Landmarks

Map of buildings and historic sites

References

External links