L.A. Takes a Shine to New Streetlights

Along Vermont Avenue west of downtown, the streetscape is marked by that familiar Los Angeles mix of mini-malls, low-rise office buildings and aging Art Deco storefronts. But head north of 3rd Street and the chaotic commerce of Vermont suddenly takes on an unexpected order.

A striking difference is new streetlights that look old-fashioned. Each King Pole, as the city Bureau of Street Lighting calls it, features an octagonal base that rises to a fluted arm, with a teardrop-shaped lamp hanging from it. The city installed 135 of the lamps on Vermont between 3rd and Hollywood Boulevard a few years ago, along with brick crosswalks, trees and other improvements.

The King Poles have become something of a phenomenon in neighborhoods across Los Angeles and a symbol that improvement is underway. The city has installed more than 1,000 as part of street renovation projects in numerous neighborhoods, including Leimert Park and the Staples Center area downtown.

The poles don’t face the roadway like regular streetlights. Rather, they are designed to illuminate sidewalks in an effort to encourage pedestrian life and improve nighttime safety.

Neighborhood groups and merchants now clamor for the lights, which cost $7,500 each.

The lamps are 15 feet tall, about 10 feet shorter than a typical streetlight.

That helps humanize the streetscape, said Joyce Perkins, executive director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, an advocacy group that helps local groups work with city agencies to secure public improvements.

Officials hope that the fancy lights will make sidewalks and streets more inviting for walking, cycling and using mass transit, which could boost the fortunes of sagging business districts. They also hope that increased pedestrian activity means fewer drivers on the roads.

Some merchants on Vermont believe that the King Poles are already paying off.

Glenda Navas, general manager at El Pollo Loco near Melrose Avenue, said the lights had created a more vibrant nightlife.

Five years ago, it was rare to see pedestrians on that stretch of Vermont after dark because the area was known as a haven for drug dealers and thieves, she said. When she got off work about midnight, she feared being robbed.

“Before, you didn’t feel safe because it was too dark,” Navas said. “Now you can see families walking at night, and it’s nice.”

But others on Vermont are skeptical. And at $7,500 a pop, some question whether the city could find a better use for the money.

“I’d rather put the money into pothole fixing,” said Byron Wright, a retired businessman.

David Peck, a co-owner of Family Amusement Corp. a few doors down from El Pollo Loco, said he never noticed the lamps and would have preferred that the city use the money to increase police bike patrols.

King Pole supporters say the vintage-looking fixtures evoke an older Los Angeles, adding a bit of glamour to street corners that are often blighted.

Perkins points to an installation of lights in the Leimert Park area along Crenshaw and Leimert boulevards. The once-vibrant district was struggling when the city installed the lamps, as well as trees, potted plants, banners, new bus shelters and trash cans, and information kiosks.

“The improvements acted as a catalyst,” she said, adding that they led to more improvements, such as upgraded storefronts, and attracted more stores to area. The lights also opened up the area to nightlife, including an Afrocentric cultural center with restaurants, a theater and other businesses.

“The idea of having these pedestrian lights is to attract evening activity on the street and to give people a sense of security,” she added. “We had businesses calling and saying, ‘You didn’t put a light in front of my business.’ ”

The city has installed about 2,500 pedestrian lights since 1997. Of the six types available, the King Pole is the most popular.

The funding comes largely from a federal highway program meant to help cities beautify their main streets. States received about $620 million under the last federal transportation bill, which covered a six-year period ending in 2003.

The first such improvement project in Los Angeles was on Hill Street downtown along the Red Line subway route. With a flat lamp atop a sleek pole, the lights on Hill have a more contemporary look than the King Poles.

That project “caught the fancy” of merchants and communities around the city, said Haripal Vir, an engineer in the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. “It became a kind of lightning rod.”