Dismissing and Defending Downtown L.A.

Shawn Hubler’s essay Aug. 8, “The Sum of Our Parts,” made some interesting points about downtown L.A., but I think there is too much concern about that downtown. There used to be a wonderful downtown Hollywood. Much-maligned South-Central L.A. once had a downtown of sorts, and we are surrounded by many delightful downtowns. Downtown Santa Monica, Culver City, Torrance, Long Beach, Monterey Park, Pasadena and Glendale, to name just a few.

What we need is a new downtown Hollywood and downtown Westwood, San Pedro, Eagle Rock and downtown Hancock and Highland Parks, each to create their own downtown free of the meddling from that other downtown that few of us would miss. Maybe the people who live there could create their own “downtown.” They could call it New Angeles, as in New York, New Haven, New Orleans or whatever pleased them, but please let me be free of the tyranny of Los Angeles.

CHUCK WELCH

Hollywood

* Suburban-based critics often make two faulty assumptions: 1) that the whole city is simply the sum of its separate parts, so therefore the center is not especially important, and 2) that it’s our “basic nature” to want to live in suburbs.

No, a city is infinitely more than the sum of its separate parts. Although a city is composed of neighborhoods, it also has history, culture, social networks and a center. In the past, city planners responded to the demands of developers by encouraging residents to escape from the center. But our center survived anyway.

L.A.’s downtown is the true crossroads of Southern California. It lies in a spectacular setting on top of or just under Bunker Hill, with mountains and foothills as a backdrop. The skyline is a mixture of visually exciting old and new buildings. New, or on the drawing boards, are major buildings (the cathedral, Disney Hall, sports arena, the Colburn School of Performing Arts, an addition to the Japanese American National Museum), which will only add to the excitement. Soon new landscaped streets will connect downtown’s neighborhoods.

If you take an up-close look at the real Los Angeles downtown, you’ll discover what a great place it is--and great fun to visit.

ROBERT D. HERMAN

Claremont

Herman is the author of “Downtown Los Angeles, a Walking Guide,” 1996.