Itinerary: Bunker Hill

Bunker Hill--it’s the stuff that L.A. noir novels and apocalyptic tales of urban planning are made of.

Between Hill and Figueroa streets, running from Temple to 4th streets, Bunker Hill was developed as a residential neighborhood in the 1870s. But as early as 1910, wealthy residents started moving to newer, more fashionable neighborhoods. Mansions became boardinghouses, and--true or not--the image of Bunker Hill as a slum in the 1920s and ‘30s was solidified by writers such as Raymond Chandler and Paul Cain.

Overwrought by fear of “urban blight”--an apparent code for poor immigrants--city leaders called for the demolition of the hill. By the mid-1960s, the houses were gone. In their place are office towers and high-rise apartment buildings connected by tidy, sterile plazas. The Museum of Contemporary Art and cultural centers at the Music Center recall the idea of the hilltop as L.A.’s “acropolis,” but the area has lured few permanent residents.

Thursday

Every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m., admission is free to the Museum of Contemporary Art (250 S. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles, [213] 626-6222), and through September the museum also offers free jazz performances. This week, the Barry Harris Trio entertains the crowds outside. Inside, enjoy “In Memory of My Feelings: Frank O’Hara and American Art,” about the famed writer-curator. The museum also has one of the most eclectic gift shops around.

Friday

Start at the bottom--on Hill Street, south of 3rd Street, at the base of Angels Flight. This little (298 feet) funicular takes 40 passengers at a time to the top of Bunker Hill (25 cents each way). Be sure to look carefully at the building to the south as you go up the hill; the windows there are a wonderful trompe l’oeil.

The original Angels Flight was built in 1901 and was a half block north of its present location. For a nickel, residents from the hill would “commute” into the Civic Center on one of the two counterbalanced cars, Olivet and Sinai. It was dismantled in 1969 to slice 30 feet off the hill and wasn’t rebuilt until 1996.

At the top is the Watercourt at California Plaza, where at 8 p.m. the 17-member Louie Bellson Big Band will play a concert tribute to Duke Ellington. Grand Performances hosts free shows here all summer, including Africa Fe^te on Sunday (see Best Bets).

Saturday

The Music Center (135 N. Grand Ave.) anchors the north tip of Bunker Hill, housing three arts venues--the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion--all opened between 1964 and 1967.

Free one-hour tours of the Music Center are available Saturday at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and noon. Tours also are available Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Days and times change in October.) Call (213) 972-7483 for reservations.

“The First Picture Show,” a musical about a 99-year-old director of silent films, is running through Sept. 19 at the Mark Taper Forum, (Tuesday-Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. $29 to $40. [213] 628-2772). Ellen Greene and Estelle Parsons head the cast.

Sunday

The plaza at Hope and 3rd streets has the feel of a rooftop garden. To the south are skyscrapers; to the north, a glimpse of hilltop houses like the ones that used to grace Bunker Hill.

Walk down Hope to the elegant Bunker Hill Steps, a five-story climb down to the Los Angeles Public Library. Or, turn west just after 4th Street, go around the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA, and walk right off the side of Bunker Hill. A skywalk takes you to the Westin-Bonaventure Hotel, where you can look down from the rotating Bona View lounge on the 35th floor.