Located downtown, Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station for the city of Los Angeles, California. Opened in May 1939, Union Station was designed by architects John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson. The building features Dutch Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, and Streamline Modern architecture. Today the transportation hub provides service to over 60,000 travelers each day.
Olvera Street in Los Angeles has become a representative symbol of "Old Town" Los Angeles. Sometimes called “the birthplace of Los Angeles,” it is a Mexican Marketplace that recreates a romanticized “Old Los Angeles” with a narrow, tree-shaded, brick-lined market with old structures, street vendors, painted stalls, cafes, restaurants and gift shops. Olvera Street was created in 1930.
Avila Adobe is believed to be the oldest surviving residence in Los Angeles. The structure was built in 1818 by the mayor of Los Angeles, Francisco Jose Avila. The area was part of Mexico at that time, and the mayor, like nearly all others in the area, where either citizens of Mexico or members of Native American tribes. Today, the home is located in the paseo of historical Olvera Street within the Plaza Historic District- a California State Historic Park.
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles or The Church of Our Lady Queen of the Angels, is a historic Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles. The church was founded by the Spanish settlers in the early 19th century at a time when modern-day California and much of the southern U.S., was under Spanish rule. El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles (the Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels) was the name of the Spanish city that would go on to be known as Los Angeles in the 20th Century.
The Pico House/Hotel was constructed in 1869-1870 by Pio Pico, a successful businessman, and the last Mexican Governor of Alta California. The Pico House was the first three-story hotel in Los Angeles when it was created, and it had about 80 rooms. It is located across the street from Union Station and near El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument.
The Chinese American Museum is dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of Chinese immigrants in California. To this end, it offers fine art and historical exhibits using items in its collection of 7,500 items, which includes artifacts, documents, and photographs. It opened in 2003 after 20 years of planning, becoming the first museum of its kind in Southern California. It is housed in the historic Garnier Building, which was constructed in 1890 by Philippe Garnier who rented it to Chinese merchants and organizations (many Chinese social functions were held here as well). As such, the building became the center of Chinese cultural life for much of the first half of the 1900s. The building is also significant because it is the last remaining Chinese building in Southern California. It is also a contributing property of the El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, a historic district in the oldest part of the city that was once the center of the city and eventually home to the city's original Chinatown. The museum's aim is to not only highlight Chinese contributions but to celebrate the multi-cultural heritage of Los Angeles and Southern California as well.
Built between 1937 and 1940 as a Works Progress Administration project, this Los Angeles landmark replaced two previous courthouses nad originally served as both a post office and a federal courthouse. The building was designed by architects Gilbert Stanley Underwood and Louis A. Simon and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The structure was later designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012 owing to several landmark court cases that were heard in this building. A new federal courthouse replaced this iconic Los Angeles structure, which is now home to government offices and the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Built in 1928, the Los Angeles City Hall is the center of government for the City of Los Angeles. It houses the mayor's office as well as the meeting chambers and offices of the city council. The building was designed by John Parkinson, John C. Austin, and Albert C. Martin, Sr., and was dedicated on April 26, 1928, with over 15,000 people attending. At 454 feet tall, the building is 32-stories high and was the highest building in Los Angeles for more than thirty years. The concrete in its tower was made with sand from each of California's 58 counties and water from its 21 historical missions. The City Hall remains one of the most recognized buildings in the City of Los Angeles and has been featured in several movies and television shows.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This short walking tour starts at Union Station and includes a few museums and historic buildings such as the Avila Adobe before making its way to the iconic Los Angeles City Hall which was completed in 1928.
