Bringing Back Broadway

LEADERSHIP & BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Councilmember Jose Huizar, Initiator & Chair

Jessica Wethington McLean, Executive Director

CITY OF LOS ANGELES & PUBLIC AGENCY TRUSTEES

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City of Los Angeles

Bud Ovrom, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Building & Safety Dept.

Richard Benbow, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Community Development Department

Chris Essel, Chief Executive Officer, Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA)

Olga Garay, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs

Michael LoGrande, Director, City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning

Gerry Miller, Chief Legislative Analyst, City of Los Angeles

Paul Taylor, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO)

Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks

Jaime de la Vega, General Manager, City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation

Andrea Alarcon, Commissioner, City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works

PROPERTY & BUSINESS OWNER TRUSTEES

Ezatollah Delijani, Los Angeles, Palace, State and Tower Theaters

David Gray, FAIA, The Judson Lofts

Joseph Hellen, Cameo, Roxie & Arcade Theaters; Spring Arcade; Chester Williams Building; Jewelry Trades Building; others

Allen Kirkland, Broadway Jewelry Mart; 351, 621, 640 and 716 S. Broadway

Boris Mayzels, Broadway Exchange

Cedd Moses, 213 Inc.

Steve Needleman, Orpheum Theater, Anjac Fashion Buildings

Peklar Palivjian, St. Vincent’s Jewelry Center

Pierre Toulakany, 610 S. Broadway

Robert Voskanian, Million Dollar Theater

Adele Yellin, Grand Central Square, Lyon Building, Million Dollar Theater

CIVIC & BUSINESS LEADERSHIP TRUSTEES

Dennis Allen, Executive Director, Los Angeles Streetcar Inc.

Blair Besten, Executive Director, Historic Downtown LA Improvement District

Linda Dishman, Executive Director, Los Angeles Conservancy

Tara Jones Hamacher, Director, National Preservation Partners

Michael McDowell, Senior Director, Cultural Tourism, LA Inc., Convention & Visitors Bureau

Terence McFarland, Executive Director, LA Stage Alliance

Carol Schatz, President & CEO, Central City Association / Downtown Center Business Improvement District

Kent Smith, Executive Director, LA Fashion District

Shiraz Tangri, Downtown LA Neighborhood Council

José Luis Valenzuela, Artistic Director, The New Los Angeles Theater Center, Latino Theater Company

ADDITIONAL SUPPORTERS

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard; Senator Kevin de Leon; Assemblymember John Perez;

John Bani, Broadway Jewelry Mart; 351, 621, 640 and 716 S. Broadway; Hal Bastian, Downtown Center Business Improvement District; Ken Bernstein, Manager, Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources; Alvin Y. Blain, General Manager, Los Angeles Department of General Services; Gary Cobrae, Chris Ortman, 737-745 S. Broadway; Ed Ebrahimian, Director, Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting; Filomena Eriman, General Manager, Grand Central Market; Mark Farzan, Ben Cohan, Chapman Flats; Karin Liljegren, Omgivning Architecture and Interior Design; Estela Lopez, Executive Director, Central City East Association; Simon Pastucha, Los Angeles Urban Design Studio; David L. Gray, FAIA, Philip Miller, Jeremy Miller, Broadway Lofts LP (The Judson); Millage Peaks, Chief, Los Angeles Fire Department; William A. Robertson, Director, Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services; Rocky Rockefeller, Rockefeller Partners Architects / The Douglas Building; Mohammed Saab, 749 S. Broadway; Ramin Saghian, 437 & 523-527 S. Broadway; Ben Saeidian, 621 S. Broadway; Eli Sasson, Abe Sasson, 4th & Broadway; 722-724 S. Broadway; Gary Toebben, President & CEO, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Jane Usher, President Emeritus, Los Angeles Planning Commission; Brady Westwater, Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council; Homer Williams, Williams & Dame Development

Message from Councilmember José Huizar

I consider the downtown Historic Broadway Theatre District, with one of the largest concentrations of historic theaters in the country, and an amazing array of important commercial buildings, a true treasure of Los Angeles - one which deserves to be revitalized, protected, preserved and made vital for future generations.

Bringing Back Broadway is one of my highest priorities as a City Councilmember. I initiated Bringing Back Broadway because I believe the City must honor its history as significantly as its plans for the future. Bringing Back Broadway is a ten year vision – and an ambitious plan – to revitalize the corridor, activate the theaters, reactive more than a vacant commercial space, create a sense of place and history through urban planning, design and streetscapes, and make the dream of once again riding a streetcar downtown a reality.

Historic preservation is not about pressing the pause button on what we had in decades past, but is about finding new and innovative ways to ensure the vitality and funtionality of historic structures as time marches on, so that they are protected, preserved and part of our lives in future generations as well.

As this ten-year vision nears completion of its third year, I am very pleased with what has been accomplished and am excited about great opportunities on the horizon. A number of plans for Broadway revitalization have come and gone over the years, but each has faded away. The proposals did not lack great ideas, but rather a commitment from both public and private entities to move things forward. It’s a different downtown today with new opportunities that we all find very exciting. This vision has been enthusiastically embraced, and the initiative enjoys significant participation of a wide range of community and civic leaders, property owners, business owners and residents.

Broadway’s time is now. The revitalized Broadway corridor will complement and provide an essential historic connection between new large-scale downtown development projects, such as L.A. Live and Grand Avenue.

We have accomplished a great deal together thus far - surpassing many of our own planned milestones while learning lessons from the efforts of other cities as well. These efforts and accomplishments have set the stage for what we will strive to achieve in the coming years, as Bringing Back Broadway continues to evolve and as we bring our plans to fruition.

I am honored to lead this historic effort. Executive Director, Jessica Wethington McLean and I look forward to continuing to work with you as we bring back a Broadway that offers something for everyone in future generations to enjoy, while honoring its very special place in our hearts and history.
See you on Broadway!

Sincerely,

José Huizar
Councilmember 14th District

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Executive Director of Bringing Back Broadway oversees policies, projects and coordination necessary for the implementation of the Bringing Back Broadway vision. The Executive Director acts as the liaison between the City and the community, and functions as the link between the initiative’s many moving parts, as well as planning and managing its activities, policies and procedures. On behalf of Councilmember Huizar, the Executive Director leads the Board of Trustees, an active group of City officials, downtown leaders, business owners and property owners appointed to develop and refine the strategic plan and move the initiative forward. The Executive Director spearheads work in the committees and working groups related to the initiative.

Message from Jessica Wethington McLean, Executive Director

Bringing Back Broadway is not a single-minded initiative – it combines urban planning and transportation policy, with historic preservation, cultural arts, entertainment, marketing and long-range economic development and revitalization efforts. I have a passion for the initiative because we have the opportunity to help make a significant, sustainable revitalization of the Broadway corridor a reality.

I'm truly honored to be serving in this position on behalf of Councilmember Huizar, the Trustees, committee members, volunteers and everyone dedicated to helping make this dream a reality. Broadway is where our past meets our future in Los Angeles; where vaudeville stages and spectacular movie palaces anchor gorgeous architectural gems all along the street. Historic Broadway offers amazing cultural and economic revitalization potential in the midst of new development all around downtown.

The Councilmember’s vision for Bringing Back Broadway is very inspirational. This is a passion project – a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t think there’s a more exciting job in the City. Come and work with us, there's plenty to do for everyone who wants to be involved in whatever way they'd like.