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10 Olvera Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 485-6855

Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA, and is part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many of the Plaza District's Historic Buildings are on Olvera Street, including the Avila Adobe (1818), the Pelanconi House (1857), and the Sepulveda House (1887). The tree-shaded, pedestrian mall marketplace with craft shops, restaurants and roving troubadours is a popular tourist destination.HistoryEarly daysLos Angeles was founded in 1781 by Spanish pobladores (settlers), on a site southeast of today's Olvera Street near the Los Angeles River. They consisted of 11 families — 44 men, women, and children — and were accompanied by a few Spanish soldiers. They had come from nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to establish a secular pueblo on the banks of the Porciúncula River at the Indian village of Yang-na. The new town was named El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles. Priests from San Gabriel established an asistencia (a sub-mission), the Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles Asistencia, to tend to their religious needs. The pueblo eventually built its own parish church, known today as the "Old Plaza Church." Unpredictable flooding forced the settlers to abandon the original site and move to higher ground in the early 1800s.

Located at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, is the premier venue for the expression of traditional and contemporary art and culture from the Mexican, and Mexican American perspective.

Jai & Jai is a Gallery and Studio based in Chinatown, Los Angeles.

Founded in 1970, VC has been a pioneer in the development of Asian Pacific American film, video, and media. VC was founded by Duane Kubo, Robert Nakamura, Alan Ohashi, and Eddie Wong. Along with a core group of artists, filmmakers, photographers, and educators, VC’s founders began searching for visual resources to build a greater consciousness of Asian Pacific history in America. Fueled by the burgeoning Civil Rights and Anti-War movements, they set out creating learning kits, photographing community events, audiotaping stories, and collecting historical images of Asian American lives. In the 1970s and 80s, VC took on several ambitious projects in the independent film production arena. That first period of production saw the creation of over fifty films and videos, as well as the production of several educational filmstrips and major photographic exhibits – visual statements on the history and contemporary issues of Asians in the US. VC premiered the first ever full length Asian American film in 1980: Hito Hata: Raise the Banner. This landmark film was a building of a community-in-progress, involving artists, professional media personnel, scholars, community organizations, and countless number of individuals and community businesses in the making of the film. In the 1990s and 2000s, VC transitioned from a film production collective to a full-service media arts center. While VC still produced films in this period, the organization also provided support services for Asian American artists and filmmakers, workshops and trainings for the community, and more presentation opportunities for independent media in Los Angeles. Throughout our history, VC programs have evolved to meet the changing needs of a diverse Asian Pacific Community of over 25 different languages, cultures, and nationalities. The organization has created award winning productions, nurtured and given voice to our youth, promoted new artistic talent, presented new cinema, and preserved our visual history. Today, VC continues to be a conduit for the Asian Pacific global communities to the American public through its numerous arts programs. Our programming includes: the annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and year‐round screenings and exhibitions; the Armed With a Camera Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists; the Digital Histories video production and digital storytelling program for senior citizens; a Media Development Fund for independent filmmakers; and C3: The Conference for Creative Content. Visual Communications is also home to the VC Archives, one of the largest photographic and moving image archives on the Asian Pacific experience in America. We see media as a powerful tool to create and share meaningful perspectives, and our programs ensure that the AAPI community has access to the resources tell their unique stories.

Thai cuisine is adaptable, innovative, and dynamic. The best Thai cooking uses the freshest ingredients available to create the unique Thai taste. Thai taste can be defined as the use of all 5 flavors: spicy, sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Only Thai cuisine brings out all of these flavors to play together harmoniously in a meal.

La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles,, is a historic Roman Catholic church in El Pueblo de los Ángeles Historical Monument in northern downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. The church was founded by the Spanish in the early 19th century when modern-day California was under Spanish rule and known as Alta California in the Viceroyalty of New Spain.HistoryLa Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles was founded on August 18, 1814, by Franciscan Fray Luis Gil y Taboada. He placed the cornerstone for the new church in the adobe ruins of the original "sub-station mission" here, the Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia, thirty years after it was established to serve the settlement founding Los Angeles Pobladores . The completed new structure was dedicated on December 8, 1822. A replacement chapel, named La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles - for Mary, mother of Jesus or "The Church of Our Lady of the Angels" - was rebuilt using materials of the original church in 1861. The title Reina, meaning "Queen," was added later to the name. For years, the little chapel, which collected the nicknames "La Placita" and "Plaza Church," served as the sole Roman Catholic church in emerging immigrant Los Angeles.

-History on Union Station- • It opened on May 1939 • It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and was under the ownership of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority since February 2011. • It was designed by John and Donald Parkinson, who also designed the Los Angeles City Hall, and other landmarks in the city of Angels. • This structure combines Dutch Colonial Revival architecture, mission revival, and Streamline Modern styles. • It cost about $11 million. • One of the best railroads in the West. • It is also nationally well-known. -Old Chinatown- • Officially from 1890-1910 • The first Chinese in Los Angeles were recorded in 1852. • Around 1870, the first “Chinatown” was emerging in La Calle de los Negros, or the Street of the Dark Hued Ones with about 200 inhabitants. Located around El Pueblo Plaza and Old Acadia Street. • This area was occupied by male Chinese workers such as laundrymen, market gardeners, agricultural and ranch workers, and road builders. • As a result, old Chinatown flourished and it expanded eastward towards Alameda Street, and attained a population of about 3,000. • Was accounted for about 15 streets/alleyways, and approximately 200 building units. It held Chinese opera theatre, three temples, and a telephone exchange. -Why Relocate Old Chinatown?- • Through the early 1900s there were Exclusion Acts in place that contributed to the decline of the Old Chinatown, and a decrease in its population. • In early 1910, there was an emerging center named the Central Market which seemed to gain more attention. • In early, 1913 there were suits made by the Apablasa family against the city of Los Angeles over the property of Old Chinatown. • On December 12, 1913 all the suits against the city of Los Angeles were dropped, and six acres of the old Chinatown were sold for $310,00 for Southern Pacific pathways. • On November 7, 1914 there was a large deal made that the new owner L.F. Hanchett made to buy all of Chinatown laying east of Alameda Street for two million dollars. • In 1931, a California Supreme Court gave permission for the start of union Station. -Sonora Town- • Among one of the first barrios in Los Angeles was Sonora Town from 1850’s to early 20th century. • Named as Sonora Town because of many immigrants were coming from Sonora, Mexico. • In the early 1900’s Southern Pacific built their railroad on the outskirts of the barrio, and this transformed Sonora Town into valuable industrial real estate. • The residents there started moving away, many moving to East L.A., Chavez Ravine, and City Terrace • In 1938, they built Chinatown in that location, and some of Sonora Town’s history could be found on Olvera Street. -Chavez Ravine- • It was a small community of Mexican Americans. • Mexican Americans have lived there for decades before the 1950. • In 1950, the city started sending out letters to the families of this community. The city explained that they were going to build Elysian Park Heights. • Many refused to move, and other felt like they had no other choice. • Many families were not compensated or were given very little in replace of their homes. • They decide to build Dodger Stadium there, which opened on April 10, 1962.

The United States Court House in Downtown Los Angeles is a Moderne style building that originally served as both a post office and a courthouse. The building was designed by Gilbert Stanley Underwood and Louis A. Simon, and construction was completed in 1940.The United States Court House initially housed court facilities for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, until the District was redrawn in 1966. It thereafter functioned as a court house with judges from the United States District Court for the Central District of California. There is another federal court house in the Roybal Building in Downtown Los Angeles. In February 2006, the U.S. Court House and Post Office was added to the National Register of Historic Places.Building historyBuilt between 1937 and 1940 by the Federal Public Works Administration, it was the third federal building constructed in Los Angeles. The first, constructed between 1889 and 1892, housed the post office, U.S. District Court, and various federal agencies, but it soon proved inadequate. A larger structure was built between 1906 and 1910 at the corner of Main and Temple Streets. The population of Los Angeles grew rapidly in the early part of the twentieth century, and a larger building was needed to serve the courts and federal agencies. The second federal building was razed in 1937 by the Works Progress Administration to clear the site for the existing courthouse.

The Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles is a United States federal prison in downtown Los Angeles, California which holds male and female inmates prior to and during court proceedings, as well an inmates serving short sentences. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.HistoryThe 272000sqft prison opened in December 1988 with a cost of $36 million, making Los Angeles the fifth U.S. city with a downtown federal prison. MDC Los Angeles had a distinct design, referring to housing areas as rooms rather than cells and not using iron bars on its cell doors. It had a special design using plate glass windows, balconies, and atriums. Kim Murphy of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the building has "more the look of a downtown office building than a prison." It was the first BOP prison to completely ban smoking.Prior to the opening of MDC Los Angeles, Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island housed the Los Angeles area pretrial inmates. This situation caused overcrowding at FCI Terminal Island.The opening of MDC Los Angeles allowed prisoners whose trials are pending to be housed just two blocks from the U.S. District Courthouse, ending the time-consuming process of transporting them back and forth down the Harbor Freeway each day court is in session. The U.S. Marshal's Service saves at least $200,000 a year by not having to transport the usual 250 to 300 prisoners a week from FCI Terminal Island and the federal public defender's office saves $18,000 a year in telephone bills alone because it no longer has to rely on clients calling person-to-person collect from FCI Terminal Island.

Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council. It is located in the Civic Center district of downtown Los Angeles in the city block bounded by Main, Temple, First, and Spring streets.HistoryThe building was designed by John Parkinson, John C. Austin, and Albert C. Martin, Sr., and was completed in 1928. Dedication ceremonies were held on April 26, 1928. It has 32 floors and, at 454ft high, is the tallest base-isolated structure in the world, having undergone a seismic retrofit from 1998 to 2001 so that the building will sustain minimal damage and remain functional after a magnitude 8.2 earthquake. The concrete in its tower was made with sand from each of California's 58 counties and water from its 21 historical missions. City Hall's distinctive tower was based on the shape of the Mausoleum of Mausolus, and shows the influence of the Los Angeles Public Library, completed soon before the structure was started. An image of City Hall has been on Los Angeles Police Department badges since 1940.

Thien Hau Temple, also known as Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu in Vietnamese and as Tiān Hòu Gōng (天后宫) in Chinese, is a folk religious temple in Los Angeles Chinatown. It is one of the more popular areas for worship and tourism among Asian residents in the Los Angeles area.The temple is dedicated to Mazu, the goddess of the sea and patron saint to sailors, fishermen, and those whose cultures are associated with the sea, along with Guan Yu, the god of wars, brotherhood, and righteousness, and Fu De, the earth god.HistoryThe temple is affiliated with the Camau Association of America, a local benevolent, cultural and religious association primarily serving the local Chinese-Vietnamese refugees from Cà Mau Province, Vietnam. The group also supports Chinese, Vietnamese, Teochew and Thai Chinese communities.The original building of the temple was a former Italian Christian church located within what was formerly Little Italy; the building was purchased in the 1980s. Under a strong faith-based community in and outside of Chinatown, the temple was able to raise a great deal of donated money with which to build a larger temple hall. Construction of the new temple was completed and dedicated on September 2005. A new ancestral memorial hall was consecrated the following month.

Little Tokyo/Arts District station is an at-grade light rail station in the Metro Rail system. It is located at the intersection of First and Alameda Streets, on the edge of Little Tokyo and the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. The station is served by the Gold Line. It opened in 2009 as part of the Gold Line Eastside Extension. The station was temporarily closed due to the relocation of tracks for the Regional Connector project. It reopened March 20, 2016.Metro Rail serviceGold Line service hours are approximately from 5:00 AM until 12:15 AM daily.LocationLittle Tokyo/Arts District station is located on the border of two neighborhoods, Little Tokyo to the west and the Arts District to the east. A number of educational attractions are near the station, with the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Japanese American National Museum, and the Geffen Contemporary branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Civic Center/Grand Park, formerly Civic Center, is a heavy-rail subway station in the Los Angeles County Metro Rail system. It is located on Hill Street between 1st and Temple Streets in the Civic Center area of Downtown Los Angeles. The station is officially named Civic Center/Grand Park/Tom Bradley after former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley, who had a pivotal role in turning the subway into reality.This station is served by the Red Line and the Purple Line. It is also served by the Metro Silver Line (BRT) at street level.Metro Rail service & Metro Liner serviceRed and Purple Line service hours are approximately from 5:00 AM until 12:45 AM daily.Silver Line service hours are approximately from 5:00 AM until 1:00 AM daily.Station layoutThe station features a colorful art installation titled I Dreamed I Could Fly, which has six fiberglass persons in flight, intended to be representative of the human spiritual voyage. The installation was designed by Jonathan Borofsky.AttractionsAhmanson Theatre/Mark Taper ForumCathedral of Our Lady of the AngelsDorothy Chandler PavilionLos Angeles City HallGrand ParkWalt Disney Concert HallThe BroadLittle TokyoMuseum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)New Otani Hotel and Garden

Since 2001, Club Underground has been the premiere Britpop, Indie, Eletro Pop, Twee, Post-Punk, Soul, Sixties and New Wave party in Los Angeles. Since its days at the Tempest and the Echo to its now current location at The Grand Star Jazz Club, Club Underground remains a Friday night destination the every Friday night beginning February 2012. A few who have played our night: Super Furry Animals, Calvin Harris, Thom York, Spiritualized, Tim Burgess (The Charlatans), Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays), Art Brut, MEN, Atlas Sound, Japandroids, Vivian Girls, Boz Boorer & Gary Day (Morrissey), The Strange Boys, Little Ones, Stereo Total, Passion Pit and countless others. Underground is every Friday at the Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown with rotating DJs Larry G., Diana M., Liz O. and Bip Jeffington. Check out our blog: http://www.clubundergroundla.com

Koyasan Beikoku Betsuin, also known as Koyasan Buddhist Temple, is a Japanese Buddhist temple located in Los Angeles, California, USA, in Little Tokyo. Founded in 1912, it is one of the oldest existing Buddhist temples in the North American mainland region. The temple is a branch of the Koyasan Shingon Buddhism sect, and is the North and South American regional headquarters for this sect.HistoryThe temple was founded by the Reverend Shutai Aoyama, a native of Toyama Prefecture, who was sent by the Koyasan headquarters to establish a global link in Shingon Buddhism in America. Initially facing personal hardship in establishing a temple in his inaugural arrival, he founded the temple in 1912 with the assistance of Issei and Nisei temple members, and established its first location in a storefront in 1912 near Elysian Park. In 1920, the temple was moved to a larger building Central Avenue. A tree was planted in front of the new building by Koyasan Temple members to commemorate the move. Today it is known as the Aoyama Tree, a notable landmark in Little Tokyo, and the Japanese American National Museum stands where Koyasan's second location once stood. The Aoyama Tree was given historical status by the Los Angeles City Council in 2008.The third and current building located on East 1st Street was built in 1940. One year after its establishment, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, sparking the United States' involvement in World War II. The new temple was closed while its members were forcibly relocated in the various internment camps. During the time period of World War II, the temple was mostly used for storage space for internees. The temple was re-opened in 1946; from that point on, the temple had to rebuild its congregational base after families and residents of Little Tokyo were scattered outside Los Angeles.

The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, often called St. Vibiana's, is a former cathedral church building and parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Located in Downtown Los Angeles, the building opened in 1876 as the cathedral for what was then known as the Diocese of Monterey-Los Angeles, and remained the official cathedral of the Los Angeles see for over 100 years.The cathedral was heavily damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake and became the subject of a lengthy legal battle between the archdiocese, which wanted to demolish the building and build a new cathedral on the site, and preservationists, who wanted the building to remain standing due to its historical significance. In 1996, the parties involved reached a compromise in which the archdiocese would purchase a nearby site on which to build a new cathedral, and in turn would turn over the St. Vibiana site to the City of Los Angeles. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was dedicated in 2002 as the successor to St. Vibiana's Cathedral.In the late 2000s, the former cathedral building became an event venue called Vibiana. The Little Tokyo branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is also located on the site. The 1885 cathedral structure is one of the last remaining buildings from the early period of Los Angeles history.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center (which is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the United States). The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.The Pavilion has 3,156 seats spread over four tiers, with chandeliers, wide curving stairways and rich décor. The auditorium's sections are the Orchestra (divided in Premiere Orchestra, Center Orchestra, Main Orchestra and Orchestra Ring), Circle (divided in Grand Circle and Founders Circle), Loge (divide in Front Loge and Rear Loge), as well as Balcony (divided in Front Balcony and Rear Balcony).HistoryConstruction started on March 9, 1962, and it was dedicated September 27, 1964. The Pavilion was named for Dorothy Buffum Chandler who “led (the) effort to build a suitable home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and rejuvenate the performing arts in Los Angeles. The result was Mrs. Chandler’s crowning achievement, the Music Center of Los Angeles County. Her tenacious nine-year campaign on behalf of the Music Center produced more than $19 million in private donations” noted Albert Greenstein in 1999.In order to receive approval for construction from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Mrs. Chandler promised Kenneth Hahn that the building would be open free for the public for one day a year. The result was the Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration, a Christmas Eve tradition sponsored by the Board of Supervisors. The program is broadcast on KCET-TV and an edited version of the prior year's show is syndicated to public television stations via PBS.

Chung King Road is a pedestrian street in the northeast corner of Chinatown, Los Angeles. This street is a part of “New Chinatown,” built in the 1930s and 1940s, and has been the location of Chinese specialty shops and art importers. Since the late 1990s many of the storefronts have been converted into art galleries. In a successful blending of cultures, the historic Chung King Road is now one of the centers of art and nightlife in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Smell is an all-ages, alcohol and drug-free, punk rock/noise/experimental venue in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The Smell, notable for its DIY ethic, is home to many of the area's avant-garde performers and artists. The venue is maintained by Jim Smith, one of the four original organizers of the club, and a number of volunteers.The Smell continues in the tradition of Los-Angeles-based underground clubs such as The Masque and Jabberjaw. Aside from its primary function as a live music and performance art space, The Smell hosts a library, a vegan snack bar and a gallery space. The venue predates the conception of the Gallery Row district in which it is located. The Smell and the relatively new Gallery Row both border Skid Row.HistoryThe Smell was founded by Ara Shirinyan, Jarrett Silberman, and Jim Smith as one of the few all-ages art/performance spaces in Los Angeles, after the demise of two local venues, Jabberjaw and the Impala Cafe, during the same week in late 1997. The Smell opened just a short time later, on January 8, 1998. It was originally located by the intersection of Magnolia and Lankershim in North Hollywood, but when the cost of rent rose during the NoHo Arts District boom in 1999, the venue relocated to cheaper Downtown Los Angeles. Shirinyan gave up his ownership before the venue's move, so Silberman, Smith, and Mac Mann constructed the new space.

The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown of Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, and 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves, among other purposes, as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The hall is in a vineyard seating configuration, similar to the Berliner Philharmonie by Hans Scharoun.Lillian Disney made an initial gift of $50 million in 1987 to build a performance venue as a gift to the people of Los Angeles and a tribute to Walt Disney's devotion to the arts and to the city. The Frank Gehry-designed building opened on October 24, 2003. Both Gehry's architecture and the acoustics of the concert hall, designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, have been praised, in contrast to its predecessor, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

An artist-in-residence hotel in the LA Arts District. The 100+ year old hotel is a street art landmark at the center of the LA Arts District in downtown Los Angeles. Home to an eclectic mix of creative shops including The Pie Hole LA, the hotel's General Store was once home to LA Arts District pioneer, Joel Bloom The legendary West Coast punk club AL's Bar operated at the hotel (1979 - 2001) and showcased early performances of Nirvana and Beck. The hotel parking lot is a graffiti hall of fame legends yard featuring UTI Crew, Nuke, Kofie, El Mac and many more. All photos are from public art on display at the American Hotel, this page documents the art only. For room availability call (213) 687-8007. For mural availability contact Joseph Montalvo https://www.facebook.com/joseph.m.montalvo Instagram/Twitter: @american_hotel The Pie Hole LA www.thepieholela.com AL's Bar http://articles.latimes.com/2001/aug/16/news/cl-34651 Inspired by Joel Bloom http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/14/local/me-bloom14 Created by The Graffiti Hunter www.TheGraffitiHunter.com Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved.