Crenshaw Boulevard

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Crenshaw Boulevard
Former name(s)Angeles Mesa Drive
Namesake George L. Crenshaw
Length23.46 mi (37.76 km)
Location Los Angeles, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Gardena, Torrance, Rancho Palos Verdes California, U.S.
Nearest metro station LAMetroLogo.svg
North end Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles
South endBurrell Lane in Rancho Palos Verdes

Crenshaw Boulevard is a north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, United States, that runs through Crenshaw and other neighborhoods along a 23-mile (37.76 km) route in the west-central part of the city. [1]

Contents

Angeles Mesa Drive, as shown (7) on this 1927 Los Angeles Times map, was the original name of Crenshaw Boulevard south of Adams Street. 1927 map of Southwest Los Angeles, California.jpg
Angeles Mesa Drive, as shown (7) on this 1927 Los Angeles Times map, was the original name of Crenshaw Boulevard south of Adams Street.
Crenshaw Boulevard at Stocker Street, 2016 Crenshaw Boulevard.jpg
Crenshaw Boulevard at Stocker Street, 2016

The street extends between Wilshire Boulevard in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, on the north and Rolling Hills, on the south. Crenshaw marks the eastern boundaries of Torrance, and Hawthorne and the western border of Gardena.

The commercial corridor in the Hyde Park neighborhood is known as "the heart of African American commerce in Los Angeles". [2] [3]

History

Crenshaw Boulevard was named after banker and Los Angeles real estate developer George Lafayette Crenshaw who also developed the Lafayette Square. [4]

The southern end of Crenshaw Boulevard was at Adams Street until 1916-1918, when the road was extended between Adams on the north and Slauson Avenue on the south. The extension saved three miles (4.8 km) in travel over the nearest through road (Western Avenue) and five miles (8.0 km) over the nearest paved road (Vermont Avenue). [5] [6]

The street became a major transportation route with tracks for the 5 Line streetcar line [7] in the median between Leimert Boulevard [8] on the north close to Florence Ave on the south. With the abandonment of the streetcar system in the 1950s, the railway median was narrowed, the driving lanes improved and the street reconfigured for automobiles, buses and trucks. [9] : 1-1 

Revitalization project

Many local residents were disappointed that 71 mature street-line trees were cut down in 2012 to make way for the Space Shuttle Endeavour to be moved from LAX to the California Science Center in nearby Exposition Park. [10] [11] About 1,000 10 to 14 foot (3.0 to 4.3 m) high trees were replanted in 2013. [12] The construction of the K Line required the removal of additional trees in 2014. City officials promised that more trees would be planted than were removed. [13] [14] : 12  The improvements will include bike lanes, wider sidewalks, new Metro bus stops, LED traffic lights and street lights. [10] [9] : 1-5  The revitalization was coordinated with the construction of Destination Crenshaw. A 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km) portion of Crenshaw Boulevard in the Hyde Park and Leimert Park neighborhoods will become an open-air museum dedicated to preserving the history and culture of African Americans. [15] The project includes pocket parks, outdoor sculptures, murals, street furniture, and landscaping. [16]

Malcolm X Route

In 2023, a five-mile stretch (8.0 km) of Crenshaw Boulevard in Leimert Park, transacting the Rosa Parks Freeway, Obama Boulevard, MLK Boulevard and Nipsey Hussle Square, was designated Malcolm X Route in honor of the minister and civil rights leader. [17] [18]

Transportation

Metro Local

Metro Local lines 40 and 210, and Torrance Transit line 10 serve Crenshaw Boulevard; Metro line 210 run through the majority of Crenshaw Boulevard to Artesia Boulevard, Metro line 40 from Crenshaw District to Hyde Park, and Torrance Transit line 10 south of Artesia Boulevard. The Metro C Line serves the Crenshaw station on Crenshaw Boulevard underneath Interstate 105, while the Metro E and K Lines serves Expo/Crenshaw station at the intersection with Exposition Boulevard.

In the Crenshaw district, Crenshaw Boulevard and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza are served primarily by LADOT trolleys, buses and a light rail subway line Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus lines that are:

Crenshaw Boulevard is also briefly served in the Crenshaw district by the following LACMTA lines:

The Metro K Line runs along the Crenshaw Boulevard alignment from the E Line to 67th Street, serving three more additional stations:

LADOT

Crenshaw Boulevard is served by these LADOT Dash lines:

Notable landmarks

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leimert Park, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

Leimert Park is a neighborhood in the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Los Angeles</span> Complex multimodal regional, national and international hub for passenger and freight traffic

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid City, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States of America

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sepulveda Boulevard</span> Street in Los Angeles, California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slauson Avenue</span> Thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont Avenue</span> Major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, CA

Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north–south streets in City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, California. With a length of 23.3 miles (37.5 km), is the third longest of the north–south thoroughfares in the region. For most of its length between its southern end in San Pedro and south of Downtown Los Angeles, it runs parallel to the west of the Harbor Freeway (I-110).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th Street/USC station</span> Bus rapid transit station in Los Angeles, California

37th Street/USC station is a busway station located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated between the LATTC/Ortho Institute and Slauson stations on the J Line, a bus rapid transit route which runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro as part of the Metro Busway system. The station consists of two side platforms in the center of Interstate 110 above 37th Street, adjacent to the University of Southern California campus. The station serves the University Park, Exposition Park and Historic South Central neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slauson station (J Line)</span> Bus rapid transit station in Los Angeles, California

Slauson station is a busway station located in Los Angeles, California. It is situated between the 37th Street/USC and Manchester stations on the J Line, a bus rapid transit route which runs between El Monte, Downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro as part of the Metro Busway system. The station consists of two side platforms in the center of Interstate 110 above Slauson Avenue. The station serves the Vermont-Slauson, South Park and Florence neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K Line (Los Angeles Metro)</span> Light rail line

The K Line is a 5.9-mile (9.5 km) light rail line running north-south between the Jefferson Park and Westchester neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, passing through various South Los Angeles neighborhoods and the city of Inglewood. It is one of six lines in the Los Angeles Metro Rail system operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). It was opened on October 7, 2022, making it the system's newest line.

This article covers streets in Los Angeles, California between and including 41st Street and 250th Street. Major streets have their own linked articles; minor streets are discussed here.

5 or the 5 Car was a streetcar line operated by the Los Angeles Railway, later named the Los Angeles Transit Lines, and by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. From 1920 to 1932, this route was known as the E Car. This was changed as part of a method to distinguish routes that lacked loops at their termini. Consequently, the 5 Car was unique during the LAMTA era in that it did not use PCC streetcars. It used buses from 1955 to 1964, transferring from LATL in 1958, then splitting the line in two in 1961, until all lines were turned over to SCRTD in August 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King Jr. station (Los Angeles Metro)</span> Los Angeles Metro Rail station

Martin Luther King Jr. station is an underground light rail station on the K Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located underneath Crenshaw Boulevard at its intersection with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, after which the station is named, in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Baldwin Hills and Leimert Park. The station’s main entrance is next to the iconic Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza shopping mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leimert Park station</span> Los Angeles Metro Rail station

Leimert Park station is an underground light rail station on the K Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located underneath Crenshaw Boulevard at its intersection with Vernon Avenue in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyde Park station (Los Angeles Metro)</span> Los Angeles Metro Rail station

Hyde Park station is an at-grade light rail station on the K Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system. It is located in the median of Crenshaw Boulevard between its intersections with Slauson Avenue and 59th Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watts Line</span>

The Watts Line was a local line of the Pacific Electric Railway that operated between the Pacific Electric Building in Downtown Los Angeles and the Watts Station at 103rd Street in Watts. It was the primary local service for the Southern District, which also included the Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Ana and Whittier interurban lines. The route operated along the Southern Division's Four Tracks route, with the Watts Line using the outer tracks and the Long Beach line and other limited stop lines using the inner tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K Line Northern Extension</span> Planned light rail transit corridor extension

The K Line Northern Extension Project, formerly known as the Crenshaw Northern Extension Project, is a project planning a Los Angeles Metro Rail light rail transit corridor extension connecting Expo/Crenshaw station to Hollywood/Highland station in Hollywood. The corridor is a fully underground, north-south route along mostly densely populated areas on the western side of the Los Angeles Basin; it would be operated as part of the K Line. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is prioritizing the project along with pressure from the West Hollywood residents. Construction is slated to start in 2041 and begin service by 2047 unless means to accelerate the project are found.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angeles Mesa, Los Angeles</span> Neighborhood of Los Angeles in California, United States

Angeles Mesa is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expo Bike Path</span> Rail with trail bicycle path in Los Ageles County, California

The Expo Bike Path is a 12-mile-long (19 km) rail with trail bicycle path and pedestrian route in Los Angeles County, California that travels roughly parallel to the Los Angeles Metro Rail's E Line between La Cienega/Jefferson and 17th Street/SMC stations. The Expo Bike Path is one of two major bicycle routes in Los Angeles that share dedicated rights-of-way with public transport, the other being the G Line Bikeway in the San Fernando Valley.

References

  1. ↑ Christopher Hawthorne, "Crenshaw Boulevard comes to a crossroads", Los Angeles Times , September 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ Robinson-Jacobs, Karen (May 2, 2001). "Noticing a Latin Flavor in Crenshaw". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ Meares, Hadley (May 17, 2019). "How Crenshaw became black LA's main street". Curbed LA. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ Parra, Alvaro (October 23, 2014). "Crenshaw Boulevard: Cruising Through the Decades". KCET . Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Road Project Is in Peril," Los Angeles Times August 20, 1916, image 23
  6. ↑ "After Many Delays," Los Angeles Times, January 27, 1918, image 82
  7. ↑ "Los Angeles Railway in Brief - Map of Streetcar Routes". Archived from the original on October 5, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ "5 Line". Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Crenshaw Boulevard Streetscape Plan (PDF) (Report). Los Angeles City Planning. March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Jennings, Angel "Tree removal along Crenshaw has residents stumped" Los Angeles Times, March 30, 2014
  11. ↑ Zahniser, David (May 9, 2019). "South L.A. was promised a Target. Millions of dollars later, it has a vacant lot". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Trees Return Along Shuttle Endeavour's Route to Science Center". NBC Los Angeles. January 18, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  13. ↑ Barragan, Bianca (March 31, 2014). "Crenshaw Boulevard Losing Even More Trees For Crenshaw Line". Curbed LA. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Crenshaw Corridor Specific Plan" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. April 19, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  15. ↑ Flores, Jessica (March 2, 2020). "Actress Issa Rae at Destination Crenshaw groundbreaking: 'We're not going anywhere'". Curbed LA. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  16. ↑ Dambrot, Shana Nys (November 14, 2018). "Destination Crenshaw: Black Los Angeles Greets the World". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  17. ↑ Jackson-Fossett, Cora (May 25, 2023). "Malcolm X Route Designated in South L.A. Along Crenshaw Blvd". Los Angeles Sentinel.
  18. ↑ "LA dedicates portion of Crenshaw Boulevard in honor of Malcolm X for his civil rights contributions". ABC7 Los Angeles. May 21, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  19. ↑ Cosgrove, Jaclyn (April 9, 2019). "Crenshaw and Slauson intersection to be named in honor of Nipsey Hussle". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Game Over For Holiday Bowl?". November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Monument Search Results Page". Cityplanning.lacity.org. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  22. ↑ "SpaceX erects historic 16-story-tall rocket booster outside its Hawthorne headquarters". daily breeze.com. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
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