Bunker Hill and Lost Images

SHIMMERING, EXTRAVAGANT giant crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling in every room of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Downtown Los Angeles. I walked into this elaborate building for the first time last week and I was awe struck. In jeans and a blouse I felt under-dressed to be in such an exquisite space and yet for me I found the building itself out of place and rather odd. I felt transported back into 1960’s Los Angeles; it is obvious they have kept the building the way it was originally envisioned in 1962. Dorothy Chandler built the building in an effort to renew the arts scene in Los Angles. As well as provide a proper home for the philharmonic. This building houses on of the largest stages in America, however due to the other three performance halls located just a few feet away, this hall is not used as much as it once was.

Walking into this building the history of Los Angeles comes flooding upon you. On the second floor there is homage paid to what that area of downtown once was, with a metal sculpture of Bunker Hill. What was once a historic area with beautiful Victorian Houses and families inhabiting them that had lived there for decades, is now filled with apartment complexes and condos. With this piece of history staring at you the significance of this building becomes apparent. Unlike other buildings that have overtaken the memories of Downtown L.A., this building is part of that history. Built by the wife of the second Editor of the Los Angeles Times, Chandler loved the city and wanted to help the community by building this performance hall.

The sculpture of Bunker Hill brought images of old men walking down the hill to get groceries and the deteriorating buildings which people refused to leave. The videos I have seen on the last days of Bunker Hill will forever remain ingrained in my memory and I smiled at this sculpture for the reminder it brings to anyone who sees it. Though it is actually a model of a set piece, this art piece says so much more about Los Angeles than the rest of the building does. Hopefully it will educate those who don’t know about what once existed on Bunker Hill and for those who do remember it will bring a smile to their face, knowing that even though it is gone, it is not completely forgotten.

--Mickala Jauregui

Photo Credit: My camera

Waves of Wonder in Downtown Los Angeles

WHENEVER I travel to downtown Los Angeles I am always hoping to drive by the Walt Disney Concert Hall. This building takes my breath away every time I see it and it is probably my favorite building in the city. My husband and I were recently downtown and even though we were going the The Lady of the Angels cathedral, which is another extraordinary building, I made him stop and take a picture of the Concert Hall. The picture is a quick shot on an iPhone and yet it captures the wonder that is this building. It looks perfect and as if if should be part of an ad for something. Built by Frank Gehry in 1999 this building exemplifies Los Angeles to me, it is a gorgeous piece of architecture something that might come for another world or movie and it looks like waves. Even in downtown where the ocean is not, Gehry brought the ocean to downtown and I love it.

--Mickala Jauregui
Photo credit: Matthew Jauregui via his iphone

Iconic L.A.: Flower and 5th Street

AS I sat in front of the Citi Bank building, passively waiting for my father to come down from his office to have lunch, I looked around and realized just how contrary everyone was to me. I felt out of place, like a child in an office building, surrounded by all these grown ups in suits and ties, holding briefcases and Venti Starbucks coffees. I waited at an empty bench that looked like it had hardly been sat on, directly in front of the 48-story tower, and watched businessmen and women shuffle in and out of the building. Oddly enough, there were about ten palm trees that surrounded me, in this concrete jungle, with not other trace of plant life around. I wondered to myself where each person was going, and even tried to guess. One man had a silver snake skin suit and a metallic briefcase, with grey hair and beard to match. He had a hurried and deliberate pace, as if he knew exactly where he was going and what he planned to do when he got there. I then saw a woman, dressed in a black skirt suit, frantically typing away on her blackberry as she sped walked out towards the city, seemingly entranced by the glowing screen. Everyone I made eye contact with seemed concerned or preoccupied with the next task at hand, and not a single smile was returned.


Downtown Los Angeles has always intimidated me, even going back to when my father used to take me to work with him as a child. Perhaps it was from being surrounded by these behemoth buildings, seemingly blocking out the sun and sky that created such a feeling. Even as I grew older, and would go to Lakers’ games, I still felt that if I were to wander around Downtown Los Angeles alone, I’d get chewed up and spit out. Just driving there and finding parking was a feat in and of itself, and there’s good reason for that, it was deliberate. Before the 1984 Olympics, the streets were normal, not a bunch of convoluted one-way streets and cramped driving lanes. The goal was to alleviate traffic and congestion that was anticipated with the coming of the Olympics, but it didn’t quite turn out that way, and today’s streets are the end result.


A city still trying to find its identity to this day has worked at expanding and making its name known, sans city promoters of the early 20th century. I saw these buildings as a sign of progress, and over the years I have seen the city grow exponentially, building magnificent cathedrals and music halls along the way. Downtown Los Angeles is a thriving city with thriving people in it, but they must remember not to get completely consumed by the city and their endless tasks, because it will chew you up and spit you out.



--Julian Portera
Photo Credit: Myself