Pershing Square cityscape
BOUNDARIES: Broadway, Fourth St., Figueroa St., Seventh St.
DISTANCE: About 1.5 miles
DIFFICULTY: Moderate (includes stairways)
PARKING: Metered parking is available on Grand Ave., north of Hope Pl.
NEAREST METRO STATION: Pershing Square, Hill St. between Fourth St. and Fifth St. (Red Line)
At first glance, downtown Los Angeles’s Financial District—with its anonymous mirrored-glass skyscrapers that could be from just about any modern metropolis—lacks personality. But take some time to explore what’s hidden among all those tall buildings, and you’ll discover several of downtown’s treasures, such as the innovative architecture of the Central Library, the extravagant interior of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, and the thoughtfully designed Bunker Hill steps, as well as numerous public art projects. This walk also passes through the busy Jewelry District, home to some of most beautiful movie palaces in the country.
Begin on Grand Avenue between Hope Place and Fifth Street and head southwest, toward Fifth Street.
Turn right on Fifth Street. The stately brick tower of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel rises on the southwest corner of Grand and Fifth Street. Notice the classical Art Deco high-rise known as One Bunker Hill on the northwest corner; this 14-story building, composed of solid limestone and buff-colored terra-cotta, once housed Southern California Edison.
Turn right to ascend the gracefully curving Bunker Hill staircase. An elevated fountain built to resemble a stony brook runs down the center of the wide steps, which are also known as LA’s own Spanish Steps. Look behind you to the other side of Fifth Street to see the north entrance of the Central Library; an inscription carved into the stone facade reads, “Books alone are liberal and free: They give to all who ask. They emancipate all who serve them faithfully.” As you make your way up the shallow steps, notice the cylindrical Library Tower reaching skyward on your right. Recently downgraded to the second tallest building in LA by the newly constructed Wilshire Grand, this distinctive landmark has been branded with the U.S. Bank logo on its lofty lighthouse—an unfortunate but inevitable sign of the times. The Citigroup building, known informally as the “LA Law building,” is on your left.
At the top of the steps is a small, circular plaza built around a fountain sculpture of a nude woman in bronze. Continue straight ahead onto Hope Street and notice the gleaming wings of Walt Disney Concert Hall (see previous walk) several blocks northeast.
When you reach the YMCA building on your left, just before Fourth Street, turn left to cut through the outdoor plaza. Various metal sculptures depicting male and female figures in athletic pursuits grace the patio.
As you continue through the plaza, the mirrored-glass cylindrical towers of the 
Westin Bonaventure Hotel loom ahead. Follow the first pedestrian walkway you encounter to enter the building; from there, descend the spiral stairway all the way to the lobby. (Or, if you prefer, ride down in one of the building’s famous glass elevators so that you can admire the view.) Built in 1978 and the setting of the ’80s sitcom It’s a Living, the Bonaventure now looks dated inside, with lots of concrete and very little natural light. Once you’ve reached the lobby, exit the hotel through the glass doors on your left to Flower Street.
Turn right on Flower Street and continue across Fifth Street. Cross to the other side of Flower so that you’re on the same side as the 
Central Library.
Follow the long, stepped walkway leading through Maguire Gardens to the library’s entrance, and admire the facade of the 1920s public building, which successfully incorporates elements of modern urban architecture with the ancient influence of Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic civilizations. The library’s solitary tower is capped with a colorful tiled pyramid depicting a sunburst and torch to represent the light of knowledge. A tiled reflecting pool runs down the center of the path leading up to the library entrance, and a lovely wall of spouting fountains lies in an alcove off to the right of the main entryway plaza. Cafe Pinot, an upscale restaurant serving California/French cuisine, is to your left. The grassy public space and decorative fountains surrounding the library are known as the Maguire Gardens.
Enter the library through the striking northwest-facing portal. Continue through the dark hallway into the main lobby, which is graced with a vibrantly painted ceiling. LA’s Central Library is worth taking some time to explore; of particular architectural interest is the Tom Bradley Wing at the east end of the building, which consists of a dramatic, light-filled, eight-story atrium. You should also head upstairs to admire the Lodwrick M. Cook Rotunda, with its intricately stenciled ceiling and enormous chandelier.
After exploring the interior of the library, return to the main lobby on the first floor, and leave the building through the southwest-facing exit (toward Hope Street).
Once outside, descend the first two sets of stairs and then turn left to follow the sidewalk—don’t descend the last set of stairs to street level. On your right is the Hilton Checkers Hotel, a nicely restored 1920s building with ornate molded details.
When you reach Grand Avenue, carefully cross the street and then turn left. When you reach the valet parking area of the 
Millennium Biltmore Hotel, turn right to proceed to the hotel’s rear entrance. This Beaux Arts landmark, which opened for business in 1923, remains one of LA’s finest classic hotels. The hotel’s lobby is splendid, ornamented with a richly carved and painted ceiling, thick rugs, and distinguished furnishings.
Continue straight through the lobby and then turn right into the building’s grand hallway, which is lined with intricately carved stone pillars. Turn left at the elevators and descend the stairs into the front lobby. It doesn’t seem possible, but this massive, high-ceilinged room—featuring an impressive arched ceiling with an intricate inlaid-wood design and a lovely central fountain—is even more magnificent than the first lobby you entered. Walk through the lobby to exit onto Olive Street.
Los Angeles Theatre
Cross Olive Street to Pershing Square. Still considered a major downtown landmark, this public park has fallen hard from its former glory as a lush oasis in the center of the city. Today, this mostly concrete-paved space looks outdated, with its colorful geometric walls and sculptures, but it does afford a convenient raised clearing from which to survey the surrounding architecture. Luckily, it’s slated for a major makeover. To the northwest is the distinguished brick facade of the Biltmore Hotel you just exited; immediately northeast of the Biltmore is the Gas Company Tower, a dramatic marble-and-steel high-rise with a curved, boatlike glass atrium at the top. Northeast of Pershing Square is the Art Deco–style Title Guarantee and Trust Building, which dates back to 1930. And if you look southwest, you can catch a glimpse of the outdoor clock (colorfully neon-lit at night) that overlooks the patio outside the Oviatt Building penthouse, another Art Deco landmark. At the southwest end of the park, a towering fountain that resembles a giant rain gutter spills a murky stream of water into a shallow, stone-lined pool.
Cross Pershing Square to Hill Street and turn right.
Turn left on Sixth Street and walk one block to Broadway. You’re now in downtown’s bustling and somewhat seedy Jewelry District.
Back Story: What Ever Happened to Bunker Hill?
Founded in 1867, the area currently referred to as the Financial District sits atop Bunker Hill, a residential neighborhood that was leveled in the 1950s to make way for the skyscrapers that mark downtown Los Angeles today. Once a bustling residential community for Los Angeles professionals and their families, Bunker Hill degenerated over time and eventually became populated with unsavory rooming houses. In the 1960s, LA’s Community Redevelopment Agency demolished what was left of the neighborhood’s Victorian residences to make way for a “new downtown,” complete with shiny skyscrapers, to signal the city’s prosperity and status as an international commercial and banking center.
Turn right on Broadway, which is in the infancy of the Bringing Back Broadway movement, a call to bring live theater back to this stretch of downtown. For example, the ornate French Baroque 
Los Angeles Theatre, at 615 S. Broadway, hasn’t been a working movie palace for many years, but it’s available for filming and for private rentals. To visit the stunning interior of the theater, contact the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats program at 213-623-2489.
Clifton’s, one of LA’s last surviving cafeteria-style restaurants, is located at 648 S. Broadway. In business since 1935, the eatery has a Disney–meets–natural-history-museum feel. It was recently revamped into a hip multistory bar and grill that honors its old-school-cafeteria vibe. Clifton’s is absolutely worth stopping in for a meal or a piece of pie so that you can marvel at the restaurant’s throwback mountain woods–themed interior.
Turn right on Seventh Street and walk to St. Vincent’s Court, on your right.
Turn right to explore this charming alley, which features a collection of Middle Eastern delis and bakeries housed behind Parisian café–style facades. Retrace your steps to Seventh Street.
Downtown Financial and Jewelry Districts
Points of Interest
Westin Bonaventure Hotel 404 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90071; 213-624-1000, westin.com/bonaventure
Central Library 630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles, CA 90071; 213-228-7000, lapl.org/central
Millennium Biltmore Hotel 506 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071; 213-624-1011, tinyurl.com/millenniumbiltmorela
Los Angeles Theatre 615 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014; 213-629-2939, losangelestheatre.com
Clifton’s 648 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014; 213-627-1673, cliftonsla.com
Turn right on Seventh and then turn right on Hill Street, walking for two blocks.
Turn left on Fifth Street and continue two more blocks, passing between the towering edifices of the Biltmore Hotel and the Gas Company Tower.
Turn right on Grand Avenue to return to your starting point.
