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Sustainable Preservation: California’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, 2013-2017

Though Los Angeles’ Chinatown was condemned to
make way for Union Station and the “new”
Chinatown dates from 1938, the Chinese have been
a strong presence in Los Angeles since the middle
of the nineteenth century. Today, businesses
started by American-born Chinese families occupy
the northwest area of Chinatown, while the
southeast portion houses businesses started by
first generation Southeast Asian immigrants and
refugees of Chinese origin.

About 10,000 Thais
live in Thai Town,
while Los Angeles
County is home to
Shops in Los Angeles' "new" the largest number
Chinatown (Photo from the Carol M.
Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, of Thais outside
Prints and Photographs Division) Thailand. The
neighborhood,
which runs along Hollywood Boulevard from Normandie
to Western Avenues, is home to about 46 Thai
businesses, including silk shops, bookstores, and
restaurants. Thai Town is led by the Thai Community
Development Center (CDC), which seeks to foster tourism
in the community for the benefit of local business
owners; it also is committed to protecting historic The Thailand Plaza sign in
properties through Thai Town is a well-known
adaptive reuse. landmark (albeit not historic
...yet) (Photo courtesy
www.laimyours.com)

Historic Filipinotown is the last and most recent Los
Angeles neighborhood to become a Preserve America
community. Civic and business groups in the
neighborhood continue to work closely with the City
to preserve the neighborhood’s ethnic heritage assets
and to utilize its unique character to promote cultural
heritage tourism, economic development, and
community revitalization.

Street dances are a part of the
annual Historic Filipinotown
Festival. (Photo courtesy Balita.com)

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