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Leimert Park)
Leimert Park is a neighborhood in southwestern Los Angeles, California. It is bounded by Crenshaw Boulevard on the west, View Park on the south, Vermont Square on the east, and Jefferson Park on the north. The district's major north-south thoroughfare is Crenshaw Boulevard, along its western boundary, and the major east-west streets are Martin Luther King, Jr. (formerly Santa Barbara) and Vernon Avenues. Leimert Boulevard bisects the neighborhood from northeast to southwest.
Developed by Walter H. "Tim" Leimert (for whom it is named) beginning in 1928 and designed by the Olmsted brothers, Leimert Park was one of the first comprehensively planned communities in Southern California designed for low- and middle-income families, and was considered a model of urban planning for its time: automobile traffic near schools and churches was minimized, utilities were buried or hidden from view in alleys, and densely planted trees lined its streets. Initially white-dominated, it and the neighboring Crenshaw District eventually became one of the largest black middle-class neighborhoods in the United States, and Leimert Park is now considered part of South Central Los Angeles. Despite suffering from rising crime beginning in the 1970s and sustaining significant damage during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Leimert Park has experienced a resurgence in recent years as middle-class black families from other South Central settle down in the Mediterranean bungalows that line the its leafy streets. Many Asian Americans and Latinos also reside in the neighborhood.
Leimert Park is considered the center of the African-American arts scene in Los Angeles, with flourishing blues and jazz clubs, as well as numerous venues for dramatic performances and poetry readings. The park at the district's center, adjoined by shops and a theater, is a popular place for performances and gatherings.
