2001

ANTONIA HERNÁNDEZ

President and CEO, California Community Foundation

GRAND AVENUE JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY

Los Angeles is my “imperfect paradise.” I moved to East L.A. from a small farming community in Mexico when I was eight years old, and this city has been home for me ever since. I used to take the 87 bus from Seventh and Hill Streets all the way to UCLA, where I studied to become a lawyer. I marveled at the scale of this place: it was a city, it was a county, and it was on its way to becoming a megametropolis.

The one thing L.A. has lacked is open space. Every other major city has a center where people gather—New York has Central Park, Chicago has its riverfront. Communal space is a very important part of creating a sense of community, and we needed some of our own.

The dream of revitalizing downtown L.A. and its public spaces has always been compelling. That’s why I jumped at the chance to become vice-chair of the Grand Avenue Committee, a group of civic leaders, chaired by Eli Broad, dedicated to redeveloping Grand Avenue as the lynchpin of a new downtown.

We had lots of challenges, of course. You had representatives from the city, the county, and the state—each with their own stakeholders—and all the friction that exists between those governments. But this was a unique opportunity for them to work collaboratively toward a common goal: to make Grand Avenue a vibrant part of downtown, and to establish Grand Park as a public space.

View of Grand Avenue and Second Street from the north, downtown Los Angeles, circa 1982 / Los Angeles Public Library: Roy Hankey

The crucial ingredients in accomplishing that goal were Eli and my friend Gloria Molina, who was a county supervisor at the time. They were so committed to the vision for Grand Avenue. And though we were all righteous, impatient people, it was Eli’s and Gloria’s sheer stubbornness that made it possible. Eli is one of the most difficult people to work with, yet I adore him and we should have one hundred more like him.

Today when I walk through Grand Park, I feel our dream has come true. I’m proud that we made space for communal gathering right next to our center of city and county government. Whether hosting political protests, concerts, or average afternoons, Grand Park is always full of life. How we argued over that darn fountain, but it’s fabulous. You see it on the weekends when little kids are jumping through it, families are everywhere, and you realize Grand Park has taken on a role that’s much larger than the space it occupies.

Children running through the fountain in Grand Park, Los Angeles / Nathaniel Riley

Aerial view of Grand Avenue and Second Street from the east, downtown Los Angeles, circa 2015 / Courtesy of The Broad and Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Jeff Duran/Warren Air