Though it has a cute green space in its center (Grand Hope Park) the DTLA neighborhood of South Park is actually named for a giant nine-block park that was proposed in the 1970s but never built. The city does have a South Park with trees and grass, but it's located three and a half miles to the south. When the original South Park opened around 1899, it was a lush oasis with exotic palm trees and verdant landscaping fed by an artesian well, according to KCET, and quickly became a well-used hub for walks, games, and hanging out. It remained popular with the growing African-American community in the Twentieth Century: "In the 1940s, legends of South Central's jazz scene performed under its band shell, and in later decades the park hosted anti-war protests and other political demonstrations." (Today the neighborhood is mostly Latino.) The park is still there and still a treasure, but the neighborhood is now one of the poorest and most neglected in Los Angeles.
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