We had a lot of correct guesses to yesterday's Cornerspotter, but Palmero was the first to answer that our mystery garden was none other than the Lawry's California Center in Cypress Park (now the LA River Center and Gardens). Lawry's, which opened in 1953, was at one time a collection of restaurants and shops, but was never profitable, according to an LA Times article about the facility's closure in the early nineties. There were lots of ideas to repurpose the space floated at the time, including one for an entertainment complex with condos and a museum of Latino art, history, and culture, but in the end, a plan to transform the space's "distinctive hacienda-style buildings and lush gardens" into the LA River Center won out.
· Hint: Where Was This Garden Blooming Back in 1978? [Curbed LA]