With so many cranes in the air over Downtown, it's hard to ignore the neighborhood's big ongoing growth spurt. Parking lots are dropping like flies, replaced by mixed-users and hotels, as DTLA and all Los Angeles seem to be working to shed the car-centric ways of its past. But LA's car culture was linked to more than just four wheels; it influenced architecture like Googie (designed to be eye-catching and coerce drivers into stopping) and also roadside food stands. The Guardian recently took a look at how Downtown's transformation is leaving the burger stands behind, in some cases even causing their demise. We've picked out three examples of new developments that are replacing old food huts with shiny new housing, retail, and hotel space.
↑ Ye Olde Taco House
Fourth and Hill streets
↑ Anzutai
Spring between Sixth and Seventh streets
↑ Taco House (demolished)
Eighth Street between Broadway and Spring streets
The Google Street View shows the burger joint/taco stand existing in August 2014, and gone in November 2014; around spring of that same year, the parking lot was being shopped around as a development opportunity. The humble taco spot left long before the first plans for the 24-story, mixed-use tower by developers Holland Partner Group that will be rising on the lot surfaced this past spring. The only reminder that the Taco House was ever there is the checkered platform that remains near the mid-block alley, says The Guardian. · The disappearing roadside hamburger stands of downtown Los Angeles [The Guardian]