Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California
The
Fairfax District is an area of neighborhoods in the
Mid-City West area of the
central region of
Los Angeles,
California.
It is roughly bordered by
West Hollywood on the north,
La Brea Avenue on the east,
West Hollywood and
Beverly Hills on the west and
Wilshire Boulevard on the south. The
Fairfax District is sometimes confused with nearby
Park La Brea and the curious Beverly Hills Adjacent, particularly on housing rental advertisements. The section of Fairfax Avenue filled with traditionally Jewish businesses is sometimes referred to by Angelenos as
Kosher Canyon or "The Bagel District."
Historically, the Fairfax District has been a center of the city's
Jewish community. In the early
20th century, looking for new housing and fleeing an increasing influx of
immigrants from
Mexico,
middle class Jewish families moved west from
Boyle Heights,
City Terrace,
East Los Angeles and
Montebello to the area around
Fairfax Avenue, a street they lined with
Kosher delis,
restaurants,
butcher's and
baker's shops and fish markets, creating a unique village in the heart of the city.
In
1935, there were four
synagogues in the
Fairfax District; by
1945, there were twelve. After
World War II, many more Jews, a lot of them
Holocaust survivors, began to populate the area. As more families moved in, religious schools and a Jewish Community Center sprang up. From the
1950s to the
1970s, the
Fairfax District was the center of Jewish life in
Los Angeles. Recently arrived Jewish immigrants from
Israel and
Russia gave the area more of a
cosmopolitan air.
As the next generation of Jews grew up and went off to college they favored
white-collar careers to ownership of the traditional shops. While
Los Angeles is still home to a vibrant Jewish community, the center of Jewish life has shifted southwest to nearby Pico and Robertson Boulevards. The
Farmers Market at
Fairfax Avenue and
3rd Street still retains an Old World atmosphere, with open-air vegetable stalls and cafes, and many Jewish residents of the area continue to frequent the market as part of their shopping or
kibbitzing routine, which retains an attraction for many seniors and immigrants; but the addition of
The Grove, an outdoor mall built on the former parking lot for the market, has brought new life and new visitors to the Farmers Market daily.
Fairfax Avenue, once lined with kosher delis and shops, now holds only a few storefronts reminiscent of the old days, including the famous deli/restaurant
Canter's.
CBS Television City was built in 1952 on the former site of Gilmore Stadium at
Fairfax Avenue and
Beverly Boulevard. This is where
CBS tapes "The Young & the Restless", the "Late Late Show" as well as the classic "The Price is Right."
Other shows over the years filmed at Television City included
All in the Family,
Twilight Zone (with Rod Serling),
The Smothers Brothers,
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,
The Carol Burnett Show,
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour,
Tony Orlando & Dawn and
The Jacksons,
House Party,
The Dinah Shore Show,
The Mike Douglas Show,
The Merv Griffin Show and many television specials.
In the late
1970s, after then-governor
Jerry Brown cancelled the
Beverly Hills Freeway that would have razed the entire length of
Melrose Avenue,
Melrose Avenue became known as a street of funky shops, restaurants and galleries. The early
1980s brought media attention and a new revitalized look to the area. Today,
Melrose Avenue is a high fashion district similar to parts of
SoHo and
Greenwich Village in
New York City, as well as
The Haight and Upper Fillmore districts of San Francisco.
*
Beverly Center Mall*
Canter's*
CBS Television City*
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center*
Fairfax High School*
Farmers Market*
The Grove*
The Improv*
Pan-Pacific Park*
Pan-Pacific Auditorium*
FairfaxLA.com
