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| Former name | Angeles Mesa Drive |
|---|---|
| Namesake | George L. Crenshaw |
| Maintained by | Bureau of Street Services, City of L.A. DPW |
| Length | 23.46 mi (37.76 km) |
| Location | Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Nearest metro station |  : |
| North end | Wilshire Boulevard inLos Angeles |
| South end | Burrell Lane inRancho Palos Verdes |
Crenshaw Boulevard is a north–souththoroughfare that runs throughCrenshaw and other neighborhoods along a 23-mile (37 km) route in the west-central part ofLos Angeles, California, United States.[1]
The street extends betweenWilshire Boulevard inMid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, on the north andRolling Hills, on the south. Crenshaw marks the eastern boundaries ofTorrance, andHawthorne and the western border ofGardena.
The commercial corridor in theHyde Park neighborhood is known as "the heart of African American commerce in Los Angeles".[2][3]
Crenshaw Boulevard was named afterbanker and Los Angelesreal estate developerGeorge Lafayette Crenshaw who also developed theLafayette Square.[4]
The southern end of Crenshaw Boulevard was atAdams Street until 1916–1918, when the road was extended between Adams on the north andSlauson Avenue on the south that was then known as Angeles Mesa Drive. The extension saved three miles (4.8 km) in travel over the nearest through road (Western Avenue) and five miles (8.0 km) over the nearest paved road (Vermont Avenue).[5][6]
The street became a major transportation route with tracks for the5 Linestreetcar line[7] in the median betweenLeimert Boulevard[8] on the north close toFlorence Avenue on the south. With the abandonment of the streetcar system in the 1950s, the railway median was narrowed, the driving lanes improved and the street reconfigured for automobiles, buses and trucks.[9]: 1-1
Many local residents were disappointed that 71 mature street-line trees were cut down in 2012 to make way for theSpace Shuttle Endeavour to bemoved from LAX to theCalifornia Science Center in nearbyExposition Park.[10][11] About 1,000 10 to 14 foot (3.0 to 4.3 m) high trees were replanted in 2013.[12] The construction of theK Line required the removal of additional trees in 2014. City officials promised that more trees would be planted than were removed.[13][14]: 12 The improvements includebike lanes, widersidewalks, newMetrobus stops,LEDtraffic lights andstreet lights.[10][9]: 1-5 The revitalization was coordinated with the construction ofDestination Crenshaw.[15] A 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km) portion of Crenshaw Boulevard in theHyde Park andLeimert Park neighborhoods will become an open-air museum dedicated to preserving the history andculture ofAfrican Americans.[16] The project includespocket parks, outdoor sculptures, murals,street furniture, and landscaping.[17]
In 2023, a five-mile stretch (8.0 km) of Crenshaw Boulevard inLeimert Park, transacting theRosa Parks Freeway,Obama Boulevard,Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, andNipsey Hussle Square, was designated Malcolm X Route in honor ofthe minister and civil rights leader.[18][19]
Metro Local lines 40 and 210, andTorrance Transit line 10 serve Crenshaw Boulevard; Metro line 210 run through the majority of Crenshaw Boulevard to Artesia Boulevard, Metro line 40 from Crenshaw District to Hyde Park, and Torrance Transit line 10 south of Artesia Boulevard. TheMetro C Line serves theCrenshaw station on Crenshaw Boulevard underneathInterstate 105, while theMetro E andK Lines servesExpo/Crenshaw station at the intersection with Exposition Boulevard.
In the Crenshaw district, Crenshaw Boulevard andBaldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza are served primarily byLADOTbuses,trolleys, and alight railsubway lineLos Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus lines that are:
Crenshaw Boulevard is also briefly served in the Crenshaw district by the followingLA Metro lines:
The Metro K Line runs along the Crenshaw Boulevard alignment from the E Line to 67th Street, serving three more additional stations:
Crenshaw Boulevard is served by theseLADOT Dash lines:
Media related toCrenshaw Boulevard at Wikimedia Commons
