commercial center

In the center of the city, which we call the vital and commercial center, there is nothing intact.

Whittier will move forward with razing 83 ficus trees as part of a redesign of its commercial center despite an outpouring of opposition to the plan.

It appeared that the fate of towering ficus trees rooted along a three-block stretch of Whittier’s commercial center was sealed.

Little Tokyo, in downtown Los Angeles, was the largest Japanese community in the country before World War II. After the war, it transformed from a residential and commercial center to primarily a place for business, and its footprint shrunk by more than a quarter.

But directly next door stands the gleaming blonde wood of Sycamore and Oak, a multi-level commercial center featuring a food court, boutique grocery stores and multiple shops — all Black owned.