The commercial corridor on Degnan Boulevard that intersects W. 43rd Place is commonly seen as the nucleus of business activity and cultural output in Leimert Park. A predominantly African American neighborhood in south Los Angeles’ Crenshaw District, Leimert Park is distinguished by its array of old Spanish colonial revival buildings and pine tree-lined streets. In the past, it was the site of Brockman Gallery, started by Dale and Alonzo Davis in 1967, seeing a lack of accessibility to the arts after LACMA moved from Exposition Park to the Fairfax/Miracle Mile District. The gallery helped spur years of happenings, concerts, and a heightened sense of community that can still be felt in Leimert Park today. Brockman closed in 1990, and the following years in the 2000s saw rising rents in the commercial shopping area that led to a dearth of retail and access to art galleries once again.
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