Everything about Downtown San Bernardino totally explained
| Downtown San Bernardino |
Central City |
| Acres | 278
|
Downtown San Bernardino is the
central business district of
San Bernardino, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered city is such that its downtown core is often considered a separate district. It is home to the city and county government buildings. The area officially termed "downtown" is defined as bounded
by
I-215 to the west, Waterman Avenue to the east, Baseline Street to the north, and Mill Street to the south.
The
California Planning & Development Report recently ranked San Bernardino's downtown first on its list of the "Most Disappointing Mid-Sized City Downtowns in California," largely due to perceptions of poor
public safety, a moribund mall and various failed redevelopment initiatives. The
San Bernardino County Sun's own reporters have referred to the area as a "urban nightmare," due to the high crime and
urban decay surrounding it. Local city planners and developers say the area is "poised for a renaissance," although these plans seem to hinge on the successful development of the Carousel Mall site.
Parks
Seccombe Lake
Seccombe Lake is known as "The Duck Park" or "El Parque De Los Patos". It is a haven for homeless transients. It is located at the corner of 5th Street and Sierra Way.
Meadowbrook Park
Meadowbrook Park is the main downtown park and is home to much activity. The park is located at the corner of 3rd Street and Sierra Way
Court Street Square
Court Street Square is a square in the downtown area used for the Main Street's events. Downtown San Bernardino is home to many festivals throughout the year including the annual Route 66 Rendezvous, in honor of mother road highway 66. 500,000 classic cars come from around the world for this event which takes place on the third weekend in September for four days and three nights of a classic car parade. Court Street Square is at the corner of Court Street and "E" Street.
Performing arts
The California Theater of Performing Arts, in downtown San Bernardino, holds cultural events, including touring Broadway theatre presented by Theatrical Arts International the Inland Empire's Largest Theatre Company and the San Bernardino Symphony. The historic
Fox Theatre of San Bernardino is also located in the downtown area, next to
American Sports University. The
Fox Theater is being reopened and remodeled.
San Bernardino City Hall
City Hall is a six story, glass-sheathed building designed in 1963 by
César Pelli to reflect the urban environment around it.
Downtown universities
American Sports University is located downtown and all other San Bernardino universities are located outside of downtown, such as
California State University, San Bernardino which is located northwest of downtown.
Carousel Mall
In 1972, the downtown shopping mall was known as Central City Mall. It opened to fanfare and wide popularity, with anchor stores
Harris’,
J. C. Penney, and
Montgomery Ward. In the late 1980s, the mall began to decline. Its name was changed to the "Carousel Mall" as part of a failed revitalization plan in the early 1990s.
Today, all the anchor stores and many of the businesses left. Harris closed in 2000, Montgomery Ward in 2002, and J. C. Penney finally closed in 2003. In response to the closures, the mall's owners developed a
mixed-use concept to fill vacated retail outlets with offices. Today, the mall houses more than 300 San Bernardino County employees and 150 from the San Bernardino Unified School District. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. employs more than 400 in the mall and is downtown San Bernardino's largest private employer. As of 2006, about 65 retail stores were still open for business.
LNR Property Corp purchased the property in February 2006 with the intention of developing a high density residential and commercial project, but the regional housing slump appears to have deterred the company from moving ahead.
In January 2008, LNR Corp sold the Carousel Mall property. M & D Properties, based out of Lynwood, California, bought the property from LNR Corp. for $23.5 million. There are no plans as of yet of what M & D Properties will be doing with the property.
Transportation
San Bernardino is served by
Metrolink. Lines include the
Metrolink Inland Empire-Orange County Line and the
Metrolink San Bernardino Line. Amtrak's Southwest Chief, operating from Los Angeles to Chicago has one daily train in each direction that stops at the San Bernardino station.
Downtown bus
The City of San Bernardino is a member of the joint-powers authority Omnitrans, including downtown. A Bus Rapid Transit project, called SB-X, is planned from Cal State San Bernardino to Loma Linda. A bus transit center is planned in the vicinity of E Street and Rialto Avenue.
Omnitrans buses stop at a number of bus stops throughout the downtown area. There is also the MARTA bus which takes people directly from downtown to the communities in the
San Bernardino Mountains.
The airport provides both domestic and international air services. It provides growth to the city and the
Inland Empire. Buses serve the airport, which lies two to three miles from downtown.
Buildings
Main buildings
Other buildings
- San Bernardino Employment and Training Agency Building
- Andresen Building
- American Trust Building
- Bank Of America Building
- Wells Fargo Building
- WaMu Building
- First American Title Building
- Building 505
- San Bernardino County Center Building
- County of San Bernardino Court 2 Building in 3rd Street
- County Records Tower
- Norman F. Feldheym Central Library
Gallery
Image:Vanirtdsb_001a.jpg|Vanir Tower next to City hall in "D" Street
Image:Downtown_San_Bernardino_2004_dt_003.jpg|DowntownSan Bernardino in 2004
Image:Sb_plaza_2003_dt_on_fifthst_002.jpg|Building in Downtown called the San Bernardino Plaza
Image:Sb_2004_dt_radissonhotalin_Downtown_San_Bernardino_001c.jpg|Downtown Hotel Tower 1
Image:San_Bernardino_County_Arrowhead_Plaza.jpg|Court District of San Bernardino County called the Arrowhead Plaza
Image:Forth_Street_in_Downtown_San_Bernardino.jpg| Fourth Street also known as Broadway because home to some theaters in downtown.
Image:Andresen_Building_in_downtown_San_Bernardino.jpg|Andresen Building
Image:San_Bernardino_County_Records_Tower.jpg|San Bernardino County Records Tower
Image:Downtown_San_Bernardino_2004_dt_003.jpg|Downtown in 2004
Image:DSanBerdoo.jpg|CalTrans Building next to the San Bernardino County Law Library
Further Information
Get more info on 'Downtown San Bernardino'.
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