| Downtown San Bernardino | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Neighborhood community — | |||
|
|||
| Nickname(s): Central City | |||
| Motto: Community, Commerce, Culture [1] | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | California | ||
| City | San Bernardino | ||
| Elevation | 1,059 - 1,500 ft (602 m) | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) | ||
| Website | http://www.downtownsanbernardino.org/home | ||
Downtown San Bernardino is a district in San Bernardino, California, United States. It is home to city and county government buildings, as well as the city's central business district.[2] Downtown San Bernardino is bounded by I-215 to the west, Waterman Avenue to the east, Baseline Street to the north, and Mill Street to the south.[2]
Currently, the San Bernardino City Council is considering another redevelopment effort. The city’s Economic Development Agency presented the council with a draft of the Downtown Core Vision / Action Plan in 2009.[3] – a guide for revitalizing downtown San Bernardino for the next 10 years. The plan is the culmination of a year of research, community participation, and planning led by the city’s EDA and the urban planning firm EDAW. The city is discussing the construction of a new government center/civic plaza that will contain an iconic 24 story tower.[4] The county of San Bernardino is currently constructing a new 12 story-200 foot court house, hoping to help the old 1926 congested court house and the downtown skyline, becoming the tallest building in San Bernardino and the Inland Empire.[5][6]
Contents |
Seccombe Lake is known as "The Duck Park" or "El Parque De Los Patos". It is located at the corner of 5th Street and Sierra Way.
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 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 U.S. Route 66. Approximately 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.
The city is planning a new district along Fourth Street. The key aspect of the plan is to make the area around the California Theatre and future Regal San Bernardino Theatre Square Stadium 14 site on Fourth Street as an area for entertainment and dining. Dining is all that is needed to make this into a reality, as well as the opening of Regal Stadium 14, which will open in the spring of 2012.[7]
The California Theatre 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 has been reopened and remodeled. Sturges Theatre is also located downtown, at the intersects of "E" and 8th streets.
Downtown San Bernardino had a large, luxurious, two story theater until it closed in September 2008.[8] Maya Cinemas was expected to open at the old site of the CinemaStar on February 27, 2009, however it it did fail to do so, and plans for a downtown San Bernardino theater were scratched.[9] As of January 2011, Regal Entertainment Group was in negotiations with the city of San Bernardino to open a theater in the former Cinema Star site. On November 2011, the city of San Bernardino approved a negotiation with Regal and will now take over/rehabilitate the theater, which will open in May 2012 with RPX under the name of Regal San Bernardino Theatre Square Stadium 14 & RPX. [10][11]
The Norman F. Feldheym Central Library is the flagship of the San Bernardino Public Library system. It opened on September 30, 1985, and is the city's fifth central library building since the first one was operated out of a rented house in 1891. Architects Gregory Villanueva and Oscar Arnoni designed the 64,000-square-foot (5,900 m2) $6 million facility, which was named in honor of the late Rabbi Norman F. Feldheym.[12] The library provides a number of cultural enrichment programs for youth and adults in the local community.[13] Partnering with the San Bernardino City Unified School District, the library supports a community Reading Festival for third-graders and their families.[14] The library also sponsors an annual book fair at Cal State San Bernardino, reading clubs, and an "Academy of Public Scholars" critical review club devoted to works of Continental philosophy.[15][16]
City Hall is a six story, glass-sheathed building designed in 1963 by César Pelli to reflect the urban environment around it. It is not sure what will happen to the current city hall when the new one begins construction and opens, part of the downtown revitalization project.[17]
Carousel Mall originally opened as Central City Mall in October 1972. In the late 1980s, the mall began to decline due to reduced interest from businesses in close proximity to Inland Center (which is closer to the 215/10 Interchange) and rising crime in the area. Its name was changed to the Carousel Mall as part of a failed revitalization plan in the early 1990s. All the anchor stores and many of the businesses left.
In response to the closures, the mall's owners developed a mixed-use concept to fill vacated retail outlets with offices. LNR Property Corp purchased the property in February 2006 with the intention of developing a high density residential and commercial project. In January 2008, after facing deadlock with the city, LNR Corp sold the Carousel Mall to M & D Properties for $23.5 million.
American Sports University is located within the district.
San Bernardino is the terminal station for Metrolink's Inland Empire-Orange County Line (to Oceanside via Orange County) and Metrolink San Bernardino Line (to downtown Los Angeles). Amtrak's Southwest Chief, operating from Los Angeles to Chicago has one daily train in each direction, which stops at the same station.
The City of San Bernardino is a member of the joint-powers authority Omnitrans, and downtown is a major transfer point in the local bus system. Buses primarily serve the 4th Street Transit Mall, and provide local service throughout the region, as well as express service to Riverside. A Bus Rapid Transit project, called sbX, 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. There is also the MARTA bus which takes people directly from downtown to the communities in the San Bernardino Mountains.
The San Bernardino International Airport is expected to provide both domestic and international air services. It will provide growth to the city and the Inland Empire. Buses are expected to serve the airport, which lies two to three miles (5 km) from downtown. Currently the airline finished major construction, however there are no current commercial flight airlines occupying the terminals.[18]
| Rank | Name | Street Address | Year | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosa Parks Memorial Building | 464 West 4th St., San Bernardino | 1998 | Government |
| 2 | Hotel & Convention Center | 295 North E St., San Bernardino | 1987 | Hotel |
| 3 | St. Bernardine Plaza | Fifth St., San Bernardino | Residential | |
| 4 | Vanir Tower | 290 North D St., San Bernardino | 1974 | Office |
| 5 | San Bernardino City Hall | 300 North D St., San Bernardino | Government | |
| 7 | 303 Building | 303 West Third St. San Bernardino | 1966 | Government |
| 8 | The Heritage Building | 440 W. Court St. San Bernardino | 1946 |
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||