Today is the last day of racing at the storied racetrack built in a bean field in 1938 by movie mogul Jack Warner. A developer plans to raze the complex and build a low-income housing project and mall. Victim of the recession’s impact on sports, Hollywood Park isn’t going quietly. Noisy allegations are being made that Mayor Villaraigosa and the L.A. city council rushed approval of the sale without due process. Others lament that the city of Inglewood never made it a historic landmark.
But historic-landmark status is little protection today. Another storied racetrack with movie-glamour history, Del Mar, is being put on the sale block by the state of California, along with several other historic sites. Santa Anita itself is in financial trouble, reportedly up for sale. If all these tracks go, horse racing in southern California will have been virtually decapitated, resulting in a big income loss to the state, not to mention the loss of jobs. It makes you wonder what the state government is thinking.
Together with my local gay and lesbian horse-loving buddies, two of whom joined me for some TVG watching of the races on the last HP card, I’m hoisting a glass of wine and saying my own goodbye.
on Jul 20th, 2009 at 5:29 PM
Please review the plans for the new development before you downgrade it to “low-income housing project and mall”. As someone who has lived and worked in Inglewood this new development is a much needed improvement to the area and will generate a lot of revenue for the city. I understand the nostalgia that Hollywood Park holds for many including myself, having visiting it as a child. I agree, perhaps the city could have tried to register the site as a historical landmark, but nevertheless, if you’ve reviewed the plans you would know that the Hollywood Park Land Company decided to incorporate some of the features of the racetrack in the community redesign. Unfortunately, the closure of horse racing tracks is becoming a common occurrence due to the decline of the sport and now economical hardships, so Hollywood Park’s closing is only an example of that.
Here’s the website for the development:
http://www.hollywoodparktomorrow.com/vision/
**And no I’m not affiliated with the project. I’m just a citizen that accepts the change.
on Jul 20th, 2009 at 11:14 PM
To describe the future site as including “low income housing” is not denigrating. Most of the news stories I saw described it that way. Los Angeles actually needs more low-income housing.
on Aug 3rd, 2009 at 11:09 AM
I wouldn’t count on this new project just yet. You don’t really think anyone is going to spend 2 billion dollars to build a movie theater in Inglewood. What a joke!
The people of Irwindale fell for this same kind of foolishness from Al Davis several years ago. A different subject yes but all in still just the same.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 4:16 PM
NOT SO FAST!
There will be a winter met, then the place will be leveled on January 2nd.
SO! The last Friday Night celebration will be November 20th, and the last day of racing EVER at Hollywood Park will be December 20th (maybe December 21st)