'we've Lost Our Way': Clifton's Operator Gives Up On Downtown Los Angeles

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The proprietor of Los Angeles’ legendary Clifton’s has fixed up connected reopening nan shuttered venue.

It’s conscionable excessively difficult to do business successful downtown’s historical core, he says.

Andrew Meieran bought Clifton’s connected Broadway successful 2010 and poured much than $14 cardinal into repairs, renovations and upgrades, adding further barroom and edifice spaces successful nan four-story building. In 2018, he recovered that request for cafeteria nutrient was excessively debased to beryllium profitable, and he pivoted to a nightclub and lounge conception called Clifton’s Republic, featuring aggregate eating and drinking venues. Meieran has tried elaborate themed environments, specified arsenic a tiki barroom and wood playgrounds, and renting retired nan location for large events to spark much interest.

It was ne'er easy, but during and since nan pandemic, nan vicinity has grown progressively unsafe arsenic downtown has emptied of agency workers and visitors.

Storefronts are gated up owed to vandalism successful nan historical territory successful downtown Los Angeles connected Tuesday.

The alley down Clifton's Cafeteria successful nan downtown historical territory Tuesday.

Vandalism has been rampant, pinch graffiti appearing connected nan historical building almost daily. Vandals would usage acerb aliases gem solid cutters to deface nan windows, often cracking nan glass. It would costs Meieran much than $30,000 each clip to switch nan windows. Insurance companies either stopped offering policies that covered vandalism aliases raised premiums by arsenic overmuch arsenic 600%, he said.

There has been continuous crime successful nan area, he said, including aggregate assaults connected group successful beforehand of his building. He past unopen nan venue past year, hoping things would amended and he could travel backmost pinch a business that could work. Now he has fixed up. Someone other whitethorn return complete nan abstraction aliases moreover nan sanction of nan historical spot, but he is done trying.

“We’ve mislaid our way,” Meieran said. “I want to get up connected nan tops of nan skyscrapers and outcry that group request to salary attraction to this.”

The disenchantment of a business leader who utilized to beryllium 1 of downtown L.A.’s biggest backers shines a spotlight connected nan stubborn information concerns, rising costs and thinner ft postulation that person made it progressively difficult for moreover iconic businesses to survive.

The once-popular institution dates backmost to 1935, erstwhile it was a Depression-era cafeteria and kitschy oasis that sold arsenic galore arsenic 15,000 meals a time erstwhile Broadway was nan city’s intermezo hub.

It served accepted cafeteria nutrient specified arsenic cookware roast, mashed potatoes and Jell-O successful a woodsy grotto among clone redwood trees and a stone-wrapped waterfall reminiscent of Brookdale Lodge successful Northern California.

It’s not nan only once-prominent destination that has grounded to find a measurement to flourish successful today’s market. Cole’s, 1 of L.A.’s astir celebrated restaurants and often credited pinch inventing nan French dip sandwich, closed past period aft a 118-year run.

“The bigger problem for america and nan remainder of nan manufacture is nan precocious costs of doing business,” said Cedd Moses, who utilized to run Cole’s and has backed galore different bars and restaurants successful historical buildings downtown for decades. “That’s what is sidesplitting independent restaurants successful this city.”

Clifton's Republic proprietor Andrew Meieran stands adjacent to a vessel connected nan apical level of nan historical edifice successful 2024.

Clifton’s opened and closed many times during nan pandemic and, much recently, aft a burst tube caused extended damage. Meieran opened it for typical events specified arsenic past Halloween, but it has different been closed.

Police are woefully understaffed and hampered by nationalist policy, said Blair Besten, president of downtown’s Historic Core Business Improvement District, a nonprofit that arranges graffiti removal, trash pickup and information patrols successful nan area.

Businesses and residents successful nan area would for illustration to spot a bigger constabulary presence, but location person been protests against that by group who are not from downtown, she said.

“People are starting to spot nan fruits of nan defunding movement,” she said. “It has not led america to a amended spot arsenic a city.”

The Los Angeles Police Department is making advancement downtown, Captain Kelly Muniz said, pinch convulsive crime down much than 10% from past year.

“While we’re moving very difficult to lick crime, to forestall crime, location are still elements specified arsenic trash, open-air supplier use, homelessness and graffiti,” she said. “We’re swinging successful nan correct direction.”

Retailers person been opting retired of downtown L.A., said existent property agent Derrick Moore of CBRE, who helps put commercialized spot leases. Brands person headed to much vibrant adjacent neighborhoods specified arsenic Echo Park and Silver Lake.

“A batch of operators are conscionable electing to skip complete downtown,” he said. “They’re leasing spaces elsewhere, wherever they consciousness they person a greater chance astatine higher sales.”

A man walks past a heap of trash near connected nan thoroughfare successful nan historical district.

While immoderate businesses are struggling, galore downtown residents opportunity their perceptions of information are improving and that nan area is regaining immoderate vibrancy.

“A batch of group unrecorded here. I deliberation group hide that,” Besten said. “We’re each surviving. It’s conscionable difficult for each nan businesses to survive.”

A greenish sprout for nan Historic Core is Art Night connected nan first Thursday of each month, erstwhile 50 aliases 60 locations, including imperishable creation galleries and pop-up galleries successful unused storefronts, show creation to map-toting visitors who travel for nan occasion.

They often extremity up successful Spring Street bars, which much typically thrive connected play nights but are still a tie to downtown.

“I deliberation nightlife will thrive downtown, since bars pull group that don’t mind a small grittier atmosphere,” said Moses. “Our income are hitting caller records astatine our bars downtown, fortunately, but our costs person risen dramatically.”

A closed motion for Clifton's Cafeteria.

Clifton’s erstwhile backer, Meieran, says he doesn’t deliberation things are going to bounce backmost capable to warrant much monolithic investment. He has sold nan building, and nan proprietor is looking for a caller tenant to inhabit Clifton’s space. He still controls nan Clifton’s name.

While location is still a chance he could fto personification other usage nan sanction Clifton’s, Meieran is done for now — excessively galore bad memories.

“There was a feline who was terrorizing nan beforehand of Clifton’s because he decided he wanted to unrecorded successful nan vestibule successful front, and he didn’t want america to run there,” Meieran said. “He would frighten to termination anybody who came through.”

He doesn’t judge charismatic statistic that show crime and homelessness are measurement down successful nan area, and he doesn’t want to restart a business erstwhile criminals tin truthful easy erase his difficult work.

“What business that’s already connected bladed margins tin past that?” he said.

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