We pay tribute to the local landmarks that former LA Mayor Richard Riordan helped preserve and develop.

By the late 1990s, downtown LA had fallen into a serious identity crisis, as corporations were moving out, beckoned by other multiple sky-scraping districts, such as Century City. 

It was this reality that then Mayor Riordan faced in his second term, which had become increasingly clear that a new home was needed for some of LA’s premiere sports franchises.

A risky move led to a bold design, which led to the groundbreaking of the Staples Center, which is now Crypto.com Arena.

Kelvin Washington has more.

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