The stretch of LA’s Wilshire Boulevard known as the “Miracle Mile” extends from Fairfax Ave to La Brea Ave. It was the brainchild of real estate developer A.W. Ross who wanted to develop Wilshire as a commercial precinct to rival downtown. He called it “Miracle Mile” in what we would now call “branding” and it became a huge success and encouraged LA to spread west, which in turn helped give rise to LA’s car culture. This photo is circa 1958 and is looking west from around Detroit Street.
The same view (more or less) in 2016:
Circa 1940 view of the Miracle Mile sign on Wilshire Boulevard, with the May Company department store in the background:
The stretch of LA’s Wilshire Boulevard known as the “Miracle Mile” extends from Fairfax Ave to La Brea Ave. It was the brainchild of real estate developer A.W. Ross who wanted to develop Wilshire as a commercial precinct to rival downtown. He called it “Miracle Mile” in what we would now call “branding” and it became a huge success and encouraged LA to spread west, which in turn helped give rise to LA’s car culture. This photo is circa 1958 and is looking west from around Detroit Street.
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