Welcome to Dunbar EDC

Dunbar Economic Development Corporation (Dunbar EDC) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation. The mission of Dunbar Economic Development Corporation is to revitalize the Vernon-Central neighborhood through stewardship of its built environment and cultural assets. Dunbar EDC was founded in 1988 with the purpose of restoring the Dunbar Hotel. The Dunbar Hotel (founded as the Hotel Somerville) was the first first-class hotel built by people of African descent to service the Black community in Los Angeles. It opened in 1928 as the flagship hotel for the NAACP’s (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) West Coast convention. It also served as a center place for jazz music in Los Angeles. The hotel has always functioned as the centerpiece of the Central Avenue community, the first Black community in Los Angeles. The Dunbar Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Los Angeles Cultural Historic Monument. Celebrating its eighteenth year of operation, Dunbar EDC has positively impacted the physical and social environment of the Vernon-Central community.

Central Avenue Jazz Festival

The upcoming 12^th Annual Central Avenue Jazz Festival will be July 28^th and 29^th, 2007. For more information, please go to the Central Avenue Jazz Festival website at www.CentralAvenueJazzFestival.com.