Letters to the Editor: My family had to close its iconic L.A. restaurant in 1990. Let’s hope Langer’s survives

To the editor: Your articles about Langer’s Deli and the sad state of the area around MacArthur Park are of interest to me, as our family was subject to the same issues more than 30 years ago.

Our family owned Edward’s Steak House at 733 S. Alvarado St. My dad opened the restaurant in June 1946, and Al Langer opened his deli the following year. Just like Norm Langer, who currently runs Langer’s, I rode the boats in MacArthur Park lake.

Unfortunately, we were forced to close in 1990 as the result of the crime in the neighborhood. Even though we had parking for about 100 cars and three attendants, our customers did not feel safe.

At the time, we worked diligently with then-Mayor Tom Bradley and Councilwoman Gloria Molina to address this serious situation. We were among the founding members of the MacArthur Park Community Council. Sadly, this area was not a priority for city leaders, an issue Langer’s faces today.

Now, 34 years later, it is so frustrating to see Langer’s and other businesses suffering the same problems. My dad passed away, but my mom is 100 years old, alert and sad.

Ken Rausch, Long Beach

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To the editor: I am the third generation of my family to eat at Langer’s. My dad knew Al Langer.

Originally, the deli was one storefront wide; it expanded in the 1950s and ’60s. Many No. 2 sandwiches (corned beef with tomato and Russian dressing) were consumed while I worked at a printing factory on Hoover Street and Washington Boulevard.

Langer’s was a lunchtime spot for local politicos, staff of the B’nai Brith Messenger and other local newspapers, LAPD management and rank and file, and on and on.

Will the city just do nothing and let yet another thread in L.A.’s historic fabric be ripped away, as with the Richfield Tower and historic neighborhoods cut in half by the 101 and 10 freeways?

Toby Horn, Los Angeles