Cinema 19: Porn theater is the century-old elephant in the room as city embarks on ambitious reboot of 18th and 19th streets

One of Bakersfield's most storied — and infamous — districts is about to get a major makeover. 18th and 19th streets east of Chester Avenue — the heart of what, a century ago, was the city’s prostitution-infested tenderloin — will turn into a construction zone when a city contractor breaks ground April 13 on the first phase of an ambitious yearslong project.