Columbia Square Project Update: Cranes Coming!

Friday, April 11, 2008, by Dakota



A reader points out errors in today's Slatin Report story about Hollywood development, (Katyusha instead of Katsuya, and there is no such thing as Madrone Street), but here's a nugget--the reporter mentions a Spring 2009 ground-breaking for the $850 million Columbia Square project, a mixed-use development at the corner of Sunset and Gower, the site of the CBS Studios. Add in the nearby Hollywood and Vine project, and the Hollywood and Vine/the W hotel, and yes, Hollywood is hopping.

Via the Slatin Report:

---400 dwelling units
---125 hotel rooms
---380,000 sf of office space
---12,000 sf of ground floor retail
---22,500 sf of restaurant space,
---The project will also incorporate about 105,000 sf of the original CBS Studios.

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2008.04.square.jpg
[Architect: Johnson Fain]

Hollywood Reveal: Columbia Square Mixed-Use Project

By Dakota
April 14, 2008

A fresh rendering of Columbia Square, the $850 million mixed-use condo/hotel/office development slated for the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. Per a rep for developer Molasky Pacific, what you're looking at: This is the view from Sunset, looking north. The hotel will be housed in the building on the left--the hotel will take up seven stories, the rest will be condos. The office building is the new building on the right. The historic buildings are in the front along Sunset.

As previously discussed, the project will have, among other things, 400 dwelling units, 125 hotel rooms, and 380,000 square feet of office space. We're told the project is nearing release of the draft environmental impact report, with hearings expected to begin later this year.

• Columbia Square Update: Cranes Coming [Curbed LA]

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Source: Curbed LA

whats the status of that project anyway, isn't it still in environmental review?

rendering is not bad. i like the jagged facade at the roof, its a nice change of pace from the usual san diego style crap going up in that area, but in the end those adornments just feel unnecessary and tacked on. i dont mind it.

I love it!

Wow!!!

It's waay better than the original concept.:slob:

Beverly Hills Greenlights Hotel

Tuesday, April 22, 2008, by Dakota

Is the most contentious development around Los Angeles going on in Beverly Hills? After giving the thumbs up to architect Richard Meier's 9900 Wilshire green building, the Beverly Hills City Council has approved a 170-room Waldorf and a two-story conference center. Worried about traffic, "the Beverly Hills North Homeowners Association has pledged to gather voter signatures to put a referendum on the ballot to overturn the council's expected approval of the project and to recall council members supporting it."

God I hate NIMBYs...When will they accept that they live amongst the second largest city in America, and not some farm town in Kansas. Of course it will not be stagnant, of course it will grow. Traffic will always grow. People wanting to be in beverly hills is not the problem. Thats a great thing. If they want to avoid it, support the wilshire line!

Capitol Records Fighting Proposed Tower
 

From Curbed LA

http://la.curbed.com/index.php?page=3

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2069/...181ded39d2.jpg
Photo Credit: ColDayMan

A 16-story tower planned to go up next to the iconic Capitol Records building is not getting a neighborly welcome, reports the Los Angeles Times. Capitol is appealing the building's approval, saying the structure's underground parking garage will damage the record company's subterranean echo chambers used for high-end recordings. Unbeknownst to many, Capitol houses eight chambers 30 feet underground (oh, if those walls could talk). Some also oppose the new high-rise—which would include condos and commercial and office space—because it may block freeway views of Capitol, and possibly collapse during an earthquake.
· Capitol says recording quality at risk [LA Times]


Here is the proposed tower:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2212/...5b4b834c_o.jpg
Photo Credit: Steven Ehrlich Architects

Blocking Freeway views?...............WTF??!!

These are the same people that said that digital billboards would be a distraction and that people should keep their eyes on the road!!! It seems clear to me people aren't fighting to keep the landmark there; they're fighting because they think it is a legitimate excuse to fight dense high-rise development in the area. How cluelessly absurd!

People should be grateful that its not going to REPLACE the Capital Records Tower. Besides, I could be wrong, but wasn't Capital going to be turned into residential units; so what would be the use of the chambers?:shrug:

I support the proposed tower.:tup:

Haha, ColDayMan gets a credit on Curbed!

By the way, for you guys who never go to the Califorum, vodila has a great photo update on numerous Hollywood projects

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/show...=72609&page=56

Actually, no. After looking at ColDayMan's recent LA photo thread, I saw he had a great shot of the building and so I used it instead of the Curbed's shot. Thanks ColDayMan!

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...cdb3814e_o.jpg

ConstructionWatch: So Much Aqua Glass in Hollywood

By Dakota
April 25, 2008

As a follow-up to last week's discussion on that big new Hollywood development Columbia Square, let's check in with two under-construction projects in the area: A new office building rising in the 6000 block of Sunset Boulevard and old friend Sunset and Vine, the under-construction 59-unit apartment building that'll eventually have 7,000 square-feet of retail. That aqua rod is now boasting some side flaps---billboard holders? What are those things?

• Construction Watch: Hollywood and Vine [Curbed LA]

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...20d19a5c_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...16289d2f_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...43969eae_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...b3c878d0_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...b1da9359_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...0bca95d9_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/galle...41578ae7_o.jpg

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Source: Curbed LA

The Century
 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/...734afe2d_b.jpg

More photos of The Century here.

Wow, The Century is going up pretty fast.


Any word on the twin 45-story towers that will be built at Ave. of the Stars and Constellation?

Basque on Hollywood and Vine is on fire.

i never liked that building.

Hope it doesn't spread... the PaliHouse is right next to it. Fortunately there wasn't anything structurally interesting about the building IMO. I just hope it is cleaned up right away.

I wonder if Pailhouse would want to buy Basque's property for future additions. Seems stupid to rebuild the same type of building there when someone could do some kind of mix-use project. Whatever happens, I just hope they use a lot of glass on the ground floor to open it up to passing pedestrians