LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[colemonkee]

Moderator Edit: Please keep the posts on topic to downtown LA development projects. Any discussions about politics or mayoral policies outside of directly related to development in downtown are more than welcome in the City Discussions sub-forum, but not here.

[citywatch]

this isn't about dtla per se, but it's better that dt be in a metro area that's doing better than not. Although areas like West LA...century city....for yrs have often had fuller office space than dtla has had. But the subway down wilshire blvd hopefully will help dt tap into a bit of that. Compare that with the now closed 10 fwy to the SE of dtla. That sure will be a nightmare for ppl trying to get in or out of it. It would be nice if it encourages more ppl to do things like live in the new beaudry or mitsui apt towers or move their businesses to where a lot of transit lines converge.

geekwire.com

According to VTS, VODI tracks unique new tenant tour requirements of office properties in core U.S. markets. It’s intended to serve as an early indicator of upcoming office leasing activity and track new tenant demand.

The report measured demand in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., New York City and Chicago. National demand for office space at the end of the third quarter was just half of the pre-pandemic levels.

Elsewhere in the country, the report points to signs of stability around office demand, despite persistent headwinds such as a cooling job market and ongoing remote work.

Los Angeles experienced the greatest growth despite months-long writer and actor strikes in Hollywood. The city’s demand for spaces greater than 50,000 square feet is now higher than at any time since June 2021.

this is east of the se corner of the USC campus...didn't know about it & for that section of LA, it's totally unexpected....

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[hughfb3]

This weekend was a weekend for historic theaters in LA. Not only did the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood bl reopen completely renovated under Netflix's ownership, I went to the A3C Music Festival over the weekend in downtown. It utilized the historic theaters of Broadway, including the Ace/United Artists, Los Angeles, Palace and Orpheum Theaters simultaneously. In addition, the Globe Theater had its own events happening over the weekend. Broadway was poppin' all around as people shuffled between venues to catch the acts they wanted to see.

I hear the major thing holding the theaters back from regular programming is parking. What's interesting is we have an abundance of un-used nighttime and weekend parking in all the office towers of the financial district. This is what the streetcar should be connecting, the financial district to Broadway theaters. Is it really that difficult to build a streetcar? Anyway, I love all the activity.









On another note, the LADWP fountains are back on! Finally!

[craigs]

Originally Posted by hughfb3

This weekend was a weekend for historic theaters in LA. Not only did the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood bl reopen completely renovated under Netflix's ownership, I went to the A3C Music Festival over the weekend in downtown. It utilized the historic theaters of Broadway, including the Ace/United Artists, Los Angeles, Palace and Orpheum Theaters simultaneously. In addition, the Globe Theater had its own events happening over the weekend. Broadway was poppin' all around as people shuffled between venues to catch the acts they wanted to see.

I hear the major thing holding the theaters back from regular programming is parking. What's interesting is we have an abundance of un-used nighttime and weekend parking in all the office towers of the financial district. This is what the streetcar should be connecting, the financial district to Broadway theaters. Is it really that difficult to build a streetcar? Anyway, I love all the activity.

On another note, the LADWP fountains are back on! Finally!

The old downtown theaters were simultaneously packed for the Netlix is a Joke festival last year, too. They sold 260,000 tickets throughout the city, and the highest concentration of venues each night was on Broadway. And they are bringing it back next year!

[scania]

Originally Posted by hughfb3

This weekend was a weekend for historic theaters in LA. Not only did the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood bl reopen completely renovated under Netflix's ownership, I went to the A3C Music Festival over the weekend in downtown. It utilized the historic theaters of Broadway, including the Ace/United Artists, Los Angeles, Palace and Orpheum Theaters simultaneously. In addition, the Globe Theater had its own events happening over the weekend. Broadway was poppin' all around as people shuffled between venues to catch the acts they wanted to see.

I hear the major thing holding the theaters back from regular programming is parking. What's interesting is we have an abundance of un-used nighttime and weekend parking in all the office towers of the financial district. This is what the streetcar should be connecting, the financial district to Broadway theaters. Is it really that difficult to build a streetcar? Anyway, I love all the activity.

The energy on the weekends have been great DTLA...but this weekend was a little extra intensity which was awesome.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by hughfb3

On another note, the LADWP fountains are back on! Finally!

• Video Link

TG.The moat was left dry for apparently mainly political reasons. However, I know that LA city govt is caught in a bind...damned if they do, damned if they don't.

During the last major drought, ppl bad mouthed the city for leaving the fountains in dtla running at full blast, although the amt of H2O saved by not operating them is nothing compared with the way the average household deals with its own water usage. In late 2023, I wonder how many ppl are bad mouthing city govt for the way its dealing with the condition of the 2nd St tunnel?

Similarly, I wonder how many ppl adding to traffic congestion...& using lots of gas & causing more pollution...around dtla very much have the free will to live & work where they do. Ppl who have the money to choose from any number of places to set up their residence in LA. Now that the 10 fwy is down, LA's infamous traffic around dt is even more of a joke.

https://www.youtube.com/live/yRRQgiMK1CI?si=nWDPWDbo0Z1we_BK&t=157

However, all major cities of the world, even with great transit, have a lot of road congestion, but the layout of LA is ridiculous. Think of how much of the land in dt in those aerial scenes is parking lots or old small industrial bldgs....properties that could be instead occupied by the homes or businesses of all those ppl driving by them. But I understand the way that property rights, land valuation & financing will prevent new devlpt on such real estate. I also don't expect ppl to want to live or work in areas that are too dirty, rundown or dangerous. But something has to give.

[craigs]

Solid rocket motors moved into place at the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center

They will be displayed alongside the space shuttle Endeavor

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
November 14, 2023



Another month brings another milestone for the Space Shuttle Endeavor's permanent home in Exposition Park.

One month after they arrived via Figueroa Streets, construction crews placed a pair of 116-foot-long solid rocket motors - each weighing more than 50 tons - into vertical position at the California Science Center. This represents the latest step in "Go for Stack," the six-month, multi-phase process of assembling the space shuttle for public viewing in its future home: the $400 million Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

“With the installation of the Solid Rocket Motors, we are getting a glimpse of how awe-inspiring the final display of Space Shuttle Endeavour will be for visitors and the powerful way it will continue to inspire future generations of scientists, engineers, and explorers,” said California Science Center president and chief executive officer Jeffrey Rudolph in a news release. “We are grateful for the incredible team of experts assembled here from around the country who have made this installation, and each stage of Go for Stack, possible.”

The solid rocket motors, donated by Northrop Grumman, had previously been in storage at the Mojave Air and Space Port. They will be coupled with two aft skirts which have already been installed at the lower level of the complex, and will eventually be joined with the space shuttle itself.

The new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, designed by ZGF, will be an approximately 20-story structure containing three multi-level galleries named Air, Space, and Shuttle. The approximately 200,000-square-foot addition will roughly double the size of the California Science Center.

Endeavor remains on display in its temporary home until December 31, 2023. After that point, the shuttle will not be made available for the viewing public until completion of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. An exact opening date for the new building has not been announced.

To date, the California Science Center has raised $350 million of the $400 million goal of its EndeavorLA campaign.

The California's Space Center's expansion is the latest notable addition to Exposition Park, following the $1-billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, LAFC's $300-million stadium on Figueroa Street, and the expansion of the Museum of Natural History.

[SoCalKid]

Originally Posted by hughfb3

This weekend was a weekend for historic theaters in LA. Not only did the Egyptian Theater on Hollywood bl reopen completely renovated under Netflix's ownership, I went to the A3C Music Festival over the weekend in downtown. It utilized the historic theaters of Broadway, including the Ace/United Artists, Los Angeles, Palace and Orpheum Theaters simultaneously. In addition, the Globe Theater had its own events happening over the weekend. Broadway was poppin' all around as people shuffled between venues to catch the acts they wanted to see.

I hear the major thing holding the theaters back from regular programming is parking. What's interesting is we have an abundance of un-used nighttime and weekend parking in all the office towers of the financial district. This is what the streetcar should be connecting, the financial district to Broadway theaters. Is it really that difficult to build a streetcar? Anyway, I love all the activity.

Thanks for the info! Great to see the theaters getting used, they are truly gems. It'd be awesome if the city could get a Bringing Back Broadway type initiative restarted and redo the streetscape, clean things up, and get the theaters booked up. It could be the coolest entertainment district in California if it were done correctly. There's nowhere else in the country outside of New York and Chicago with such an awesome collection of historic theaters.

[colemonkee]

A few things on that aerial shot:

1. You can see the Onni tower at Olympic and Hill starting to peak above it's surroundings. At 590 ft, it will still be pretty prominent from that angle, about 140 ft taller than the USC tower (formerly AT&T Center/Transamerica Tower) one block to the west.
2. I spy a tower crane on the east side of the 110, what looks to be on Jefferson or maybe a block or two south. Anyone know what that is for? Seems to be pretty tall for that area.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

A few things on that aerial shot:

1. You can see the Onni tower at Olympic and Hill starting to peak above it's surroundings. At 590 ft, it will still be pretty prominent from that angle, about 140 ft taller than the USC tower (formerly AT&T Center/Transamerica Tower) one block to the west.
2. I spy a tower crane on the east side of the 110, what looks to be on Jefferson or maybe a block or two south. Anyone know what that is for? Seems to be pretty tall for that area.

3. Look how tall 520 S. Mateo rises above the Arts District! It is really pulling the downtown skyline eastward.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

A few things on that aerial shot:

1. You can see the Onni tower at Olympic and Hill starting to peak above it's surroundings. At 590 ft, it will still be pretty prominent from that angle, about 140 ft taller than the USC tower (formerly AT&T Center/Transamerica Tower) one block to the west.
2. I spy a tower crane on the east side of the 110, what looks to be on Jefferson or maybe a block or two south. Anyone know what that is for? Seems to be pretty tall for that area.

Pretty sure that it's a new storage facility replacing an old storage facility.

https://la.urbanize.city/post/big-public-storage-facility-rising-3625-s-grand-avenue

[colemonkee]

^ Ha! Oh well...

[citywatch]

I realize this forum is about mainly new, generally fancy devlpt in dtla, but projs like not just the conversion of the old Sears bldg, but also something like a tiny home area being built south of skid row should start getting more priority in eastern dt. Right now it's a maze of pothole filled streets & largely rundown industrial properties. Sections of it remind me of some no man's land in the Third World. Acres of it should be cleared out & replaced with what this report is all about...

https://youtu.be/i9cx0Pa0Fi4?si=vV9iEQVj21_Gcd3N

With all the traffic congestion caused by the closure of the 10 fwy around the SE corner of dtla, so much of its land looking like it would sell for $20 per acre or is even outright abandoned doesn't make sense. I realize the arts dist further north is growing out of a similar type of decay, but a combination of clogged traffic, high housing costs & extreme homelessness makes slowness in dealing with underutilized land in dtla in general even more of a head scratchier.

[citywatch]

Certain pockets of downtown Los Angeles feel like a real, contained, thriving city. They are single city blocks dense with storefronts, restaurants, bars, apartments and foot traffic.

The stretch of Broadway between 3rd and 4th streets, the one that houses Grand Central Market, the DTLA Superette, a theater, multiple restaurants, bars and a store that sells discount yoga pants, is one of those prized pockets.

It’s where I found my new favorite sandwich, a French-Mexican creation served from a counter in front of a bar with a speakeasy dive bar...which I happened to walk by on my way to buy some butter from a cheese shop before my reservation at a Korean tasting-menu restaurant. The only thing that could make that sentence more L.A. is if I introduced the freeways I took to get there. That would be the 210 to the 134 to the 2 to the 5 to the 110. Really. But it’s gems like this that make me grateful to live in Los Angeles, where a beef bourguignon torta exists, and just makes sense.

from just 2 wks ago...disruptions in the supply chain are slowing things way down...

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[craigs]

Olympic + Hill is now on the skyline! From LA Reddit:

[LAsam]

I remember when the AT&T (USC) building was all by itself off to the east when viewing the skyline from the south! That gap certainly has filled in... and this new tower nearly finishes it off.

[Blesha13]

Originally Posted by LAsam

I remember when the AT&T (USC) building was all by itself off to the east when viewing the skyline from the south! That gap certainly has filled in... and this new tower nearly finishes it off.

Now, Alloy in the Arts District will sit alone in the meantime.

[OneRinconHill]

Oceanwide is so embarrassing considering its in the top 10 tallest.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Blesha13

Now, Alloy in the Arts District will sit alone in the meantime.

Yes indeed! It already stands alone in the skyline photo above.

Originally Posted by OneRinconHill

Oceanwide is so embarrassing considering its in the top 10 tallest.

This stalled Oceanwide project isn't even remotely as embarrassing as Oceanwide's big hole in the ground up north.

[craigs]

520 Mateo to rule them all! From Reddit LA: