LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[Easy]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Nice update, friday! friday's post got me thinking about something. Does anyone notice how the Club Nokia/Grammy Museum building currently doesn't extend as far west as it does in the render below? Look at friday's update above, and compare the render (I've provided another picture to help illustrate):
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It's hard to tell, but the west side of the Club Nokia/Grammy Museum building (the side nearest to the camera) actually lines up with the west side of the ESPN building. But in the rendering, it clearly shows the Nokia building extending further west, past the eastern most point of the Nokia Theater. If the render was correct, this building would extend well beyond the right side of this picture. I wonder if they plan to construct the rest of the building later, or if the renders are wrong.

I hadn't noticed it, but you're right! I went back and looked at some older posts and can see now that what we're seeing so far is not the complete building.


Here's LBU's picture of the model.

[fridayinla]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Nice update, friday! friday's post got me thinking about something. Does anyone notice how the Club Nokia/Grammy Museum building currently doesn't extend as far west as it does in the render below? Look at friday's update above, and compare the render (I've provided another picture to help illustrate):

It's hard to tell, but the west side of the Club Nokia/Grammy Museum building (the side nearest to the camera) actually lines up with the west side of the ESPN building. But in the rendering, it clearly shows the Nokia building extending further west, past the eastern most point of the Nokia Theater. If the render was correct, this building would extend well beyond the right side of this picture. I wonder if they plan to construct the rest of the building later, or if the renders are wrong.

Colemonkee, I'm glad you pointed that out! I noticed it when I saw the new renderings and just assumed they would complete the rest of the building later. I recall older renderings of the LA Live project showing the Club Nokia extending all the way over also. It has to be coming later.... I hope.

[Patrick]

Whats goin on with the building behind the (Former) Arco Center? The PacBell Center? If I remember correctly.

[Patrick]

DAMN! The Hanover Tower came up fast!

[Patrick]

TheeHundred! Great find!

I like this pic the best: Its nice to see the Aon Center, or in this case, the First Interstate Bank, as LA's tallest, never realized how prominent it was back then.

[edluva]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Yes. Land costs in downtown Los Angeles are 2-3 times as expensive in cost per square foot in downtown LA than in downtown Portland. That plays a major factor in the overall cost of a project. For example, Sonni Astani paid something like $30 million for the Concerto lot over 2 years ago, where comparible lots in cities like Portland might go for $8-$12 million. We also have much, much larger blocks in LA vs. Portland, so the square footage is higher, making the land more expensive based purely on the size.

Other factors that lead to more expensive development costs in LA are the City approval and inspection processes which add more time (time=money) in the pre-construction and construction phases. I could be wrong here but I think labor costs might be higher here than in cities like Chicago, Miami or even Portland, given that our highrise construction labor force is smaller due to relatively slow activity over the past two decades. There's also the possibility that our supply chains for materials like concrete and rebar might not be as efficient as other cities, making material costs higher.

before we all start dissecting things into land value and earthquake zoning, perhaps we should consider the fact that LA is between 20 and 40 years behind the aformentioned cities in terms of "urban maturity"

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Whats goin on with the building behind the (Former) Arco Center? The PacBell Center? If I remember correctly.

As is visible in that pic, the bldg is being remodeled into new condos. It's interesting how slowly these type of projs are going, in that the devlpr of the 1010 hasn't yet bothered to give more details on their web site, while the devlpr of the brockman bldg on 7th St several months ago even removed floor plans formerly posted to their web page.

And if the club nokia/grammy bldg does extend as far to the west as depicted in the graphics, then I'd imagine that most of the sites north of Olympic blvd, like the old apt bldg painted in brown w/white stripes, wouldn't be visible in that photo. If so, I'm puzzled why that portion of LA live hasn't started rising yet.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by logandankr

Park Fifth has begun taking reservations. Apparently 20 units so far have put down the 10k deposit. 5% due spring of next year.

Until (or unless) that proj goes forward, the tallest condo bldg in the west is one that has been going up in SF. I had only a vague idea til now about its existence, & didn't even realize its been under construction for over a yr:

Carl Nolte, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, June 16, 2007

This week crews poured the 60th and last residential floor at One Rincon, the condominium atop San Francisco's Rincon Hill. In about a month, the building will be topped off at 605 feet. At the end of the week, the building stood 587 feet, 8 inches above First and Harrison streets. It is taller than the Washington Monument and, like it or not, One Rincon is already a San Francisco landmark.

Mitchell Schwarzer, an architectural historian who has written a book on the architecture of the Bay Area, thinks One Rincon is disappointing, a building too conservative for its site. Schwarzer says it is not as good a building as the Bank of America building or the Transamerica Pyramid. "I would have hoped for something more exciting,'' he said. Lahey, the architect, thinks it's exciting now. He is based in Chicago, and when he flies into San Francisco he notices the construction on One Rincon the way someone sees one of his children after he was away on a trip. "Geez, you've grown.''

One Rincon Hill
First of two condominium towers
Height: 605 feet from street level, 660 feet above sea level
Ground broken: Nov. 10, 2005
Finish: summer 2008
Cost: $290 million
14 town houses; two sold
376 condo units; 368 sold
Prices: $500,000 to $2 million.

If the number of presold units is correct, that's pretty good. The devlpr, btw, is based in San diego, another city in CA where the construction of highrise condo or apt towers kicked into high gear well before Astani started, & then stopped, work on his Concerto bldg.

I keep hoping when someone like fridayinla or colemonkee post a whole new set of photos here, that one of the shots finally can be titled "work is underway on the concerto tower!!!!!!"

That the site on the SW corner of 9th & flower still is dormant after all these wks & months now is going from a big question mark to flat out ridiculous. Astani must have somehow really screwed up, even more so if devlprs like Meurelo or the South Group can manage to move forward on their projs.

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by edluva

before we all start dissecting things into land value and earthquake zoning, perhaps we should consider the fact that LA is between 20 and 40 years behind the aformentioned cities in terms of "urban maturity"

IT is 20 to 40 years behind SF, but not miami, portland who are still building like mad. Miami and portland are huge listless suburbs with great downtowns. SF, Chicago and NYC are complete 100% urban through and through.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

I had a chance to stop by Ralphs Fresh Fare today! The store is ALMOST ready! It's so exciting. You can see the aisles pretty much finished and ready to be stocked with food. This place is gonna be PACKED when it opens!

A peek inside Ralphs (looking very good!)

Thanks for the pics! But the store seems to need an amt of work that would indicate to me serious stocking of mchdse can't really begin for at least a few more wks. I'd guess that means Ralphs will be opening later, rather than earlier, in July.

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by towersla

The MTA has just approved a feasibility study for expanding the subway and yet such news received scant space in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. This morning, an article debating the value of high density projects at transit stations reflects the frustration of potential transit riders who feel that rail lines don't extend to desired destinations. Without the subway down Wilshire, the Westside will continue to choke, and downtown may remain less desirable to residents, businesses, and tourists. More people of course translates into more development in the center city. Forgive me for preaching to the choir, but I have included the piece on transit along with the editorial email address. If we want more projects, we need to write the editors. Our forward thinking thoughts must reach decision makers in high places. Jan Perry, a neighbor in my building, is one concrete example of one who reads, who listens. Let's flood the Times with our insistance for the subway extension while reminding Villaraigosa and the City of Los Angeles, that we mean business! Good luck, and I look forward to seeing all of our "letters to the editor" tomorrow. We will make a difference. Thank you.

http://www.getlamoving.com/

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by citywatch

[/b]Until (or unless) that proj goes forward, the tallest condo bldg in the west is one that has been going up in SF. I had only a vague idea til now about its existence, & didn't even realize its been under construction for over a yr:








[/i]


If the number of presold units is correct, that's pretty good. The devlpr, btw, is based in San diego, another city in CA where the construction of highrise condo or apt towers kicked into high gear well before Astani started, & then stopped, work on his Concerto bldg.

I keep hoping when someone like fridayinla or colemonkee post a whole new set of photos here, that one of the shots finally can be titled "work is underway on the concerto tower!!!!!!"

That the site on the SW corner of 9th & flower still is dormant after all these wks & months now is going from a big question mark to flat out ridiculous. Astani must have somehow really screwed up, even more so if devlprs like Meurelo or the South Group can manage to move forward on their projs.

500k starting in SF?!!! DTLA is the same price as DTSF! THat is crazy. Our land or overhead is WAY overvalued. How can DTLA = DTSF?! I dont get it!

I love LA, but cmon. DTLA does not equal DTSF. No way, no how. Our condos should start in the 300k if theirs start in the 500k range.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by edluva

LA is between 20 and 40 years behind the aformentioned cities in terms of "urban maturity"

Ya can say that again. For example, I had to drop off a friend at this bldg on Alameda St about 2 wks ago, just a bit north of Union Station, which originally was THE entry & exit point of LA, before LAX & air travel entered the scene. This is the California Endowment bldg, fronting Alameda St, & was finished not too long ago.


rsebastian




fliegender


Union Station was built & completed over 60 yrs ago, & the city just recently finally cleaned up Alameda St!? Wow, we move fast here! Expect the Red Line to reach Westwood by the year.....by the 22nd Century.

In the meantime, if everyone worries only about transit & believes that should be the town's sole priority, nothing else will ever get done or ever get better, & we'll all be waiting til the birds don't fly & the sun don't shine:

Originally Posted by towersla

Most people said that even though they lived close to transit stations, the trains weren't convenient enough, taking too long to arrive at destinations and lacking stops near their workplaces. Many complained that they didn't feel comfortable riding the MTA's crowded, often slow-moving buses from transit terminals to their jobs.

There is another issue facing transit-oriented development: Regional statistics gathered by the Southern California Assn. of Governments show that job centers are moving away from transit lines rather than toward them.

[Sodha]

Originally Posted by jlrobe

500k starting in SF?!!! DTLA is the same price as DTSF! THat is crazy. Our land or overhead is WAY overvalued. How can DTLA = DTSF?! I dont get it!

I love LA, but cmon. DTLA does not equal DTSF. No way, no how. Our condos should start in the 300k if theirs start in the 500k range.

I worked up north for a bit and when I transferred to socal, HR told me its easier to send people to SF or SJ but not LA, OC, or SD. They said their is A LOT MORE DEMAND for people to move to southern california, and not northern california. Weather plays a huge part, beaches as well, activities (if you've been up north, you'd know there is only SF and everything else). In LA, we have downtown, hollywood, santa monica, venice, marina, etc... Nowhere near that type of activity like in SF. I think $500k is very reasonable for LA, and reasonable for SF b/c you are in an awesome urban area. BTW...my company is VERY PROMINENT and has over 70k workers in the US.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Whats goin on with the building behind the (Former) Arco Center? The PacBell Center? If I remember correctly.

That building is now 1010 Wilshire. It's been a slow but steady conversion.

The website is up but doesn't have any real information. It just shows the views you'll get which are pretty amazing.

http://1010wilshire.com/

[fridayinla]

^There has been no noticeable movement on 1010 Wilshire for a while. These other pics were taken yesterday:



1010 Wilshire in the background here

[djerniepearl]

.......Going back to the AON subject. When I was a kid this building was originally called the United California Bank Tower (UCB) and to me it was tall and beautiful. Still is. Very Classy looking tower.Heck the only buildings that stood out was the Security Pacific Bank Tower on the North(Bank of America /notice this pic still has it under construction), the twin Arco Towers in the middle(Paul Hastings/City National) and the UCB Tower on the south(AON). Shows you how much our skyline had changed.

[BrandonJXN]

I guess this is what 1010 Wilshire will look like when completed.



Not too bad.

[colemonkee]

^ The facade might look the same, but some of the programs have changed. For example, the pool is supposedly going up on the roof of the tower now, as opposed to across the street, which I presume would take away the necessity of the bridge - and save the developer some money.

friday, I've actually noticed some changes recently. They've been removing the glass on the freeway-facing side of the facade for about a week now. It appears to be all gone. Perhaps they are prepping the entire facade for a facelift.

[towersla]

Originally posted by citywatch

Union Station was built & completed over 60 yrs ago, & the city just recently finally cleaned up Alameda St!? Wow, we move fast here! Expect the Red Line to reach Westwood by the year.....by the 22nd Century.

In the meantime, if everyone worries only about transit & believes that should be the town's sole priority, nothing else will ever get done or ever get better, & we'll all be waiting til the birds don't fly & the sun don't shine

Another member of this forum considers urban maturity in his letter to the Los Angeles Times.

Film student Isaiah Eller’s lament that LA’s rapid transit system “took too long, didn't go where he needed to go and was unpleasant,” raises more concern about the future of film then it does the future of mass transit in Los Angeles. Thankfully young men approached unpleasantness differently in 1869 when Alfred Eli Beach built the first tunnel of the New York City Subway System. 316 feet of “slow and unpleasant” subway served New Yorkers for 35 years before a single foot of additional track was laid.

However, Times reporters studied “four locations for two months” (Near The Rails But On The Road, Sharon Bernstein and Francisco Vara-Orta, June 30) and concluded that Angelinos would rather drive than bus… No kidding! I could have told them that from one location (405 southbound). But does this negate the visionary efforts of developers and officials who look beyond a quick fix and dream of a better city? What LA needs is not a two-month study but a forty-year vision: One that outlives you and me and (gulp) even the LA Times.

Last week “Hollywood's directors, actors, writers and critics picked Citizen Kane as America's greatest movie of all time.” Orson Welles is gone… Joseph Cotton is gone… But Citizen Cane lives on for millions to enjoy 66 years after its debut. Likewise, Alfred Eli Beach is gone… But the New York City Subway lives on for the benefit of millions 138 years after its debut. Vision… Leadership… Sacrifice… These are the traits that will propel Los Angeles into a great future even as they may propel Isaiah into great filmmaking. But neither comes without "slowness and unpleasantness." Without these, the future is often unfruitful and meaningless... "Rosebud."