LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[Easy]

IIRC from the discovery channel that subway in NYC is not nor was it ever part of the modern NYC subway. It was built by a guy who wasted lots of money on an experimental subway that operated pneumatically and the tunnel that he built remained forgotten for one hundred years. It's maybe not the best example to use in an argument FOR mass transit.

[Patrick]

Yes I love the Aon Tower, very original, I dont remember any buildings like it, tall, slender, the two facades thing. Wow, that pic, those towers like HUGE, like all the smaller buildings look normal sized and the Aon/City National Towers look like 5,000 feet high.

Originally Posted by 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.

[djerniepearl]

If I remember correctly, at that time (early 70's)The AON Tower was the tallest building west of the Missisippi (hope I got my I's and P's right).Beating out the skylines in Houston,Dallas,San Fran,Denver,Seattle. Just like the Library Tower, we had pride in the AON Tower. I love our current skyline but back then these few towers looked like SKYSCRAPERS!!!. I just wish instead of starting a new center in Century City,they (BD) would've continued building west on Wilshire Blvd. Can you picture Fox Century Plaza, all those tower condos in Westwood near central city west?? Then conecting all the way to Santa Monica.!!!

Here's some tidbits on The Mighty AON Tower........
- Tallest building in the United States west of the Mississippi River from 1974-1982; surpassed by JPMorganChase Tower in Houston.
- May 4, 1988 a fire on the 12th floor ended in one person dead and 40 injured with five floors destroyed.
- Tallest in Los Angeles until the completion of US Bank Tower in 1989.
- The construction of this building was unique, since it was constructed in time and under budget.
- With the construction of this building, the banking area of the city of Los Angeles was moving from the famous Spring Street for the first time in history.
- Several records were set when the building was constructed: for example the highest continuous poured volume of concrete during setup of the foundations.
- The building has an extra garage, which is located on 637 Wilshire Boulevard and which is connected through a tunnel to the garage under the tower.
- The building has a center core, where elevators and stairs are located.
- Each regular floor has a net floor area of about 17 500 square feet (1626 m²).
- On floors 4, 5, 22, 42, 61 and 62 mechanical rooms are located.
- The 6th floor is completely occupied by an employee cafeteria, while a kitchen is located on the 60th floor.
- Three stair shafts are located in the building.
- The extra parking garage, which is a three level basement concrete structure, has a capacity of 579 cars, while the garage under the tower can store 243 cars.
- The California Club formerly occupied the southern part of this site

[JDRCRASH]

Nice pics of that cool building in San Francisco, but Park Fifth will be taller at 76 stories.

[fridayinla]

Artisan on 2nd



Mura - Looking a little better than the rendering IMO
Rendering

New Photos




San Pedro Apartments


LAPD Headquarters



State Building Demolition (Future site of Federal Courthouse)

[colemonkee]

Another great update, friday! This morning they were pouring concrete at the LAPD HQ building, so all of the rebar in the foreground of your pics should be a concrete slab by the end of the day.

[RAlossi]

Thanks for the update. It's too bad that the LAPD headquarters had to go there, but I think it will look pretty nice. I can't help but wonder what will happen to the State Building site once it's all clear. Think it will be a surface lot? Or will it just remain completely fenced off for a while?

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ I think the LAPD HQ is in a great location. The proposed park may no longer be, but the residents vehement efforts to try and convince the city to include green space should be directed now toward the true gem, which is Grand Ave. Project's park. They should be pressuring the gov't to get rid of those County Buildings to make way for a world-class park.

[colemonkee]

Originally Posted by RAlossi

I can't help but wonder what will happen to the State Building site once it's all clear. Think it will be a surface lot? Or will it just remain completely fenced off for a while?

Methinks they'll turn it into a temporary surface parking lot to offset the loss of the tinker toy garage while the first phase of Grand Ave. is under construction.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Perhaps they are prepping the entire facade for a facelift.

The facelift you speak of appears to already have been done, or largely done, in that the original metal panels directly above & below each window have been replaced with new panels in subtle colors.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by djerniepearl

Shows you how much our skyline had changed.

Whenever I think of how many gaps & deadzones still exist in the hood today, & become too impatient or disatisfied with the status quo, I look at old pics of the area from yrs ago & realize that while it's not perfect today, it's a helluva lot better than it was back in the 70s, 80s or 90s.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by towersla

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

My comment about ppl who believe that transit should be the one & only priority wasn't in reference to any of your posts. If you know my POV about transportation, you'll know I think the voters of LA county were idiotic several yrs ago when they banned the use of tax monies for subways. I also think the need to extend the red line is such a given that it isn't even a debatable issue any longer.

The reason why I sidestep most conversations about transit is because it's too exasperating. That's cuz I know funding won't be available for the type of projs I'd like to see (in an ideal world, the red line would be extended for another 500 miles!) for yrs to come. After all, look at how long it's taking to build the new federal courthouse at 1st & Broadway. And dealing with the subj of transit in LA today reminds me of what things would be like right now if most of the new condos & apts in DT were hurting for buyers & renters, & if groundbreaking for LA Live & Grand Ave, or projs like the Ralphs mkt lofts, wouldn't happen til 2012 or 2020, or 2040. IOW, my patience & optimism already are tested enough to the breaking point.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by fridayinla

Artisan on 2nd

Keep those new photos coming!! There are so many projs underway throughout the hood that to keep track of them on a regular basis deserves a whole team of photographers.

I hope you or anyone else will be able to catch sight of major change taking place to a big parking lot at 4th & Main over the next few wks. IOW, I still remember Ralossi being the first to detect groundbreaking on the San pedro apt bldg in Little tokyo, & so nothing will be better than when another deadzone, the one across from Pete's cafe, also is sent packing.

[fridayinla]

Originally Posted by citywatch

[/b]
I hope you or anyone else will be able to catch sight of major change taking place to a big parking lot at 4th & Main over the next few wks. IOW, I still remember Ralossi being the first to detect groundbreaking on the San pedro apt bldg in Little tokyo, & so nothing will be better than when another deadzone, the one across from Pete's cafe, also is sent packing.

Don't worry, we're all on high-alert!

[colemonkee]

^ Ha! "Medallionwatch 2007"

[JDRCRASH]

Theres more where the Medallion came from!

[petescafe]

Originally Posted by citywatch

[/b]

I hope you or anyone else will be able to catch sight of major change taking place to a big parking lot at 4th & Main over the next few wks.

Lots of construction going on inside the 4th and Main parking structure.

I'll have to wash my car again because of all the dust.

[colemonkee]

^ don't tease the cw like that. he doesn't respond well to teasing. scratch that - he doesn't respond well to much of anything - except photo updates, and even then he'll find something to complain about.

[fridayinla]

Originally Posted by petescafe

Lots of construction going on inside the 4th and Main parking structure.

I'll have to wash my car again because of all the dust.

Oohh, I might have believed you for a second if you hadn't called it a parking structure.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

and even then he'll find something to complain about.

hey, hey, I resent that! You don't see me groaning about new bldgs being too short, too ugly (those faux euro apt projs), too autocentric, too stuccoed, too this or that! Well, sometimes I do, but not as much as a few other forumers do.

Originally Posted by fridayinla

Oohh, I might have believed you for a second if you hadn't called it a parking structure.

he'd have gotten me going if he instead had said something like "there are bulldozers moving into position at 4th & Main!"

as for how likely the devlpr is going to stick to his previously stated schedule, since the medallion will be a relatively small wood framed bldg, & won't face the cost pressures of a highrise like the concerto, I'm hoping july won't end up dragging into august or sept, or october. But who knows?!