LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[ocman]

Originally Posted by LongBeachUrbanist

From blogdowntown.com:

From that viewpoint it's a nice design, but why do these new buildings have to resort to the trophy-like designs that are all over Toronto? A sculptural building on top of a block base. I'd like to see the design carried seamlessly to the ground.

[k3d]

Originally Posted by citywatch

[/b]I know parkfifth's sales office with models has yet to open, even though originally the devlpr said that their sales ctr would open by summer.

There was a forumer who showed up here briefly a few months ago & mentioned that based on an actual visit to the sales office, many units at parkfifth had been reserved. However, that forumer has since dropped out of sight on this board. So it would be helpful if some other forumer who lives in DT were to pay a visit to parkfifth's sales ctr, or at least call them up.

I drove by the site last wk, & that location really needs to be filled in. The gap caused by the current parking lot brings down the hood, & is way worse IMO than any of the problems that ppl often point to across the street, in Pershing Sq.

Yes, I remember lasteph. It was me who called the Park Fifth sales office and confirmed what he said. At the time they said they had a model they could show by appointment.

Maybe you could call them this time?

[Just-In-Cali]

I have been following this forum for quite a while now and am fairly familiar with all of you and your general demeanor in this. That being said...
Echo Park, you anger and bitterness towards anyone whom you feel isnt agreeing with EVERY thing you believe is unsettling to say the least. Why do you even post here if you are so disenchanted with the talk?
And PS, there is no agenda against latinos...only the one in your mind.
EdLuva seems to be on a mission to attack anyone with an optimistic opinion of the city of Los Angeles. Why is that? Where is all this anger coming from.
I havent commented much in here due to the fact that I enjoy reading everyone's thoughts and opinions on what is happening downtown, but it seems that has all taken a backseat to social-political rants and childish slander. The constant comparisons of LA to San Fran or New York are tiresome. The great thing is LA already has an identity...and shouldnt have to mimic these "great" cities. New York was an absolute hole up until about 15 years ago. Bay area is wonderful, but tends feed off its own air of self importance. I know I'll be picked apart by the usual group, but thats okay...I dont need to argue my point...plus I dont argue with children.
(sighs) Okay, all that being done, has there been any update on the status of Grand Ave? I recall there being a mention of that parking structure coming down near Disney CH?

[LA420]

I drove by the performing arts high school on the 101 and they were installing that curvy thing around the tower, i laughed cause seriously it looked like a roller coaster. but it will look tight though after its completed. Hope it will have lights at night to show the architectural curve. Looks really interssting , people were also looking at it when i was sitting in traffic. This school is going to make the orsini look like crap , oh my bad it is crap LOL . I just wish that the city had rejected phase 2, its regrettable .

[cava]

Citywatch - Park 5th does have a sales office - in the gas company tower, high up w great views. it is (was) just a temporary location for them to do sales from. i had an appointment about a month ago, an yes several, it seemed more than half, had already been "reserved". all of the cheap units that were around 450K had already gone. they have floor plans and prices for all the units, and little scale models, and also a blueprint for how they hope to re-do pershing square. they really seemed to be competing with the ritz. the sales guy was laid-back and informative - not high pressure at all. You should really make an appointment if you'd like to find out more.

[LA420]

Originally Posted by ocman

From that viewpoint it's a nice design, but why do these new buildings have to resort to the trophy-like designs that are all over Toronto? A sculptural building on top of a block base. I'd like to see the design carried seamlessly to the ground.

What is this? a new development, anyone know, anyone anyone anyone. an inquiring mind would like to know.

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by Just-In-Cali

has there been any update on the status of Grand Ave? I recall there being a mention of that parking structure coming down near Disney CH?

This video is from last month. At the 16 min mark, Bill Witte says demolition of the parking structure will begin before Dec 1.

http://la36.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=27&clip_id=2847

[Echo Park]

It wouldn't surprise if by that he meant November 30th.

With the way things work in this city, I take a groundbreaking date from any project, and add three months to it to get the real groundbreaking date.

[LA311]

A few pics I took about a week or so ago...

The Frank Robinson Building is just about gone...


And yes NOTHING happening at LA Central yet...


A little bit of a closer look at the top of Hanover

[k3d]

Originally Posted by LA311

A few pics I took about a week or so ago...

The Frank Robinson Building is just about gone...

Thanks for the pics LA311. If they are taking that building down then someone must have plans for that corner. Does anyone know what is going in?

[k3d]

Originally Posted by Just-In-Cali

I have been following this forum for quite a while now and am fairly familiar with all of you and your general demeanor in this. That being said...

Hi Just-In-Cali, Welcome to the forum. I also followed this forum for a long time before starting to post. It seems most forums get off topic quite often, some more than others. This one seems more on topic and informative than (cough!-skyscrapercity-cough!) others. What is your interest in downtown LA if you don't mind me asking?

[Just-In-Cali]

Originally Posted by k3d

Hi Just-In-Cali, Welcome to the forum. I also followed this forum for a long time before starting to post. It seems most forums get off topic quite often, some more than others. This one seems more on topic and informative than (cough!-skyscrapercity-cough!) others. What is your interest in downtown LA if you don't mind me asking?

Thank you k3d, and no not at all, questions are welcome. Well, I have been facinated with the area since I was a child and I first saw it, like many, from the freeway in passing. I have always been a fan of architecture and Los Angeles, is by most accounts, the most architectually interesting area in SoCal. Plus i think after years of hearing all the negativity about it, I saw it as something that has so much potential. I plan on living there in the near future and am very excited about the activity going on. And yes, this forum, despite some misteps, is the most informative and intelligent one on DTLA I have found.

[POLA]

Originally Posted by Just-In-Cali

That being said...

The best thing about off topic and offensive comments are they drive people to the breaking point of actually creating a user name to start posting because they are sick of listing to the BS! It was Blink187 on SSC that made me so mad that I had to finally start posting about how he needed to back off.

Anyways, now I'm ranting. Welcome to the dark side of the forum Just-in-cali... hmm, that name makes me think of my favorite movie: from justin and kelly

[Echo Park]

Originally Posted by k3d

Thanks for the pics LA311. If they are taking that building down then someone must have plans for that corner. Does anyone know what is going in?

It's going to be a parking lot for the time being AFAIK. Too bad, its a killer location (blue line, LA Live/LA Central adjacent)

[Echo Park]

Originally Posted by POLA

The best thing about off topic and offensive comments are they drive people to the breaking point of actually creating a user name to start posting because they are sick of listing to the BS! It was Blink187 on SSC that made me so mad that I had to finally start posting about how he needed to back off.

Anyways, now I'm ranting. Welcome to the dark side of the forum Just-in-cali... hmm, that name makes me think of my favorite movie: from justin and kelly

That's funny. telling citywatch off was my motive for registering here.

[northbay]

Originally Posted by jlrobe

I have to comment on this norcal/socal rivalry. I am sorry, I just have to.

I grew up in the bay, got all my college degrees in the bay, and visit the bay often. Sadly enough I can probably name off every city as far south as gilroy, as far north as santa rosa, and as far east as Vacaville and Livermore. I have been to the smallest towns such as crocket, the nastiest ghettos in Richmond, and the most isolated areas like sebastopol. I have hung out at stuffy places like the St. Francis and top of the mark, edgy places like hot water corn bread events in Oakland, and well known restaurants like Chez Panisse. I can probably walk through SF blind folded. I am a bay area nut. That being said, people in the Bay are horribly pretentious when it comes to their view of LA, and you know what???.... It is completely, positively, absolutely, OVERRATED. As much as I love the bay, it is WAAAY overrated. People talk about the bay area like it is some Utopia.

San Mateo, Santa Clara, San Jose, Fremont, Hayward, Richmond, Sonoma, Concord and Pleasanton and their respective cities constitute 70% of the Bay Area's population. If anyone has spent significant time in those cities and is younger than 45, you will wonder why people talk the bay up so much. Not that those cities arent nice, but after you hear people sound off about the bay, you expect those cities to be like seattle or Munich or something.

Even places like berkely,oakland, and SF are not immune to the same problems that plague LA.

Dont get me wrong. I love the bay, and go back every month. ACtually I am leaving for the bay in less than two hours. I just want to make the point that the Bay isnt THAT great to constitute the CONSTANT pretentious attitude. In my opinion, LA and the Bay are very comparable, and we all have a lot in common.

IMHO, this rivarly stems from Angelenos retaliating against bay area pretentioness. Dont believe the hype, and ignore the snobs. LA is a great place, and is getting better.

Next time someone from the bay tries to pull the "im from the bay and I know what a real city is crap", just ignore them.

im not sure if u were referring to my post - but ill respond regardless

in no way was i trying to "talk down on la". i think we are trying to do the same thing - which is to say that bashing one region or another doesnt make one better. i personally love socal - its just different then up here, not better or worse.

Originally Posted by northbay420

...as a bay area native whos been to la (yes, including downtown) on many, many occasions i can see that it has greatly improved thru the years, esp recently.

i at least enjoy looking at this forum and look forward on hearing about future downtown developments, not name-calling.

as u so aptly said, la is great and getting better. keep up the good work and lets all just be friends huh?

[LongBeachUrbanist]

[lasteph]

Originally Posted by citywatch

[/b]I know parkfifth's sales office with models has yet to open, even though originally the devlpr said that their sales ctr would open by summer.

There was a forumer who showed up here briefly a few months ago & mentioned that based on an actual visit to the sales office, many units at parkfifth had been reserved. However, that forumer has since dropped out of sight on this board. So it would be helpful if some other forumer who lives in DT were to pay a visit to parkfifth's sales ctr, or at least call them up.

I drove by the site last wk, & that location really needs to be filled in. The gap caused by the current parking lot brings down the hood, & is way worse IMO than any of the problems that ppl often point to across the street, in Pershing Sq.

why don't you do us a favor and YOU call them up? You bitch and moan about everything and tell people what to do. Instead YOU should go visit them or call them........

[lasteph]

Originally Posted by Echo Park

That's funny. telling citywatch off was my motive for registering here.

looks like we have common interests.....

[citywatch]

^ I'm not going to waste my time on such nonsense. SSC is bad enough. Don't want to see SSP fall into the same hole of childish bickering.

Pathetic too cuz there aren't tons of forumers as things now stand who actually live in DT, or spend alot of time there, posting here with personal observations about the hood and updates on it, much less scoops.


Meanwhile, while proposals like this make for nice conversation, their time schedules & current status unfortunately will be dragged out way into the future:


Old Bank Hotel Proposed

Gilmore Behind Plans for 24-Story Tower

by Evan George

A development team working on residential conversions in the Old Bank District is planning a new 287-foot luxury hotel and condo tower for Spring Street. The development, in the very early stages, would be the first high-end boutique hotel in the Historic Core. Last week, the development team represented by Gilmore Associates unveiled designs for the building to a group of neighborhood stakeholders. It is imagined as a commercial anchor to the developer's two loft projects under construction, the El Dorado and the Rowan, on Spring between Fourth and Fifth streets.

Plans for the 24-story tower designed by architecture firm Johnson Fain would include 96 condominiums and 122 hotel rooms above two floors of retail and seven floors of parking encompassing 200 spaces. It would aim to create a series of open-air, exclusive areas such as a rooftop pool for hotel guests, multipurpose rooms for residents and a spacious, tree-lined courtyard for restaurant use. Ground-floor stores, it is hoped, would front a pedestrian alleyway.

"If it happens, the idea is that it will be the next generation of what the Old Bank District has become, which is this great mix of uses," developer Tom Gilmore said. He added that the renderings and plans are preliminary.

"This is for a tentative tract approval," said Gilmore, who launched the Old Bank District when he opened three apartment complexes at Fourth and Main streets, the first coming online in 2000. "It is the first step."

Though the project could be years from breaking ground, with approval required from various city departments, the development team involves heavy hitting investors who already hold financial stakes in the area. Goodwin Gaw and New York-based investment firm Morgan Stanley comprise MSGG Spring St. Realty Partners. Gilmore Associates is acting as the consulting developer, said Suzanne Ekerling, who heads the project for Gilmore.

Gaw, the businessman behind Downtown Properties, has partnered with Gilmore on numerous projects, including the El Dorado and the Rowan. The new, still unnamed mixed-use hotel project would sit between the two loft buildings and have a connected entrance to the El Dorado.

That juxtaposition of homes and hotel rooms buffered with retail is not uncommon for urban in-fill in a redevelopment area, said Jeff Lugosi, senior vice president of hotel industry tracking firm PFK Consulting. He added that such a hotel could target Civic Center business travelers. "Something like that is always a huge shot in the arm for a neighborhood like that," said Lugosi.

Speculation has already begun to swirl regarding the operator of the proposed hotel. Gaw also owns the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, which is operated by Thompson, a company that runs boutique hotels. Lugosi said Thompson could be a fit in Downtown Los Angeles. "They were brought into the Roosevelt [because] they are used to urban areas. It wouldn't be uncharacteristic," he said.

Gilmore Associates said no operators have been considered, but Ekerling did point to Thompson as an example of what they're looking for. "That type of hotel is what we've kept in mind," she said.

The project was presented to members of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council last week, which passed a motion to support the hotel.