LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[BrandonJXN]

^ Site abatement begins Monday. Groundbreaking won't be until Febuary.

[RAlossi]

Weekend Update:

The ImaginAsian Center is now open! Formerly the Linda Lea Theatre, the venue underwent a complete reconstruction. They're having a film festival until December 7, when it opens to the public. You can still swing by and check out the interior, though!



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I'll also post this in the LA Forum's restaurant update, but Mode Restaurant was open for a day and it went so poorly that they had to close till Monday to regroup. Yikes!

Fridayinla and I went to the pre-opening tasting and the food was great, though the lack of service foretold of things to come, I suppose. The owner didn't even leave a sign on the door telling people who arrived to the dark restaurant why they were closed. Pathetic.



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New sighting: Seven Restaurant & Bar, which is in the Quinby Building on the northeastern corner of 7th and Grand. No info available yet, but Restaurant Row is evolving...

[BrandonJXN]

ImaginAsian looks great but are there any projects proposed around it so that it doesn't stick out like a not-so-sore thumb?

[LAofAnaheim]

^ Across the street from ImaginAsian will be the police parking garage(hopefully ground floor retail to lighten up the street). You have the Higgens in one corner and Vibiana across from that. Vibiana lofts are proposed for 2nd & Main as well, I'm not 100% sure. Medallion is coming between 4th & 3rd on Main street. I'm sure more renovations/projects will come along with new venues opening. More people who come to ImaginAsian will consider buying properties, opening businesses, etc...

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

Original Post:alikaalex
OK. I'm just hoping the Little Tokyo/Arts District station will help activate street-level foot traffic in that part of the neighborhood. Can't wait for 2009!

Speaking of that station, I don't recall seeing any talk about what, if any, development will occur on/adjacent to that station site (aside from across the street).

According to this site ( http://dcbid.cartifactmaps.com/ ) nothing is planned.

[Echo Park]

Just as long as they leave The Smell alone



No Age

[BrandonJXN]

Lol..I thought that The Smell was that bar with the Hitchcock pidgeons EVERYWHERE.

[JDRCRASH]

Hopefully, tourism will help boost the local economy.
I just saw in the LA Times today that L.A. County sees more Chinese tourists than any other area of the country, even San Francisco.
And the future growth may soon become relentless if the Chinese ban on Promoting travel to U.S. is lifted.

It will be interesting to see how many Chinese will flee to Los Angeles if the rumored Mega-Bubble in China's economy bursts.

[LAofAnaheim]

Good to see the green construction fence surrounding the Grand Avenue Project. One step closer...

[RAlossi]

Sorry for the lighting in these... it was darker than I thought it would be at 3:15 pm today.

Dedicated to citywatch, who would have probably had a cow if there were cars parked here...

Do you see what I (don't) see?











More here.

[Easy]

Thanks RAlossi! We've been fooled by the construction fence on other projects, but I think that this one is for real.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Echo Park

Just as long as they leave The Smell alone

Personally, I like the suggestion made by Russell Brown.


Here Comes the Neighborhood

Flashy New ImaginAsian Center Opens This Week, But Will It Rock the Punk Venue Next Door?

by Evan George

This week, Downtown Los Angeles will welcome its first new movie theater in 20 years. When it opens, it will raise an interesting question: Can punks and fans of foreign films all just get along?

The 252-seat ImaginAsian Center officially debuts Thursday, Dec. 7 (a preview party was held over the weekend). Operated by New York-based ImaginAsian Entertainment, the structure at 251 S. Main St. with the striking two-story glass façade will screen first-run films from Asia and occasionally host special events.

The venue is the first upscale addition to an otherwise crusty row of ranchero bars, a pool hall and a dilapidated but revered punk rock venue called the Smell. While many neighborhood leaders have eagerly awaited the theater's opening - it will be the first new cultural nightlife option within walking distance of the retail, restaurants and residential buildings in the Old Bank District - others see it as a tipping point that could threaten the Smell, a cultural landmark in its own right.

In fact, some of the VIPs rolling up to the red carpet gala on Saturday, Dec. 1, were likely greeted by the cacophony of a local band called Vomit Bomb (Los Angeles Downtown News went to press before the scheduled opening). The new theater and the punk music hall sit side-by-side, separated only by a concrete wall.

That situation has both sides curious, if not nervous, about one another and how their status as neighbors will unfold. "I haven't had any dialogue with them myself," said Jim Smith, owner and co-founder of the Smell. "I am told they know what we do, so hopefully they build that into their operations."

The theater's owner downplayed any possible tension. "We've had a lot of people walk by and say they are anxious for us to open, everything has been really positive," said Sue Ann Kirst, whose Cinema Properties Group developed the $3 million venture.

Different Scenes

Patrons of the Smell say it provides one of the few musical platforms in L.A. for unsigned, underage and unusual acts. Music fans and local bands alike swear by the no-frills concert hall as one of the best places in the city to play or see live music.

"The way Jim divides the money, it's totally meant for the bands and the whole environment is very homey," said Maritza Zelada, 19, of local band Ima Gymnist. "But it's the location that makes it as well. It's nestled in, it's convenient, it's a part of the city."

With an entrance hidden in an alley, the Smell has grown famous amid the underground while remaining off the mainstream radar. Although in recent months, the venue graced the pages of both The New Yorker and a Vogue magazine supplement.

Inside the graffiti-scarred building, living room couches form a lobby with shelves of reading material. In back, a high-ceilinged hall boasts a small stage and can fit 200 writhing bodies. The price of admission rarely tops $5 and shows often run late and loud, the alleyway becoming a de facto patio for the bands and their fans. Rent, which has stayed low, Smith said, is sometimes scrapped together by holding benefit shows.

Smith said the impending arrival of high-end establishments is slightly worrisome as it guarantees a rent hike. "I get a little nervous about it gentrifying," Smith said. "But if it happens it happens, and we'll deal with it."

It wouldn't be the first time. In 2000, the Smell relocated from Hollywood's NoHo Arts District after Smith's rent skyrocketed. Smith and a crew of volunteers sought refuge on Main Street, which back then still emptied of passersby by nightfall. Now, the block is changing. With the nearby Edison bar open and ImaginAsian ready to show films regularly, the Smell is no longer alone.

Russell Brown, president of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, said the theater will create a "nexus between the arts community and entertainment spaces." Asked if he thought it would transform the rest of the block, he said he hoped so. "The surrounding neighborhood definitely needs significant improvement," he said, suggesting that the ImaginAsian Center offer to paint and clean the club's well-known, scruffy façade, a hand-painted sign that reads "No Age, Weirdo Rippers" (left from a photo shoot by the local band No Age).

The way Kirst sees it, both venues accommodate community and art. She hopes the ImaginAsian theater can host the same crowd on nights like the Downtown Art Walk.

As for the onslaught of distorted guitars, she said the theater contains thick insulation. "Actually, I think that some of these movies will be pretty loud - the samurai movies," Kirst said, laughing at the prospect of punk rockers being interrupted by the movie theater next door, and not the other way around.





These pics show the earlier condition of both the Smell & what's now the Imaginasian theater, as walking southward & looking over to the west side of Main St, from south of 2nd, or around the new theater, to 3rd St. The bldg at the NW corner of 3rd & Main, which houses the Bar Costena, is catercorner to the small pocket park that's supposed to be eventually added to the site of the Medallion.

I can hardly wait til the Medallion reaches all the way north up to & along 3rd St, & I hope the "bar costena" bldg is torn down, & that site & the adjoining parking lots are filled in with new devlpt. When that day arrives, I'll sigh with relief &:


jimw at flickr.com


jimw at flickr.com


jimw at flickr.com

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by RAlossi

Dedicated to citywatch, who would have probably had a cow if there were cars parked here...

That's quite an honor. TY! At the dedication ceremony, I'll have to rent a bulldozer & hire an operator to plow down that parking structure myself if it's not showing clear cut signs of being removed way before the Feb groundbreaking!

I know you said on your blog that Demolition activity — as well as the accompanying star-studded groundbreaking ceremony — will coincide with the official February 7th ground-breaking date. If that really means the tinker toy structure won't be touched whatsoever for another 2 months, I can't figure that out.

I would think the least the Related Cos can do to prep the site over the next 8 wks is tear down the parking lot. Keeping it intact would make sense only if the devlpr is purposefully trying to slow down the process. Either that, or if the devlpr's engineer is going to say something like "the soil has to be tested, cleaned & stabilized before we're able to rip down the tinker toy structure or else a landslide will occur. Or else a toxic moat or huge sinkhole will form. Or else a cloud of asbestos will be unleashed.

So now the sites to keep a close watch on over the next several wks is the one on Grand Ave & the one across from Staples, where the LA Central proj is supposed to be built.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Park Fifth's sales center had a sneak peek today. All pics by David Bullock (eecue.com)

FINALLY!!! It's good to see the devlpr finally is getting their sales ctr completed & ready to open. Parkfifth's web site originally said the ctr would be open by late summer or at least before Dec. So I was getting worried that a lack of an operating sales ctr was an early sign of the devlpr not being able to get even the basics taken care of, esp as first promised.

Parkfifth is like the Grand Ave or Medallion projs, in that original estimated start up dates have come & gone without anything happening. The Medallion was first supposed to have broken ground around 2 yrs ago (or something like that), & Related said they'd start work on the Grand Ave proj in Oct of 2006. Then they said October of 2007. I think they even included estimated start up times falling around Nov 2006, & also Nov of this yr.

Early word on Parkfifth was that it would break ground in Oct 2007. Then the 1st qtr of 2008. I understand the new revised start up date now is more like mid 2008.

Oh, well. Better late than never----and it will be mah-valous when all these projs are underway, or can be added to projs already started, such as the Medallion.

BTW, Ralossi's new pics of the Grand Avenue tinker toy parking lot show the first time no cars have been parked there on a typical work day in something like.....40 YEARS! I believe that parking lot dates back to the late 1960s.

[LAofAnaheim]

I think downtownnews is making a big deal of the Smell v. ImaginAsian. Why can't two theaters operate next to each other? Do we have to be surburban and keep everything blocks apart? Anybody who's been to the Smell or ImaginAsian have a problem w/ each other?

[JDRCRASH]

PRNewswire

$3 Billion Grand Avenue Project Starts Construction

(Did I hear that right? I thought it was $1.9 Billion?)

16-acre civic park to break ground in fall of 2008.




LOS ANGELES, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction work is underway on The Grand, one of the largest vertically-integrated, mixed-use projects under construction in the nation. The multi-phase 3.6 million square foot development spanning three city blocks will cost an estimated $3 billion to develop. Phase I has been designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry for the project developer, Related Companies. Demolition of the parking garage at Grand Avenue and First Street will commence in February 2008 following remedial site work. Transformation of the existing County Mall to a new, 16-acre civic park will begin next fall.


"Beginning construction on the The Grand represents the culmination of three years of intense planning, designing, and collaboration with a vast group of community and civic participants. We are excited to be leading this project and taking the next step in downtown Los Angeles' continued revitalization," said Stephen M. Ross, Chairman and CEO of Related Companies.


Situated on a full city block bordered by Grand Avenue, Olive, First and Second Streets, Phase One of the large-scale urban site totals 1.3 million square feet. It will feature a vibrant mix of hotel and residential towers, retail, restaurants, entertainment/nightlife, and public amenities that will create a destination that is pedestrian-friendly and attractive to residents and visitors.


The architectural centerpiece of The Grand will be an iconic 48 story tower located at Second Street and Grand Avenue, including a 295-key Mandarin Oriental Hotel crowned with 266 for-sale luxury residences. Designed by Gehry, The Mandarin will be similar to the AAA, Five-Diamond hotel in New York at Related's Time Warner Center, which sold out The Residences at The Mandarin Oriental New York that were branded as "Five Star Living(R)."


At First and Olive Streets, a 19-story Gehry-designed residential tower will combine 126 market rate condominiums and 98 units of affordable housing. Adjacent to the city's leading cultural and performing arts venues -- which include Gehry's impressive Walt Disney Concert Hall -- The Grand will feature a nexus of exciting retail concepts and exceptional cafes, restaurants and bars. The 250,000 square foot retail pavilion will showcase a distinctive collection of boutiques and restaurants that will be instrumental in regenerating downtown LA as a shopping destination. A carefully selected mix of cuisines and price points -- complemented by a line up of renowned chefs- will provide the zenith of fine dining and service to catapult the city's burgeoning cultural district to the top of the downtown entertainment scene.


The new, 16-acre civic park will be anchored by landmark cultural and civic buildings. It is envisioned as an urban gathering place for Angelenos, as well as the City's venue for public events. The park will feature terraces, lawns, gardens and plaza areas that will become the centerpiece of The Grand's landscaped public spaces, which will be woven into the neighborhood with both street-front and multi-level retail, plaza, terraces and walkways offering expansive view corridors and pedestrian connections to downtown's cultural center.


About Related


Related Companies, heralded as one of the most prolific and visionary developers, is considered the most prominent privately-owned real estate development firm in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, Related has offices or major developments in Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Boston and Aspen/Snowmass and boasts a team of more than 2,000 professionals with expertise in financing and acquisitions, marketing and sales, construction and property management.


In 2004, Related completed the development of New York City's newest landmark, Time Warner Center, featuring an unparalleled restaurant collection by renowned chefs Thomas Keller, Michael Lomonaco, Masayoshi Takayama and Marc Murphy, signature shops, super-luxury condominiums, office headquarters for both Related and the world headquarters for Time Warner, Inc., the Mandarin Oriental New York and, overlooking Central Park, the first ever concert hall designed specifically for jazz -- Jazz at Lincoln Center. Time Warner Center has transformed Columbus Circle.


Showcasing Related's over $6 billion commitment to sustainable development, Related developed Tribeca Green, which has achieved a LEED Gold rating and recently completed 340 on the Park, the first green residential tower in the Midwest.


In Snowmass Colorado, Related is setting a new paradigm in environmental sensitivity in resort living through its 80-acre mixed-use development. Committed to architectural and design excellence, Related works with award winning architects such as Bernardo Fort-Brescia, David M. Childs, Charles Gwathmey and Robert Siegel, Frank Gehry, Richard Meier, David Rockwell, Philippe Starck and Robert A.M. Stern to create market defining properties. http://www.Related.com

The Grand
Phase I Development Timeline

December 2007 Begin Phase I Construction
Fall 2008 Groundbreaking for Civic Park
Late 2010 Grand Opening of Civic Park
Early 2011 Grand Opening of Mandarin Oriental Hotel and retail pavilion
Summer 2011 Grand Opening of Residential Towers

Contacts: MWW Group (213) 486-6560
Kathleen Flood, ext. 318; Cell: 562-833-6033
Ron Demeter, ext. 315; Cell: 310-614-1059
Miya Walker, ext. 308; Cell: 323-547-6457

Website: http://www.Related.com/
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It looks like the same thing will happen here as it did at LAPD HQ.

@Colemonkee: Do you thing we should change it's name to "The Grand"?

[Quixote]

This project's going to take forever to complete. The WDCH is a case in point.

[colemonkee]

It may be baby steps at this point, but it's good to see some visible signs of forward progress at Grand Ave. Notice how the costs jumped from $2.1 billion to $3 billion though. Yikes.

[ladowntowner]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

It may be baby steps at this point, but it's good to see some visible signs of forward progress at Grand Ave. Notice how the costs jumped from $2.1 billion to $3 billion though. Yikes.

Probably has more to do with the continuing slide of the U.S. Dollar over the life of the project than anything else.

[Echo Park]

Angelenic has some renders on a new project for Figueroa across from the southern end of the convention center between Fig and Flower.

1340 Figueroa: