LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[Echo Park]

^ichii's a classic

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Actually, the spot at 8th and Hope that this "vision" is located would be a viable spot for a skyscraper. They've located the tower on the NE corner of 8th and Hope (which is currently a 4 or 5 story parking garage with no retail), and the low-rise portion extends to the NW corner of 8th and Grand, which is currently a surface parking lot. Out of all of these outlandish "proposals", this is the one that I'd actually like to see built. It's placement would do wonders for the skyline, so long as the materials were top notch.

On another note, someone should post friday's construction shot of the Ritz in the Ritz thread in the Highrise Construction forum. We need to bump that thread.

I posted it in that thread long before it was posted here.

Do any of you guys get out of the City Compilations forum much?

[BrandonJXN]

I visit the Vegas, San Diego, and Atlanta threads every so often. In terms of class and elegance, Atlanta's new buildings are king. I really love tieir style.

I wish Terminus 100 was built at 8th and Hope.

[colemonkee]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

I posted it in that thread long before it was posted here.

Huh. That's weird. When I saw it here, I immediately went to the Highrise Construction subforum to see if you had posted it there, and it didn't show up. But half an hour later it did.

I'll agree with you on Terminus 100. It's a boss building. But it could be a bit taller. It's massing is kind of fat from some angles. But the facade and lighting scheme are top notch. I'd take it in a minute in a lot of locations downtown.

However, it would be nice to have something in the 800-900 ft. range at 8th and Hope. That would create a line of tall towers along Hope from US Bank to Aon to 8th and Hope. And it would add depth and height from the southwest view of downtown (which is my favorite view).

[JDRCRASH]

^ ^ ^
I agree, having another tower on Hope would create a gap the skyline, forcing developers to fill it in!
Suprisingly, Park Fifth appears to be about the same size as the Gas Company Tower.
I'm not sure if Atlanta can hold on much longer though, as the drought is killing their growth.

OH! Speaking of drought, 6 Inches of RAIN IS ON THE WAY, PEOPLE!!!!

Hmm; is it just me, but why do I get the feeling that the Titan Organization is planning to announce pretty soon that instead of building ONLY the City House and Olympic, they will develop the WHOLE block in the next upturn in the real estate cycle?

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Huh. That's weird. When I saw it here, I immediately went to the Highrise Construction subforum to see if you had posted it there, and it didn't show up. But half an hour later it did.

I'll agree with you on Terminus 100. It's a boss building. But it could be a bit taller. It's massing is kind of fat from some angles. But the facade and lighting scheme are top notch. I'd take it in a minute in a lot of locations downtown.

However, it would be nice to have something in the 800-900 ft. range at 8th and Hope. That would create a line of tall towers along Hope from US Bank to Aon to 8th and Hope. And it would add depth and height from the southwest view of downtown (which is my favorite view).

Boss huh? Bringing back 1985 vernacular Coleman? You big dorkwad.

Anyway, there was a thread on SSC regarding what buildings from other cities you would like to see in DTLA and here were my picks:

Bank of America Plaza (Dallas): It should rise on the Cal Plaza 3 site.


Terminus 100 (Atlanta): It should rise next to 801 Grand.


Bank of America Tower (Miami): It should rise on the 755 Tower site.


VEER Towers (Las Vegas): They should rise on the parking lot behind Hotel Figueroa.


David Stott Building (Detroit): It should rise on the lot across the street from the Pershing Square Subway Station.


Penobscot Building (Detroit): It should rise behind the Eastern Columbia Building.

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Flickr: fridayinla

In the background of the Ritz there is a third crane. I assume it is for the cinemas and that they are now under construction???

[colemonkee]

^ There are two buildings going on that parcel that directly abut each other - the convention and ballroom spaces for the hotels and the theaters. So far that crane has been building the parking underneath both of those buildings. But there are some columns above ground that I would assume are for the convention and ballroom spaces, not the theaters. But I haven't been by the site recently to get a closer look and verify that assumption.

[DJM19]

The theater and tower open up at the same time, so I would assume they start the tower much earlier than the theater (so I doubt the theater is being worked on yet)

[Steve2726]

You are correct according to the following:

http://www.lalive.com/timeline.php

The third phase will complete the project in late 2009/early 2010 with:

* 1,150,000 square foot JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotel
* Ritz-Carlton Residences
* Ballrooms and meeting space
* 14 screen Regal Cinemas

[RuFFy]

I really thought this page should have been referenced.. but I guess you can't win them all...

The Write Stuff

Five Blogs Downtowners Will Visit Frequently in 2008

by Anna Scott

A long with the developers, politicians and activists, bloggers have become increasingly important in Downtown. In recent years, online commentators, chroniclers and criers have proved their power, often being the first to report neighborhood news. Below is a sampling of five blogs, in alphabetical order, that Downtowners will want to bookmark in 2008.

Angelenic: The blog created by Rich Alossi and Stephen Friday burst onto the scene in 2007, with frequent posts complemented by photos or renderings. Angelenic.com was often the first to report on construction, retail, restaurant and other projects planned for Downtown. This year, with dozens of new developments underway and more groundbreakings on tap, Angelenic has a wealth of material to mine. With coverage now stretching to Koreatown, the blog seems ready to increase its audience in 2008.

Blogdowntown: Launched almost three years ago, Downtown Los Angeles resident Eric Richardson's record of all things Downtown is bigger and better than ever. In 2007, Richardson brought on two additional contributors, fellow Downtown bloggers Ed Fuentes (viewfromaloft.typepad.com) and Dave Bullock (eecue.com). The joining of forces - along with a track record of providing reliable updates on Downtown development, history, events and more - has propelled more readers to post comments on the site, creating a neighborhood forum. In 2008, expect blogdowntown.com to continue to give a street-level view of what's happening in the neighborhood.

L.A. Observed: Journalist and media watchdog Kevin Roderick has been helming laobserved.com for nearly five years now, to much acclaim. The daily roundup of Los Angeles-related stories from Roderick and his cadre of contributors - especially the business savvy Mark Lacter - provide a virtual key to the city. Last year the site saw a host of Downtown-related posts, and 2008 will surely bring more. From behind-the-scenes happenings at the Los Angeles Times' Spring Street headquarters to East Coast newspapers' takes on Downtown revitalization to local development news, L.A. Observed is watching.

Mayor Sam's Sister City: Since its launch in late 2004 and the outing of Michael Higby, aka Sam Yorty (after the late L.A. mayor), as the controversial site's creator in 2005, mayorsam.blogspot.com is still going strong. With a slew of contributors, the self-proclaimed home of Los Angeles politics offers a daily mishmash of funny, cranky, gossipy, irreverent and informative posts related to City Hall - this was the first site, after all, to ID Mirthala Salinas as Antonio Villaraigosa's temporarily significant other. Hardly shy when it comes to weighing in on a rumor or taking the local media to task, Mayor Sam is sometimes right, sometimes wrong, but always a must-read for City Hall observers.

Street Heat: The newbie streetheatla.blogspot.com was launched in October by East Coast transplant and public transportation advocate Damien Newton. Each day, the site offers links to local transit-oriented news stories, plus commentary on transportation-related developments that otherwise might slip under the radar. Featuring an insightful outsider's eye on L.A.'s transit woes, plus a long list of links, Street Heat is a valuable resource for anyone with a stake in L.A.'s transit system, including users. In 2008, with construction proceeding on the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension and talk of a Downtown Regional Connector, that contingency includes anyone who lives or works Downtown.
*

Contact Anna Scott at [email protected].

page 6, 1/7/2008

[JDRCRASH]

Well, the City Council made a crappy move again......
According to the L.A. Times, a LIMITED number of acres of industrial land in downtown will be zoned for residential and commercial development.

What is the status of Metropolis?

[BrandonJXN]

Last I heard, Superman saved it from the nefarious Lex Luthor.

[SD_Phil]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

Well, the City Council made a crappy move again......
According to the L.A. Times, a LIMITED number of acres of industrial land in downtown will be zoned for residential and commercial development.

What is the status of Metropolis?

Could this be good instead of bad? I mean focusing the development in a limited area will create a solid block of development instead of isolated parcels separated by industrial wharehouses. That actually seems like a smart move to me since it should encourage a critical mass of residential/commercial to build up faster.

If the limited area of commercial and residential development is successful and profitable then I'm pretty sure the city council would be willing to expand the development zone wider.

[JDRCRASH]

Wait, so it's only temporary?

[SD_Phil]

I have no idea, I was just rationalizing the city council's decision. I doubt any decision is permanent though.

[yeah215]

The crane may be for the ballrooms and meeting rooms for the Ritz that are on the other side of the street.

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

Originally Posted by SD_Phil

Could this be good instead of bad? I mean focusing the development in a limited area will create a solid block of development instead of isolated parcels separated by industrial wharehouses. That actually seems like a smart move to me since it should encourage a critical mass of residential/commercial to build up faster.

If the limited area of commercial and residential development is successful and profitable then I'm pretty sure the city council would be willing to expand the development zone wider.

I agree. DTLA has too many dead zones outside of the industrial district to develop that will keep developers busy for years.

Oh, and I wish the US Steel Building in Pittsburgh was in DTLA. It’s a love it / hate it building, but I think it’s a really strong looking tower.

[fridayinla]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

What is the status of Metropolis?

We are in contact with the project manager of Metropolis at IDS. According to his last email on Dec 20th:

"we do not have any construction time lines that we are ready to publicly disclose until we've set an actual ground breaking date. As you know, too many developers announce dates that are later missed and they loose credibility. We prefer to work quietly and 'go public' with hard information when there is news to report."

[BrandonJXN]

^ I wish more developers would do that. No one ever breaks ground when they say they will.