LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0 - Page 330

petescafe · #**6581** Posted **Mar 4, 2009, 5:24 AM**

Came home tonight and I was surprised to see the Hotel Barclay sign lit up.

colemonkee · #**6582** Posted **Mar 4, 2009, 5:33 AM**

Dammit, petescafe, you beat me to it. It looked great driving down 4th Street. I love seeing more and more of these neon signs lit up downtown. It's starting to look alive at night!

LosAngelesSportsFan · #**6583** Posted **Mar 4, 2009, 6:16 AM**

looks awesome. makes the street look much better. did they rehab that building? is it low income or market rate? it would be nice if the medallion had a neon sign too.

LosAngelesBeauty · #**6584** Posted **Mar 4, 2009, 9:29 AM**

Very nice! Yes, I agree with Colemonkee. We need more of these neon signs lit up in DTLA to make walking at night feel not only safer, but more alive.

LASF, I believe it is low-income.

Kingofthehill · #**6585** Posted **Mar 4, 2009, 2:56 PM**

colemonkee · #**6586** Posted **Mar 4, 2009, 3:23 PM**

The Barclay is indeed low income, and intended to stay that way. It's also a very good example of how low income and market rate can coexist peacefully in close proximity to each other. 4th and Main has one of the best neighborhood feels in all of downtown, and has a mix of both.

The retail at the Barclay is an interesting mix too. Bar 107 on the 4th Street side, a "diner" on the corner that's used exclusively as a filming location, two lobby entrances, one on Main, one on 4th, and a vacant but seemingly very useful spot on Main. I think that would be a perfect spot for a dry cleaner or another art gallery.

King, you always get nice, rich colors in your photos. You must have a L-Series lens attached to that 40D of yours...

Kingofthehill · #**6587** Posted **Mar 4, 2009, 6:06 PM**

Hey Hey Hey, what can I say

JDRCRASH · #**6588** Posted **Mar 5, 2009, 4:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Pretty standard for parking prices in larger entertainment districts like Hollywood or the Sunset Strip.

But this hasn't reached that status yet.

JDRCRASH · #**6589** Posted **Mar 5, 2009, 4:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

Very nice! Yes, I agree with Colemonkee. We need more of these neon signs lit up in DTLA to make walking at night feel not only safer, but more alive. .

It's fitting, because some of the first neon signs in the United States used for commercial purposes was in Los Angeles.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_sign#History

JDRCRASH · #**6590** Posted **Mar 7, 2009, 4:56 AM**

From Curbed LA,

FIDM Tower + Current Economic Conditions=A Ways Off

Friday, March 6, 2009, by Dakota

Back in October 2007, we called the 19-story planned Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) Tower at Olympic Blvd. and Flower Street "soon-to-be-built." That might not have been the most correct phase. Asking about the state of RKTL Architects-designed tower, which will be the school's first residential tower (it'll also have classrooms), a spokesperson for FIDM/The Fashion Institute Of Design & Merchandising writes: "Our new building project at Olympic and Flower will proceed when we judge it is appropriate in reference to the current economic conditions of the country."

yeah215 · #**6591** Posted **Mar 7, 2009, 5:28 PM**

I have confidence that at some point, the FIDM tower will be built.

I also have confidence that at some point, the second Concerto tower will be built.

That said, I just want to take a moment to comment on that rendering. It is really incredible. Just a few years ago, there was NOTHING on that block. The Convention Center, and later Staples, were islands in a sea of parking lots. (Very similar to Dodger Stadium actually.) There has been real development in the area. That block, Concerto, FIDM, and Handover, can serve as a model for the rest of South Park (and potentially other dense sections of LA). I think it really looks great and is very exciting.

JDRCRASH · #**6592** Posted **Mar 8, 2009, 6:35 AM**

^ Don't forget "South" (Evo, Luma, and Elleven), and 717 Ninth.

I think what fascinates me the most is people from a certain generation that are moving into Downtown; people from my age to those that are in their twenties. And this makes me wanna live in South Park even more when i'm a little older. It also gives me a sense that our car culture may not be so dominant in the coming decades.

Kingofthehill · #**6593** Posted **Mar 8, 2009, 8:36 AM**

^ LOL, why? You better believe those freshly-minted yuppies aren't using mass transit, and are using their <insert entry level luxury vehicle>

JDRCRASH · #**6594** Posted **Mar 8, 2009, 5:36 PM**

^ That will come with time.

LAofAnaheim · #**6595** Posted **Mar 8, 2009, 8:40 PM**

Even though the market has gone to crap all around...at least we passed Measure R and can continue to build on an expanding rail network, which I would hope allow new buildings to come in with fewer parking requirements, thereby saving the developers $$ and, in turn, having units cheaper to sell or rent to consumers.

Right now, the high cost is also driven by the fact that developers have to build a certain amount of parking spots. I think, at best, a 10% reduction is allowed near mass transit stations (i.e. this happened to courtyard madang in koreatown). Generally, the total costs over the number of spaces on average cost $10K/spot (a paved lot on a street), $20K/spot (above ground parking garage), and $50K/spot (underground garage).

colemonkee · #**6596** Posted **Mar 9, 2009, 12:28 AM**

Little Tokyo Block 8 - Sunday, March 8

Sakura Crossing, formerly known as San Pedro Apartments. From San Pedro:

From the middle of Block 8 looking east, the new street that bisects Block 8 in the foreground:

Looking towards downtown from the same spot, the LAPD Motor Pool creeping in at the bottom of the skyline:

colemonkee · #**6597** Posted **Mar 9, 2009, 12:49 AM**

LAPD HQ - Sunday, March 8

Full update in the General Development LAPD HQ Thread.

Quixote · #**6598** Posted **Mar 9, 2009, 1:03 AM**

Thanks again for all the updates, colemonkee.

Regarding Sakura Crossing, meh... it's okay. It looks just like the rendering. In that case, I'm looking forward to Avalon Matsu breaking ground. I actually like its design, for some reason.

colemonkee · #**6599** Posted **Mar 9, 2009, 3:24 AM**

I'm not a fan of Sakura Crossing at all. The design is pretty bad, imo. But it will eventually bring more residents, and hopefully more retail. So it's got that going for it.

yeah215 · #**6600** Posted **Mar 9, 2009, 4:29 AM**

I have always disliked wood-framed buildings. But I understand that they are less expensive than concrete or steel construction.

I used to think that the problem was the ratio of walls to windows. The wood-framed buildings have a lot more wall surface. However, since moving to DC, I have realized that isn't the problem. The problem is materials. Too often these buildings are then covered in gross stucco. If the street facing walls were covered in brick, stone, or some other type of material, the area could look quite nice. There are plenty of neighborhoods that feel warm, comfortable and dense, that are made of up of 5 story buildings. The key is good materials and a strong streetwall.