LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[Kingofthehill]

Speaking of restaurants, I checked out the new Más Malo yesterday. Beautiful space, and really solid, delicious Mexican food. Additions like this really bring up the QOL, and give me the feeling that DTLA is finally growing up. More than ever, the progress made in the past few months seems especially visible - probably the result after living abroad for a while (versus living here my whole life and visiting several times a week). The downside to visiting again, is that compared to the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires (and other, non-American mega-cities..and small cities, too), LA, with its excess road capacity and all-but-abandoned sidewalks, feels like a ghost town





Lots of new stuff on the street art front, too. Here are, among others, some new pieces (or at least, ones that weren't here the last time I was in town):

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Not worth knocking down a historic building for.

illithid, if the bldg you're referring to is truly historic, than the great cities of europe don't hold a candle to LA!


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btw, notice the low budget makeshift light pole, on a street that's only a few blocks from city hall. and I notice the bldg next to the 5 story one actually has 2 floors, not 1.

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

- The YWCA building has been almost fully unveiled and looks hideous. I nominate it for the ugliest building in South Park, if not downtown.

I recall the architect's rendering of that proj & it did look like it was gonna be a value engineered bldg. Or it's possible the YMCA, working with various depts & commissions in city govt, wanted the design work farmed out to a firm that met certain social guidelines.

as for it being the ugliest in the hood, if you're not qualifying that with "built over the last 20 yrs", or "built over the last 10 yrs", or "built since 1980"-----& considering all the bldgs similar to the one shown above-----then that means the new YWCA bldg has to be very, very, very fugly.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

Additions like this really bring up the QOL, and give me the feeling that DTLA is finally growing up.

In some ways, I think the hood is better today than its been in over 60 yrs. In other ways, it may actually be better now than it has ever been in its history. as one example, I don't believe there were many ppl living in dt, as there are today, back when LA wasn't as burbanized. In the first half of the 20th century, there were ppl living in some hotels & boarding houses, many of them pensioners or hardship cases, but that was about it.

LA, with its excess road capacity and all-but-abandoned sidewalks, feels like a ghost town

nothing is more ridiculous to me than to be on one of the crowded fwys that encircle dt, then drive onto a surface street in dt & see far fewer or no cars, & very few ppl out & about. The sense of LA being the home to lots of ppl is often evident only when someone is driving on or around fwys. if so many ppl in LA need to be on fwys, & if they need to drive fairly long distances, where are they headed to? Why do they insist on living where they live?

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by citywatch

In some ways, I think the hood is better today than its been in over 60 yrs. In other ways, it may actually be better now than it has ever been in its history. as one example, I don't believe there were many ppl living in dt, as there are today, back when LA wasn't as burbanized. In the first half of the 20th century, there were ppl living in some hotels & boarding houses, many of them pensioners or hardship cases, but that was about it.

Well, what's been considered downtown LA has changed over time, with it having grown considerably in area. In the very early years of the 20th Century, the areas that are now in downtown were actually filled with single-family homes from the previous century:

LAPL

Does that intersection look familiar? The firehouse should be a clue; it's 7th and Figueroa, some time in the 1910s.

Here's the firehouse now, which of course is now a restaurant, courtesy of Google Street View:

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

Speaking of restaurants, I checked out the new Más Malo yesterday. Beautiful space, and really solid, delicious Mexican food. Additions like this really bring up the QOL, and give me the feeling that DTLA is finally growing up. More than ever, the progress made in the past few months seems especially visible - probably the result after living abroad for a while (versus living here my whole life and visiting several times a week). The downside to visiting again, is that compared to the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires (and other, non-American mega-cities..and small cities, too), LA, with its excess road capacity and all-but-abandoned sidewalks, feels like a ghost town





Lots of new stuff on the street art front, too. Here are, among others, some new pieces (or at least, ones that weren't here the last time I was in town):

I could've sworn I saw you fooling around with your camera near the 777 Tower the other day.

[Troubadour]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

If a wrecking ball should accidentally demolish this mural, several witnesses will swear I was out of town at the time.

[DtlaCuriousity]

Hey KingoftheHill,

Where exactly is that dog and bone street art?

[Kingofthehill]

arts district, near the toy factory/biscuit lofts

[Illithid Dude]

So, I got some pictures of The Broad construction last weekend. I just got around to posting. Here they are:

[JDRCRASH]

Thanks for the photos, Illithid! There are already steel beams there, and that's a good sign.

[sopas ej]

From Los Angeles Downtown News:

Wilshire Grand to Close Dec. 31
Razing of Property for $1.1 Billion Project to Begin Next Year
Published: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 5:17 PM PDT
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – Anyone hoping to stay in the Wilshire Grand hotel had better make reservations in the next few months. S. Chris Park, vice president and general manager of the Financial District facility, today announced that the hotel will shutter on Dec. 31.

The hotel on the northwest corner of Seventh and Figueroa streets is slated to be razed to make way for a $1.1 billion, two-tower hotel, condominium and office project. Earlier this year, hotel owner Korean Air and its development partner, Downtown-based Thomas Properties Group, secured the approvals for the new project.

Officials expect to begin tearing down the 59-year-old structure early next year.

Read the rest by clicking on this.

I wanna take pictures of this place before, and during, its demolition. Not that it had this moniker in my lifetime, but to me it'll always be the Statler.


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[LosAngelesBeauty]

WOW! I can't believe it. Are we actually getting a new "tallest building in LA?" This is crazy!

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by BrighamYen

WOW! I can't believe it. Are we actually getting a new "tallest building in LA?" This is crazy!

Not quite, my friend. The hotel portion, still a heft 750ft, is the one breaking ground. The actual supertall won't break ground until market conditions improve, which means that though it is likely to break ground it is no done deal. Still, though, the fact that we are getting any tower is cause for celebration.

[Kingofthehill]

Wow, the Wilshire Grand actually looked nice back in the day!

[RAlossi]

Still absolutely torn over this, but that's irrelevant now. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about the Statler that makes it so nice looking compared to the current WG, but KoTH is right. It was modern, no apologies.

Now my biggest fear is Korean Air will go bankrupt or lose funding or something, leaving a big pit in the ground for years. Onward and upward, I suppose.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Not quite, my friend. The hotel portion, still a heft 750ft, is the one breaking ground. The actual supertall won't break ground until market conditions improve, which means that though it is likely to break ground it is no done deal. Still, though, the fact that we are getting any tower is cause for celebration.

do u think the office market will improve by 2017 when the hotel tower opens??

Im afraid that they might leave the space where the next supertall is planned to be as a giant pit or just fenced. It will be unattractive to those staying at the hotel, therefore, do u think they are gonna use that space as something else until the market improves?? like an extended part of the plaza? and if they do do you think they'll just forget about the supertall?

something like this happened in san diego's broadway pier. it was being redeveloped to include public space and an oval park on the pier but until then they built a "temporary" new cruise ship terminal, planners said it will only be until plans for the park and space go underway. But now they say the terminal is permanent and san diego isn't getting their public space and park.

of course though san diego's development wasn't at the same caliber as this huge wilshire grand supertall, but you know.. its just a thought, prolly might NOT happen.. but im just nervous about it since its on a hold for now until the market improves, and because i really love the tall office tower and it being Los Angeles' and the entire west coast's newest tallest building.. its just unbelievable that its happening in LA right now.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesDreamin

do u think the office market will improve by 2017 when the hotel tower opens??

Im afraid that they might leave the space where the next supertall is planned to be as a giant pit or just fenced. It will be unattractive to those staying at the hotel, therefore, do u think they are gonna use that space as something else until the market improves?? like an extended part of the plaza? and if they do do you think they'll just forget about the supertall?

something like this happened in san diego's broadway pier. it was being redeveloped to include public space and an oval park on the pier but until then they built a "temporary" new cruise ship terminal, planners said it will only be until plans for the park and space go underway. But now they say the terminal is permanent and san diego isn't getting their public space and park.

of course though san diego's development wasn't at the same caliber as this huge wilshire grand supertall, but you know.. its just a thought, prolly might NOT happen.. but im just nervous about it since its on a hold for now until the market improves, and because i really love the tall office tower and it being Los Angeles' and the entire west coast's newest tallest building.. its just unbelievable that its happening in LA right now.

I've been hearing about more offices moving to downtown as it gets steadily nicer. I assume that downtown would be much nicer in 2017, and therefore have more people moving their offices there. So, yes, I think the market will improve by 2017.

What will probably happen is that there won't be a hole, but the podium will just not have a tower on it, similar to a two tower project in Calgary where only one tower was built. A totally acceptable compromise, if you ask me.

[pesto]

Sad but true: every new project is an opportuity for new pessimism.

But the strong points: Korean Air can provide the funding and many of the office tenants and hotel guests; they will love having their name on the buildings and on the graphics; the number of Koreans in LA is bound to keep increasing (20M plus in Seoul; seriously congested). And, some other Asian companies may take a hint.

[Quixote]

Good to see we are moving forward. Wilshire Grand would've been torn down decades ago had it been in any city with a thriving urban core. It appears we are at least trying to get over that proverbial hump.

The new Wilshire Grand will provide for some fresh and interesting street views, particularly when viewed from the east. The visual of the historic 7th Street wall juxtaposed against the city's new gleaming supertall will instantly become an iconic image. That along with the Broad next to the Disney Hall, LA Live next to Staples Center, etc. will be the primary visual sellers of a new urban LA. The transit (Expo, Regional, and Purple) is just gravy.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

Wow, the Wilshire Grand actually looked nice back in the day!

Originally Posted by RAlossi

Still absolutely torn over this, but that's irrelevant now. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about the Statler that makes it so nice looking compared to the current WG, but KoTH is right. It was modern, no apologies.

It did indeed look nice when it was first built. What made it look nice in the old photos compared to now is that the photos show how it was originally designed; it was a great example of mid-20th Century modernism, totally unadorned, without any ornament; form followed function. I like the bezeled windows; even the landscaping is very 1950s southern California, with the elephant-ear plants (that a lot of dingbat apartment buildings had even well into the 1980s). The only whimsical "ornament," if you can call it that, is the curvy porte-cochère. Over the years, it's been massively and horribly remodeled. I was inside the building a few years ago; it looked like it could've been built in the 1980s, straight out of an episode of "Moonlighting," with "The Golden Girls" color palette and overstuffed furniture.

It looks awful on the outside now, with awnings (awnings and Modern architecture don't mix) and the horrible, vague PoMo elements on the Wilshire side.


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