LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[pesto]

Hope lots more is coming soon. But he really should have said PROPOSED streetcar line to keep from confusing people.

[all of the trash]

Lots of good stuff coming to broadway makes me feel a lot less bad for the Ross coming to town (barely a step up from the Fallas Paredes down the street). I just wish the streetcar to be more of an afterthought. I don't know how much use this will be on a practical level when there is the red line, the downtown connector and plenty of buslines. Seems like a dinky touristy thing on par with Angels flight.

[DistrictDirt]

I have very conflicted feelings about Huizar. On one hand, he's a huge advocate for what we all want...a revitalized Broadway. On the other hand, progress has been much slower than expected. Also, I'm bitter that he stopped Joseph Hellen from building a grocery store on the 500 block of Spring Street, because it would have blocked rear access from the Roxie, Cameo, and Arcade theaters. The thing is, those theaters are tiny, and never had rear access, even in their prime. Seems like a huge wasted opportunity to me. I'd kill for a grocery store right in our hood.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I have very conflicted feelings about Huizar. On one hand, he's a huge advocate for what we all want...a revitalized Broadway. On the other hand, progress has been much slower than expected. Also, I'm bitter that he stopped Joseph Hellen from building a grocery store on the 500 block of Spring Street, because it would have blocked rear access from the Roxie, Cameo, and Arcade theaters. The thing is, those theaters are tiny, and never had rear access, even in their prime. Seems like a huge wasted opportunity to me. I'd kill for a grocery store right in our hood.

yup, that grocery store fiasco really struck a nerve with me too. Something was very fishy about it.

[Illithid Dude]

I think now what I want most from the Historic Core is a ton of new 150 foot buildings to fill in the parking lots. Only then will I consider the neighborhood 'complete', or, 'unstoppable'. For now, it is just, 'very exciting, with a ton of possibility'.

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I remember a different render of the old design for the courthouse. Are you sure this is for the old one? It could be for the new one.

I am not sure but this is the article that came with the photo:

Chanen joint venture will provide construction management services for a new 1 million-sq.-ft. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California.

Sustainable design is the dominant architectural theme for a courthouse of such size and dimension as befits a structure symbolic of strength plus endurance within government.

Taking a holistic approach to sustainability is a concept which factors a process that creates buidings that integrate their place within urban environments, both in function and in layout. Various modeling techniques can dynamically compute fluid technologies, and accurately calculate maximum sunlight potential for efficient energy needs.

http://www.chanen.com/justice6/FedCourthouseLA.asp

[alki]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

The Buffalo building looks good (especially in close proximity to the LAPD building), but I'd hate to have what looks like another South Group building in the civic center.

I am not sure what the latest design looks like......the only point I was making is that the new buildings from the Feds aren't that bad......and I suspect LA will get a good looking building.

[alki]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I have very conflicted feelings about Huizar. On one hand, he's a huge advocate for what we all want...a revitalized Broadway. On the other hand, progress has been much slower than expected. Also, I'm bitter that he stopped Joseph Hellen from building a grocery store on the 500 block of Spring Street, because it would have blocked rear access from the Roxie, Cameo, and Arcade theaters. The thing is, those theaters are tiny, and never had rear access, even in their prime. Seems like a huge wasted opportunity to me. I'd kill for a grocery store right in our hood.

Could it be that progress on Broadway has been slower because Broadway still had some economic life to it? Its harder to make the transition to something different when there are some businesses still going strong. I know Broadway is not as thriving as when I lived in LA but I get the impression it is still doing pretty well.

Ultimately I think the improvement on Spring and around Pershing Sq will push Broadway into a higher economic level.......but it will take time.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by alki

Could it be that progress on Broadway has been slower because Broadway still had some economic life to it? Its harder to make the transition to something different when there are some businesses still going strong. I know Broadway is not as thriving as when I lived in LA but I get the impression it is still doing pretty well.

Ultimately I think the improvement on Spring and around Pershing Sq will push Broadway into a higher economic level.......but it will take time.

I guess what I mean is that it Huizar's vision for Broadway seems to be very rigid. It revolves around the theaters, and exists in a vacuum independent of Spring or any other street downtown. He put a stop to the plans for a grocery store on Spring Street because it would have blocked rear access to the Cameo, Roxie, and Arcade theaters...which may or may not even be renovated in the future. Even if they are, chances are they won't be used as performance spaces that would require rear loading, as they are very small and were never used as performance spaces to begin with- they were movie houses.

So what are we left with now? Scrapped grocery store plans, and 3 theaters that will continue to be used for swap meets for the foreseeable future. It seems to me that being flexible would have benefited the neighborhood much more. Sure, the grocery store was planned for Spring and not Broadway, but it undoubtedly would have benefited the whole neighborhood, including broadway, and probably hastened the renovation of those 3 theaters, even if they couldn't be used as performance spaces as the BBB vision outlines.

The phrase "beggers can't be choosers" comes to mind. So does the phrase "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good".

[pesto]

Originally Posted by alki

Could it be that progress on Broadway has been slower because Broadway still had some economic life to it? Its harder to make the transition to something different when there are some businesses still going strong. I know Broadway is not as thriving as when I lived in LA but I get the impression it is still doing pretty well.

Ultimately I think the improvement on Spring and around Pershing Sq will push Broadway into a higher economic level.......but it will take time.

DD and Alki: Definitely true. My take is that Huizar recognizes that Bway is not dead; so you have to kill it first and then rebuild as tourist oriented (unlike Spring and Main, which are for locals).

This is a difficult process but maybe the only choice because the new tourist or mid-market stores he is trying to attract are going to want to know that the store next door is going to be Old Navy or Timberland or a nice cafe and not some guy selling bankruptcy and immigration services to Hispanics from the sidewalk. Something closer to Market in SF or SM 3rd St. than MacArthur Park.

But this has led to a fixation on the theaters, which there just be too many of to ever make them economically viable.

[LA/OCman]

Originally Posted by pesto

DD and Alki: Definitely true. My take is that Huizar recognizes that Bway is not dead; so you have to kill it first and then rebuild as tourist oriented (unlike Spring and Main, which are for locals).

This is a difficult process but maybe the only choice because the new tourist or mid-market stores he is trying to attract are going to want to know that the store next door is going to be Old Navy or Timberland or a nice cafe and not some guy selling bankruptcy and immigration services to Hispanics from the sidewalk. Something closer to Market in SF or SM 3rd St. than MacArthur Park.

But this has led to a fixation on the theaters, which there just be too many of to ever make them economically viable.

I am not sure I agree with this last sentence...perhaps you mean as theatres only. First of all...the amount of filming revenue can really affect the bottom line. Try to imagine some of these smaller theatres as jazz clubs, coffee houses, restaurants, music venues etc. Those theatres that have office space like the UA could be converted to small hotels. I have stayed in many pensiones in Europe and Los Angeles needs affordable yet comfortable places for tourists to stay. It will take time to make Broadway the vibrant street we want it to be...but I can also say that seeing areas like Old Pasadena and the Gaslamp District become destination spots in my lifetime show me that Broadway is perfectly located for a revival. The ACE Hotel may really be a catalyst...should be an interesting year.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by LA/OCman

I am not sure I agree with this last sentence...perhaps you mean as theatres only. First of all...the amount of filming revenue can really affect the bottom line. Try to imagine some of these smaller theatres as jazz clubs, coffee houses, restaurants, music venues etc. Those theatres that have office space like the UA could be converted to small hotels. I have stayed in many pensiones in Europe and Los Angeles needs affordable yet comfortable places for tourists to stay. It will take time to make Broadway the vibrant street we want it to be...but I can also say that seeing areas like Old Pasadena and the Gaslamp District become destination spots in my lifetime show me that Broadway is perfectly located for a revival. The ACE Hotel may really be a catalyst...should be an interesting year.

I agree with you generally. My comment was just saying that I am uncertain that this can work, but it's worth a try and I hope for the best.

The problem is that most of these auditoriums are too large for smaller venues like jazz bars or cafes; clubs are more promising. This has been tried in many cities and with very mixed results; revitalizing one or two places is tough enough, but in LA just in downtown we are talking about maybe 5 quite large theaters, 5 more medium-large, plus the ballrooms in the larger old hotels (some of which are worth saving). Utilizing this amount of space in a way that preserves the old look strikes me as difficult.

[DistrictDirt]

On my walk to the metro this morning, I noticed that they are repainting the Joe's garage on the 500 block of Spring. So far it looks like an orange gradient. Not sure if its an improvement, or will be truly terrible...


Source: me

[BrandonJXN]

They can paint a parking garage orange but they still can't repaint the bike lane. Pff.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

On my walk to the metro this morning, I noticed that they are repainting the Joe's garage on the 500 block of Spring. So far it looks like an orange gradient. Not sure if its an improvement, or will be truly terrible...


Source: me

Maybe it's just an undercoat (I hope)?

[LAsam]

^doubt it... looks like it is going to go from dark orange on the far left to a lighter orange as you look to the right.

[BrandonJXN]

Here's hoping it'll be a vertical version of the Houston Astro's brown rainbow uniforms from the 70's.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i7IqN0dMk7g/Sg...I/JtfdGy03HXg/s400/10-houston-astros.jpg

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

They can paint a parking garage orange but they still can't repaint the bike lane. Pff.

I mean, my god, the bike lane is pathetic.

[DtlaCuriousity]

That parking structure definitely has to go. Definitely a hindrance to that pretty nice area.

[alki]

Brigham announced today that Walmart Express might be going into Chinatown.

I am curious what you all think of the building. Its no architectural dazzler.........that's clear. However I like that it comes right down to the sidewalk......no setbacks......retail on the first floor.....and the siding looks to be paneling, not stucco.





http://brighamyen.com/2012/01/26/walmart...g-to-chinatown-in-downtown-la/#more-6852