LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[pesto]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Urban Outfitters and H&M have long been rumored to be actively looking for Downtown Space. Same with Uniqlo and Forever 21. And don't forget, there is already retail downtown! Skingraft has a great store, as do many other boutiques. As a matter of fact, a very high end bag store just opened up, called.... Sand something? I forget. Either way, it's actually a very high end store, the bag store. They also sell a lot of other clothing, like Nudie Jeans and Oliver People's glasses. Frankly, I'd prefer if downtown went the independent boutique route rather then the mass market clothing store route. Gives it more character IMO.

Zara would be another good choice; given their European roots, they are used to multi-story lay-outs, without becoming the size of US dept. stores.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by pesto

Zara would be another good choice; given their European roots, they are used to multi-story lay-outs, without becoming the size of US dept. stores.

Is Zara from Spain? I was never sure.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

Is Zara from Spain? I was never sure.

Yup

[Kingofthehill]

Today, I saw a tri-level brick building on Main and 14th finishing up its renovation. Anybody know what it is for? The type of windows (along with the number of them) it had led me to believe that it wasn't going to be a warehouse, which many of the buildings in the surrounding area are.

[Kingofthehill]

Clifton's:



Building on 5th/Broadway:



One Santa Fe:



Buildout at Cafe Figaro venture space:



Soon-to-be-converted Art-Deco building opposite the future Spring St. Park:







Broadway:

[Illithid Dude]

Sports Chalet just signed to open at Fig @ 7th. Just saying.

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Sports Chalet just signed to open at Fig @ 7th. Just saying.

That's a store we actually legitimately need in DTLA. Finally a halfway decent sporting good store. My wishlist for DTLA:

Apple Store - Part of the (hopefully) future Grand Avenue Project
REI - Would be similar to the SaMo location, large corner building, Historic Core
Express - 7th Street
Clarks - 7th Street
Whole Foods - Historic Core
See's Candies - Union Station
In-N-Out - anywhere, preferably adjacent to my building
Niketown - 1 block or so North of LA Live
Urban Home - 7th+Fig
Disney - Maybe in 5-10 years buy one of the Broadway Theaters (Million Dollar, Tower, but NOT the Los Angeles), restore it to full glory and let it perform the same function as the El Capitan as a host for its new releases
Barnes and Noble - near Pershing Square
Sharkeez/Busbys/Beanery - jk

[Illithid Dude]

Oh! Wishlist! First of all,I think downtown should have three 'main' shopping areas. The first would be 7th, which would be predominantly high end. Broadway would be the second, and would be comprised of all mass-market stuff (third street promenade) and would appeal mostly to the tourists. The third would be the Historic Core (Main/Spring) and would be locally owned boutiques and neighborhood serving retail (sort of like what is there already). Obviously, it doesn't matter at all what I think, but I feel that what I proposed is the most logical solution to shopping downtown. You can't have things spread out everywhere, cause that spreads them too thin. There needs to be some order for shopping to work.

Okay, wishlist.

Instead of Barns and Nobles, I think a local bookstore would be great. For example, as a high school job, I've been working at a Brentwood bookstore called Diesel. I'd much prefer something like that instead of big mass-market Barns and Nobles.

I'd like to see a restaurant by the guys who do Huckleberry/Rustic Canyon/Milo and Olive.

I think a Levis store would do really well, because everyone, rich or poor, old or young, wears Levis.

[pesto]

[QUOTE=Kingofthehill;5723180]Clifton's:



QUOTE]

Thanks for the update. Some great old buildings seem to be coming back.

Maybe Clifton's should be left as is as a piece of postmodern art.

[colemonkee]

Clifton's is being completely brought back, and the plans for the rest of the building are actually pretty cool, and I predict very popular with residents and tourists downtown.

[RST500]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Oh! Wishlist! First of all,I think downtown should have three 'main' shopping areas. The first would be 7th, which would be predominantly high end. Broadway would be the second, and would be comprised of all mass-market stuff (third street promenade) and would appeal mostly to the tourists. The third would be the Historic Core (Main/Spring) and would be locally owned boutiques and neighborhood serving retail (sort of like what is there already). Obviously, it doesn't matter at all what I think, but I feel that what I proposed is the most logical solution to shopping downtown. You can't have things spread out everywhere, cause that spreads them too thin. There needs to be some order for shopping to work.

Okay, wishlist.

Instead of Barns and Nobles, I think a local bookstore would be great. For example, as a high school job, I've been working at a Brentwood bookstore called Diesel. I'd much prefer something like that instead of big mass-market Barns and Nobles.

I'd like to see a restaurant by the guys who do Huckleberry/Rustic Canyon/Milo and Olive.

I think a Levis store would do really well, because everyone, rich or poor, old or young, wears Levis.

I agree about 6th street in the Jewerly District as being the high end shopping district. I see the area around LA Live evolving into where the large touristy chains are. Broadway needs to be the center of nightlife, nightclubs, theaters, neon signs ect. Spring and Main are going in the right direction, Art Galleries, along with resteraunts, and bars.

[Steve2726]

Awesome photos KOTH, thanks for posting.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Oh! Wishlist! First of all,I think downtown should have three 'main' shopping areas. The first would be 7th, which would be predominantly high end. Broadway would be the second, and would be comprised of all mass-market stuff (third street promenade) and would appeal mostly to the tourists. The third would be the Historic Core (Main/Spring) and would be locally owned boutiques and neighborhood serving retail (sort of like what is there already). Obviously, it doesn't matter at all what I think, but I feel that what I proposed is the most logical solution to shopping downtown. You can't have things spread out everywhere, cause that spreads them too thin. There needs to be some order for shopping to work.

Okay, wishlist.

Instead of Barns and Nobles, I think a local bookstore would be great. For example, as a high school job, I've been working at a Brentwood bookstore called Diesel. I'd much prefer something like that instead of big mass-market Barns and Nobles.

I'd like to see a restaurant by the guys who do Huckleberry/Rustic Canyon/Milo and Olive.

I think a Levis store would do really well, because everyone, rich or poor, old or young, wears Levis.

I've always seen 7th street as a place for high end retail =] like when i first saw Bottega Louie's sign "Louie" I kinda pictured in my head what if it was a Louis Vuitton lol... with the historic architecture and Gold lettering on the building... it could almost look like one of the high end stores in Milan or something. I think the mass marketing stuff belong in both Broadway and LA live area. And then the locally owned boutiques i think should just be spread around downtown with many of them in the main/spring st areas.

I think Broadway should be the center of it all though with Department stores, fully restored movie palaces, residential units, hotels, billboards and neon/LED signs, clubs, bars, transit(streetcars), restaurants, and a bunch of other retail... XXI, G by Guess, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, New York & Co., M.A.C, etc etc.... It doesn't really sound like it all would workout together... but the Gaslamp Quarter in SD has movie theaters, restaurants, bars, clubs, offices, residential, hotels, art galleries, and locally owned boutiques all in one area and works real well....

[Illithid Dude]

Oh, I feel like I should mention, I was downtown today. Some updates:

The Marriott Hotel is a huge pit. Progressing quickly.

There is movement on the 7 story 'tower' across from the convention center. Nothing too exciting, but... movement!

Fig @ 7th is very far along and looks great! Seriously, I was surprised. It looks very clean and modern.

The Smart and Finals building has not started renovating the facade yet. However, there is a large fence around the base.

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Oh, I feel like I should mention, I was downtown today. Some updates:

The Marriott Hotel is a huge pit. Progressing quickly.

There is movement on the 7 story 'tower' across from the convention center. Nothing too exciting, but... movement!

Fig @ 7th is very far along and looks great! Seriously, I was surprised. It looks very clean and modern.

The Smart and Finals building has not started renovating the facade yet. However, there is a large fence around the base.

Anyone see the Grand Park sign next to the LA County Courthouse on Grand Ave? I passed it this afternoon while driving and didn't have a chance to get a picture. Looks pretty good!

[JDRCRASH]

Fig @ 7th!! That's what i forgot to add!

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

Anyone see the Grand Park sign next to the LA County Courthouse on Grand Ave? I passed it this afternoon while driving and didn't have a chance to get a picture. Looks pretty good!

I walked by there today. I meant to take a picture of the sign (it's a tall metal pillar with various languages on it) but I didn't. I did peek through the fence and I must admit that Grand Park looks quite nice.

Something else I noticed today that I never noticed before: the art piece in front of the Fig@Wilshire Building now shines a beam of light into the sky which looks pretty cool actually. I took a (shitty) picture of it.

[colemonkee]

So I've been talking to Metro about the Downtown Connector (I live on 2nd Street so it's going to go right by my building) and they're telling us that utility relocation (which will take 6 months, or probably more) may start as early as July of this year. While the construction phase of this will be trying for our building I can't wait for this project to open. It's going to do so much for development in the area, specifically some of those surface lots on Broadway between 2nd and 3rd.

[Steve2726]

Hope this link works, might require FB login.

This is a crazy time lapse video of the Cathedral construction from 1999-2002.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1543751270230&set=vb.160602687288483&type=2&theater#

[BrandonJXN]

Does anyone know what's up with the Spring Street Park?