LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[alki]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I'm trying so hard not to let those giant, fugly parking ramps ruin it for me. Looks like something from Brasilia.

Its not fair really to view it from the air; the true test will be on the ground with people all around. Having said that, I have a feeling it will turn out to be a park we want to like because of the extensive design but won't. I hope I am wrong. That part of DTLA needs something to work right.

[alki]

Originally Posted by citywatch

Since you're actually there & I've only visited through google street view, things may seem & feel different----maybe better, maybe worse----to someone on location compared with someone looking through a website. however, I really do suspect that whether a person is there or here, that a city like vancouver----or definitely its downtown----isn't bogged down by the amt of blight & fugly parking lots that are way too common in LA. I hope I'm wrong, & I'll happily say I'm wrong, if what you're experiencing in canada doesn't jibe with indirect observations made from a long distance. iow, if LA isn't as as what I'm guessing it probably is compared with at least certain other cities, including the one you're visiting right now.

Trust. Vancouver has its own problems. Economically, its probably worse off than LA. Job growth is negligible while housing is horrifically expensive because rich Asians keep buying into the marketplace.....like SF, that action benefits the existing owners but does little to encourage growth.

Some German friends lived there for nearly two years.......were thinking about emigrating but in the end, decided Vancouver is pretty to look at but doesn't have much substance. Besides, it was nearly impossible to find a good job. One, out of sheer desperation, applied to work as a salesman in a liquor store. The owner showed him a pile of applications.......all from people with PhDs, Masters and BAs.

I'd rather be gritty waiting for my cleanup than a pretty airhead. Just sayin'

[alki]

Originally Posted by Steve2726

Some 1,526 new apartments and condos are under construction in downtown L.A. That’s still far below the 8,224 units under way at the peak of the market in 2007, but Ms. Schatz says it’s a positive sign that an increasing number of developers are once again confident enough to build. “It’s anyone’s guess when we get back to the ferocity we experienced before the crash, but it’s good news,” Ms. Schatz says..

I didn't realize so many units were under construction. That's impressive.

[alki]

Originally Posted by Muji

Things are slowly starting to look up for the building. Famima!! opened recently on the Broadway side, and I think there are plans for Royal Clayton's, a former Arts District pub, to open at the Spring Street entrance (though there's still no sign of activity). The arcade connecting Broadway to Spring Street is one of downtown's most unique structures, and one of its most underutilized assets. Change can't come fast enough.

As for what it used to look like, here's a photo on Flickr:

Broadway Arcade Building par fridayinla, sur Flickr

Just for kicks, here's one from better days in 1963:

Source: LAPL Images

Damn, its hard to view the two photos......to see how much DTLA lost during its down period. Can't wait to see that arcade back to its former glory.

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I don't like it. It looks tacky, and reminds me of a McMansion.

LOL. What looks tacky? Were you experiencing some dizziness when having that thought?

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I don't like it. It looks tacky, and reminds me of a McMansion.

Oops! Sorry now I see what you mean. Its too bad marble and granite tiles have become synonymous with McMansions. In reality, they are a nice bldg material that can enhance the look of a place.

With the arcade, the tiles look esp bad compared to the colors of the walls and ceilings........change the paint colors and the tile could look really nice.....IMO.

[RuFFy]

Originally Posted by citywatch

the slowness in filling deadzones like the one where the FIDM bldg would be located is a great way of testing one's patience....


maps.google.com

I often wonder about your posts. Did you consider that the picture includes 3 structures that 6 years ago didn't exist on the very same block FIDM is supposed to go into? Oh, and that.... 20 some odd story one across the street... Also in the valuable google street view picture that keeps the thread alive...

[BrandonJXN]

If the FIDM Tower is built, I will be very happy. But if it ends up looking like this and not like 717 Olympic Phase 2 then I will be enthralled.


http://static.flickr.com/33/43682926_f3d8617e4d_o.jpg

Love this design. It could end up being a real gem.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

So i got a notice in the mail today regarding the "Empire Hotel" which is the old Embassy building on Grand. Obviously, weve all noticed that work has been going on there slowly and now we have confirmation.

Finally! Good to see some answers coming out about that proj! thanks for the news....another instance of us depending on forumers like you who do live in the hood to give us a better sense of what's going on.

the old embassy bldg & the clark hotel have been loose strings that never seem to get tied up, & it's no coincidence they're both owned by the same company. Since nothing has been said about the exterior of the clark hotel several blocks to the north, I'm assuming it still looks very rundown....even though it was reported in the paper that it was going to open for business not too long in the future.

ethereal reality in the 'noirish Los angeles' thread in the found photos section also mentioned your post. he focused on the description of a garden going into the space along 9th st. he also has an image of the letter you got that doesn't require someone to tilt their head in order to read it

Looks like they are planning grand things for the old Trinity Auditorium building at 9th & Grand.



ethereal_reality

^ I recall that cleared out area where the garden & wall will be built once being a small bldg that housed a restaurant yrs & yrs ago.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I dunno. I think I like the floor before better. It may have been dated, but it wasn't offensive. Just sort of bland. The new floor is offensive, IMO.

the old floor wasn't just bland to me, it looked really cheap. I can't see exactly what it was made of....maybe just plain concrete? If not, the new owner could have easily gone that route, since concrete would have been alot easier, faster & cheaper to install. by comparison, slate tiles are a more $$ & time consuming type of surface to install. However, the grayish color of the tiles & the color of the walls do look mismatched.

I guess, as is often the case, this is a matter of personal taste. You don't like the new floor, I think it looks perfectly fine. Similarly, I notice alot of owners of loft bldgs think plain concrete walls in apts not only are OK, they're even hip in a deconstructionist sort of way. But to me, in many instances, they make me think the person working on the interior ran out of $$, like the case of the wall behind the bed in this pic of an apt in the newly opened jeffries bldg. That proj is on the other side of the block where the san fernando bldg is located, across the street from the somewhat new medallion bldg.....


thejeffriesla.com


thejeffriesla.com

^ The jeffries at least has fully covered ceilings instead of those bldgs where the conduits & wiring are fully visible in an apt or condo. again, some ppl don't mind or even prefer one style to the other.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by alki

And that's what makes it so amazing and cool. The LA Brahmins tried to do it on Bunker Hill and its still pretty much a sterile area. Urban revival can't be manufactured; it has to be organic. And that's what's happening in DTLA these days. Kudos!

Exactly correct: cut the subsidized mega-projects out and make the city functional and attractive. When that happens, the private developers will beat down your doors to get in.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by alki

Trust. Vancouver has its own problems. Economically, its probably worse off than LA. Job growth is negligible while housing is horrifically expensive because rich Asians keep buying into the marketplace.....like SF, that action benefits the existing owners but does little to encourage growth.

Some German friends lived there for nearly two years.......were thinking about emigrating but in the end, decided Vancouver is pretty to look at but doesn't have much substance.

that's an interesting bit of news, which I wasn't aware of. I know alot of entertainment business has fled LA to cities like vancouver over the past many yrs, so trends similar to that & a city in canada being kind of bland but not as rundown as LA made me think it would be in much better shape. I know LA has been trapped with one of the highest unemployment rates of any major city in the US, & we do attract alot more struggling ppl instead of mainly wealthy immigrants from places like hong kong.

the cities that will do well in the long run have to attract talented, bright, skilled ppl, & ultimately lots of such ppl won't be too comfortable spending much of their life in hoods that are too & , which LA has its fair share of.

[colemonkee]

LosAngelesSportsFan, thanks for posting that notice on the Embassy Hotel, though it did make my neck hurt. I'm genuinely excited to see that move forward, and even more excited to see that it includes a rooftop bar (hopefully open to the public) as well as the spa center. My only concern is the 9 foot wall being put in around the garden. I'm sure the garden will be amazing for guests, but that wall is pretty shitty for the pedestrian experience. That pretty much leaves the surface lots at the corner of 9th and Hope and the other side of 9th street between Grand and Olive as the only hopes for connecting the pedestrian experience of Ralph's to the planned condo tower on the northeast corner of 9th and Olive. There's already a fair amount of foot traffic along that route. Whatever development goes in those spots will have to give reasons for that foot traffic to increase. I'm hoping the City makes a point of requiring that for whoever eventually develops that land.

[JRinSoCal]

From LA Downtown News:

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/new-f...fd72ee0-bcb4-11e1-8320-0019bb2963f4.html

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

LosAngelesSportsFan, thanks for posting that notice on the Embassy Hotel, though it did make my neck hurt. I'm genuinely excited to see that move forward, and even more excited to see that it includes a rooftop bar (hopefully open to the public) as well as the spa center. My only concern is the 9 foot wall being put in around the garden. I'm sure the garden will be amazing for guests, but that wall is pretty shitty for the pedestrian experience. That pretty much leaves the surface lots at the corner of 9th and Hope and the other side of 9th street between Grand and Olive as the only hopes for connecting the pedestrian experience of Ralph's to the planned condo tower on the northeast corner of 9th and Olive. There's already a fair amount of foot traffic along that route. Whatever development goes in those spots will have to give reasons for that foot traffic to increase. I'm hoping the City makes a point of requiring that for whoever eventually develops that land.

sorry about that lol. Hopefully ill get a notice for the Angelina and the propsed tower by chase in the near future. ill make sure to post them correctly. ha

i have the same concerns regarding that 9 foot wall. it needs to be done right to allow for interaction between the building and the street.

Citywatch, in regards to the Clark.. i think they started painting it, but im not 100% sure

[BrandonJXN]

A little update:

-Metro is apparently starting installing the new canopies for it's station as the Westlake/MacArthur Park station has theirs nearly up.

-The renovation at 845 Fig is well underway. Nearly half of the windows on the south side of the building is removed.

-There is scaffolding all along the ground floor of Apex (Concerto). Anyone know what's going on?

[alki]

On this forum, we talk a lot about retail making a comeback in DTLA. This article talks about a retail renaissance in Miami........not right on Flagler its retail core.... but adjacent to it. I was in DT Miami in the early 90s........and it made DTLA look like a high end urban center.....so if its possible in Miami, its definitely doable in LA.

I thought you might like to read the article:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-an...d-life-downtown-shopping-districts/1925/

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Citywatch, in regards to the Clark.. i think they started painting it, but im not 100% sure

regrettably no, lasf. I went by there late this afternoon & actually was shocked at how shabby the exterior of the bldg still is. even more so since the owners some time ago built a rooftop pool deck & possibly have done quite a bit of work on the interior.

there's something wrong with them when their time lines are so strange or eccentric. if they're possibly so undercapitalized they haven't been able to do even modest work on the front of the hotel bldg, other than restoring its sign, then I'm worried they could easily mismanage any business once it's up & running. I hope not.

I breezed through dt today on the way back from attending the grad party of a friend's daughter who lives around sawtelle, so I glimpsed only a few things. the work on the new apt bldg on fig across from the convention ctr is visible, but if a person didn't know about that proj, they'd easily not notice what's going on there.

the thing that stood out to me early this evening is how much space in the southern section of dt still is very, very underutilized & The fact there are plenty of parking lots around there is obvious when I saw a variety of attendants waving flags at passer bys in cars to get them to use their lots. Between that & all the tatty bldgs, I really can't help but think that when ppl complain about some new devlpt not being taller, or not fitting their idea of great architecture, they must be rarely or never in the hood. Or if they do spend much time there or definitely live there, then they must walk around with huge, long blinders on. iow, the sense that things in the hood still desperately need lots more improvement really stood out to me.

So the last thing that bothered me was the thought of a new devlpt being 8 floors instead of 20 or 30, or it having a parking podium instead of shops on level 1, or it not being designed with the sidewalk fully in mind.

another peculiarity of LA is that the samo fwy going eastbound was very crowded even on a sunday afternoon. that must be due in part to all the ppl I saw when taking our friend & her kids to a restaurant near Venice. Coastal LA is packed with ppl, from venice northward. but one could leave such busy hoods, get on the crowded fwy, & then end up in dtla, where one would think LA must have a population of thousands & not millions. DT seemed quiet by comparison to the beach areas. But the overcrowded coastal hoods & the crowded fwy show there remains a big imbalance between where ppl want to hang out, where they have to drive to in order to reach where they hang out, & everything between those 2 points.

[Illithid Dude]

Cigywatch, don't get do worked up about the Clark Hotel not looking pretty right now. Normally, from what I've seen, when it comes to adaptive reuses, exteriors are always last. I remember the exterior for both The Jeffries and Unami Burger coming together in the last month or so. I imagine the same thing will happen with the ClarkHotel

[LA/OCman]

Another huge parking lot will be developed soon...they say within two months!

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-downtown-lot-sold-20120624,0,1564920.story?track=rss