LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by JRinSoCal

^^Holy crap I must have been asleep when that broke ground.

blackcat is the first forumer to have taken a pic of that proj, which is one reason why it has been a bit under the radar. There are now enough new projs underway in dt that it's becoming easier & easier to lose track of some of them.

[alki]

Some good news.........the lease up of this project is going well......further evidence of DT's/City West's strength.

Shrunken 1111 Wilshire Apartment Already About a Third Filled



Skeptics may be skeptical, but City West really seems to be happening. The neighborhood once called Downtown's Jersey has nearly 900 new (or newish) residential units by Downtown News's reckoning, including the recently opened 1111 Wilshire. Once planned as a 30-story tower, before the downturn got in the way, the seven-story apartment building has 210 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, renting for between $1,570 and $4,200 a month. Developed by Holland Partners (who are the ones behind the 642-unit development scheduled to break ground around the corner in 2014), the building has amenities like a rooftop pool/spa/barbecue area, two-level gym, media room, and bike storage. The developers say they expect the building to fill up by September; two months in it's about 30 percent occupied.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/sh...artment_already_about_a_third_filled.php

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Originally Posted by alki View Post
The irony is that you and XXXX have similar POVs. Both of you are fairly critical about where DT is these days. And you catch a lot of flack for your criticism.

alki, it's a low blow to say that I & the forumer you mention (let's call him "XXXX") have similar views. He once even sent me a nasty (& cuckoo) sort of private message a few yrs ago regarding some post of mine. he gets cheap, weird jollies in making LA sound like a pit for losers, & most importantly, flaming ppl who disagree with him. I'm not being sarcastic when I say that I truly suspect he has some mental issues.

What I said was you both are critical of DT. However, you deliver your criticism in a much more diplomatic/constructive manner but still get flack for it. Those comments were never meant to suggest you and he are the same. You're not.....so please let it go.

[StethJeff]

^^ Ill never understand how people can like this style. How is this not going to look dated and ridiculous in 10 years?

[StethJeff]

From Curbed:

DOWNTOWN: True or false: Grand Tower Apartments (aka Museum Tower Apartments) are DTLA's porn hub, as DTLAL Magazine claims today on Twitter. If it's true, and you have evidence, why haven't you already sent it to [email protected]? [@DTLAL]

So I guess my question is, does Curbed usually make such obvious errors? Do they not realize that Grand Tower and Museum Tower are entirely different buildings on opposite sides of the street from each other?

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

^^ Ill never understand how people can like this style. How is this not going to look dated and ridiculous in 10 years?

Just paint it white and it'll look pretty good. Easy fix.

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

Just paint it white and it'll look pretty good. Easy fix.

If only every building in LA that needed a paint job actually got a paint job. That thing will stay hideous for 30 years before someone does us all a favor and repaints it.

Should we start taking bets on when Glo gets repainted?

[Mojeda101]

Downtown Los Angeles (mini) Update of 5-27-13

Greetings everyone! I wish this update could have been more extensive and ended with a happier note, but unfortunately my car was broken into and I lost a few valuable items. What aggravated me is that they took my work bag, which contained nothing of value to the robbers. I'm a real estate agent and they took my bag filled with leads and listings. Seriously? Anyways, here is your update everyone!

Courtyard Marriott

It's making headway! Should be completed soon enough. I can't wait for the LED and construction to begin on the other 20+ story tower nextdoor



I ate lunch at Rosa Mexicano and the food was delicious. My only complaint is that it's the first Mexican restaurant I've ever been to that doesn't serve burritos. What an outrage! Regardless, I had a great view of the Courtyard, and the streets were surprisingly lively



Wilshire Grand

I'd imagine in my next update, we will no longer see anything above ground. It'll be gone, and the tallest will rise



8th and Hope

It's gotten big fast! I can't wait to see this baby rise up



8th and Grand

I couldn't get to the parking structure to get a good shot, but here's one from the Macy's plaza



Well, this brings the update to an end. Sorry that I couldn't get 9th and Olive, and the Parcel tower, but I'll be sure to next time! Anyways. I'm LOVING the new continental crosswalks! It gives me a much better sense of safe zone between myself and the cars. I love it.



Ehh..Close enough, lol

[alki]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

^^ Ill never understand how people can like this style. How is this not going to look dated and ridiculous in 10 years?

What bothers you most about the bldg........its design, height, the facade treatment, all of the above?

I don't think its outstanding architecture but I've seen much worse bldgs.

[Valyrian Steel]

Mojeda, thanks for the update. I'm particularly digging the shots of the Marriott from the freeway, a view I'd been wanting to see for a while.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by alki

What bothers you most about the bldg........its design, height, the facade treatment, all of the above?

I don't think its outstanding architecture but I've seen much worse bldgs.

For me it's the materials. Stucco just looks so terrible in such a short amount of time. If they clad the building in literally anything different, it would look a lot better.

Originally Posted by StethJeff

Outside of skid row, Broadway is the last place in downtown that I want to sit on a patio to eat and enjoy the street life. Broadway still looks and feels way too dingy. New developments, retail, and a streetcar can change that but not at this point. Honestly, it's still a hot mess.

I always see people outside of Umanicatessen, and they don't seem to mind Broadway. It's so fascinating to me that the gentrification of Broadway is happening from south to north, unlike the rest of the historic core. Anyways, the owners of H. Lorezno, an ultra high end boutique selling conceptual clothing (Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, Julius) have opened up a pop up store in the Arts District. Apparently, they want to bring ultra high end fashion downtown. Sounds good to me!

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by alki

However, you deliver your criticism in a much more diplomatic/constructive manner but still get flack for it.

alki, other than some flame baiters, or, yes, trolls like the forumer you were giving some leeway to, I don't recall getting flack from anyone who I take seriously. There is the "sybil" forumer I described in one of my recent posts, meaning anyone who can tolerate "XXXX"...much less tinkle all over him with praise, & has the gall to turn around & then give thumbs down to another forumer. I don't think that says much about the coherence...or sanity ...of one or the other.

btw, should a forumer get flack for criticism that at least is reserved for the truly....TRULY!....bad things about dt, or for nitpicking about new projs being too short, too tall, being stucco or the wrong color, having too much parking or having no spaces for stores on the 1st level?

for instance, thanks to mojeda we now have the first pic ever posted here that shows the new courtyard hotel as seen from the fwy. Is is better to snipe about the new bldg's design, or to snipe about all the tatty bldgs & parking lots that still sit around it?

I have a hunch the average person isn't going to go cuz the new proj's architecture isn't of Pritzker Prize quality. But I bet the average person will go over the grit that is next to or near the new hotel.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

It's so fascinating to me that the gentrification of Broadway is happening from south to north, unlike the rest of the historic core.

I imagine that's cuz the swap meets, & the ppl who keep such businesses afloat, still dominate the northern end of broadway. I keep hoping those stores will see such a sharp decline in their sales volume, that they'll have no choice but to close up shop. Turning around broadway, esp farther north, will be less difficult if more & more spaces for stores become vacant, & easier to turn over to new businesses.

the article in the downtown news, & other stories I've read through the yrs, indicate property owners still get enough $$$ from the swap meets to want to keep stringing them along. Or the swap meets string along their landlord, & the shoppers who like the swap meets string along the owners of the swapmeets, & the vicious cycle continues indefinitely.

[RuFFy]

Well, while Citywatch is busy reporting her childish opinions of other forumers (which speaks of her mental state as well), the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Zare (edit: Zara) will be opening a store at FigAt7th. Perhaps the renderings of the shopping plaza weren't all.. well.. false.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-zara-downtown-20130529,0,7714859.story

Looks like they'll be taking up 27k sq ft of the complex and opening next spring. And, in case anyone forgot, a Sports Chalet concept is going to be opening in the complex too. All we need is Meiman Narcus and we're all set.

[ConstructDTLA]

Originally Posted by RuFFy

Well, while Citywatch is busy reporting her childish opinions of other forumers (which speaks of her mental state as well), the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Zare (edit: Zara) will be opening a store at FigAt7th. Perhaps the renderings of the shopping plaza weren't all.. well.. false.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-zara-downtown-20130529,0,7714859.story

Looks like they'll be taking up 27k sq ft of the complex and opening next spring. And, in case anyone forgot, a Sports Chalet concept is going to be opening in the complex too. All we need is Meiman Narcus and we're all set.

Thats really exciting news - specially since it'll be on street level of this silly center.

[alki]

Originally Posted by RuFFy

Well, while Citywatch is busy reporting her childish opinions of other forumers (which speaks of her mental state as well), the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Zare (edit: Zara) will be opening a store at FigAt7th. Perhaps the renderings of the shopping plaza weren't all.. well.. false.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-zara-downtown-20130529,0,7714859.story

Looks like they'll be taking up 27k sq ft of the complex and opening next spring. And, in case anyone forgot, a Sports Chalet concept is going to be opening in the complex too. All we need is Meiman Narcus and we're all set.

Major coup. That will set the tone for the rest of the shops in Figat7th and gives what Rakovich does with Macy's even more potential. Exciting stuff. DT is turning a corner. Now if one of the studios would step up to the plate......

[LA/OCman]

Originally Posted by alki

Major coup. That will set the tone for the rest of the shops in Figat7th and gives what Rakovich does with Macy's even more potential. Exciting stuff. DT is turning a corner. Now if one of the studios would step up to the plate......

I understand the LA Center Studios (where Mad Men has been filmed) is a busy studio with 6 sound stages. This property used to the the Union 76 HQ and is located on 20 acres in City West.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by RuFFy

Well, while Citywatch is busy reporting her childish opinions of other forumers (which speaks of her mental state as well), the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Zare (edit: Zara) will be opening a store at FigAt7th. Perhaps the renderings of the shopping plaza weren't all.. well.. false.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-zara-downtown-20130529,0,7714859.story

Looks like they'll be taking up 27k sq ft of the complex and opening next spring. And, in case anyone forgot, a Sports Chalet concept is going to be opening in the complex too. All we need is Meiman Narcus and we're all set.

I don't expect this to do well. Food is one thing- office workers need to eat- but stores rely on street level activity to survive, and FigAt7th is sort of out of the way. The store would do a lot better if it was on Broadway, or 7th.

[Wilcal]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

For me it's the materials. Stucco just looks so terrible in such a short amount of time. If they clad the building in literally anything different, it would look a lot better.




I always see people outside of Umanicatessen, and they don't seem to mind Broadway. It's so fascinating to me that the gentrification of Broadway is happening from south to north, unlike the rest of the historic core. Anyways, the owners of H. Lorezno, an ultra high end boutique selling conceptual clothing (Rick Owens, Gareth Pugh, Julius) have opened up a pop up store in the Arts District. Apparently, they want to bring ultra high end fashion downtown. Sounds good to me!

Illithid Dude, I'm with you.

Stucco looks cheap because it is a cheaper material for construction. If applied poorly it can have an uneven or wavy look to it. It stains easily, especially if metal trimming is used. And, worst of all, when the building settles it cracks and looks ugly. I don't know of a better material which can be used of wood frame construction. Hopefully, when the day comes (and it will), downtown Los Angeles will reach that critical point of desirability whereby planning codes can demand certain materials in construction and the developers will comply. I know that Claremont's downtown is so desirable the city council essentially calls the shots--and developers are more than eager to oblige. And, I think the same is pretty much true for Santa Monica. Right?

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by alki

What bothers you most about the bldg........its design, height, the facade treatment, all of the above?

I don't think its outstanding architecture but I've seen much worse bldgs.

The height I can deal with. DTLA adjacent communities can handle having plenty of shorter structures. It's the materials, crayola colors, and lack of distinguishing features or identity. It's an uninteresting box that already looks dated IMO.

[Wilcal]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I don't expect this to do well. Food is one thing- office workers need to eat- but stores rely on street level activity to survive, and FigAt7th is sort of out of the way. The store would do a lot better if it was on Broadway, or 7th.

Those were the traditional streets for shopping years ago. I remember going to the Broadway, May Company, Bullock's and Robinson's--all within a walkable distance.