LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0 - Page 142

mousquet · #**2821** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 4:21 AM**

Bah, I find these retro designs are annoying. It feels like looking back as if there was no interesting achievement in our time. It's a bit silly, especially at very tall buildings like these. It can be done right anyway, if cladded in stone with some proper finishing, like it was for the supposedly good old days.

King Kill 'em · #**2822** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 5:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcat23

33-story tower coming to the Fashion District

Absolute game changer and amazing design. Slant the roof, remove one of the garage entrance/exits, and make sure the podium is covered well, and it's perfect

NativeOrange · #**2823** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 5:28 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by King Kill 'em

Absolute game changer and amazing design. Slant the roof, remove one of the garage entrance/exits, and make sure the podium is covered well, and it's perfect

Agree. Development continues to push its current boundaries. Awesome to witness.

The design is pretty good. I like the dark colors as it reminds me of 801 Olive but with more interesting window patterns. The only thing I don't like is the roof. It looks like an unfinished floor. Better to add a slanted roof or something more unique, but I guess it's better than the usual "ass-hat" (isn't that what we're calling it?) like the Onni tower and others.

blackcat23 · #**2824** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 5:30 AM**

Live-work development planned at Industrial/Mateo

NativeOrange · #**2825** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 5:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcat23

Live-work development planned at Industrial/Mateo

Just read this. Arts District is on fire!

Side note: the AD is primed to be the most pedestrian oriented area in the freeway loop. Streets are tighter, and many of the new developments have ped-only Paseos due to the chaotic street patterns. I will be very excited once all this infill development is complete to see how the arts district will function as a real urban neighborhood and not just a scattered collection of industrial buildings, lofts, and a few restaurants.

CaliNative · #**2826** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 10:53 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD_Phil

Those were the days. I remember liking the City House and Olympic but their time has come and gone. Perhaps, as the city matures and develops its urban fabric, shorter versions of these can make their way onto vacant lots in the Arts or Warehouse districts.

Precisely because L.A. lost out on Art Deco (except for City Hall) & gothic revival towers in the 1920s because of the height restriction, I see no problem in building modern replicas like these (but with with completely modern interiors). Why not a 40 or 50 or 60 story Art Deco tower(s), if economics allow it? Broadway would be perfect, or maybe nearby on Spring St. or Pershing Square, since these areas are filled with historic structures and stubby 10-12 story office buildings of the 1920s era mostly kept under 150 feet by height restrictions. The Great Eastern, Texaco and (long demolished) Richfield Oil towers were allowed to go higher because they didn't count the spires and clock towers. If the height restriction didn't exist in the 1920s, some of these bulidings would probably have been 30-40 stories at least. Los Angeles was a big city by the 1920s, reaching over a million people by late in the decade, so it would have had some tall towers. Kansas City, a much smaller city, had 3 or 4 30+ story towers by the 1920s; Cincinatti built the 49 story Carew Tower, and Cleveland the 52 story Terminal Tower. One of the buildings looks a bit like a taller Carew Tower. These proposed towers would look great in the historic Broadway district. So, I am all in favor of building this "Art Deco revival" project!

mousquet · #**2827** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 11:25 AM**

Seeing renderings, it seems the towers would have been reminiscent of ancient Rome's architecture, which is usually called Neoclassicism, I believe. While partly developed by the same era as Art Deco when it comes to skyscrapers, it was not the same at all. Art Deco was a whole new and different school of design, much more innovative than Neoclassicism.

Also, Rotterdam as Dresden was completely bombed out by WW2, but the Dutch made an opposite bolder choice by relying on modern designs to rebuild their city. Today, Rotterdam is rated as a major hot spot of architecture and urban design in Europe, whereas Dresden is somewhat underground, so to speak.

Really, I'm sure a city has much more to earn from contemporary architecture, so I wouldn't shed a tear over those canceled towers. Although their height was very cool and would've been a plus, undoubtedly.

CaliNative · #**2828** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 11:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mousquet

Seeing renderings, it seems the towers would have been reminiscent of ancient Rome's architecture, which is usually called Neoclassicism, I believe. While partly developed by the same era as Art Deco when it comes to skyscrapers, it was not the same at all. Art Deco was a whole new and different school of design, much more innovative than Neoclassicism.

Also, Rotterdam as Dresden was completely bombed out by WW2, but the Dutch made an opposite bolder choice by relying on modern designs to rebuild their city. Today, Rotterdam is rated as a major hot spot of architecture and urban design in Europe, whereas Dresden is somewhat underground, so to speak.

Really, I'm sure a city has much more to earn from contemporary architecture, so I wouldn't shed a tear over those canceled towers. Although their height was very cool and would've been a plus, undoubtedly.

Whether you call them "Art Deco" or "neo-classical" they look good to me. The whole eclectic "post modern" trend (which I have mixed but mostly positive feelings about) was about reviving elements of the old styles. L.A. missed out in 2 ways: first, the 150 foot height restriction until the 1960s, and later the flat top requirement to accomodate helicopter pads (recently recinded). The Wilshire Grand was the 1st to break the "flat top" mold. Hopefully many more will follow, and I'd love to see a few playful revivals of Art Deco/Neo-classical, even gothic towers, especially in the Broadway theater district where they'd fit right in with the forest of 10-12 story buildings of the era. Just a few--wouldn't want L.A. to resemble the mad mix of historic kitsch of Las Vegas. I'm talking some genuine and classy towers right out of the 1920s, but 21st century inside.

colemonkee · #**2829** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 2:18 PM**

^ The Post Modern era took place mostly in the 80's and 90's, and LA didn't miss out at all. The old Sanwa Bank Building at Figueroa, and the funky yellow and white and black tower on Wilshire and Gayley are prime examples. Heck, even US Bank Tower is an example to some degree of post modern. The crown makes a chevron-like pattern that is present in a lot of Art Deco design (though flipped horizontally), and the setbacks are a throwback to the New York wedding cake pre-war towers. Even the choice in materials (stone) are very post modern. So we've got our fair share of post modern towers. What we're seeing now is a new take on post modernism, and so far the results have been pretty decent. Like this tower.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NativeOrange

The design is pretty good. I like the dark colors as it reminds me of 801 Olive but with more interesting window patterns. The only thing I don't like is the roof. It looks like an unfinished floor.

Those are called flying buttresses, and here seems to be a throwback to the Art Deco and Neo-Classical designs of the 1920's and 1930's. Flying butresses originally came out of Gothic architecture in the 1500-1600's, but were used in buildings like Tribune Tower in Chicago, and closer to home, the Title Guarantee building on 5th and Hill. I think they'll look pretty cool once you see it, and once you get the reference, it won't look like an unfinished floor.

cesar90 · #**2830** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 5:02 PM**

• Video Link

NativeOrange · #**2831** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 5:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

^ The Post Modern era took place mostly in the 80's and 90's, and LA didn't miss out at all. The old Sanwa Bank Building at Figueroa, and the funky yellow and white and black tower on Wilshire and Gayley are prime examples. Heck, even US Bank Tower is an example to some degree of post modern. The crown makes a chevron-like pattern that is present in a lot of Art Deco design (though flipped horizontally), and the setbacks are a throwback to the New York wedding cake pre-war towers. Even the choice in materials (stone) are very post modern. So we've got our fair share of post modern towers. What we're seeing now is a new take on post modernism, and so far the results have been pretty decent. Like this tower.

Those are called flying buttresses, and here seems to be a throwback to the Art Deco and Neo-Classical designs of the 1920's and 1930's. Flying butresses originally came out of Gothic architecture in the 1500-1600's, but were used in buildings like Tribune Tower in Chicago, and closer to home, the Title Guarantee building on 5th and Hill. I think they'll look pretty cool once you see it, and once you get the reference, it won't look like an unfinished floor.

As soon as you said it, I recognized what you mean. I agree that I should hold out until I see it finished, if it ever happens. Don't the design elements you're talking about usually look a little more symmetrical/evenly placed?

colemonkee · #**2832** Posted **Sep 28, 2016, 5:30 PM**

^ You're right, flying buttresses are traditionally symmetrical (and usually as part of a setback and some sort of vertical continuation of the structure itself), but remember that this design is derivative, and not a literal translation, so we should expect some deviation from past examples. There's a decent example of this being built in NY right now just south of the Hudson Yards development.

blackcat23 · #**2833** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 4:23 AM**

Arts District Park getting another mixed-use neighbor

hughfb3 · #**2834** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 6:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doctorboffin

I was browsing some failed proposals and I found these two renderings for residential towers back in the early 2000s. I have never seen them before, and I wasn't sure if you guys have so I thought I'd share.

*Sigh!* I remember these Richard Rodmark towers by Robertson partners!! We were all psyched up because they even went as far as to build a sales center on Olympic. This and the Old park 5th are past cycle dreams that never came. I feel if these were proposed now, they could get the financing... But back then, they were truly dreaming to the sky and beyond for DTLA and a higher percentage of the properties that turned into proposals were owned by local people and companies. Since the "transfer of money" also known as the recession, most of the current buildings are by out of town developers. Now that DT is established, we have all of the safe developers building safe, yet nice designs. I do really wish someone would build these somewhere in downtown LA. Chinese money... Anyone...

CaliNative · #**2835** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 6:39 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hughfb3

*Sigh!* I remember these Richard Rodmark towers by Robertson partners!! We were all psyched up because they even went as far as to build a sales center on Olympic. This and the Old park 5th are past cycle dreams that never came. I feel if these were proposed now, they could get the financing... But back then, they were truly dreaming to the sky and beyond for DTLA and a higher percentage of the properties that turned into proposals were owned by local people and companies. Since the "transfer of money" also known as the recession, most of the current buildings are by out of town developers. Now that DT is established, we have all of the safe developers building safe, yet nice designs. I do really wish someone would build these somewhere in downtown LA. Chinese money... Anyone...

I like the top one best--the two towers of different height work better. Looks like something out of Gotham City. I love this design. L.A.'s missing (because of the height limit) 1920s masterpiece. People would line up to live there, work there. Gotta be in the Broadway historic theater district--finest collection of '20s movie & vaudville theaters anywhere, or perhaps on nearby Pershing Square. Left tower looks to be about 700-750 feet, right tower maybe 900-950'. Imagine those buildings floodlit at night.

BrandonJXN · #**2836** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 11:33 AM**

Here's another ghost from years past. The mysterious 755 Tower.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/untitled5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/untitled4.jpg

caldor120la · #**2837** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 12:23 PM**

Rodmark Towers: so impressed by the plans at the time I saved Robertson Partners web site, and their still there. www.robertsonpartners.net/architecturalprojects.htm
Thanks ceser90 for Broadway place update video what a change to that block.

NativeOrange · #**2838** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 5:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrandonJXN

Here's another ghost from years past. The mysterious 755 Tower.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/untitled5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/untitled4.jpg

LOL!

I was going back the other day and remembered when this was first posted here. I actually really like the design of the tower, and the opening in the top would add something the skyline that would be interesting.

With that being said, holy podium! What is that a garage for 2,000 vehicles?

BrandonJXN · #**2839** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 6:01 PM**

That parking garage is already there.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9ml-TUR-eB0/VCtD0XgZfAI/AAAAAAAADGc/w6y6QC9CLBA/s1600/parkinggarage.jpg

colemonkee · #**2840** Posted **Sep 29, 2016, 6:45 PM**

^ That garage services the entire Fig+7 complex, which includes the Ernst & Young 41 story tower, part or all of 777 Fig Tower (52 stories), and the mall. So yes, it's big, but it serves that entire block, which is already pretty dense. Eventually something will be built in that space between the garage and the remainder of the complex. Hopefully it's something as tall and cool as what was originally approved.