LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[pwright1]

Nice video Citywatch.

[citywatch]

^

The same youtube site today released a stroll down Hill st.


• Video Link


Ppl around angel's flight & Grand central is why feet on the sidewalks give life to a hood....discussions about the design of new bldgs & how tall they are tend to be bloodless....any proj seems either weaker or better depending on how busy or crowded it is or isn't.

5:49 is why the apt tower proposed for the corner of 4th & Hill....to replace the taco house....is needed more than the angels landing proj. even though fans of taller projs don't care as much about what's planned for the east side of Hill at 4th, the apt bldg there is going to give a bigger boost to the hood in the next several yrs...if it is built.

The NW corner of 4th & Hill on the other side is somewhat passable for now as a partly landscaped park. but Taco house & the parking lot around it makes me think of ptomaine poisoning.

What is going on with the Clark hotel? It still looks abandoned & like a place that was once a prison.

the park fifth proj has filled in the big gap that once existed between the old subway terminal bldg & the title guarantee bldg at 5th & Hill.

the status of the large mural on the west facing wall of the converted apt bldg at 5th & Broadway can be seen at 10:21. The bldg at the sw corner of 7th & hill can be seen with construction fences around it as it's renovated into a new condo or hotel proj....don't recall exactly what's being done there.... can be seen around 14:34.

DT is still a work in progress when seen around 7th towards south park. The bldg across from shake shack is still a vacant eyesore. there are still way too many parking lots & abandoned bldgs or empty storefronts. but bit by bit, it's getting there.

The perla tower on broadway at 4th can be seen in the background towards the end of the vid....it's another thing that adds to the sense of dtla being a more complete place.

[BigCityOfDreams]

Originally Posted by citywatch

A recent stroll on olive St from south pk to the grand ave proj & back to south of olympic blvd again....much of what exists today was mainly parking lots & abandoned bldgs not too many yrs ago.

Projs like the 35 story level didn't exist, the freehand hotel was the long vacant commercial exchange mercantile bldg, the nomad was the long abandoned gianinni bank bldg....the 8th & grand apt bldg was a huge potholed parking lot. The biltmore had long been across the street from a deadening parking lot, what's now the soon to be completed park fifth apt bldg.

I still remember walking by the abandoned coulter mandel bldg at 7th & olive when its upper windows had rags...old curtains....hanging out of them. Disney hall, ever since its opening in 2003, had been stuck next to the tinker toy parking structure...supposedly temporary....built over 40 yrs ago....some temporary that was.

olive st is fairly typical by the standards of many major cities out there...but for LA, dt in 2019 is a more well rounded area....a first in the city's history. Even before dtla lost its mojo over 70 yrs ago, very few ppl lived there. so large portions of this didn't exist even in the early 1900s....


• Video Link

CityWatch, I am curious to hear where you think people in LA lived in the early 1900s? Did you not see the photo of Pershing Square a few pages back? We get it, Downtown is in the midst of a massive boom, and that is an amazing thing. But it would be helpful for you to justify your *literally constant** statements that no one ever lived Downtown, and that this is the most vibrant that it has ever been. My family has lived in Los Angeles since the 1840s, and I for one find your statements to not only be uniformed transplant nonsense, but also quite insulting. Like, do you not understand that LA started Downtown and expanded outward, and that Downtown was the center of the region even before the Spanish conquest of the area???

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by BigCityOfDreams

But it would be helpful for you to justify your *literally constant** statements that no one ever lived Downtown, and that this is the most vibrant that it has ever been.

I know there was some decent housing up on bunker hill over 90 yrs ago, but it started losing its appeal during the early 1900s. Some of the old hotels like the alexandria & smaller apt bldgs in what's now south park did house residents, but such areas in dt weren't a large, consistent mass.

ppl started moving west of dt over 90 yrs ago, such as the areas around USC....some of them were for ppl who wanted a nice hood to call home. but much of dtla itself? unless residents wanted to live around a lot of industrial or commercial properties, it wasn't the part of town they wanted to call home.

since bunker hill was considered as having the most prestigious housing & best residential in dt over 100 yrs ago, & since old pics of it show it was a mainly worn out area starting around over 80 yrs ago, I don't believe any other part of dt was in much better shape....or any more appealing for ppl on the up & up who wanted to be part of a nice residential hood, whether in a NY, Chicago, SF or Paris format, or in a tree lined burban format, in LA.



www.lataco.com

[Blesha13]

Okay so I'm just going to go ahead and say it, but as crazy as it sounds I feel like Los Angeles needs to step up its game and have someone build a skyscraper that reaches 1,781 ft (1781 the year the city was founded). Now wouldn't that be cool and I know that'll make our skyline off balance, but it should be done. 1 WTC reaches 1,776 ft (the year the Declaration of Independence was signed obviously), why can't we?

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Blesha13

Okay so I'm just going to go ahead and say it, but as crazy as it sounds I feel like Los Angeles needs to step up its game and have someone build a skyscraper that reaches 1,781 ft (1781 the year the city was founded). Now wouldn't that be cool and I know that'll make our skyline off balance, but it should be done. 1 WTC reaches 1,776 ft (the year the Declaration of Independence was signed obviously), why can't we?

I mean with this logic, Moreno Valley should build a skyscraper 1,984 feet tall. It would be the tallest building east of Riverside and west of Banning.

Give me five 30 story buildings over a single supertall skyscraper any day.

[caligrad]

Originally Posted by Blesha13

Okay so I'm just going to go ahead and say it, but as crazy as it sounds I feel like Los Angeles needs to step up its game and have someone build a skyscraper that reaches 1,781 ft (1781 the year the city was founded). Now wouldn't that be cool and I know that'll make our skyline off balance, but it should be done. 1 WTC reaches 1,776 ft (the year the Declaration of Independence was signed obviously), why can't we?

Eh. Downtown needs to fill in a lot more before we start going that high. Meaning. Its not needed at the moment. We still have a lot of empty lots, parking lots, old industrial buildings/warehouses and non distinct 1-5 story buildings and etc that need to be razed and developed before we even begin to whine about something that tall.

[Trae]

Probably not the right thread but quick question: which side of downtown is the best place to work 9-5, financial district or bunker hill? especially when thinking about long term growth, things to do after work, transit access, food options, etc.

the company I work for is moving from central LA to downtown, and now we just have to find the best area. none of my friends work downtown, so thought I'd just ask here lol. after looking around, I'm leaning more towards the financial district because there's so much going on and a lot of new things coming in. but once you get inside your tower, it's quiet. best of both worlds imo. on the flip side, there was a lot of dirt moving near bunker hill and the area is going to come up in activity, especially after the subway is complete.

[kolchak]

Originally Posted by Blesha13

Okay so I'm just going to go ahead and say it, but as crazy as it sounds I feel like Los Angeles needs to step up its game and have someone build a skyscraper that reaches 1,781 ft (1781 the year the city was founded). Now wouldn't that be cool and I know that'll make our skyline off balance, but it should be done. 1 WTC reaches 1,776 ft (the year the Declaration of Independence was signed obviously), why can't we?

The construction costs of building a supertall here are far more than in NYC or Chicago - the slab for One Wilshire is gigantic compared to the taller Trump Tower in Chicago. I'm not saying it can't happen but...

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Trae

Probably not the right thread but quick question: which side of downtown is the best place to work 9-5, financial district or bunker hill? especially when thinking about long term growth, things to do after work, transit access, food options, etc.

the company I work for is moving from central LA to downtown, and now we just have to find the best area. none of my friends work downtown, so thought I'd just ask here lol. after looking around, I'm leaning more towards the financial district because there's so much going on and a lot of new things coming in. but once you get inside your tower, it's quiet. best of both worlds imo. on the flip side, there was a lot of dirt moving near bunker hill and the area is going to come up in activity, especially after the subway is complete.

I would say either South Park or the Historic Core. South Park has seen the most growth in terms of ground up construction starting with LA Live 10 years ago (my word where does the time go). But really, all corners of DTLA is seeing some sort of activity.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Trae

Probably not the right thread but quick question: which side of downtown is the best place to work 9-5, financial district or bunker hill? especially when thinking about long term growth, things to do after work, transit access, food options, etc.

the company I work for is moving from central LA to downtown, and now we just have to find the best area. none of my friends work downtown, so thought I'd just ask here lol. after looking around, I'm leaning more towards the financial district because there's so much going on and a lot of new things coming in. but once you get inside your tower, it's quiet. best of both worlds imo. on the flip side, there was a lot of dirt moving near bunker hill and the area is going to come up in activity, especially after the subway is complete.

I think the best of both worlds would be to get an office either on 5th, 6th or 7th between Grand and Fig. You'd have easy access to the metro and the freeways, walking distance to hundreds of restaurants, coffee shops and bars, close to everything downtown offers like the museums, staples center, dodger stadium and different neighborhoods, yet relatively quiet and free from too many bums. As a side note, if you need a commercial agent to help you, feel free to send me a message

[scania]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

I think the best of both worlds would be to get an office either on 5th, 6th or 7th between Grand and Fig. You'd have easy access to the metro and the freeways, walking distance to hundreds of restaurants, coffee shops and bars, close to everything downtown offers like the museums, staples center, dodger stadium and different neighborhoods, yet relatively quiet and free from too many bums. As a side note, if you need a commercial agent to help you, feel free to send me a message

Very true!!! Btw, Joey DTLA has a GREAT vibe and energy. This great for DTLA. I was stunned with how much business they have already.

[Tiorted9]

DTLA Resi Occupancy Levels Undeterred by Record Deliveries


https://www.connect.media/dtla-resi-occupancy-levels-undeterred-by-record-deliveries/

Demand for DTLA’s vibrant urban lifestyle is working to drive residential vacancy rates down, despite five quarters of record deliveries, including 2,300 new units in Q1 2019 alone, according to the Downtown Center Business Improvement District’s (DCBID) Q2 2019 DTLA Market Report. Although more than 5,600 units opened over the past year, demand remains strong, deepening the competitive talent pool that has been attracting an increasing number of businesses from a diverse range of sectors and markets.

[dktshb]

That article put Downtown's population at 75,000+. The demand will be there for continued growth so i hope residential construction continues thru the coming recession.

[BrandonJXN]

I think that with all the major events that are going to happen in Los Angeles throughout the 2020s, I imagine that there won't be a shortage of demand. Especially for hotels. LA is going to see a lot of people. You have the Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl, MLB All Star Game, NCAA Finals, new Clippers arena, the Regional Connector, Wrestlemania, amongst many others, LA is going to be busy for a while.

[LAsam]

Originally Posted by BrandonJXN

I think that with all the major events that are going to happen in Los Angeles throughout the 2020s, I imagine that there won't be a shortage of demand. Especially for hotels. LA is going to see a lot of people. You have the Olympics, World Cup, Super Bowl, MLB All Star Game, NCAA Finals, new Clippers arena, the Regional Connector, Wrestlemania, amongst many others, LA is going to be busy for a while.

LA Country Club is hosting the golf US Open in June 2023 as well!

[LA21st]

There might be -2 super bowls by 2030 too. At least one, for sure. I wouldnt be surprised if the NFL gives LA some pro bowl games as well, that new Stadium will be the NFL's showcase.

[BigCityOfDreams]

CityWatch, that is a beautiful map. In 1910 the population of the City of Los Angeles was about 320,000, and the population of the vast LA County was about 500,000. Your map clearly illustrates that the vast majority of density, population, and activity in the region was centered on what we now refer to as Downtown Los Angeles. Was there industrial areas in mixed in, sure. Was there a massive Wall-Street-of-the-West in what we now call the Historic Core? Absolutely. But that is the point, the center of life in Los Angeles was in Downtown for residential, commercial, industrial, theaters, everything. This idea that Downtown is the most active and alive that it has ever been is simply not the case. The point is that LA is doing amazing things right now, and that is the most exciting time for Downtown for a very very long time, but Downtown is not the most active and alive that it has ever been... in fact LA has a long way to go until it like it was in 1910 Spring_Street_and_Sixth_Street,_April,_1910 by Brett Thomas, on Flickr

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by BigCityOfDreams

This idea that Downtown is the most active and alive that it has ever been is simply not the case.

I was referring to it as being a place where a lot more ppl didn't just visit during the day, but also lived around....or wanted to call home. there was more foot traffic in dt over 80 yrs ago on streets like broadway & spring....that has yet to be duplicated in 2019. But at the end of the day more of those ppl....esp the ones who wanted a more urban yet also fashionable way of life....would leave dt.

this is a view from the south side of dt....there are still some homes mixed in with commercial or industrial. But unlike what's becoming truer today, what's now south pk wasn't the type of area that early 1900s versions of today's hipsters would want to have as their home address.



ethereal_reality


dtla went downhill faster & further than more of the centers of cities like SF, chicago, nyc....certainly major cities in Europe....because from the beginning it never was put together to appeal to demanding residents....the type of ppl who started fleeing westward starting over 90 yrs ago. Not just daytime visitors, but full time residents.

other cities like tokyo had to be almost completely destroyed during world war II to come closer to being a place abandoned by ppl at night, if not during the day too.


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[Mojeda101]

Originally Posted by dktshb

That article put Downtown's population at 75,000+. The demand will be there for continued growth so i hope residential construction continues thru the coming recession.

Won't be long now before we see Downtown with over 100k(finally). The census next year should give us roughly 80k.