LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[Niftybox]

Originally Posted by badrunner

^ that lot is too small for a supertall.

I would love something tall and narrow like the new Brooklyn Tower in LA, but I can't really think of a good spot for it.

[LAisthePlace]

Originally Posted by Niftybox

I would love something tall and narrow like the new Brooklyn Tower in LA, but I can't really think of a good spot for it.

Would be great to have something like that as a centerpiece to the Century City skyline as the Santa Monica airport shuts down.

[LAnative61]

Originally Posted by Niftybox

I would love something tall and narrow like the new Brooklyn Tower in LA, but I can't really think of a good spot for it.

I assume you mean the Brookfield Tower!

[scania]

Originally Posted by craigs

Urbanize LA has an article on a nice infill project, 744 S Mariposa Avenue in Koreatown, and this photo caught my attention for spotlighting LA's dense, traditionally urban core:

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how dense LA is…especially in comparison to other cities.

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by Niftybox

I can't even think of a good spot for a supertall that would improve the skyline in its current configuration, can you?

Maybe if WTC building ever gets bought and torn down (along with hopefully everything else between 4th & 1st and west of Flower), then maybe there?

[Blesha13]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

Maybe if WTC building ever gets bought and torn down (along with hopefully everything else between 4th & 1st and west of Flower), then maybe there?

I think there are plans for a 41 story apartment tower there. At least that’s what I remember from 2018. Since the LA Grand Hotel Tower is practically dead, maybe another developer could rehash that tower and make it a bit taller? I mean, it was pretty much 8 feet taller than the Wilshire Grand.

[Niftybox]

No I mean Brooklyn Tower not Brookfield. Let's see if I place it perfectly with my photoshop wizardry... it looks quite good actually. I estimated it to be about 55 feet taller than US bank on level terrain (still barely shorter than Wilshire Grand's spire).

[plinko]

On the YMCA lot perhaps? That block needs help as well (though it’s nicer than the WTC block).

[citywatch]

Slowly but surely the pieces of the puzzle are coming together....given how cities throughout the US & world are all upping their game, not a second too soon either....

thetrustbldg.com

José Andrés plans to open a new rooftop restaurant and bar at the historic Art Deco building on Spring Street by late next year, choosing The Trust Building to make its mark on the culinary scene in DTLA, José Andrés Group President Sam Bakhshandehpour said.

“We are making a clear commitment to continue our investment in the West Coast as we bring our culinary expertise, restaurant and media teams to downtown Los Angeles,” Bakhshandehpour added. “The Trust Building is a beautiful historic property where we have the opportunity to not only build community by creating incredible culinary anchors but to also invest in the future of the neighborhoods in which we reside...”

Built in 1928 in DTLA’s Historic Core, The Trust Building will not only house the José Andrés Group’s restaurant, but also global support operations and the new José Andrés Media division. José Andrés Group’s first foray into DTLA. Earlier this year the group debuted two restaurants at Conrad Los Angeles within The Grand LA, opening California-influenced Spanish restaurant San Laurel and Latin- and Asian-inspired rooftop club Agua Viva.

“This is a milestone for downtown Los Angeles and our city’s rebounding restaurant and creative economy,” said Rising Realty Partners Co-Founder and Chief Executive Christopher Rising. “The opportunity to welcome such an accomplished leader as José Andrés to The Trust Building truly solidifies the city’s bright future.”

[craigs]

From Urbanize LA:

Months after opening new restaurants at The Grand on Bunker Hill, chef José Andrés has announced plans for a new rooftop restaurant bar at The Trust Building a few blocks away. The 1928 landmark, located at 433 S. Spring Street, will also house José Andrés Restaurant group - including its new José Andrés Media division. The restaurant is scheduled to open in Fall 2023.


Aerial view of The Trust Building

[BillinGlendaleCA]

Originally Posted by craigs

Agreed. From the east, especially from the Arts District, the skyline looks most robust, but the view from the south with the mountains in the backdrop is the classic beauty shot.

Probably the most iconic view of DTLA is from Hahn in the winter with Mt. San Antonio right behind the skyline.



I also like the view from Beacon Hill in Griffith Park with Silverlake in the foreground.

[citywatch]

Nighttime views of brookfield's beaudry apt tower & the one from mitsui in this vid. better yet, it shows how ppl out & about affect the tone of a place. I'm sure the stores of 7th Fig will welcome more potential customers living nearby.

• Video Link

If more ppl did live in dtla, how would the bumper to bumper traffic on the north bound of the 110 fwy be affected? Regardless, some amazing drone views of the deck area on top of the wilshire grand's intercontinental hotel...

• Video Link

[citywatch]

interesting vid....somewhat accurate, somewhat not. I don't think parking in dtla, either too much or too little of it...affects the hood in 2022 as much as things like ppl's awareness of how safe & clean its sidewalks are.

• Video Link

btw, there's a surface parking lot right next to the concert hall in SF.

I don't think dtla's reputation going back over 70 yrs was hurt because of parking requirements. Surface parking lots, however, have damaged dtla...but they existed mainly because dt's economy originally wasn't strong enough to support other types of land usage. If demand for housing, businesses, entertainment, etc, had been booming over 50 yrs ago, the busy sidewalks of streets like broadway in the 1930s or 40s wouldn't have gone away. Although broadway or spring st were generally nicely filled in over 70 yrs ago, many other parts of dtla were not.

[craigs]

42-story 8th & Figueroa tower tops out in DTLA

Mitsui Fudosan America's residential tower is set to open in 2023

Steven Sharp
Urbanize LA
October 17, 2022

In ceremony held earlier this month in Downtown Los Angeles, developer Mitsui Fudosan America and Lendlease marked the completion of vertical construction for a new residential high-rise at the intersection of 8th and Figueroa Streets.

The 42-story tower, which replaced a parking lot at the northeast corner of the intersection, consists of a42-story building that will feature 438 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above podium parking and approximately 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Designed by Johnson Fain, glass and steel high-rise stands approximately 530 feet in height. As the result of a condition of approval imposed by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission, above-grade parking which composes the tower's podium is fully wrapped in the same style of glass which adorns the trunk of the building above - a rare feature with new Downtown developments.

Other components of the project include a swimming pool with cabanas at the podium level, as well as a clubhouse, a lounge, and multiple sky decks.

Other members of the design team include interior design firm Rottet Studio and HKS Architects, which served as architect of record.

The tower, which broke ground in 2020 and is on pace to open in 2023, is expected to create $722 million in regional economic output, according to a study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Council.

“Topping out 8th & Figueroa marks a significant milestone in Mitsui Fudosan America’s ongoing commitment to Downtown Los Angeles, starting with the development of 601 S. Figueroa in the early 1990s and extending to our plans to create 580 residential homes at 8th & Grand in the coming years,” said Mitsui Fudosan America vice president Stuart Morkun in a statement. “We have had a strong collaboration with our partners, Lendlease, Johnson Fain Architects, HKS Architects and Rottet Studio, to bring this project to life. Having started in the depths of the pandemic, we are extremely grateful for the cooperation and efforts of all the workers, subcontractors and material suppliers that are making the project successful.”

Mitsui Fudosan America, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Mitsui Fudosan, has owned the land at 8th and Figueroa since the 1980s, and once considered developing the property with an office tower. After that 1990s proposal fell through, the site remained a parking lot for nearly 30 years until plans for the residential development were initiated in 2016.

In addition to the Figueroa Street property, Mitsui Fudosan America also owns a second property two blocks east at 8th and Hope Streets, where the company expects to break ground on a similar apartment tower in the near future.

The tower site sits directly east across Figueroa Street from the Figat7th shopping mall, where Brookfield is in the midst of construction for its own apartment tower.

[Illithid Dude]

Would argue that 8th and Fig has turned out better than the renders. The glass on this one is of a startlingly high quality. My only complaint is that I would prefer is the balconies were recessed, but that's a minor quibble to direct towards the design of an overall lovely tower.

[scania]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Would argue that 8th and Fig has turned out better than the renders. The glass on this one is of a startlingly high quality. My only complaint is that I would prefer is the balconies were recessed, but that's a minor quibble to direct towards the design of an overall lovely tower.

Agreed…or if the balconies were at least larger…but it’s no biggie, I’m not going to live there. Just a personal preference.

[ocman]

It at least gave us what was promised. Didn’t pull any switches with the design or even the look of materials, which is a relief considering how prominent this location is right in the center of an intersection of a busy area.

[LDVArch]

The glass looks better in the renderings.

On one side, the sun washes out the color.

[ocman]

Originally Posted by LDVArch

The glass looks better in the renderings.

On one side, the sun washes out the color.

Glass always looks better in the renderings. They always glow supernaturally and the structures always looks grander in the renderings, the people smaller. But the difference in glass between reality and rendering in this case is less egregious than the infamous green glass that is almost always used in reality.

Also, it’s a shame the sidewalks are so cramped. I think that’s the biggest up-sell of the rendering. It does not look wide enough to both plant trees and set up outdoor dining, unless this is taking into account some plan by the city to add bike lanes and widen the sidewalk?

[colemonkee]

Sidewalks along that stretch should allow for trees, dining, and plenty of egress for passersby. They were decent sized to begin with along Figueroa.