LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Quixote

MVE + Partners posted to their Instagram a few days ago renderings of 845 Olive with the brick veneer facade that we first saw here that's different from what we saw on Urbanize last month:

https://la.urbanize.city/post/another-haircut-proposed-apartment-complex-845-s-olive-street-dtla

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs9Jj_AtSPW/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

I would be happy as a clam if we get 10 more of these smattered all throughout DTLA.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Projects like the Garfield Building renovation and that proposed data center are more interesting to me,

In London and Paris, the trains and train stations were packed and the sidewalks bustling.

I've seen this bldg for yrs, the Garfield, & always winced at the impression such properties have left on ppl visiting dtla....whether residents, day trippers or tourists. It was of many bldgs left abandoned for yrs in dt, another nearby one being the commercial exchange bldg. When it was finally salvaged & converted into the freehand hotel, that was one less hurdle to overcome.

https://youtu.be/d3AiJ0WEnuM?t=577

DTLA receives regional publicity because it's the historic center of LA & is associated with certain wheels of power, political or symbolic. So protest marches often occur there, such as this one going by the unfinished oceanwide proj. Just as dt needs to up the ante when it's seen from dozens of miles away....& its skyline is a backdrop....dt needs to up the ante as a backdrop for news stories too.

https://youtu.be/v0f7wN2JCSA?t=41

But hopefully more good ones....I keep seeing almost daily reports of crime occurring there, such as the one this morning about a person being murdered near the MTA station next to Grand Pk. The ppl affecting DTLA...LA...had better be careful. If a city like SF can get snagged, LA is no less vulnerable.

https://youtu.be/KE7tVPjpOro

colburnschool.edu

Since selecting McCarthy Building Companies as our general contractor, we look forward to further planning the project with the City of Los Angeles and working towards groundbreaking in the next year. In tandem, we continue to refine aesthetics of the new building with Gehry Partners and are excited to share details on the iconic paint coating that will define Terri and Jerry Kohl Hall amidst all of the other architecture on Bunker Hill.

“Pink Kandi,” the unique coating responsible for the hall’s vibrant glow, was developed in collaboration between Gehry Partners and Sherwin-Williams Coil Coating division. The color was inspired by Kandy paint, a high-gloss metallic color process used on automobiles. Specifically developed for its weatherability, UN and graffiti resistance, and superior gloss levels, Pink Kandi is sure to make Kohl Hall stand amongst its neighbors on Bunker Hill as the building’s façade shimmers against the sunlight.

Leadership support from our generous community has provided $285 million to date. Over 70% of the Building Our Future campaign goal.

^ I sure hope that 'further planning' means the the 2nd st feeder route that parallels the main part of 2nd St will be removed & that & the small parking lot above the entrance to the tunnel will be finally replaced with something that's less of a deadzone. I find it hard to believe that the LA city engineering dept thinks the tunnel is at risk if the feeder street is removed & cars are no longer driving on it. If anything, that would mean less weight next to & above the main part of 2nd St. And it sure would be nice if more parts of dtla had walls coated with this....

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[craigs]

source


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[caligrad]

Didn't even recognize it as downtown. So much progress. Beautiful shots.

[colemonkee]

I wonder if that paint on Kohl Hall will have an irridescent quality to it. That would be cool.

[Quixote]

Oceanwide really needs to be completed, but not at the expense of the giant LED screen. It's a shame that they can't finish at least a portion of the project.

South Park also needs more individual skyscrapers. As you approach DT from the 10, you see the three Oceanwide towers, the two Circa towers, and the two Onni towers. More variety, please.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by BrandonJXN

I would be happy as a clam if we get 10 more of these smattered all throughout DTLA.

Ugh, unfortunately the application for the project on the DLANC website shows renderings of the all-stucco version.

[citywatch]

3 keys to revitalizing Downtown L.A., according to a JLL executive

Los Angeles, like many cities, is grappling with the challenges of revitalizing its central business district and attracting workers back to office spaces there. To address this issue, JLL Senior Vice President Maureen Hawley said Los Angeles needs to do these three things:

Advocate for the conversion of office buildings into residential units.
Foster public-private partnerships.
Tackle safety concerns.

Hawley, an L.A. native and a longtime employee in Downtown L.A. (DTLA), said her advice to investors looking to get involved in the reinvention of downtown is to be brave and bold. “L.A. is not going away. You've got championship sports teams here. You've got world class museums, you have some of the best chefs in the world. There’s a very established residential population. All the ingredients are here,” she said. “Downtown has been here before and I think we can see it reemerge again.

"It's looking at a bit of a paradigm shift," she continued. "We can't do it exactly how we did it before. We've had a shift in working practices and habits that I don't think we're going to ever really return from like we did before, but the office isn't dead. People might work a little bit differently, and they might not be in five days a week, but we're always going to need downtown.”

In a report by JLL on how central business districts can rebound, JLL estimated that converting 10% of the city’s older office space could yield thousands of residential units. In L.A., JLL found that the city could add 9,900 housing units by converting downtown office buildings that are at least 30 years old.

Hawley said public-private partnerships between city government and private institutions is another key to reinvigorating downtown as L.A.’s central business district. “Capital markets are tricky right now, especially on the office sector, so looking more at a multifamily bend to repurpose some of these assets might help,” she said. “Then being able to realize tax incentives or tax-saving carbon credits in a different way I think could help and could maybe spur a bit more investment.”

meanwhile, I saw a news report yesterday that said 2 major hotels in SF's Union Sq area, as another example, are going to miss meeting upcoming mortgage payments. Not sure how much of that is due to the hotel business in dtsf not being stronger, but I know that dtla over the past 30 yrs used to have some of the lowest hotel occupancy rates in the LA area. It's easy to forget...or want to forget...just how checkered dtla's history has been over the past 90 yrs. Unlike dtla, sf for yrs has had a relatively good reputation. So nothing should ever be taken for granted, including the intercontinental hotel, which used to be site of the 1950s statler hilton, probably one of the most unattractive bldgs in dtla.


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[scania]

Originally Posted by caligrad

Didn't even recognize it as downtown. So much progress. Beautiful shots.

Those are some amazing photos!

[LAsam]

Originally Posted by scania

Those are some amazing photos!

Yeah. They really showcase a lot that has been built since the GFC. Hopefully we'll see a similar construction boom on the other side of this current economic downturn in real estate.

[citywatch]

Saul Gonzalez


Office for Metropolitan Architecture and Mia Lehrer + Associates.

‘Good things are coming?’ Likely not at this empty lot in DTLA

Vacant lots are all around LA, and one of them is right across the street from City Hall. It’s also near LAPD headquarters, federal and county court buildings, and the Music Center. The flat, two-acre property is surrounded by high fences and locked gates, on the corner of First St. and Broadway. The land used to be home to a state office building built in the 1930s, but it was razed in the 1970s after the Sylmar earthquake, and the land has been unused since.

For a decade, signs there have said, “Good things are coming!” Those things are supposed to be manicured gardens, a public plaza with bleacher seating, expensive shade sculptures, and a two-story restaurant and cafe complex with a rooftop garden.

However, now it looks like that promised park won’t become a reality in this lifetime. Why was the high-profile park abandoned? Saul Gonzalez, host of the California Morning Report, explains: “First, its one-time champion former LA City Councilman Jose Huizar, well, he pled guilty to corruption charges. So he's out of the picture. When Huizar left, the park became an orphan project. Second, the costs for the park’s completion started to mount, particularly during the pandemic.”

[citywatch]

This story is from last month, but news reports today about 2 major hotels in SF having their owner bail out on them has me spooked. What's occurring up north is a variation of what happened to the Oceanwide proj on Fig St....but the properties in SF at least are fully completed, while the hotel that's supposed to be in one of the Oceanwide towers & the shuttered Garfield bldg are not. Both projs rely on financing in order to either start up again or to begin work in the first place. Is a 'Bay area family based office' going to be a sure thing?

A Bay Area-based family office has paid $19 million for the Garfield Building, a 102,000-square-foot building in Downtown Los Angeles.

The 12-story Garfield Building, which features 20-foot-high lobby ceilings, is listed on the National Register for Historic Places. Originally an office building, the art deco style property has been vacant for several years. The new owner, who was represented by Realty One Group Infinity, plans to convert the building into a boutique hotel.

“The plan to convert the Garfield Building into a hotel is extremely exciting for downtown,” said Sample. “Our team is excited for this buyer, as their project fits the tone established in the South Broadway corridor with the Apple store and Whole Foods.”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12165817/The-owner-San-Franciscos-two-largest-hotels-STOPS-making-payments-725-million-loan.html

[Quixote]

A top-five proposal for me. Build it now. If it's constructed and ends up looking like what's depicted in the rendering, this will be seen in lots of commercials, movies, TV shows, and Instagram feeds. Not to mention really add to the streetscape and set a new architectural standard.


OfficeUntitled / Urbanize LA

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Quixote

A top-five proposal for me. Build it now. If it's constructed and ends up looking like what's depicted in the rendering, this will be seen in lots of commercials, movies, TV shows, and Instagram feeds. Not to mention really add to the streetscape and set a new architectural standard.


OfficeUntitled / Urbanize LA

Yeah, if the building comes out like the renderings it's very futuristic looking and would be in commercials, television shows, and movies for sure.

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by Quixote

A top-five proposal for me. Build it now. If it's constructed and ends up looking like what's depicted in the rendering, this will be seen in lots of commercials, movies, TV shows, and Instagram feeds. Not to mention really add to the streetscape and set a new architectural standard.


OfficeUntitled / Urbanize LA

Yeah I have my doubts. This reminds me of all those fancy early renderings of the Broad.

And then...

[Quixote]

And right next door (rendering not seen on Urbanize):


DLANC

[ocman]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

Yeah I have my doubts. This reminds me of all those fancy early renderings of the Broad.

And then...

I was thinkin the same thing. Depends on whether American construction even have the expertise to duplicate the renderings.

[scania]

Originally Posted by Quixote

And right next door (rendering not seen on Urbanize):


DLANC

Yes…I was going to say would you see two sides of the building when the apartment tower is built? Or just the one side facing Grand?

[hughfb3]

Originally Posted by Quixote

A top-five proposal for me. Build it now. If it's constructed and ends up looking like what's depicted in the rendering, this will be seen in lots of commercials, movies, TV shows, and Instagram feeds. Not to mention really add to the streetscape and set a new architectural standard.


OfficeUntitled / Urbanize LA

What's interesting is that; after watching the One Wilshire video, I equate this building as the modern day office building by function and DTLA getting its first ground up single-use "office" high rise in decades... Check it! Most of the big towers built from the 1960's-2000's had swarms of people working in them processing transactions, verifying documents, answering calls because the companies were the ones buying the expensive technology that operated out of these buildings, forcing people to go to them. Think huge IBM computer rooms, bulky interfaces that took up whole floors. Now; most of these activities are done by personal portable computers and/or AI, so those jobs are digitally done through automation in a high rise rather than manually done in a high rise by people. The jobs now in high rises are law firms, Marketing teams, digital creators and C suite... the jobs that haven't been automated... yet. But there is less and less use for major office high rises. It was a 60 year period of human history that is; in essence, complete. A whole company can be run in a much smaller space and through Zoom... which requires buildings like these to operate. We might even need this extra capacity just because of the advent of work from home/anywhere that's creating a new demand and LA is at the center of this demand... further cementing LA's importance in future digital economies

It's almost like this building and One Wilshire are the Cyberdyne Systems HQ's where all these transactions and things happen, but no humans are there. The role and proliferation of office buildings is now obsolete... and there may never be another time of the single use office tower, but in future, mega mixed use buildings. It would behoove LA to get its building codes up to date to handle the new uses of towers.

[DJM19]

Good riddance to that park proposal. I like the big metal tulips but the building was overkill.