LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[pesto]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

OMG!!!!!!!!! That building makes me talk like a tween! That is exactly what downtown needs. Not something shitty like Piero, but something classy like that. PERFECT, BRILLIANT. That made my night.

Yes. Historical buildings renovated and non-historic removed or updated.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by Muji

A very nice renovation indeed! Now if only someone would do the same to the nasty former Primavera building a block to the west.

Somewhat lost in the announcement of the upcoming Spring Street green bike lane (by the end of November!) is another plan to replace two parking spots on the 600 block with "parklets." According to LA Downtown News:



This could definitely be a boon for Spring Street, and I'm glad to see someone in LA picking up the idea. For those who haven't seen one before - here's a recent example from Philadelphia:



source: PhillyShark

I like the concept and think Hollywood Blvd. could use it as well. Melrose also has narrow side-walks and could use some widening.

And of course other streets DT. Eventually no cars on some streets.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by pesto

I like the concept and think Hollywood Blvd. could use it as well. Melrose also has narrow side-walks and could use some widening.

And of course other streets DT. Eventually no cars on some streets.

I'm on the DLANC Complete Streets Working group- the org behind both the Spring/Main Sts bike lanes as well as the planned parklets for Spring Street.

The plan is that the Spring St parklets are pilot projects for the rest of downtown, and eventually the rest of LA. So lets hope that these first parklets are a huge success and are received well by the community.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I'm on the DLANC Complete Streets Working group- the org behind both the Spring/Main Sts bike lanes as well as the planned parklets for Spring Street.

The plan is that the Spring St parklets are pilot projects for the rest of downtown, and eventually the rest of LA. So lets hope that these first parklets are a huge success and are received well by the community.

Sounds like a cool "job". Best of luck in spreading the word.

Adding space and greenery will be nice. Will the tables/chairs be privately controlled or public? Unlike the picture above from Philadelphia, I would expect fewer suburban professional types and more downtown types "using" the areas.

[Virtual Urban Vision]

Originally Posted by BrighamYen

Yes it's off! I saw it on Friday. It makes the block look so much nicer. Very very nice.

Here's a glimpse:



Photo by Brigham Yen


More "Before & After" pics...

Huge improvement over what the facade looked like before and really nice material choices that fit nicely within it's surroundings

[pesto]

http://scott-miller.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270335/33079996

Not sure if this is the best place, but the attached talks about the sale of the Dodgers and how the asset that a purchaser is going to be looking for is the stadium and parking lots. Sounds like there could be some revival of the pre-game entertainment district around the stadium and maybe the hotel and condo complex on the parking lots.

Mark Cuban would be another interesting personality to have involved in DT. He'd probably have to buy Laker season tickets for his visiting buddies.

[BrandonJXN]

So in non development but kinda important news, Grand Theft Auto 5 is coming back to Los Santos. If you remember, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was named by many people the greatest video game ever made so this will be a huge game.

• Video Link

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

So in non development but kinda important news, Grand Theft Auto 5 is coming back to Los Santos. If you remember, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was named by many people the greatest video game ever made so this will be a huge game.

• Video Link

So stoked for this. As cool as it was to see the deco-era Los Angeles in L.A. Noire, you couldn't interact with ANYTHING in the city outside of the cases you were working on. Nothing like a GTA game for fully-realized interactive virtual cities.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

So in non development but kinda important news, Grand Theft Auto 5 is coming back to Los Santos. If you remember, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was named by many people the greatest video game ever made so this will be a huge game.

• Video Link

is that building under construction in downtown the Ritz Carlton?? I agree... San Andreas was so much fun =]... same with Liberty City.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

So stoked for this. As cool as it was to see the deco-era Los Angeles in L.A. Noire, you couldn't interact with ANYTHING in the city outside of the cases you were working on. Nothing like a GTA game for fully-realized interactive virtual cities.

me too =] I just wish you could choose to be male or female... would be badass to be a woman in this game lol. I wish that we would be able to ride transit in this game... would be sick to ride the subway from downtown to Hollywood. They should have updates to keep up with development hahaha so that the building that was under construction in the skyline is now complete in the updated version.. and say another update was starting construction of the expo line lol.

[Illithid Dude]

Just wondering if anybody realized how crazy detailed that trailer was. They got every single building on Ocean Blvd exactly right, down to the intricacies in the facades. Amazing, and I can't wait to play it.

[jamesinclair]

Thanks for the parking advice guys. Wasnt an issue, we found street parking on USCs frat/sorority row. Apparently, that isnt common.


I have a question....there appears to be some kind of bike path along 110 south near downtown, but I dont quite get it.

And its not shown on googles bike map.

Look, heres an access point.
http://g.co/maps/shuvj

You can see it runs alongside the freeway, with lights and everything
http://g.co/maps/9xv3h

But it appears to ends at these stairs
http://g.co/maps/qdx2g

...but then what? Are you supposed to continue to these stairs...?
http://g.co/maps/yehhw



And look at this secondary access point. I dont know how safe Id feel venturing down these steps
http://g.co/maps/ynzmz

Ok, so you go under the freeway, up the other side, up these stairs...
http://g.co/maps/28qat

But it looks like the last set of stairs are missing!


Whats going on?

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesDreamin

is that building under construction in downtown the Ritz Carlton??

It appears to be so.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by jamesinclair

Thanks for the parking advice guys. Wasnt an issue, we found street parking on USCs frat/sorority row. Apparently, that isnt common.


I have a question....there appears to be some kind of bike path along 110 south near downtown, but I dont quite get it.

And its not shown on googles bike map.

Look, heres an access point.
http://g.co/maps/shuvj

You can see it runs alongside the freeway, with lights and everything
http://g.co/maps/9xv3h

But it appears to ends at these stairs
http://g.co/maps/qdx2g

...but then what? Are you supposed to continue to these stairs...?
http://g.co/maps/yehhw



And look at this secondary access point. I dont know how safe Id feel venturing down these steps
http://g.co/maps/ynzmz

Ok, so you go under the freeway, up the other side, up these stairs...
http://g.co/maps/28qat

But it looks like the last set of stairs are missing!


Whats going on?

There is a few random stairways to heaven all over LA. And they appear in the most random places.

For example, this is a picture I took right next to 1055 W. 7th. I don't know why it's there or it's purpose but it is interesting.

[202_Cyclist]

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will be holding a field hearing tomorrow on the planned LA federal courthouse.

A Review and Analysis of the Proposed $400 Million Los Angeles, California Federal Courthouse Project
http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=1432

[colemonkee]

Well, the Libeskind Tower is officially dead (as if anyone thought that would actually happen), but the upside is that construction may be coming to that plot rather soon. The plan looks like a good one, even if the design is just so-so. I abhor stucco, but metal window mullions throughout - and especially at the corners - help soften the blow. The better part of this plan is that it will have street frontage on Figueroa & Flower, whereas the previous plan treated Flower like a red-headed stepchild. Plus all the parking is now below grade. +10 Urban Design Points.


From Curbed LA:


Image Credit: Cypress Equity Investments

Downtown Libeskind Tower Replaced With Two Seven Story Apartment Buildings
Thursday, November 3, 2011, by Adrian Glick Kudler

Remember January 2009 when you first caught a glimpse of that fellow on the left--Daniel Libeskind's rendering for a 43 story condo building in South Park--and you were like "Really? That? For Downtown? In 2009?" And then you found out it had also been planned for New Jersey in 2005 and São Paulo in 2010? Well, it's dead. Good luck with that, Brazil. The building's site on Figueroa, across from the Convention Center, went up for sale in May, and blogdowntown reports today that it was snapped up in September by a joint venture of Cypress Equity Investments and Fifield Companies, who plan to put up two seven story apartment towers (For Downtown? In 2011?).

Read the full story - and inevitable snarky comments - here.

[Quixote]

I'm not shedding a single tear.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Well, the Libeskind Tower is officially dead (as if anyone thought that would actually happen), but the upside is that construction may be coming to that plot rather soon. The plan looks like a good one, even if the design is just so-so. I abhor stucco, but metal window mullions throughout - and especially at the corners - help soften the blow. The better part of this plan is that it will have street frontage on Figueroa & Flower, whereas the previous plan treated Flower like a red-headed stepchild. Plus all the parking is now below grade. +10 Urban Design Points.


From Curbed LA:


Image Credit: Cypress Equity Investments

Downtown Libeskind Tower Replaced With Two Seven Story Apartment Buildings
Thursday, November 3, 2011, by Adrian Glick Kudler

Remember January 2009 when you first caught a glimpse of that fellow on the left--Daniel Libeskind's rendering for a 43 story condo building in South Park--and you were like "Really? That? For Downtown? In 2009?" And then you found out it had also been planned for New Jersey in 2005 and São Paulo in 2010? Well, it's dead. Good luck with that, Brazil. The building's site on Figueroa, across from the Convention Center, went up for sale in May, and blogdowntown reports today that it was snapped up in September by a joint venture of Cypress Equity Investments and Fifield Companies, who plan to put up two seven story apartment towers (For Downtown? In 2011?).

Read the full story - and inevitable snarky comments - here.

awww Libeskind tower looked great imo...it was something downtown didn't have. now the space is being replaced by this?? it looks like a Northern San Diego suburb bldg. at least Libeskind drew more attention positive or negative.. the bldg would have gotten known, ppl would have mentioned dtla more.. "did you see that weird lookin bldg in DTLA??" "oh em gee there's this totally odd looking tower in DTLA, haha it sooooo makes me think of my dil-..... nvm" LOL i think DT could have benefit from that tower.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesDreamin

awww Libeskind tower looked great imo...it was something downtown didn't have. now the space is being replaced by this?? it looks like a Northern San Diego suburb bldg. at least Libeskind drew more attention positive or negative.. the bldg would have gotten known, ppl would have mentioned dtla more.. "did you see that weird lookin bldg in DTLA??" "oh em gee there's this totally odd looking tower in DTLA, haha it sooooo makes me think of my dil-..... nvm" LOL i think DT could have benefit from that tower.

I don't think that is the final design. It looks too basic, too unrefined. I think that is simply a conceptual model of a design. Still, it's sad that such a tall and unique building got turned into... this. Bleh.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I don't think that is the final design. It looks too basic, too unrefined. I think that is simply a conceptual model of a design. Still, it's sad that such a tall and unique building got turned into... this. Bleh.

And isn't south park the supposed "times square" ish with lights and billboards and giant tv screens area?? wth is this doin in south park... it's like the the times square gods took a big dumb on dt's LA Live district and said HAH!! *pointing fingers*

Great now we have a big giant turd in our Light and Sign district when we could've had a unique giant glass and light slashed dildo -__-''

it's w/e though.. Libeskind is dead now so theres no reason to argue bout it... love, peace and tranquility to all