LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[Kingofthehill]

The nighttime rendering looks so much better! Buildings like that can actually look pretty good, assuming the materials are of a high quality. Here is one example from Oslo, Norway:



Ingenioren/SSC

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Easy

Or does it mean that they think that LA Central isn't going to happen soon and they are looking for alternative ways to connect with the rest of downtown? Because to me that appears to be the most important piece of land for LA Live if it wants to connect with the rest of downtown.

easy, the way in which you prioritize the 2 parts of the hood is correct in one way, but as I mentioned to illithid, it doesn't take into account that the area north of LA live not only is seen by more ppl, but it also has a more desperate look about it. iow, its current condition detracts from dt more than the lack of connectiveness between la live & the rest of south pk hurts dt.

imo, this is worse than just the parking lots sitting east of Fig. That's cuz not only are there parking lots, there are also old bldgs that need to be torn down, inc the one owned by the salvation army that threehundred mentioned, & replaced with something better.....


maps.google.com

this is where the LA central proj was supposed to be----or is still supposed to be----built.....


maps.google.com

^ that definitely doesn't connect to the rest of the hood, but for now it doesn't have as much of the desperately quality of the land north of LA live. So I can hold my nose & tolerate what's east of fig----at least until too many yrs have come & gone----while I'm more anxious to see the area north of LA live cleaned up asap.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by pesto

These are Jacksonville or Memphis questions, because if you don't see something within 3 blocks of DT, chances are they don't have one. Not so in NY, LA, Paris, London, Berlin, etc.

Same for going ga-ga for the Super Bowl. It's a big deal for hick towns; not so much in NY, Chicago, LA .

however, pesto, the $$ that comes from hosting the most popular TV show each yr will help the economy of any city, hick or otherwise. btw, I believe the super bowl in 2014 is going to be held a few miles from manhattan, or for the 1st time ever in what is considered america's leading city.

as for the spread out nature of LA & how that makes us different from the other major cities you list, I understand what you mean. otoh, unlike those other cities, LA gets caught being described as the type of place where, for example, a person has to live in for a few yrs before liking it. So I think the shaky condition of hoods like dtla also hasn't helped the city in the eyes of even those ppl who don't mind or are aware of its spread out history.

[alki]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

The nighttime rendering looks so much better! Buildings like that can actually look pretty good, assuming the materials are of a high quality. Here is one example from Oslo, Norway:



Ingenioren/SSC

That's an amazing shot. I know Norway is booming because of its oil but I didn't think it was fueling the economy as much as all those new bldgs suggest. Is that in central Oslo or the suburbs....do you know?

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

MGM has a nice, new office tower in Century City. As a matter of fact, it was the last office tower built in L.A., in 2001. Personally, I'd like to see a headquarters move in from out of County to DTLA. Maybe something like Zurich Bank, which I recall wanted to make L.A. their West Coast headquarters. I like where you are going with the whole film company thing, but it isn't really feasible. They need large, campus developments for things like soundstages, backlots, screening rooms, etc. Sadly, film companies simply couldn't exist downtown.

Even the animated divisions? I was thinking they don't require sound stages, etc.........more like lots of cubicles with high powered computers.

As for Zurich Bank, that would be cool but its not a good time for EU banks although the Swiss are faring better than most. Right now, EU banks are hunkered down as they try to get through their financial crisis. I think the initial moves have to be done in county......building on that critical mass.......until such a time DTLA has strong marketing/economic appeal to the rest of the country.

Another possibility might be AEG.............I don't know how strong a pull Dallas has on AEG.

Things to watch out for................

[alki]

Originally Posted by pesto

Yes. The Paris clean up was instituted due to increasing complaints and declining tourism. Same for NY and I would assume for every other cleaning project.

I'm not sure how you got onto this idea that filthy is attractive. "Paris Monumentale" is kept clean for tourist reasons, while the less visited, poorer districts are allowed to remain flithy. Of course, nothing is "spotless" in a city with 10M people.

Pesto, for me, the filth has to be excessive to upset me. The times I have been in Paris its the last thing on my mind. Yeah, the buildings looked grimy but not in any way to turn me off.

[alki]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

I'm actually excited about the new federal courthouse, that's great news.

This LA Times article says that "Plans call for the courthouse to be ready for occupancy no later than March 2016."

Click here:
Construction plans for downtown L.A. federal courthouse announced

Its curious that they didn't include the latest design of the building with the article.

In the last few years, the feds have been designing some decent looking court bldgs. Here's two of the latest buildings in Buffalo and Seattle:

[alki]

This is the only design I could find on the new courts bldg. Given the lack of images, you would think it was going to house a nuclear reactor.

Its important to note that when this design was put out they were talking a 1 million sq ft bldg.......now its down to 600K sq ft:

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by alki

This is the only design I could find on the new courts bldg. Given the lack of images, you would think it was going to house a nuclear reactor.

Its important to note that when this design was put out they were talking a 1 million sq ft bldg.......now its down to 600K sq ft:

I remember a different render of the old design for the courthouse. Are you sure this is for the old one? It could be for the new one.

[colemonkee]

^ No, that render is the most recent one, but is likely to be revised, and obviously out of scale. It would have never been that tall in the first place. Look at the floors compared to the LA Times building next to it.

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by alki

Its curious that they didn't include the latest design of the building with the article.

In the last few years, the feds have been designing some decent looking court bldgs. Here's two of the latest buildings in Buffalo and Seattle:

The Buffalo building looks good (especially in close proximity to the LAPD building), but I'd hate to have what looks like another South Group building in the civic center.

[ziggy331]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

I actually walked by there yesterday and there is a sign board that shows a slightly modified rendering.

Took a quick shot from my phone this weekend:

[IMG] rendering by jazline2000, on Flickr[/IMG]

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

well, the original render looked much better, but its still an improvement

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Easy

I'm not negative about downtown LA at all. I look forward to a big year this year with many projects that I'm excited about including One Santa Fe (has that broken ground yet?), Courtyard/Residence Inn, Expo Phase 1, The Broad, Farmers Field, and others. However I am skeptical of a few projects and one of those is Metropolis. I know that you've been a cheerleader for this project for years, so I apologize if I struck a nerve.

I think in Metropolis's case, there was never a 'right time' to construct it. There has never been any sort of projects proposed in it's general area to really help Metropolis shine. But I'm curious to see what types of development will sprout up near LA Live and how they will connect the CBD with LA Live. Metropolis however needs to be taller with condos as well. That's almost a given right now considering what's near LA Live.

And here is another rendering of the proposed LA County Courthouse from a few years ago.


To be perfectly honest, I was never big on this design at all. Curious to see how the new court house will look like now that it's going to be a bit smaller.

*Edit*

Does anyone else think that a park could work near LA Live? I don't mean a lush tropical type park but a urban type park with modern elements such as LED pillars of light? When I lived in Tucson for a few years, I went to Phoenix a few times. They have a new park called Civic Space Park and it really is quite nice. I thought to myself that this would work in DTLA. It makes me think that a park near LA Live (maybe on Francisco) would work.


http://places.designobserver.com/media/images/e2.jpg


http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2011/09/phoenix_civic_space_park.jpg


http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Inter...20Planning/images/DP_story_Phoenix_1.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2492/3865725629_3ee9246395.jpg

[pesto]

For sure parks should be woven into LA Live, which right now is way too much concrete, plastic and metal to ever make a place for people to want to linger in.

Any part of any downtown could use park areas. Just think about NY, Paris, London, etc. The problem is that the LA ones attract the homeless.

[ChelseaFC]

United Artists Theater to be Ace Hotel

Oregon-Based Hotel Chain Confirms Plan to Open on Broadway



DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Oregon-based Ace Hotel has confirmed plans to open in the historic United Artists Theater on Broadway.

Ace confirmed its plan on Monday after moths of speculation that followed the October purchase of the theater at 933 S. Broadway by Greenfield Partners.

The hotel chain's plan calls for 180 rooms in the former office building's 13 floors, and it will include a 1,600-seat entertainment venue in the structure's namesake theater. The plan also calls for a pool, restaurant and bar in the edifice that has not been fully activated in decades, according to the office of 14th District Councilman José Huizar.

Huizar's office, which this week celebrated the four-year anniversary of his Bringing Back Broadway initiative, worked with the Ace Hotel/Greenfield Partners team for several months before the deal to buy the property for $11 million closed, according to Huizar's office.

"Ace Hotel and Councilmember José Huizar's Bringing Back Broadway initiative have the same goals - to create a rich neighborhood destination that serves as a center for activity, tourism, and entertainment in Downtown L.A.," said Alex Calderwood, Ace Hotel co-founder, in a statement.

The Broadway landmark had long been owned by the University Cathedral, a congregation made famous by its late founding pastor, Dr. Gene Scott. The church has maintained the building, which was built in 1927 by United Artists founders D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.

The building was the tallest privately owned building in Los Angeles until 1956, Huizar's office said.

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/unite...13d9cfa-463e-11e1-ab46-0019bb2963f4.html

[all of the trash]

Ace hotel is so portland and gimmicky but I gotta say, quite an addition to broadway! Shows that investors are serious about broadways potential as a real cultural corridor.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

lots of interest on broadway lately. a few buildings / lots have either sold or now on the market on that 4 block stretch between 9th and 6th.

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

lots of interest on broadway lately. a few buildings / lots have either sold or now on the market on that 4 block stretch between 9th and 6th.

Don't doubt for a second that Huizar's BBB initiative has a great deal to do with it. He was actively involved in this particular agreement.

[LA/OCman]

What I love about this press release is what he said in bold...




Councilmember José Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway

Welcomes Ace Hotel to United Artist Theatre Building
The Ace Hotel chain will open its latest outpost in the Historic United Artists Theatre on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles’ historic theatre district

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 23, 2012) – Councilmember José Huizar announced today that the Ace Hotel chain will soon call Broadway home, with the international hotel chain purchasing the historic United Artist Theatre and office building.

After months of speculation, an official announcement from Ace came today regarding the purchase agreement for the property at 933 S. Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. The announcement represents yet another exciting new development for Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway revitalization initiative, a 10-year plan, which celebrated its four-year anniversary this month.

Ace Hotel has partnered with Greenfield Partners to develop the project, which will create approximately 180 rooms in the office building’s 13 floors, as well as a pool, restaurant, bar, and reactivation of the historic theater with approximately 1,600 seats. The development will lead to the creation of hundreds of jobs in space that has not been fully activated in decades.

“Located at the intersection of the Historic Core and the Fashion District and directly on the streetcar line, Ace Hotel on Broadway will offer a very attractive destination for tourists,” said City Councilmember José Huizar. “This is exactly the kind of project we want to see more of - the Ace Hotel will be a shot in the arm for Bringing Back Broadway and will benefit all of Downtown. We’re happy to be working with them.”

Huizar’s office worked with the Ace Hotel/Greenfield Partners team for several months, starting well before escrow closed on the property and plans to remain involved as the project moves forward.

“Ace Hotel and Councilmember José Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway initiative have the same goals – to create a rich neighborhood destination that serves as a center for activity, tourism, and entertainment in Downtown L.A.,” said Alex Calderwood, Ace Hotel co-founder. “Bringing Back Broadway has been right beside us from day one to help us navigate the City’s red tape, and we look forward to continue working with Councilmember Huizar’s office to ensure this exciting project opens in as timely a manner as possible.”

The Ace Hotel announcement comes on the heels of a number of recent successes for Councilmember Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway. Famima and Royal Claytons English Pub just announced that they will be locating in the Broadway Spring Arcade building. The popular Los Feliz eatery Figaro Bistro is under construction to locate in Broadway’s historic Schaber Cafeteria building. Ross Dress for Less will soon reactivate the long-vacant historic Woolworth’s Department store building, becoming the first new national retailer to come to Broadway in years.

The Umami Burger team will open Umamicatessen on Broadway in the coming weeks; New York Pizzeria Two Boots Pizza is under construction near the Orpheum Theatre; Clifton’s Cafeteria is in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation and the Palace Theatre underwent a $1 million upgrade in celebration of its 100th birthday last summer.

Councilmember Huizar indicates that even more good news is in the pipeline.

The Ace Hotel property falls within the boundaries of the L.A. Fashion Business Improvement District, which provides clean and safe services, as well as marketing and economic development support for the area.

“We’re thrilled that Ace Hotel is making its debut on Broadway in the L.A. Fashion District,” said Kent Smith, Executive Director, L.A. Fashion District. “And we’re delighted that Greenfield Properties saw the potential of converting one of the most beautiful theater buildings in North America in to a fashionable hotel to serve fashion buyers and shoppers from coast to coast.”

With locations in Portland, Seattle, New York and Palm Springs, the Oregon-based Ace Hotel chain, recognized in Time Magazine’s list of top 100 business innovators, is known for its urban, eclectic style paired with affordable room rates. The coupling of this bohemian hotel chain with the unique United Artists Theatre on Broadway appears to be a match made in heaven.

Opened in 1927, the site for the flagship United Artists Theatre at 933 S. Broadway was hand selected by world renowned actress, Mary Pickford, who worked closely with architect, C. Howard Crane of Detroit, who designed the distinctive “Spanish Gothic” building.

The 12-story office frontage for the complex was designed by the L.A. firm Walker and Eisen. Unique features of the historic design include plaster decoration inspired by the Cathedral at Segovia, an elaborately furnished Moorish style smoking room with Malibu tile baseboards often used as a private screening room for Mary Pickford; a vaulted ceiling finished in fresco murals; auditorium murals depicting the history of the film industry and gold-backed lobby mirrors. The UA building was the tallest privately owned building in Los Angeles until 1956.

The theatre was closed briefly during the depression and then continued productions.

In 1956, the UA was closed again for remodeled to the tune of $200,000 to equip it with wide screen projection. The theater reopened with a first-run engagement of “Oklahoma,” which soon closed, as did the theater. Ten years later, the UA reopened as a Spanish language movie house.

Most recently, the theater was owned and occupied by Los Angeles University Cathedral. After televangelist Pastor Dr. William Eugene Scott passed away, the church remained operational in the theater auditorium for a number of years until the theater and commercial office building were sold to current ownership, Greenfield Partners, for $11 million in October of 2011.