^ I realize this is a thread devoted to skyscrapers......this is skyscraperpage.com, after all.....which is fine & all, but that may make ppl forget the reality of....
It's the economy, stupid!
some of the ppl most devoted to...or obsessed by...the idea of new devlpt in dtla being as tall as possible, or being preferably super tall, often don't seem as interested in the economics of the hood, or of LA in general. If so, their fandom about tall bldgs....with virtual reality....will always be in conflict with actual reality.
I wish LA's economy could support what skyscraper fans want to see happen. I myself would be thrilled to see something like that super tall next to angel's flight become more than cheap talk. But I've been waiting yrs & yrs for dt's economy to finally support all the existing office space in the hood, much less new space. But reports keep coming out about how many businesses & the ppl who go with those businesses still prefer working, if not living....elsewhere, esp areas like silicon beach or glendale, or hollywood.
similarly, many ppl have vastly different tastes. I think of all the ppl who despise GH palmer's apt bldgs....hardly surprising since that devlpr is a stereotype of a person obsessed with creating the exact same cheesy style over & over again. He must have OCD.
His newest apt bldg in dt, the one on broadway near the ace hotel, has a street facing facade that suggests his OCD has finally given way to something less obsessive & compulsive.
Guess again.
broadwaypalaceapartments.com
broadwaypalaceapartments.com
broadwaypalaceapartments.com
broadwaypalaceapartments.com
I was in dt last night & it's quite a sight to see quite a few windows lit up in another palmer apt bldg....the one that burned down 2 yrs ago....that sits right next to.....perilously close to.....the fwy.
Another new apt bldg, by another devlpr, at 2nd & san pedro st, near city hall, is also complete & its tenants....with several of their windows lit up....make their presence known. such things create a big difference in making dt finally....finally.....feel friendlier & lived in.
the human element....& what the average person likes or doesn't like, or wants or doesn't want....can be forgotten when inanimate things like the architecture, height & urbanism of new devlpt are focused on almost to the exclusion of the animate....involving the ppl who actually are in dtla.
the sense of dt really coming to life was also evident around the whole foods mkt last night, with ppl out & about.....with things like the renovation of the Giannini bldg at 7th & olive or the bldg at 7th & olive directly east of the coulter mandell lofts, both covered in tarps, being noticeable & promising the addition of a new layer to the hood in the future.
Even the metro417 apt bldg helps things....I noticed the flood lights on the top of that bldg must have been replaced not too long ago since many of them were working instead of being noticeably burned out, as they've been in the past. the sight of the large construction site, even at night, next to it instead of a vast parking lot is also a relief.
The style of palmer's bldgs is very kitschy & ridiculously compulsive. But enough ppl apparently don't mind that since they fill up rather quickly. It's the animate....the human element...& not just the inanimate, or things like AIA awards or theories promoted by urban experts, that quite a few ppl ultimately are more likely to respond to.
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It's the amenities, stupid!
broadwaypalaceapartments.com
^ things like that in palmer's broadway palace apt proj presumably add sizzle to the sale. Even though I've read that many of those type of amenities aren't used by most tenants in the typical apt bldg....here or anywhere else.... they do help draw a distinction between his bldgs & those of his competitors. They, along with things like heavy landscaping & decorative fountains, also must add quite a bit of cost to new devlpt.
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