LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0 - Page 271

DowntownGymRat · #**5401** Posted **Jul 30, 2008, 6:37 AM**

I was in Century City eating lunch during the quake and a lot of people that filed out of the upper floors of the highrises said their buildings definitely shook and swayed, but that it wasn't as bad as the high winds we had one day earlier this year. Ha!

edkao · #**5402** Posted **Jul 30, 2008, 6:59 AM**

ladowntowner · #**5403** Posted **Jul 30, 2008, 1:48 PM**

^ Nice. Much better than what was there before.

Just-In-Cali · #**5404** Posted **Jul 30, 2008, 6:13 PM**

Hey Everyone,
My two cents on that lil Earth fart we had yesterday. I was way out in Temecula on the second floor of an office when it happened. The building is wood frame and one of my co-workers weighs like 450 lbs, so I have felt the floor move when he is shufflin off to the fridge. So you can imagine my surprise when it got a smidge worse. Car alarms went off all over and people were freaked out, but nothing more to report than that. Though my gi-normous co-worker got REALLY freaked out and had an asthma attack...no joke!

So yeah, just a reminder of where we all live, right?
Oh, and I love that newly lit crown on ATnT...it actually makes me like the structure. In other news, has anything....ANYTHING...been said or done with Park Fifth. I mean, we already have a "red headed step child" in The Grand Avenue Project...can we at least get PrkFth and maybe LA Central up?

colemonkee · #**5405** Posted **Jul 30, 2008, 9:22 PM**

No new news on Park Fifth, but it's not supposed to break ground until later this year - Q4, I believe - so no news doesn't necessarily mean bad news on that one.

citywatch · #**5406** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 6:06 AM**

With all the news about ppl not getting mortgages & homes continually dropping in price, I don't know if it's possible that any new devlpt can breakground nowadays, esp one that's as huge, & therefore as $$, as parkfifth.

Then again, it's interesting that the one devlpr who first started the major spurt of construction in DT several yrs ago----when most other builders avoided the hood cuz they thought it was too risky----recently broke ground on another phase of his faux euro Orsini apt bldgs at Fig & Sunset.

I'm not sure if the last laugh is on all those ppl (like us forumers) who love highrises but hate lowrise wood framed bldgs, even more so if they're cheesy like the Orsini, or if the last laugh is on the devlpr of that set of bldgs at Fig & sunset. Whatever the case, he seems to be able to laugh all the way to the bank cuz his bldgs, based on their websites, somehow manage to fill up.

Right now I'll be happy just watching completion of work on the Medallion, the apt bldg on San Pedro near 2nd St, 717 & concerto, LA live & a few conversion projs. As for parkfifth & the Grand ave projs, if they can't be underway before 2008 or early 2009, it would be nice if special niche projs like the FIDM dorm tower next to Hanover, & the federal court house proposed for 1st & broadway made up the difference.

And, no surprise, the devlpr of the glass tower proj who made it sound like a sure thing a loong time ago that his proj would be underway well before today still hasn't started work on his tower.

DTLA · #**5407** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 3:16 PM**

So this might be of interest for all u guys, i saw a commercial for a show on the National Geographic channel premiering Sunday night at 9 about the building of EVO and it chronicles the planning & actual construction of it.

LongBeachUrbanist · #**5408** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 4:12 PM**

I wouldn't count on seeing many new high-rise projects for awhile. Hopefully in the meantime, we'll still be seeing some public projects (parks, rail, etc.).

colemonkee · #**5409** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 4:48 PM**

^ The developers of Park Fifth claim to have construction financing already in place. While we have no way to verify that claim, if it's true, it could theoretically start later this year. And starting later this year might be well-timed, as the units wouldn't hit the market for three years. Now, this could just be my eternal optimism speaking, so don't take it as a prediction just yet.

DTLA, good catch. I'll have to set the DVR to catch that one.

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**5410** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 4:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by edkao

Now that the building is cleaned up and the crown is lit, it is so much better than the dingy gray tower that once stood alone in South Park. However, I would rather they left the top floor floating above the tower. A new lighting scheme could have really showcased this feature. The floating floor was the one really unique thing about this tower and now it's gone.

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**5411** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 5:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee
The developers of Park Fifth claim to have construction financing already in place. While we have no way to verify that claim, if it's true, it could theoretically start later this year. And starting later this year might be well-timed, as the units wouldn't hit the market for three years. Now, this could just be my eternal optimism speaking, so don't take it as a prediction just yet.

I too may be being too optimistic, but if it's true that financing is in place for Park Fifth, and the Grand does secure a loan once construction docs are finalized, there is a good chance these should start near their next intended start date because too much money has been spent by the developers for them to just drop the project. I believe I heard Related has spent 190 million? That's too much money to not to do everything they can to push this through. It's the external factor that will stop them (the bank), not the developer.

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**5412** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 10:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTLA

So this might be of interest for all u guys, i saw a commercial for a show on the National Geographic channel premiering Sunday night at 9 about the building of EVO and it chronicles the planning & actual construction of it.

Blogdowntown has this story posted:

http://blogdowntown.com/2008/07/3501-la-hard-hats-offers-front-row-seat-for-downtown

LA Hard Hats Offers Front Row Seat for Downtown Construction
By Eric Richardson
Published: Thursday, July 31, 2008, at 06:45AM

blogdowntown

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The X Games, kicking off today at Staples Center and L.A. Live, aren't the only entertainment putting Downtown on the screen this weekend. Sunday marks the premiere of LA Hard Hats, a National Geographic series chronicling the construction of Evo, the third building in the South Group collection.

The series is all about construction, with each episode focusing on a different trade at work on the site. This week I talked to Jim Stammer, who managed the Evo job for general contractor Howard S. Wright.

Jim's worked on many projects. So did the production make the job feel different? "Certainly they did at first, a lot of the folks on the job were intimidated by the big furry microphone in their face," Jim told me. Pretty quickly, though, the workers got used to ignoring the crew and going about their work.

Jim said that the National Geographic crew knew when to let the crew just do their jobs. "They were a good team player."

And how did the show come out? "It's the real deal. These guys aren't actors, so they pretty much tell it the way it is."

How well does it do on educating the public about what's really going on up on construction jobs? "From that perspective, I think they did a great job."

LA Hard Hats premieres Sunday evening on National Geographic Channel.
_____________________________

It's kinda neat that some of those Luma and Elleven residents will be saying "hey, my home is on T.V."

logandankr · #**5413** Posted **Jul 31, 2008, 10:29 PM**

^ those guys taking a leak??

Easy · #**5414** Posted **Aug 1, 2008, 4:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTLA

So this might be of interest for all u guys, i saw a commercial for a show on the National Geographic channel premiering Sunday night at 9 about the building of EVO and it chronicles the planning & actual construction of it.

Their web page shows that it comes on at 7 pm and 10 pm, not 9 pm. My TV schedule shows it on at 6 pm, 7 pm, 9 pm and 10 pm. Hopefully I'll remember to watch at least one of them.

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**5415** Posted **Aug 1, 2008, 6:53 AM**

I saw that also. I set my Tivo to record it as a season pass. It only picked up the 6:00 and 7:00 showings. So I checked and it appears the 9:00 and 10:00 showings are repeats of the 6 & 7.

DTLA · #**5416** Posted **Aug 1, 2008, 3:58 PM**

^Yeah, the commercial said nine but when i set a reminder for it i saw that it aired first at 7
On a different note, i'll be heading by downtown tomorrow to move some furniture up to my new apartment in Westlake so if someone can give me instructions on how to put pictures up on the site i'll do my best to take some pictures, even if they'll be from the freeway, and put them up when i get back

RAlossi · #**5417** Posted **Aug 1, 2008, 6:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

^ The developers of Park Fifth claim to have construction financing already in place.

Their claim was that they have a commitment to fund the loan... but as the eternally pessimistic blogger I am, I won't believe it until they've got money in the bank.

I believe this situation is best served by lyrics from Swizz Beatz:

She ain't got no money in the bank
She be walking 'round actin' all stank
Now she at the party looking at me
Boys said she can't get saved by me
I'm lookin at her like (right)
I ain't tryna save that girl
I ain't tryna save that girl
I ain't tryna save that girl

colemonkee · #**5418** Posted **Aug 1, 2008, 10:12 PM**

^ Nice!

BrandonJXN · #**5419** Posted **Aug 1, 2008, 11:15 PM**

Did someone say crunk?

WHAT?!

JDRCRASH · #**5420** Posted **Aug 3, 2008, 11:30 PM**