LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0 - Page 290

citywatch · #**5781** Posted **Nov 6, 2012, 5:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterK

In my continued effort to keep Downtown LA at the top of this forum (& post more pictures and information that will certainly be dismissed/forgotten), I've got some images for you guys from this evenings stroll.

I really enjoyed your pics, hunterK, and, no, you're not the only one who's wondering about & puzzled by the clark hotel. I'm now quite worried that the owners of it are so undercapitalized.....cuz why else are they taking sooo long to work on the exterior?....that if they do finally get their bldg up & running, that unless it does landslide, sro business, it won't survive long.

You said in one of your previous posts that LA has a tendency to mess up the design of new devlpt. My biggest grievance about LA....or certainly dt....is the habit of property owners to not get new projs & improvements underway soon enough, or cancelling them, or never having serious makeover proposals in the first place. When I say that, I immediately think of projs like the clark hotel, not to mention giannini place.

Illithid Dude · #**5782** Posted **Nov 6, 2012, 5:45 AM**

Hmmm..... What could this be?

blackcat23 · #**5783** Posted **Nov 6, 2012, 9:15 AM**

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/11/co...starts_on_little_tokyo_mixeduser_ava.php

Colemonkee, you are Curbed famous!

Chef Boyardee · #**5784** Posted **Nov 6, 2012, 10:46 AM**

You know, i was just thinking why do developers almost always outright lie about the start dates for their projects. Those that actually start at all, start months later than originally stated. And it's not just in LA, it's everywhere in this country. In the ancient days of CD's, the music industry used to do this. A record label would announce the album's release date and it would always get pushed back numerous times. Now it's obvious why they did it (building anticipation, keeping the band's name in the news, etc.), but what benefit do these developers see in it? Why not just give the most conservative date?

colemonkee · #**5785** Posted **Nov 6, 2012, 4:18 PM**

Ha! Far out! Good catch, blackcat.

citywatch, Gianinni Place was well underway several years ago - my next door neighbor at the time was an architect on the project - when it was shut down for performing interior demolition without a permit. The Chetrit Group is notoriously secretive, but being secretive with the City will only get you in trouble.

Illithid Dude, that empty lot on 5th between Hill & Broadway, which actually goes all the way around the building that houses Perch to Hill Street, has been there as long I've lived downtown, which is over 7 years. And over those 7 years, they've periodically had equipment working back there. So I wouldn't take too much from these pictures until we hear some kind of official announcement or media report.

BrandonJXN · #**5786** Posted **Nov 6, 2012, 4:58 PM**

The more you focus on one building, especially the Hotel Clark, the more disappointed you will be.

ziggy331 · #**5787** Posted **Nov 7, 2012, 8:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Not sure how much I like it, but the design certainly is interesting. I'm taking the 'wait and see' approach.

EDIT: The slab of marble is really gorgeous, though...

Curbed has some renderings of the interior as well.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/11/so..._suites_on_stilts_above_rooftop_pool.php

I actually love the design but I wonder how realistic this is? $31 M for a 44 room hotel? From a group of people who have zero experience in the field? Obviously I'm hoping it works out but I wonder about the finances.

On a side note, I've been working in downtown for just over a month now and I have to say that the future is so bright here. It really does seem like there is a new bar or restaurant (and now slowly retail) opening every few weeks. Yeah, there is a lot of work to be done still and sometimes I pray that Febreeze would sponsor a downtown sidewalk cleanup, but if you look past all that, there is a real sense of community forming (or actually already formed) and growing that genuinely wants to see downtown improve. It's pointless wasting time wondering how or why downtown got into a state of despair in the first place. Learn from it and move on- all we can do is work to make it better. It's well on it's way and I'm so excited to be a part of the next wave of the downtown LA renaissance!

//end speech//

blackcat23 · #**5788** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 5:33 AM**

Work is going quickly at 8th and Hope. The hole looks to have gotten quite a bit deeper since Hunter's update a few days ago.

Illithid Dude · #**5789** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 6:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy331

Curbed has some renderings of the interior as well.

I actually love the design but I wonder how realistic this is? $31 M for a 44 room hotel? From a group of people who have zero experience in the field? Obviously I'm hoping it works out but I wonder about the finances.

Totally thought this. Seems a little cheap for such an architecturally interesting nine-story building, right? But hey, if they can make it work, then great.

pwright1 · #**5790** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 7:24 AM**

Brooks Brothers coming back to downtown Los Angeles.

http://brighamyen.com/2012/11/07/brooks-brothers-coming-to-the-jonathan-club-in-downtown-la/

BrandonJXN · #**5791** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 4:37 PM**

Seems like the retail scene in DTLA is catching steam.

BOYCOTT 90210 · #**5792** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 6:41 PM**

Great, but I'm not going to shop at Brooks Brothers. Give me real stores.

BrandonJXN · #**5793** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 6:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BOYCOTT 90210

Great, but I'm not going to shop at Brooks Brothers. Give me real stores.

Brooks Brothers isn't? With the white collar crowd, I see this as a good thing.

BOYCOTT 90210 · #**5794** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 6:55 PM**

Brooks Brothers is in a lot of places, it's not that special of a store. If Sacramento has a Brooks Brothers in the AIRPORT, come on. But yes, it's a great start and the dam is beginning to crumble.

pwright1 · #**5795** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 7:09 PM**

The thing is it's a great start for major dt retail. I will shop there. I don't shop at Abercrombie or Zara or Lacoste but I do welcome them to the dt retail scene.

DistrictDirt · #**5796** Posted **Nov 8, 2012, 7:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwright1

The thing is it's a great start for major dt retail. I will shop there. I don't shop at Abercrombie or Zara or Lacoste but I do welcome them to the dt retail scene.

I'm more a of a JCrew guy than Brooks Brothers when it comes to suits.

But what you said is exactly right: this is great for the general DTLA retail scene. Slowly but surely, its becoming apparent to national retailers that DTLA is open for business.

BrandonJXN · #**5797** Posted **Nov 9, 2012, 7:27 PM**

Some good news.

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/feder...c855c72-2a98-11e2-b3b6-001a4bcf887a.html

Quote:

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Downtowners, rejoice! Plans to eradicate a Civic Center eyesore could come as soon as next week.

Officials with the federal General Services Administration said they are close to announcing a design and construction team for the $400 million federal courthouse at the southwest corner of First Street and Broadway. Traci Madison, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the winner could be picked next week.

On March 30, the GSA narrowed down the list of applicants to four finalist teams: Clark Construction with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architects; Hensel Phelps Construction with Yazdani Studio & Gruen Associates; McCarthy with Brooks-Scarpa & HMC Architects; and Mortensen Construction with NBBJ Architects.

The project, on the site of a former state office building, is scheduled for completion by 2016. It would be a 600,000-square-foot edifice with 24 courtrooms, 32 judges’ chambers and 110 parking spots on a 3.6-acre site. It would house district judges, jury assembly facilities, offices for the U.S. Marshals service and others.

As part of a second phase of the project, GSA officials are looking for a developer to take over the federal Spring Street Courthouse, which will be vacated when the new building opens. In exchange for the Spring Street property, the developer would have to build a federal office building next to the new courthouse.

The property has been a source of complaints for years. In recent months, however, it received some positive attention, as a pair of street artists put papier-mâché creations in the fenced-off plot.

LosAngelesSportsFan · #**5798** Posted **Nov 10, 2012, 1:26 AM**

well, that was unexpected good news.

Steve2726 · #**5799** Posted **Nov 11, 2012, 12:09 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterK

Vacant Lot on 5th between Hill & Broadway by Hunter Kerhart, on Flickr
Another picture of the vacant lot I've posted here before. This time from the other end of it.

Somebody should embrace this squalor and turn the space into an outdoor cafe/ beer garden/ rave venue, or whatever.

SoCalKid · #**5800** Posted **Nov 11, 2012, 9:06 PM**

Looks like Astani has plans for another mixed use development on a large parking lot in South Park. Good news just keeps coming!

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-state-bar-property-sale-20121109,0,3544793.story