LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0 - Page 45

StethJeff · #**881** Posted **Apr 20, 2011, 4:10 AM**

With respect to the Portland Courtyard, the design is palatable but the color scheme is awful. I still wouldn't want that next to the big blue and beautiful Ritz. My guess is no matter what, whatever is built is going to seem completely out of place right next to LA Live.

Easy · #**882** Posted **Apr 20, 2011, 4:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Question for you guys; do you like these new street signs that have been popping up downtown?

I don't like them at all and the font is terrible. Time to declare this experiment a fail and move on.

milquetoast · #**883** Posted **Apr 20, 2011, 12:03 PM**

I forgot about the ass-hats!

.

pesto · #**884** Posted **Apr 20, 2011, 7:50 PM**

It's the city's job to make sure that anything surrounding LA Live is of comparable style and quality.

Marriott Hoboken can be found at any offramp of any freeway. Portland is very marginal. After all, this is next to one of the leading entertainment zones of the world, with huge media coverage. Do your best to show what you got, not what you put up in an anonymous suburb.

LosAngelesSportsFan · #**885** Posted **Apr 20, 2011, 8:49 PM**

exactly right Pesto. i dont think the city of LA has a design board, right what a freaking shame.

its not as though a decent design would cost that much more, if at all. this is just a mickey mouse job on design.

Just-In-Cali · #**886** Posted **Apr 20, 2011, 11:01 PM**

There is also a good chance (GASP) that it will look different. Hell the Ritz only looks about 60 percent of the way it did in its first render, so have a Cosmo and calm down.
Ive read alot of bitching (as usual) about this project. I guess the question is...what is it a more budgeted standard hotel should look like? How "architectual" should it be to please the critics while still being economic enough to build in this soft economy? Frankly its fine for what it is. Just a standard middle budget hotel supplementing a larger facility. Could it be better, sure...could it be worse, yes...could it stay a parking lot that everyone would then bitch about too.....YES. Pick your battles...a 22 story "annex" to the JW is not one Im gonna waste time complaining over...especially if its filling in a dead zone during a recession when most projects are dead. Cuz again, it could have gone the route of the Jardin site...oh...yeah...a parking lot.

RST500 · #**887** Posted **Apr 21, 2011, 3:53 AM**

I would be very dissapointed if it was on figeroa but considering the location kind of behind LA Live its not really that bad. I would like to know when they are going to starat developing those massive parking lots across the street from LA Live on Figeroa.

Illithid Dude · #**888** Posted **Apr 21, 2011, 5:05 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RST500

I would be very dissapointed if it was on figeroa but considering the location kind of behind LA Live its not really that bad. I would like to know when they are going to starat developing those massive parking lots across the street from LA Live on Figeroa.

Concerning those parking lots, one of them is actively looking for funding so they could built a billion dollar project. The other is going to be a parking lot for a while.

bluelans · #**889** Posted **Apr 21, 2011, 7:07 AM**

wow ， I'm so happy ! I learned a lot in the from

202_Cyclist · #**890** Posted **Apr 21, 2011, 3:35 PM**

It seems like activity is picking up in LA, with the Wilshire Grand, the Marriott (however ugly it may/may not be), this proposal in Century City, the proposed football stadium. I realize many of these are still early in the planning stages. Here in DC, there is significant construction activity (fortunately, we weren't affected by the recession to the same extent as the rest of the country) and it feels like 2006-07 again.

colemonkee · #**891** Posted **Apr 21, 2011, 6:37 PM**

milquetoast, please stop posting non-downtown articles in the downtown thread, until I have a chance to merge the two.

JDRCRASH · #**892** Posted **Apr 22, 2011, 1:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

It seems like activity is picking up in LA, with the Wilshire Grand, the Marriott (however ugly it may/may not be), this proposal in Century City, the proposed football stadium. I realize many of these are still early in the planning stages. Here in DC, there is significant construction activity (fortunately, we weren't affected by the recession to the same extent as the rest of the country) and it feels like 2006-07 again.

I agree that we are at the tail end of this recession.

However, keep in mind that there was a stretch of 2009 where we saw tons of new proposals, but NONE have happened yet.

Illithid Dude · #**893** Posted **Apr 22, 2011, 1:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

I agree that we are at the tail end of this recession.

However, keep in mind that there was a stretch of 2009 where we saw tons of new proposals, but NONE have happened yet.

Well, that is because L.A. has the two year approval process. Two years later, it is 2011, and some of those projects are supposed to break ground this year (Wilshire Grand, Wilshire Gayley). I think this is the year were development returns to L.A.

BrandonJXN · #**894** Posted **Apr 22, 2011, 6:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

I agree that we are at the tail end of this recession.

However, keep in mind that there was a stretch of 2009 where we saw tons of new proposals, but NONE have happened yet.

Also keep in mind that DTLA still has lots of unused buildings in the Historic Core that still needs to be absorbed.

Speaking of which, there is a building on 5th and...I want to say Broadway. It's now called the Metropolitan. It seems to have just popped up out of nowhere in terms of condos on Broadway.

RAlossi · #**895** Posted **Apr 22, 2011, 7:55 PM**

Lots of small-scale construction still going on Downtown. Improvements are forthcoming!

And ThreeHundred - the Metropolitan Lofts were under construction for a loooong time. Like five years. Looking good except for the ground floor. I don't know what they're planning on doing with it, but I hope something. There's a part where they buffed and shined the peach-colored tiles and it actually looks kinda nice. Now they just need to get rid of the solid roll-down gates and replace them with new ones that provide visibility, and we'll be rockin'.

Heavy construction going on across the street at the Chester Williams. Wonder what's going to happen to the Vaux's swifts since that's been their home base for years while it was abandoned.

Heavy construction on Okada Building next to Mas Malo/Seven Grand. Plans are ground-floor retail, two floors of commercial and one floor of residential (yes, you heard that right!) on the top floor. Odd configuration, but I'll take it. Especially if they do something about the cinderblock exterior.

Chipotle now open at 7th/Grand. Open seven days a week 11am-10pm.

You can now see some decent progress at the bar/lounge soon to come to the southwest corner of 7th and Grand. Also, Caffe Primo at Wilshire/Flower is once again under heavy construction and looks really, really close. They've been painting the walls/ceiling, and there's a Peroni mural in the main lobby now. Major interior construction looks complete. I'd say we're a couple months out now.

There was some construction at the Los Angeles Theater (or next door? hard to tell)... large trash hauler out front and building materials being removed. Could be something finally happening. Could be nothing.

I don't know if everyone knows, but Dublin's reopened. $3 beers all day. Not sure if that's every day. It's been pretty crowded though. Not exactly my scene, but it's definitely a fun place.

Last thing for today, the gallery with the weird plastic crystalline furniture at 9th and Flower (Watermarke) is moving out. A restaurant was supposed to move in, so that could mean progress.

EDIT: No, no, this is the last thing for today: Most of the ground floor windows of the building at 2nd and Broadway are covered in paper. Back in January Blogdowntown reported about this: http://blogdowntown.com/2011/01/6063-big-dreams-for-the-north-end-of-broadway

LA/OCman · #**896** Posted **Apr 22, 2011, 10:52 PM**

Don't forget that The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles (that is the name) is moving from 4th and Main to 5th and Spring in the Spring Arts building. The former space where Banquette and the bookstore is currently will be a new restaurant by the people from the Lazy Ox (IMHO, an awesome restaurant). Also the old Ed Hardy space across from the Rowan Lofts has been turned into an art gallery with a sign out in front indicating a cafe is coming soon.

Also, on the corner of 5th and Spring a Wine/Beer shop is opening soon called Buzz Wine and Beer. I walked in there. Classy place. They will also have wine tastings. The owners also have LA Cafe on Spring. http://buzzwinebeershop.com/

The Pattern Bar will be opening next to New Moon Chinese on 9th near Spring. They have a Facebook page....should be a beautiful space. You can check out the construction photos on Facebook.

LA/OCman · #**897** Posted **Apr 22, 2011, 11:02 PM**

Oh, and this fall USC will be connected to Downtown by train. Yes...the EXPO line will eventually connect Santa Monica to Downtown...but USC is huge...tens of thousands of students, professors, employees will be able to take a train to Central Downtown. Downtown has already become an attractive place to live for USC Staff/Educators. It is all good.

pesto · #**898** Posted **Apr 22, 2011, 11:55 PM**

Some great posts. Got me excited about DT again.

Can't wait for Angel City Brewery to open. There is so much that could be done there at so little cost. The extension of Rose behind it s/b closed and that larger area utilized for something without traffic but in keeping with the Wurstkuche, Angel City industrial look. A performance space with an industrial look or a fake beach bar or whatever the local edgy types can think of. Where are the serious punks and revolutionaries when you need them?

Across Alameda, Woori needs to open to the street, the strip malls need to rethink their parking. Alameda needs to be narrowed.

Illithid Dude · #**899** Posted **Apr 23, 2011, 12:11 AM**

(image from Curbed LA)

Speaking of getting exciting, LA Downtown News has said that the CRA have given 4 million to One Santa Fe. This was, apparently, the final piece of the puzzle for the 150 million dollar project. Groundbreaking will be in October.

colemonkee · #**900** Posted **Apr 23, 2011, 2:12 AM**

Great update, LARossi. And I REALLY hope One Santa Fe moves forward. I've always liked that design.

In addition to all that's above, Umami Burger (which is really 3-4 concepts in one) is moving forward pretty quickly. A friend of mine is working on the design and the permit process for it, and he says they're moving faster than any other restaurant project he's worked on.

In addition, he's also doing some work on two other projects downtown that he didn't want me to reveal yet, but they should be very cool, and are definitely not listed above.

So while we lack any significant highrise construction at the moment, there's plenty of progress in the neighborhood.