LOS ANGELES | METRO Project Rundown 2.0 (non-downtown)

[all of the trash]

Now THAT is exactly the kind of building material I'd like to see in downtown and Hollywood. Not stuff like the Jefferson or medallion or glo (or whatever it's called now) which look like piles of puke

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

exactly! beautiful! wood glass and metal.

[Illithid Dude]

I agree, it's a lovely structure. I do wish, though, that they didn't make the bottom story of the part on the back of the courtyard stucco. It just is all the more jarring when the rest of the building is of such high quality. I do love the little design that spans the courtyard, though. Overall, it's a really nice building.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by DowntownCharlieBrown

Work is also expected to begin soon on Blvd 6200, a 1,000-unit apartment and retail complex on Hollywood Boulevard between Argyle and El Centro avenues, close to the Pantages Theatre.

it's about time!! that part of hollywood has been a major embarrassment for yrs & yrs. One of the worse deadzones in the entire hood, in all of LA....


maps.google.com

^ part of the proj is supposed to fill in this huge parking lot next to the w hotel in the hollywood/vine devlpt. A second part is supposed to fill in this big gap on the north side of the blvd....


maps.google.com

A 3rd part will fill in the deadzone west of the above site, on the small piece of land east of the pantages theater....


maps.google.com



blvd6200.com


blvd6200.com

the proj website shows the blvd6200 apt bldgs as a grouping of mainly 8 u shaped structures south & north of hollywood blvd. All of them will be east of argyle, & 4 of the bldgs will be on the south side of the blvd, west of el centro. the other 4 bldgs will be on the north side of the blvd, a bit west & east of where el centro intersects with hollywood blvd. One of those bldgs will sit next to a pep boys store.

if the devlpr can't break ground shortly, they should at least clear out all the land. Those rusty light poles & auto repair bldgs have gotta go, go, go!!!


blvd6200.com

that such high profile areas are just a few hundred yds from hollywood & vine is a major reason ppl visit hollywood & think: You must be kidding! this is supposed to be a town of showbiz glamor??!!

I'm assuming the plans for the blvd6200 proj haven't changed much, or at all, since the drawings for it were first released a few yrs ago. But the fact it has always been a relatively lower cost, low rise, wood framed proj makes all the delays in getting it started & finished even more ridiculous.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

ive been waiting for this project for a long time. its a HUGE piece in the revitalization of Hollywood. The latest problem was the BS lawsuit by a neighbor.

[Illithid Dude]

Okay. This is crazy. This is stupid and crazy and stupid. Also crazy. According to Curbed Los Angeles (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/0...it_edition.php) and Daily News (http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_18682290) L.A. is going to form a billboard comity to try and figure out what to do with all the billboards in Los Angeles. Sounds good, right? Well, the issue is, this billboard commission is not going to be funded by the city. In fact, the commission specifically turned down $500,000 in funding from the city. Instead, the commission will be funded by, wait for this, PRIVATE COMPANIES. Namely, BILLBOARD COMPANIES. It's hilarious, in that incredibly terrible way. Of course, when asked about this new development, Billboard Companies have said that they are "very interested". I goddamned bet they are. Moreover, the council has said that they are looking into making at least 12 signage districts. 12! At least! That's enough to cover the whole goddamned city! Suffice to say, this is terrible news.

[photoLith]

^
Why are you so outraged, maybe Im out of the loop, but they are just billboards.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by photolitherland

^
Why are you so outraged, maybe Im out of the loop, but they are just billboards.

If they were just billboards, I wouldn't be so upset. These 'signage districts' they talk about are pretty much Time Squares. Imagine 12 Time Squares spread across your city. Not so good, eh? Also, the idea that a commission about dealing with billboards is run by the billboard companies is crazy.

[LAofAnaheim]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

If they were just billboards, I wouldn't be so upset. These 'signage districts' they talk about are pretty much Time Squares. Imagine 12 Time Squares spread across your city. Not so good, eh? Also, the idea that a commission about dealing with billboards is run by the billboard companies is crazy.

Chill bro. It would still have to pass multiple councils. Some areas are deserving of signage districts and others are not. Keep in mind how difficult it was for Wilshire Grand to get signage on their hotel. Don't think something passes it is going to happen. Otherwise, today, I'd be sitting in the Purple Line to Fairfax, even though it was funded in the 1980s..but things change. Chill.

Plus, 12 Times Square...what is that? 12 more blocks? That's doable.

[Muji]

Looks like a nice renovation has started in Wilshire Center on the old Hotel Normandie at 6th and Normandie. Apparently, the new owners have just begun a full rehab of the building. In the bottom left of the second photo, you can see that they've started to uncover the original ground floor facade hidden by a later renovation.





Lastly, here's a picture of the hotel in better days, courtesy of LAPL. I would love to see its 6th St. storefronts restored to this.

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by LAofAnaheim

Chill bro. It would still have to pass multiple councils. Some areas are deserving of signage districts and others are not. Keep in mind how difficult it was for Wilshire Grand to get signage on their hotel. Don't think something passes it is going to happen. Otherwise, today, I'd be sitting in the Purple Line to Fairfax, even though it was funded in the 1980s..but things change. Chill.

Plus, 12 Times Square...what is that? 12 more blocks? That's doable.

Yes 12 "districts" is very misleading. It can actually mean single properties, not whole blocks. Another reason we need billboard regulation reform in LA.....

Curbed LA does TERRIBLE (perhaps even biased) reporting when it comes to the discussion of billboards, especially when it feeds a certain troll there - and you know who i'm talking about.

Seriously though, keep these sign districts on Hollywood Blvd and in South Park.

[pesto]

Originally Posted by Muji

Looks like a nice renovation has started in Wilshire Center on the old Hotel Normandie at 6th and Normandie. Apparently, the new owners have just begun a full rehab of the building. In the bottom left of the second photo, you can see that they've started to uncover the original ground floor facade hidden by a later renovation.





Lastly, here's a picture of the hotel in better days, courtesy of LAPL. I would love to see its 6th St. storefronts restored to this.

That ornate brickwork is one of the major indigenous styles in Ktown and Westlake. Great to see them restored. Gives a sense of solidity and that it was built by people who cared.

Is it going to be used as a hotel? There seem to be a lot of smaller hotels becoming more active in Ktown. I am staying here now and I notice that hotel rates are up from the last couple of years.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by pesto

That ornate brickwork is one of the major indigenous styles in Ktown and Westlake. Great to see them restored. Gives a sense of solidity and that it was built by people who cared.

Is it going to be used as a hotel? There seem to be a lot of smaller hotels becoming more active in Ktown. I am staying here now and I notice that hotel rates are up from the last couple of years.

Its going to be a 420-friendly hotel. I tell ya folks, only in LA

[Muji]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

Its going to be a 420-friendly hotel. I tell ya folks, only in LA

Yikes! I really hope things have changed since last year...that was surely one of the most laughable news stories I've read in a while. In any case, whoever is doing the current renovation has been maintaining a facebook page since the beginning of the month with plenty of updates. Without a single reference to weed, so I'll keep my hopes up.

[Muji]

Photos taken yesterday during a trip down 7th St's new bike lanes. The exterior is shaping up on the MacArthur Park TOD. Unfortunately it already looks about 20 years outdated





An affordable housing development called Coronado Plaza, on 7th a bit west of the park.



Lastly, here's a shot of the westbound bike lane along MacArthur Park, which comes with a very spacious buffer. This seems to be the only section with a buffered lane, but it's good to see that LADOT is at least experimenting with the idea.

[colemonkee]

Coronado Plaza reminds me a bit of the New Carver Apartments downtown. Was this also designed by Michael Maltzan?

[Steve2726]

Santa Monica has a big project in the design phase planned for the old Papermate site, across the street from the upcoming Bergamot Expo line station. Renders are intriguing, not sure who the architect is tho-

http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_s...Criticism.html







http://www.smmirror.com/?ajax#mode=single&view=32690

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by Steve2726

Santa Monica has a big project in the design phase for across the street from the upcoming Bergamot Expo line station. Renders are intriguing-

That looks really nice. I'm glad that this type of high-quality development exists in Los Angeles, especially in a time of recession.

[pesto]

Not bad looking, but a deterioration from the first ideas.

A few years ago this started out taller and much denser. Now its starting to look like a suburban office park (larger open areas and removal of "canyons" (5 story canyons? puh-leeeze). Activists also wanted higher ceilings on the first floors; as I recall because some seniors thought normal ceilings looked cramped. Since there were height limits, this effectively cut the number of floors and units, which was probably the real goal to begin with.

This is a consistent pattern in SM. I am a great believer in mid-rise, but this doesn't even qualify as mid-rise. Same issue on Wilshire, which is why the Purple is not getting built.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by pesto

Not bad looking, but a deterioration from the first ideas.

A few years ago this started out taller and much denser. Now its starting to look like a suburban office park (larger open areas and removal of "canyons" (5 story canyons? puh-leeeze). Activists also wanted higher ceilings on the first floors; as I recall because some seniors thought normal ceilings looked cramped. Since there were height limits, this effectively cut the number of floors and units, which was probably the real goal to begin with.

This is a consistent pattern in SM. I am a great believer in mid-rise, but this doesn't even qualify as mid-rise. Same issue on Wilshire, which is why the Purple is not getting built.

I wouldn't go as far as saying it looks like a suburban office park. Its not that tall but its definitely urban. It would be quite at home in a European city. I love the plaza.