LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[badrunner]

Originally Posted by Bikemike

Why can't a city be creative AND progressive? Answer: because LA's creative class isn't very consequential (powerful economically), and it's relatively small.

It's about people AND urban form. Urban form comes FROM people who decide how to form it. In LA, there aren't creative solutions to urban form for a reason (the people).

SF is the poster boy for soulless capitalism. A city of Zuckerbots and tech bros from India. It ain't all that. There's very little buzz and excitement, just work and making money. Been there, done that.

I'd rather live in a city of artists, creatives, black, brown, poor, blue-collar, white-collar, even a fair amount of rednecks here, basically, people from all walks of life. A true cross section of the US economy.

[Quixote]

Bikemike is edluva, for those of you who haven't picked up on it.

I think he brings up good points, and I agree with his overall message. But I also think LA being so diverse and full of cultural amenities (including quality higher education institutions) gives it a certain cachet and dynamism that DC, Seattle, and Houston just don't have. That cachet ensures that LA will never be reduced down to being just a glorified Miami.

I also think it's important to point out that LA's tech/biotech sectors are growing, although it hasn't resulted in IPO after IPO after IPO. LA being home to high-ranking engineering graduate programs (CalTech, USC, UCLA) and its proximity to SF and SD means that it has the opportunity to incubate talent and capture talent from those two cities... those that find the Bay Area too competitive/expensive and SD too boring. And F500 companies moving to TX are part of a larger ongoing trend, of which the Bay Area has hardly been immune to. Major legacy companies like McKesson and Charles Schwab have moved (or will soon move) to DFW, Bechtel to NoVA.

[DanielG425]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Bikemike is edluva, for those of you who haven't picked up on it.

I think he brings up good points, and I agree with his overall message. But I also think LA being so diverse and full of cultural amenities (including quality higher education institutions) gives it a certain cachet and dynamism that DC, Seattle, and Houston just don't have. That cachet ensures that LA will never be reduced down to being just a glorified Miami.

I also think it's important to point out that LA's tech/biotech sectors are growing, although it hasn't resulted in IPO after IPO after IPO. LA being home to high-ranking engineering graduate programs (CalTech, USC, UCLA) and its proximity to SF and SD means that it has the opportunity to incubate talent and capture talent from those two cities... those that find the Bay Area too competitive/expensive and SD too boring. And F500 companies moving to TX are part of a larger ongoing trend, of which the Bay Area has hardly been immune to. Major legacy companies like McKesson and Charles Schwab have moved (or will soon move) to DFW, Bechtel to NoVA.

This is a crazy take, wow. DC and Houston don't have cultural amenities or quality higher education institutions? I think you need to do your research and travel a bit more.

[Quixote]

^ I don’t think they stack up to LA is what I was trying to say, both on a pound-for-pound basis and certainly not in the aggregate.

DC has better museums than LA, but there’s more to “culture” than museums.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Bikemike is edluva, for those of you who haven't picked up on it.

I don't remember; was he the Korean who lived in Santa Monica who hated Latinos?

[colemonkee]

Moderator Note: friendly warning to all to not let this devolve into City vs. City discussions/comparisons. Please keep the conversations directly relevant to high rise development.

[caligrad]

Bikemike/Edulva. My old nemesis.


Anybody want to grace us with a photo update ? i would personally really appreciate it. any updates on future projects? i know a few are supposed to break ground this year and next.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Bikemike is edluva, for those of you who haven't picked up on it.

I think he brings up good points, and I agree with his overall message. But I also think LA being so diverse and full of cultural amenities (including quality higher education institutions) gives it a certain cachet and dynamism that DC, Seattle, and Houston just don't have. That cachet ensures that LA will never be reduced down to being just a glorified Miami.

I also think it's important to point out that LA's tech/biotech sectors are growing, although it hasn't resulted in IPO after IPO after IPO. LA being home to high-ranking engineering graduate programs (CalTech, USC, UCLA) and its proximity to SF and SD means that it has the opportunity to incubate talent and capture talent from those two cities... those that find the Bay Area too competitive/expensive and SD too boring. And F500 companies moving to TX are part of a larger ongoing trend, of which the Bay Area has hardly been immune to. Major legacy companies like McKesson and Charles Schwab have moved (or will soon move) to DFW, Bechtel to NoVA.

What bikemike doesn't understand is that greater L.A. is a solar system. It has everything. It is part San Francisco, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, Boston, Mexico City, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Saigon, Manilla, London, Berlin, Tehran, Yerevan, Mumbai, Moscow, Tel Aviv, Lagos, Sydney, Nashville, Bakersfield, Des Moines and many more. It is a Universe of many parts. It has genius and idiocy, vast wealth and vast poverty, great beauty and shocking ugliness. It has more graduate students than Boston and the Bay Area combined, and more blue collar workers than any number of rust belt cities. It cannot be characterized or generalized, because it is everything. It is the world.
________________

Now, like moderator colemonkee says, let us get back to high rise development in DTLA!

I agree with caligrad-- more project updates and photos please. I rarely get up to DTLA anymore. For example, any progress in getting Oceanwide finished? Any photo updates of Grand project or Brookfield (the 64 floor tower next to 777 Fig) that is supposed to be starting construction, etc? As a former LA native now in SD, This is my info source on the city I will always love most.

[LA21st]

This is correct lol. The

[pwright1]

[pwright1]

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by pwright1

There we go. Even a pandemic can't stop Brookfield aka Fig at 7th from going up. 695'/64 floors. Thanks pw. Our eyes on LA. Hopefully by this time next year the covid plague will be a fading memory and DTLA will be lively again.

After such a long lull people will want to celebrate. Just like after WW1 and the "Spanish flu"...the Roaring '20s! Here's to the Roaring 2020s and the 2028 Olympics! Happy days are here again or on the way hopefully and a return to "normalcy".

[pwright1]

The 1928 building was once empty except for ground floor jewelry stores. Today it's being converted into 124 apts with ground floor retail space. It's located on the sw corner of 7th and Hill streets.

[pwright1]

[pwright1]

Left to right
Cambria Hotel conversion from office building.
Perla condominium tower.
Citizen M Hotel.
4th and Spring streets. Perla actually sits at 4th and Broadway.

[Easy]

Great update pwright1!

[pwright1]

[Niftybox]

Great pics pwright, thanks again from us all. The Grand is already making everything except the concert hall nearby look way past their time. It could influence some new high-rise developments in the area, at least some better architecture I hope. It surely just drove up the surrounding price per sq ft. Those shabby developments gotta live up to that price now.

[Niftybox]

Originally Posted by pwright1

Off topic but ugh, graffiti like on this statue's plaque disgusts me!!! Plus I don't think anybody likes the name Dakota THAT much...

[colemonkee]

Great shots, Paul! Thank you for the update. The shorter Grand tower looks nearly topped out. That thing is flying. Is there a timeline for the Foreman & Clark building for move-ins?