Part 1: http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=302143&page=1&pp=20

Part 2: http://skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=343529

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES RUNDOWN

Under Construction - new construction

Ritz Carlton/Marriot Convention Center Hotel
54 stories - hotel & residential

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/9238/ritzcarltontowerdr5.gif
(Photo credit: http://www.gensler.com/) (http://www.gensler.com/)

717 Flower
40 Stories - residential

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/10396790/260809627.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.meruelomaddux.com/) (http://www.meruelomaddux.com/)

Concerto
30 stories - residential
30 stories - residential
8 stories - residential

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1685/concertorenderjo5.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.astanienterprises.com/) (http://www.astanienterprises.com/)


Hanover Tower
26 Stories - residential

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7373/hanoverrendermy5.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.hanoverco.com/) (http://www.hanoverco.com/)


Evo
23 Stories - residential

http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/826/evorenderok3.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.evo-south.com/) (http://www.evo-south.com/)



LAPD Headquarters
12 stories - government

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/7562/lapdhqwa7.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.dmjmhn.aecom.com/) (http://www.dmjmhn.aecom.com/)


LA Live
5 stories - mixed use (office, retail)
5 stories - mixed use (office, retail)
7,000 seat theater

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/8641/lalive1tr8.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.aegworldwide.com/) (http://www.aegworldwide.com/)


San Pedro Apartments (Little Tokyo Block 8)
6 stories - residential

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9545/block820hi6.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.related.com/) (http://www.related.com/)


Mura
5 stories - residential

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/5492/murarenderjd0.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.pulte.com/) (http://www.pulte.com/)


Canvas LA
5 stories - residential

http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/1629/broadstonejb0.jpg
(Photo credit: unknown)


Artisan on 2nd
5 stories - residential

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/526/artisanon2ndoi1.gif
(Photo credit: unknown)


LAPD High School #9

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/7267/highschool9qb8.jpg
(Photo credit: unknown)



Approved - new construction


Grand Avenue Project - Phase I
48 stories - residential & hotel (Frank Gehry)
25 stories - residential

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-06/30447026.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.latimes.com) (http://www.latimes.com)


Glass Tower
23 stories - residential - 250 ft.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/5_30_big.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.theglasstower.com/) (http://www.theglasstower.com/)



Proposed - new construction


Park 5th
76 stories - residential - 820 ft.
40 stories - residential

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/9898/park5threndernewus8.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.parkfifth.com/)

1150 Grand Ave
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/10396790/260809626.jpg

1111 Wilshire
54 stories - residential

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/449/1111wilshiredi8.jpg


Maguire Office Tower
50 stories - office

http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/6320/maguiretowerba1.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.keatingkhang.com) (http://www.keatingkhang.com)


Zen Tower
50 stories - residential

http://www.buildingtradesnews.com/images/stories/07news/07-03.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.buildingtradesnews.com/la...angeles-4.html


1027 Wilshire
48 stories - residential

http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/9350/1027wilshire1largetu8.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.amidigroup.com) (http://www.amidigroup.com)



Park Tower
41 stories - residential

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4946/parktower2wg3uw7.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.cimgroup.com) (http://www.cimgroup.com)


The Residences at St. Vibiana
35 stories - residential

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/3915/stvibiana072007wt8.jpg
unknown


LA Central
52 stories - residential
41 stories - residential/hotel

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/new_lacentral.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.rtkl.com) (http://www.rtkl.com)


Metropolis
45 stories - office
35 stories - residential & hotel
30 stories - resiential
30 stories - residential

(render is just of Phase 1)
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4523/metropolismay07sk2.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.gruenassociates.com) (http://www.gruenassociates.com)


8th and Grand
37 stories - residential
25 stories - residential
15 stories - residential

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7611/8thgrandam7.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.astanienterprises.com) (http://www.astanienterprises.com)


Jardin
32 stories - residential
24 stories - residential

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1286/figsouthoj1.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.exploresouthgroup.com) (http://www.exploresouthgroup.com)


Stock Exchange Towers
32 stories - residential
32 stories - residential

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4290/pacificstockexchangeji1.jpg
(unknown)


Trinity Tower
31 stories - residential

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/761/trinitytowerfa7.jpg
(Photo credit: unknown)


Lucia Tower
31 stories - residential

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/5656/luciatowerwu8.jpg
(Photo credit: unknown)


The Kurtzman
30 stories - residential

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2804/amaconlargeqp0.jpg
(Photo credit: unknown)


Hope Lofts
25 stories - residential

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/3606/hopeloftsnewom3.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.KFarchitects.com) (http://www.KFarchitects.com)


iHope (8th and Hope)
22 stories - residential

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/7096/8thhopeac0.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.cimgroup.com) (http://www.cimgroup.com)


Block 8 - Little Tokyo
21 stories - residential

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9545/block820hi6.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.related.com/) (http://www.related.com/)

One Santa Fe
5-7 stories - Mixed Use

http://la.curbed.com/2007.05.realsanta.jpg
(Photo credit: curbledLA)


FIDM Tower
19 stories - residential

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/111/fidmnewrendervf0.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.rtkl.com/) (http://www.rtkl.com/)


Federal Courthouse
16 stories - government

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/319/losangelescourthouseyg1.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.studioamd.com/) (http://www.studioamd.com/)


Mill Street Lofts
16 stories - residential

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/1779/millloftslx5.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.behnisch.com/) (http://www.behnisch.com/)


1111 Ingraham
14 stories - residential

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/9678/ingrahamrendervw6.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.loopnet.com/)



Recently Completed - new construction

Market Lofts
7 stories - residential

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1963/marketloftsrendervu7.jpg
(Photo credit: http://www.market-lofts.com/) (http://www.market-lofts.com/)


Elleven
13 stories - residential
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/7655/elleven20070506ke3.jpg
(Photo credit: colemonkee)

Luma
19 stories - residental
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8618/luma200705273it2.jpg
(Photo credit: colemonkee)

Colburn School Expansion
11 stories - school & residential

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/3551/colburnfinishederha4.jpg
(Photo credit: Eric Richardson (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ericrichardson/465831437/) via Flickr)


Met Lofts
8 stories - residential

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/2858/metlofts20070506lz7.jpg
(Photo credit: colemonkee)


Hikari
6 stories - residential

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4832/hikari200701061jz1.jpg
(Photo credit: colemonkee)


Savoy
5 stories - residential

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/7885/savoymr9.jpg
(Photo credit: unknown)

What's the status on ihope tower? Do we have any updates?

iHope is 8th and Hope right?

What an amazing amount of projects! Downtown L.A. will be so cool in a couple of years.

Overhere in the Netherlands they say: 'when you visited L.A. don't go to downtown, it's boring'. But i've visited L.A. last summer and i really liked downtown, especially the mid-day concerts at pershing square :)

iHope is 8th and Hope right?

iHope is 8th and Hope yes. I would bet this would break ground early next year. Amoung other projects.

Isn't the police headquarters under construction?

The concrete has been stripped off but nothing else.

The concrete has been stripped off but nothing else.


^ That's better than no activity at all. I still have no idea what's the final design?

From SSP:

Here are some new construction photos of the Wilshire/Vermont project:

This one I snapped with my cellphone on Nov. 18th as I walking by (view of SW corner):

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/207785912.jpg

I took this one this afternoon (Nov 25th). You can see how much progress they've made in just 7 days on the side facing Wilshire Blvd (right side of photo):

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/207785916.jpg

Southeast corner from Wilshire:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/207785943.jpg

They've also started to install the glass storefronts for the ground level retail:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/207785928.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/207785952.jpg

Also, last week I noticed they dismantled the construction crane onsite, so that means they've topped out the steel frame construction. It should be all down-hill from here. The construction sign says delivery in early 2007. Here's the project website:

http://www.wvstation.com/

sweet

From SSP:

These construction photos were taken November 25, 2006. I tried to get all of the major construction projects in Koreatown/Wilshire Center around Wilshire Blvd. I didn't the best luck with the sunlight - please excuse the poor lighting.

Equitable City Center - 6th & Alexandria behind the Equitable Plaza Tower

Construction has been moving steadily on this project. Looks like they've finished the steel work and started constructing the facades.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099115.jpg

Corner of 6th & Alexandria
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099252.jpg

Corner of 6th & Mariposa
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099239.jpg


3670 Wilshire Blvd Tower(s)

This lot has been vacant for a while. Even though I haven't seen any equipment onsite, it looks like some preliminary grading has been started.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099190.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099224.jpg


Wilshire Center apartments - directly across the street from the 3670 Wilshire Blvd site

This site had lots of construction activity today. Looks like they're up to ground level.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099140.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099459.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099441.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099407.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099384.jpg


Serrano Palace Tower (8 stories) - Serrano & 7th St - one block southeast of the 3670 Wilshire Blvd project

I've been amazed how quickly this tower has gone up. I think they only started construction in Feb/Mar of this year.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099360.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099340.jpg


4-5 Story Apt Complex - one block east of the Serrano Palace Tower on Oxford & 7th

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099317.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099306.jpg


Wilshire Solair - NE Corner of Wilshire & Western

They are well underway on this massive development.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208105550.jpg


The Mercury conversion - SW Corner of Wilshire & Western

I haven't seen much progress on the retail component of this project in the last couple of months.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099293.jpg


Courtyard MaDang - Just north of the NW Corner of Wilshire & Western

Looks like most of the steel framing is complete. Here are renderings from the website (www.courtyardmadang.com)

http://www.courtyardmadang.com/image/SCAN1_BI61.jpg

http://www.courtyardmadang.com/image/S5_BIG281.jpg

http://www.courtyardmadang.com/image/S2_BIG289.jpg


Views from across the Solair construction site
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099263.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208099277.jpg

That's all! hope you enjoyed. I'll be posting my construction photos from the downtown tour tomorrow.

Good that we're getting some Wilshire Blvd pics.

Great! A new thread, just before the new year. Some corrections for the first post:

The Chapman Lofts, Brockman Building and Rosslyn Lofts are all under construction (conversion), not proposed. I walked through the Rosslyn today. There are some great units for any of you looking for rentals in the OBD. They won't be ready for a while, but when they're done, there are two corner units with great layouts and lots of room.

From SSP:

OK, as promised - my development photo tour of downtown LA. These photos were taken on Saturday November 25, 2006.

Before I start listing everything, I just wanted to say that the historic core (particularly the northern end) has become a great new neighborhood. I was blown away! So many new retail places have opened and people were out walking their dogs, taking pictures, window shopping - I've never seen it like this.

There are countless conversions underway. I feel like I'm just scraping the surface here. If I confused something, please let me know! and again - the lighting is terrible.

Pan American Lofts

I'm not sure how I feel about the new street facade. It's not stucco.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360907.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360350.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360924.jpg



Douglas Building Lofts

Missing retail tenants.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357892.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357882.jpg



Rowan Building Lofts

Other than the scaffolding - not much noticeable progress.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357938.jpg


El Dorado Lofts

My personal favorite. I visited this building during the downtown loft openhouse earlier this summer and the lobby is still gutted.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357912.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357904.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357900.jpg


4th Street Retail just east of Main Street

All of these places are on the same block. So many and more on the way!

You can't really tell, but there's a large art gallery in this corner unit:
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208358051.jpg

Orange22 Design Lab - modern furniture
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208358075.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208358033.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208358020.jpg

Warung Cafe - opening soon?
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208358017.jpg

Blends - shoe store
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208358014.jpg

Restaurant on the corner of 4th/Main
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208358005.jpg


Rosslyn Hotel Lofts

This old hotel should be undergoing a conversion also. I didn't see any construction or scaffolding though. There's a cool art gallery open on the ground level.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357998.jpg


NE Corner of 5th & Spring

Not sure which building this is, but it's being renovated.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357990.jpg



Security Building Lofts - SE Corner of 5th & Spring

Grand Opening of Weeneez (http://www.weeneez.com/ - hotdog and chili restaurant), next to the Red Dot Bistro & Gallery

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357976.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357967.jpg


PE Lofts - 6th & Main

Beautiful building. A lot of work left to be done on the retail.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208357951.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360229.jpg

This building is right next to the PE Lofts on Main Street. Not sure which one it is, but it's bring renovated - probably into condos
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360242.jpg


City Lofts - http://www.cityloftsquare.com/home.htm

This is the back side of the building as seen from Main Street (front on Spring St). I think this project has been complete, but I took a picture b/c there are just so many loft projects in every direction. This is right across the street from the PE Lofts.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360250.jpg


Cecil Hotel (recently renovated) - just down Main street from the PE Lofts

It's been restored and it's beautiful. New retail/restaurants have openend.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360339.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360329.jpg


Santee Court Village - 7th & Los Angeles St

This redevelopment has been in the works for a while. Lots of new retail opening here with more on the way.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360316.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360285.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360264.jpg

This building across Los Angeles Street is being restored.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360302.jpg



NE Corner of 8th & Broadway

Not sure which building this is. Looks like a condo converstion.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360507.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360498.jpg


OK. I told myself I wasn't going to bother with the South Park area developments b/c they've been covered so much, but I found myself here anyway!


Market Lofts

There's a tarp over the Hope street side now.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360489.jpg


NW Corner of 9th & Flower (9th & Flower Condos - Meruelo Maddux Properties development)

I remember someone asking about this corner recently. There's definitely construction activity happening there now. I have to say I'm a little confused as to why they're bringing steel onsite already. Shouldn't they be digging out the underground parking?

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360482.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360461.jpg


Concerto - just across 9th Street

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360438.jpg


Hanover Tower

Starting to construct the facade on the lower levels.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360419.jpg


Glass Tower

Construction sign posted at 11th & Grand, catty-corner from Elleven, Evo, etc.
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360407.jpg


SE Corner of 7th & Grand

I know this is a bigger profile project, but I can't remember the name. Someone help me...

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360392.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/208360370.jpg

That concludes the tour...phew! Hope you enjoyed. There are countless other renovation projects that I didn't get a chance to photograph. Maybe another day!

The Old Bank District/Historic Core is turning into a Soho style area. And I couldn't be happier.

Nice picts. I work at the area where the Warung Cafe is. That place has been closed for quite some time. Last time I check, it had been closed since July (I tried to eat there for my birthday).

Good to see the government is trying to make the tourist feel less taken aback when they finally see the skyline of LA, after all those picturing in their head.

Thankyou for your time and effort on this, ThreeHundred.

Beautiful buildings
Los angeles is persians favorite city in united states ;)

Is the 'Equitable City Centre' development just a mall or is there any housing included as part of the project?

From the looks of the render, it probably is only retail.
This is the most complete photo update ever!

I think it's both retail and a few apartments.

From SSP:

I had a chance to drive around downtown LA so I snapped some pics.

LA Live
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01319.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01316.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01317.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01318.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01308.jpg

CONCERTO
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01310.jpg

MARKET LOFTS
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01309.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01307.jpg

SOUTH TOWERS
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01306.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01288.jpg?t=1165019698

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/CIMG0627.jpg?t=1165019790

MURA
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01313.jpg?t=1165019828

LA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL NO. 9
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01312.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01311.jpg

BONUS SHOTS
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01305.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01300.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01299.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%201%202006/DSC01295.jpg

Beautiful buildings
Los angeles is persians favorite city in united states ;)

cool photos

Nice pics. Looks like LA Live added two more cranes; now it has 5, plus an addiotional one upcoming for the hotel. Luma seems to be on its last pair of floors.
Love the density here.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/dense_dense_dense.jpg

Weird how 3 little buildings (Elleven, Luma, and to a lesser extent (for now anyway) Evo) can drastically densify LA's skyline.

So true. It's probably due to the fact that Luma, Elleven, and Evo are much taller in proportion to their immediate neighbors.

And to that picture we could add 9th and Flower, iHope, and a lilttle bit of Concerto, and the Park tower?

From SSP:

Had breakfast at the Pantry this morning. Of course I brought my camera;)

HANOVER TOWER
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01335.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01327.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01326.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01324.jpg


9th and Flower. There's definitely some construction happening there.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01331.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01330.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01334.jpg

FIDM??? Has this already broken ground?
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01328.jpg


LA LIVE

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01325.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01322.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01321.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01320.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01323.jpg

MARKET LOFTS
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%202%202006/DSC01332.jpg

westsidelife found some new renderings of LA Live and the Ritz.

http://static.flickr.com/80/250137437_799881d300.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/83/250136733_4d5407188d.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/96/250136732_ed3665a59e.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/92/250135128_a9a3ab7752.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/86/250132435_815c07a0b0.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/82/250109178_928779cf0e.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/54/251698887_4ef60097f8.jpg?v=0

The desing looks so much better. Is it the style of the renders, or did LA Live lose a lot of billboard advertiments?

I'm sure the billboards will be added on once built. Look at Hollywood and Highland. The place keeps getting billboards added on all the time.

Isn't Fig Central supposed to have electronic billboards also? Or is it Fig South?

It's the same tower as the one in the original rendering:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l313/assrapist/Downtown/More/ritz.gif

I'm hoping LA Live has electric billboards. I'm sure it will. Not too worried about that. I want it to be lively but not over saturated.

JR: Fig Central.

The letters on the eastside of the building spell NOKIA, maybe these will be iluminated as well.

The tower, being covered in glass, alone will brighten up the area. When you add Staples Center to it as well as LA Central and Fig South, there will be plenty of energy and excitement.

The Nokia Theater will be labeled "Nokia Theater" on the roof, similar to Staples Center.

Is there any pix of how Nokia supposed to look like when it's done???

From SSP

OK... starting off with a quick South Park photo update. Not much big news to report - another 1 - 2 weeks worth of construction progress on everything. I went during the early afternoon and the sky was overcast, so the lighting is aweful in most shots. I did my best to enhance them in Photoshop. Also, I photomerged most of these panos, so you'll notice some "stitching" here and there.

I just hit the highlights in South Park:

LA Live – they put up a new wooden construction fence around the project recently so it’s hard to get any shot of the site unless you’re 8 ft tall. There was a slight open area near Olympic & Fig where I grabbed this shot. I think this is going to be the opening to the Nokia Plaza from that corner, and it looks like they’re paving the ground-level:
http://static.flickr.com/136/318191484_f69e9fdc1c_b.jpg

Hanover Tower:
http://static.flickr.com/123/318191407_398c3b9b8a_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/126/318191379_43f0ba68b5_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/124/318191441_1aa6d0fc4d_b.jpg

Luma – More windows going in:
http://static.flickr.com/81/318191516_5c90bb2977_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/142/318191541_66eb777314_b.jpg

Moving on to the City West photo update. I know I didn’t hit a couple of the big projects, but the area north of Wilshire is a less interesting walk, and it was getting cold outside.

1010 Wilshire – there is still some evidence of reconstruction going on in the windows up there:
http://static.flickr.com/133/318191047_2c4c1fbba8_b.jpg

Vero (Wilshire & Whitmer) – yeah, looking good!!
http://static.flickr.com/131/318190849_ff71336e7e_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/138/318190816_da18e138a8_b.jpg

I like the contrast of the historic street lamps against the modern architecture:
http://static.flickr.com/139/318190929_4997628531_b.jpg

Back side of Vero:
http://static.flickr.com/124/318190894_026663a354_b.jpg

Wilshire Courtyard – these buildings are coming along nicely:
http://static.flickr.com/81/318191348_d88cafdd55_b.jpg

You can see the west elevation of 1010 Wilshire on the left side of this photo:
http://static.flickr.com/129/318191286_c04a5b1ca2_b.jpg

Visconti (3rd & Bixel) :
http://static.flickr.com/124/318190955_060b320d2d_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/141/318190979_d4895ed596_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/131/318191017_d5f3514a83_b.jpg

A panorama from 3rd & Bixel looking southeast. Please excuse the bad tilt:
http://static.flickr.com/81/318191262_1eb14f37bd_b.jpg

This building is also located at 3rd & Bixel, catty-corner from Visconti. I think it’s an LAUSD High School:
http://static.flickr.com/136/318191230_b375f5d1a5_b.jpg

Broadstone LA (1st & Beaudry) – Well underway now. This should be a nice-looking modern building once it’s finished:
http://static.flickr.com/140/318191076_9f50892bd1_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/144/318191148_90ea570f25_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/123/318191111_37155f7daa_b.jpg

LAUSD High School (#11) / Vista Hermosa – Under construction, located directly across Beaudry from the Broadstone site:
http://static.flickr.com/137/318202524_7ad6a31a54_b.jpg

Orsini II (Fig & Cesar Chavez) – this site is HUGE!!
http://static.flickr.com/140/318190771_c3a187a225_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/139/318190790_8190bcf456_b.jpg

LAUSD High School #9 (further down Cesar Chavez) – I think this is the postmodern school:
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/438_385%20coop%20LA.jpg

http://www.asbj.com/lbd/2006/images/F3Massengale3.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/126/318191183_0077785ac3_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/135/318191210_27f4957cdb_b.jpg

Hope you guys enjoyed! Off to see Apocalypto!!

I like the fact that L.A has lots of midrises in the pipeline as well as some great highrises. Makes a good contrast Nice to see a city that isn't going completely mad about building the tallest building like Dubai where some of the buildings all look the same.

I don't know, California is losing 20,000 American citizens a years. I don't know how they're going to fill in all the apartments.

^ It's still one of the fastest growing states. And dont say they take the money with them the high paying jobs stay.

Losing 20,000 American citizens, gaining 170,000 Mexicans per year. Yes it is growing fast in Illegal population. That's not going to help California. That State is already bankrupt. Now they're borrowing money. Unfortunately, they're going to ask the Federal government to bail them out.

We're losing our own Country with corrupt politicians and no one seems to care.

Leave the political stuff for another thread plz kthx.

Political stuff, right...


A good city, I hope it grows upwards lots in the future.

Standing ovation to Los Angeles:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

I am so happy with the new buildings that have been recently posted. The LA skyline is very unapreciated but very good. From the westside to downtown the vistas are amazing. Keep it up LA!

Losing 20,000 American citizens, gaining 170,000 Mexicans per year. Yes it is growing fast in Illegal population. That's not going to help California. That State is already bankrupt. Now they're borrowing money. Unfortunately, they're going to ask the Federal government to bail them out.

We're losing our own Country with corrupt politicians and no one seems to care.

what an idiot

Fig South now has a new name: Jardin

http://www.gerdingedlen.com/project.php?id=63

The time line is the best part: Dec '06.

^ I wouldn't expect that. Tom Cody of South Group was quoted earlier this month that they would start in Q1 of '07. But they do have signs up at the site.

^^ Well that ain't too bad afterall.

^ I wouldn't expect that. Tom Cody of South Group was quoted earlier this month that they would start in Q1 of '07. But they do have signs up at the site.

Nonetheless, I like the design. Not too fancy. Not too boring. Plus the lily pond is a nice touch.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/godblessbotox/jar03.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/godblessbotox/jar01.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/godblessbotox/jar02.jpg

The website could be better done, for example, by not putting the wrong renderings for the project.

thief!!!!

From SSP:

I caught the LA Downtown Architectural Forum (or something a long those lines) on tv (like LA36...public access).

Anyway, they had Richard Robertson or whatever his name is doing City House and Olympic. Well, he showed a newer, revised version of the two buildings. They are now twin buildings. They are the same height it seemed and look more similar to the shorter one with the dome on top.

But I dont think they are both the same height as the old shorter one. I didnt quite catch what he said but they are but I think they are both somewhere in between or as tall as the old tall one. Anyways, they are very tall, and connected only at the bottom where there is large open archways that lead into a courtyard (that is between them) it appears.

Still the same pre-war style as he called it. He said a lot, lot, lot of detail would be on the building, that he doesnt want to skimp on it. And it would be limestone (or at least thats what he said when he was talking about the bottom of the building (which is very grand)

^^ A visual would be nice*

Here's the link:

http://la36.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=11&clip_id=2083

What is nice to hear that is he basically says he is not going to go cheap with the materials, that's something nice to hear these days.

]Mega-projects could reshape L.A. growth
By Cara Mia DiMassa, Times Staff Writer
December 13, 2006


Los Angeles is having a city-building moment.

Two massive projects — the L.A. Live entertainment complex next to Staples Center and the Grand Avenue development on Bunker Hill — are underway. A third giant project, a major expansion of Universal City, was unveiled last week. All adhere to a much-ballyhooed planning strategy embraced by Los Angeles power brokers.

The projects, at a combined cost of about $7.5 billion, follow what has become the big planning trend in Los Angeles and elsewhere: mixing dense housing, retail and office space in village configurations near mass transit. The idea is to foster "smart growth" — in which residents leave their cars behind, walk to shops, and take buses and rail to work.

For Los Angeles, "this is the beginning. This will be the place where a model gets created," said Gail Goldberg, the city's planning director. "This is very different from past development in L.A. We have in the past seen sort of a limitless amount of land. And I think that there were opportunities for sprawl that don't exist anymore."

Goldberg and other planners suggest that the current projects demonstrate that Los Angeles has learned from the drawbacks of past mega-developments.

In the 1960s and '70s, for example, city planners created a second downtown in Century City — but they did so far from any freeways or mass transit, a legacy that Westside commuters deal with daily.

But critics are more skeptical, saying that "smart growth" is only a euphemism for more sprawl.

They worry that the sheer size of the projects — Grand Avenue's six skyscrapers, Universal City's 2,900 homes, and L.A. Live's huge shopping and entertainment venues — will overwhelm any small improvements made by increasing the number of people who use mass transit.

That point was underscored in the environmental impact report for the Grand Avenue project, which found that the development could significantly worsen traffic in downtown — despite the fact that it would be built along the Red Line subway.

"The landowner is always going to want to put as much as possible onto their properties, and push off onto the public sector the costs for doing it," said Rick Cole, city manager of Ventura and a longtime L.A. urban thinker, speaking of large-scale projects in general. "The public ends up having to foot the bill."

Los Angeles has long favored mega-developments, from the Century City and Warner Center office developments in the 1970s to Playa Vista, a mixed-use housing, retail and office community started in the 1990s on the Westside.

But as some of those developments age, their shortcomings have become apparent. In Century City, there is now a push to build residential towers alongside the office space, in the hopes of improving the balance.

Though the three projects have some central tenets in common, they approach the idea of city-building in very different ways.

L.A. Live, the "sports-entertainment" hub, focuses on being a destination for Angelenos and tourists alike. The project, which already is rising near Staples Center, includes plans for a convention center and hotel, a 7,100-seat theater, broadcast facilities, 14-screen movie theater, and nearly a dozen restaurants and clubs. Luxury condominiums are also part of the mix, with completion of the first phase expected next fall.

Grand Avenue is being touted as the much-needed heart for the city's center. The three-phase project ultimately would include eight condo and office towers, shopping arcades, a 16-acre park and a boutique hotel. The first phase, which would be anchored by two towers designed by Frank Gehry, has received several key official approvals and is expected to start construction next year.

The Universal plan would create an instant neighborhood on the site of the studio's current back lot, with homes and apartment units and a north-south street to serve residents. In addition, the studio's master plan calls for restaurants, stores and a hotel nearby on NBC-Universal property. The plan goes before officials next year.

Despite their differences, all are attempts to create "hubs" that combine denser housing than Los Angeles is used to with shopping and offices near major rail lines.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has hailed this type of development, saying that it provides needed housing in the urban core while giving residents an opportunity to use mass transit instead of cars.

Smaller, transit-oriented, mixed-use projects have popped up in recent years, particularly around the Red and Gold lines. The Times visited one transit village development in Hollywood after it was built in 2004 and found that although residents liked living near a rail line, all the parking spaces in the complex were taken and many residents still used their cars.

Land-use experts say the sheer size of L.A. Live, Grand Avenue and Universal City mean that those projects ultimately will test whether smart growth can work in Los Angeles.

UCLA planning professor Richard Weinstein said single projects alone would not fundamentally alter Angelenos' shopping and commuting habits. But he said worsening traffic has begun to affect where people decide to live.

The recent boom in upscale condos and lofts in downtown Los Angeles has been driven partly by the desire of people to cut their commutes and live close to work.

The question is whether the people who move into the three new developments are willing to alter their lifestyles accordingly.

"It has much to do with changing people's perceptions of how they want to travel," Weinstein said.

Urban planner Doug Suisman said that in Los Angeles, the challenge for mega-projects and other mixed-use projects near transit corridors is how to create density in a way that works for L.A.

"We are learning here how to do mixed use," Suisman said. "And even if people have lots of experience in other parts of the world, it has to be applied locally."

The stakes for Los Angeles are high.

Con Howe, the city's former longtime planning director, believes that Los Angeles may never have another opportunity to shape its urban fabric as it has now with the three mega-developments.

The influence of those projects will extend far beyond their borders, because mega-developments often influence the kind of growth in surrounding neighborhoods, he said.

"There are some major projects that because of their scale or their impact become a generative force, or a regenerative force," said Howe, who heads the Urban Land Institute's Center for Balanced Development in the West.

L.A. Live already has sparked a significant number of residential projects in the South Park neighborhood around it, with developers trusting that the center will be such a draw that people will want to live nearby.

L.A. Live offers "a vibrancy that you can't get in other parts of the city," said Greg Vilkin of Forest City, a developer who recently built the upscale rental Met Lofts there. It will be "like living two blocks off of Times Square."

Loved the cover page picture of today's LAT.

l.a is my favorite city from usa

From SSP:

Speaking of other projects, some observations I made while driving home today (no camera since I was driving):

1. The rebar columns of Hanover Tower are now barely visible in the skyline when driving west on the 10, approaching the 10/110 interchange.

2. Sheet piling/shoring appears to be done at the Meruelo tower at 9th and Hope and excavation has begun. As of earlier today, a majority of the site was already about 6 feet deep.

3. They've installed most of the windows on the first two residential floors along 9th street at the Market Lofts. Looks nice. Not award-winning, but nice.

Here's the new rendering of The City House and The Olympic:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/10396790/213181401.jpg

They look sinister. I like them.

These towers could become instant LA landmarks or the biggest twin eyesores. Is this design change due to the construction prices going up?

^ Why would you think that? they increased the height on one tower, and made no mention of a reason for you to think that costs affected anything.

These towers could become instant LA landmarks or the biggest twin eyesores. Is this design change due to the construction prices going up?

I don't think that you increase and change the designs of both towers if construction costs are going up. If anything, the more rooms each building has, the faster profit will be made.

Has there been any mention of the price tag? Just how deep are the pockets of these developers?
The towers would look awsome if they had special lighting at night.

I would love for them to have a Empire State Building type lighting display. They slightly resemble ESB so it makes sense.

http://www.visuallee.com/weblog/images/empire_moon.jpg

Now we're talking.

Front view
http://robertsonpartners.net/images/1-Front-View.jpg

Back view
http://robertsonpartners.net/images/10-Back-View.jpg

Top view
http://robertsonpartners.net/images/16-Top-Two.jpg

Left view
http://robertsonpartners.net/images/2-Left-View.jpg

Front view
http://robertsonpartners.net/images/3-Front-View.jpg

Front view
http://robertsonpartners.net/images/4-Front-View.jpg

Sidewalk
http://robertsonpartners.net/images/8-Sidewalk.jpg

These will truly be iconic. Downtown's first spired skyscrapers.

Even though it's nowhere near downtown (closer to Westwood), Wilshire Comstock is under construction:


http://www.fifieldco.com/images/d_821200630700pm.jpg

^^ How far is UCLA from this tower?

At least a mile, maybe two, east along Wilshire. It's right on the western edge of the country club. I don't forsee many UCLA students living here, though. A little more expensive than the dorms...

This will be my last photo update of 2006, so I thought I'd make them a bit bigger (56Kers beware). There's a lot to look forward to in 2007, but let's see where we are right now...


Market Lofts - Ralphs

Coming along nicely. Notice the windows have been put in on the ground floor and the first 4 floors of condos on 9th.

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/377/ralphs200612301dv2.jpg

This one's for Eric Richardson. Here's the "sign" people were talking about.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/1361/ralphs200612302ax4.jpg


Luma

Starting to show good visible progress. Topped out, looking south down Hope. Notice how the design really works with the Desmond Building from this angle.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/3645/luma200612301oj5.jpg

Facade looks really nice if it catches the right light. Not so much if it doesn't:

http://img347.imageshack.us/img347/4568/luma200612303em7.jpg

The roof feature on the northern side:

http://img347.imageshack.us/img347/8467/luma200612302th8.jpg

From the south. Still some work to do on the roof feature on this side.

http://img347.imageshack.us/img347/8370/luma200612304jg6.jpg

The fat side, from Fig and Chick Hearn Ct.

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/7125/luma200612305kt7.jpg


Evo

About 6 floors up. They look like they've started work on the common floors, so hopefully this will start moving faster.

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2343/evo200612301qi0.jpg


LA Live

The Nokia Theater, from Staples, now three full floors up.

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6785/lalivedtl200612301io2.jpg

A little closer

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9811/lalivedtl200612302kp7.jpg

The rest of the site is tough to photograph since they installed the new fence around it, but most of the site is at grade level now. Work has not started on the hotel portion yet. Here's a shot looking northeast from Olympic:

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/6222/lalivedtl200612303fr8.jpg


Hanover Tower

Depending on how you count the floors (there could be at least two double floors), they're somewhere between 16-18 stories so far, so 8-10 left to go. The green tarps make it impossible to get shots of the cladding, if it's even being installed yet. The usual angle:

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4672/hanover200612301jz9.jpg

Looking east down Olympic

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/9110/hanover200612302us1.jpg

Looking southeast from 9th Street:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/4233/hanover200612303kx1.jpg


Concerto

:no: Absolutely zero progress since my last update two months ago. Here's my theory - right now they are re-engineering the parking garage portion for one tower, but in a way that they can add more parking later if Astani decides to go forward with the second tower later. But that's just a theory.

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2341/concerto20061230ks1.jpg


Meruelo Tower

The first peek over the fence at Meruelo's Tower on 9th and Flower

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2983/meruelo200612301tg7.jpg

http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/7939/meruelo200612302kd4.jpg


Brockman Building

Still wrapped up, but if you get up close, you can tell they're slowly making progress.

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/8408/brockman200612301rz3.jpg

A peek at what the facade will look like. I can't wait till they unsheath this one.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/7774/brockman200612302eh7.jpg


Eastern Columbia

The clock is back on, the scaffolding is gone, and it's getting ready for a late January debut.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/1032/eastern20061230ai1.jpg


That's it for now.

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I really like Luma.

Well that was the best way to close this year of the rebirth of downtown Los Angeles. 2007 Just promices to be more exiting though, let's look forwad to it!
Great update!

[QUOTE=colemonkee;11106504]This will be my last photo update of 2006, so I thought I'd make them a bit bigger (56Kers beware). There's a lot to look forward to in 2007, but let's see where we are right now...

The fat side, from Fig and Chick Hearn Ct.

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/7125/luma200612305kt7.jpg


^^ I must say this pix is very impressive and it's definitely making density in South Park. The hood is going from bland to Grand....:banana:

^I was thinking the exact same thing.

Luma is turning out to be very nice in contrast to ugly Elleven.

^^ What makes Elleven ugly?

I just find Elleven to be very ugly. The color, the glass, the shape, etc...

I'm not too big on Elleven either from an aesthetic perspective. I think it has more to do with the color of the panels than anything else. My guess is that the salmon color will age very poorly. But only time will tell. From an urban design perspective, the building is very well designed, however, and it's a very important project in regenerating downtown. It's just not the best looking project, IMO.

Elleven is far from being ugly but it isn't pretty either. It a nice building that does it's job as a nice residential building.

These will truly be iconic. Downtown's first spired skyscrapers.

City Hall?:)

A ultra rare HOLLYWOOD update (from SSP)

Here are a few updated photos. I should have been more prepared because I realize I don't know some of the names of the projects or the exact locations. Hope you forgive... here they are:


Gay Retirement Housing on Ivar one block south of Hollywood Blvd:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006004.jpg

CIM Group condo conversion Sunset and Vine:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006005.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006006-2.jpg

Condo Project on Vine just north of Hollywood Blvd. next to the Avalon:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006018.jpg

The Hollywood, one block north of Hollywood Blvd. and one block east of Highland:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006015-1.jpg

The old Galaxy on Hollywood one block east of La Brea which houses Knitting Factory, Longs Drug, DSW and LA Fitness. Although these establishments are up and running the redevelopment is still a work in progress and will include a restaurant in the old museum below and a new sign for LA Fitness already open:
Before:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/April22006008.jpg

Now:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006012-1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006021.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006011-1.jpg

The Madrone on La Brea and Hawthorne:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/dktshb/2006001.jpg

Good update, but isn't this the downtown Los Angeles thread?

^ I should've named this thread the 'Downtown's of Los Angeles.'

Ahh well..

Gay retirement housing...isn't that like, discrimination?

Discrimination??? To who? Young people or lesbians, bi-sexual, and straight people? :ohno:

Gay retirement housing...isn't that like, discrimination?

Yeah..because the old straight people have nowhere to go.

:hahano:

I know Grand Ave should be breaking ground in the next couple of months. Does anyone know what the final design for Gehry's signature tower would look like???

Gay retirement housing...isn't that like, discrimination?

No, because you don't have to be gay to live there.

^^ so why build Gay Retirement Housing

I know Grand Ave should be breaking ground in the next couple of months. Does anyone know what the final design for Gehry's signature tower would look like???
Grand Ave. will not break ground until October 2007 at the earliest. Gehry is still finalizing the design so we don't have any official renders or models, other than the versions that were released mid last year.

Grand Ave. will not break ground until October 2007 at the earliest. Gehry is still finalizing the design so we don't have any official renders or models, other than the versions that were released mid last year.


^ Good looking out Coleman......

Since "$cost$" is a big factor here how many floors are we looking at?

^^47

^^ What was the actual proposal?

edit

edit


Right phase one and all, but how tall was Ghery's tower proposal at first?

62 stories, then it went down.

62?


OKAY...... so from 62 to 47 ouch!!!

Since he's still in the process of deciding on the final design. What are the chances for the tower to end up at 62 floors?

Is there any chances at all? Well ever since the 47 story idea came along, the 62 story was droped dead.

I guess something is better than nothing, right?

Well yes it is. Afterall, it's the 47 story tower, and two other buildings just as the first phase.

what are you guys talking about? there was never a 62 story tower. its always been in the 45 to 50 range and its still that. last we heard it was 50 and it was never said that it was going to be reduced. why does everyone jump to conclusions. the project breaks ground in october at the earliest.

Downtown Crime Rate Plummets

by Kathleen Nye Flynn

The Downtown crime rate has dropped to its lowest level in more than 60 years, Los Angeles Police Department officials said last week. The decrease is highlighted by a 28% fall in crime in the area since 2004.

At a Tuesday press conference at Central Division headquarters, city and LAPD officials reported a dramatic fall in most crime in the city in 2006, though gang-related crime is on the rise. In Central Division, overall crime fell 18% below 2005 levels. Violent crime, which includes homicide, rape and assault, dropped 5%.

"We went back to 1944 and we couldn't find a year where there were fewer crimes," said Capt. Andy Smith of Central Division. "Downtown is safer now than it has ever been in our lifetimes."

At the press conference, Police Chief William Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that the Central Division showed the second highest decline in crime in the city (the biggest decrease was in the Pacific Division, where overall crime fell by 19.4%). They said that Los Angeles is now the second safest big city in the nation, behind New York City. Crime dropped 5% in Los Angeles in 2006, with a 2.4% decline in homicides.



Fewer Arrests


The reduction in Downtown crime coincides with the Safer Cities Initiative, which in September brought 50 new patrol officers and a significant increase in police attention to the Skid Row area. Even with the additional officers, there has been a 7% drop in arrests, according to the LAPD. In 2005, Central Division recorded 13,835 arrests. In 2006 there were 12,855 arrests.
However, part of that decrease may be due to a change in tactics. Smith said that arrests have declined because officers have stopped a practice of issuing tickets that counted as misdemeanor arrests. The City Attorney's Office was not able to prosecute all the tickets, Smith said. Now, the department either makes a misdemeanor arrest or will issue a citation that does not include an arrest.

Smith said he hopes arrests continue to decline in 2007.

"We're hoping that as we clean up the area and change peoples' behaviors, we'll see fewer arrests along with fewer crimes," Smith said. "Officers can stop making arrests because people will be on better behavior."

The department made arrests in several high-profile cases in 2006, Smith said. In a case that began in July, a burglar had used four-inch city water main caps to smash windows of local restaurants and steal from the cash registers. Detectives worked on the case for three months and eventually captured the suspect.




Although many perceive Downtown Los Angeles as a neighborhood of heavy crime activity, some area stakeholders said they have noticed a change recently.

"I have heard from a lot of people that the drug dealers and some of the people hanging out on the streets who were not homeless have heard the word on the street that it's not business as usual anymore," said Russell Brown, president of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. He added that along with an increased police presence in the area, the decrease stems from helping homeless people get into service programs and shelters.

"Instead of focusing just on crime, I view it more as a comprehensive solution working on homeless issues and providing services as well as having more enforcement," Brown said.



Gang Activity


Even as Los Angeles' decrease contrasts with the national trend of rising crime rates, statistics show that the city still contends with high levels of gang-related violence. There was a 14% increase in such activity in 2006, said Bratton. Last week, after the press conference, Villaraigosa flew to Washington, D.C., where he met with United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about efforts to reduce gang violence.

In 2006, Central Division detectives handled 163 gang cases. But, Downtown escapes much of the violence common in gang warfare, Smith said. Instead, gang impact is most felt Downtown in narcotics trafficking.

"Basically, Downtown gangs have a business truce where they conduct their narcotics sales without fighting with each other," said Victoria White, senior police service representative at Central Division.

Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry said it is a top priority to stop the organized crime that pushes narcotics and counterfeit goods through the area.

"We need to sever their stream of commerce here," Perry said in an interview after the press conference. "At the root of the problem is that they are trying to move goods through the neighborhoods to make money off people's backs."

Downtown has four resident gangs, though an injunction was filed against one of them in 2006 and it has mostly been dismantled, White said. The rest of the gang activity in Downtown comes from groups located in other areas of the city, which makes it difficult for Central Division police to combat them.

White said that the division's goal for 2007 is to increase working relationships with other LAPD divisions, the Sheriff's Department and independent law enforcement agencies. They hope to get better intelligence on gangs that come into the area, White said.

One new potential crime fighting tool is a law that went into effect on Jan. 1 that increases the penalty for dealing drugs within 1,000 feet of a recovery center, halfway house or mission.

"Stopping these gangs from bringing drugs Downtown is a big priority for us," Smith said.

what is the olympic and the city house supposed to be? i like the older look of those buildings...


how tall is the Zen house supposed to be??

Zen was proposed at 50 stories, no official height was released.

[QUOTE=Indica;11206592]what is the olympic and the city house supposed to be? i like the older look of those buildings...


^^ There supposed to be high end apartments and yes I also am digging the style....

im jealous! :(

its cool to see some hi rise apts going up here in LA, but they really need to start building housing that is more in reach for middle class folks who need a place to live. I dont like the fact that I have to watch out for gang members when I come home from work because of having an apt in an area where its a little cheaper.. Panorama City sucks, and Im not comfortable with my girlfriend living there, hopefully they do something about it before all of the people who grew up here leave.. we could almost use another quake, to scare off a lot of people and to help lower costs.. :)

^^ These will be the first high end towers to go up in dt.

47 to go Gehry! But a skyscraper to reduce the crime level?

47 to go Gehry! But a skyscraper to reduce the crime level?


^^ What are you talking about???

:ohno:

^^ These will be the first high end towers to go up in dt.


honestly it seems that every new project is "high end". who can afford to live in these? Someone making $75,000 a year can't even afford an entry level condo anywhere in downtown LA. wtf mate?

Down Payment: $40,000.00
Loan Term: 30 years
Annual Interest Rate: 7% Total Monthly Income: $6,250.00
Total Monthly Expense: $825.00

Calculate AgainAvailable Mortgage Limits
Affordable mortgage payment: $1,425.00
Affordable home amount: $254,188.28


!!!!!! :gaah:

Well yes most projects going up downtown are upscale, but these will take it to a higher margin.

From SSP:

LA LIVE...I asked a construction worker if they had already started construction on the actual hotel and he said YES!!:banana:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0746.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0745.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0744.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0743.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0742.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0740.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0738.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0747.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0748.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0749.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0750.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0751.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0752.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0754.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0756.jpg

MORE coming within the hour!!!

From SSP:

LUMA/EVO

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0757.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0739.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0733.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0732.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0731.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0729.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0727.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0726.jpg

GLASS TOWER ????

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0728.jpg

Still more to come later.....

From SSP:

HANOVER TOWER

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0755.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0753.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0734.jpg

VERO

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0772.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0771.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0770.jpg

I forget the name of this project

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0768.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0769.jpg

And even more to come....

Completed Projects

Lofts
www.cosmolofts.com
www.beverlyunionlofts.com
www.westmorelandlofts.net
www.creativenvironments.net
www.liveworkloft.net

Retail/Office
www.melrosestudios.com
www.hayworthstudios.net


In Development
www.lacystudiolofts.com

For any leasing inquiries please contact zachary@creativenvironments.net

I have a question. It may seem rather stupid to some but I figure there aren't stupid questions, just the people who ask them. :wave:
Anyway, I was wondering if this extremely odd colder than cold weather we've been having in Southern California might have any adverse affects on construction? Or, are there actions normally taken when constructing in colder climates that aren't normally taken in L.A.?

Nope, business as usual..... wait they might have to bundle up a little more.

From SSP:

These conclude my downtown development update pics. Check out the City Photos and the Wilshire Projects section for a brief Wilshire update.

MARKET LOFTS
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0804.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0803.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0802.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0759.jpg

EASTERN COLUMBIA LOFTS
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0808.jpg

1010 WILSHIRE

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0766.jpg

BONUS STUFF

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0811.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0813.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Jan%2017%202007/CIMG0809.jpg

Doesn't the advertisement of the PanAmerican Lofts obstruct the view of the residents?

^They haven't moved in yet.

It is so awesome that all these developments are taking shape in the heart of los Angeles! :okay:

Bottom of the Pan looks just awful compared to the amazing top

Pan Am will grow on me.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/ProjectPhotos048.jpg

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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/ProjectPhotos033.jpg

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http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/ProjectPhotos019.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/ProjectPhotos018.jpg

We can add another 5 star hotel to Downtown LA!! The Mandrian is now part of the Grand Ave project..

Grand Avenue Project Gets Hotel

By DANIEL MILLER
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

A key element of the Grand Avenue redevelopment project was secured Thursday when developer Related Cos. announced it will bring a five-star hotel to the $1.8 billion mixed-use project.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has agreed to build a 275-room Mandarin Oriental hotel that is scheduled to open in summer 2010. It would occupy the first 20 floors of a 48-story, Frank Gehry-designed tower that would be topped by condominiums.

Bill Witte, president of Related of California, said that the hotel is important to the development adjacent to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, because it will be a 24-hour destination.

“It will include a number of restaurants, a pool bar and terrace that will be available to the larger public,” said Witte. Plans are to begin demolition of an existing parking lot at the hotel site this fall.

The announcement appears to indicate that Related is making progress in moving forward with the Grand Avenue project. It also comes just a month before the company will make its case in front of the City Council for a $40 million subsidy in the form of a rebate on the city’s parking and hotel bed taxes.

“We felt it was important to let them know in advance of what they were getting if they were to approve the request,” Witte said.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has properties at Time Warner Center in N.Y. and other high-end locations in Miami, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

This is huge news. Downtown is going to be thriving in 3 short years. Downtown has a nice array of hotels: The Standard, The Ritz, Wilshire Grand, and now a Mandarin Oriental.

And the Bonaventure.

Nice images...and the planning for the city are :okay:

Walked in the anti-war protest to grab some pics and thought I'd get some construction updates to. Kind of a shitty day, but what the hell. I started in the historic district and made my way toward South Park.


Rowan Lofts

The view from 5th Street:

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3626/rowan200701272sr1.jpg

Base at the corner of 5th and Spring.

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/1686/rowan200701273bp6.jpg

The Spring Street side. You can see where they've cleaned the facade.

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/7797/rowan200701271th4.jpg


Title Guarantee

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/4129/titleguarn200701271vz4.jpg

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9321/titleguarn200701272qc6.jpg


Eastern Columian

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/2928/eastern200701271lh7.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8646/eastern200701273jn6.jpg

People were definitely doing walk-thrus on Saturday. A peek inside the lobby.

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9779/eastern200701272qa3.jpg


Market Lofts

Right in the middle of the march. Check out the Bus Rider's Union getting into the act...

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8426/ralphs200701271hj2.jpg


Luma

From 9th Street.

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1007/luma200701271vv3.jpg

The new South Park skyline...

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1295/luma200701272lc6.jpg

Roof's done, topout complete.

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/2395/luma200701273cj7.jpg


Evo

Working on the 7th floor.

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1295/evo200701271wo2.jpg


SBC Center

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/1940/sbc200701271ov7.jpg


Hanover Tower

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/4164/hanover200701271nk7.jpg

They've conveniently numbered the floors for us skyscraper geeks.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8879/hanover200701272gg2.jpg


LA Live

ESPN Studios/ESPN Zone building, going up very quickly. All this steel went up this week.

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/9724/lalive200701272ia5.jpg

Work is commencing in earnest on the roof of Nokia Theater.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/7955/lalive200701271kr6.jpg

Nothing special, I think.. but thanks for photos...

Considering that you live half a world away and have no idea how important each and every building under construction/conversion is to downtown LA, then I would have to say yes..it is something speical.

Nothing special, I think.. but thanks for photos...

IDIOT.

^ Okay, no Polish jokes please! :nuts:

Wow..LA is getting on its feet again..

I miss LA so much..

Thanks for the photos..

although the guy's entitled to his opinion, what goes on in LA I find has life and is more interesting cponstruction wise that what goes on in the capital of Warsaw although a great city itself, just my opinion. Those photos show a lot of activity but the weather is quite gloomy for downtown LA.

although the guy's entitled to his opinion, what goes on in LA I find has life and is more interesting cponstruction wise that what goes on in the capital of Warsaw although a great city itself, just my opinion. Those photos show a lot of activity but the weather is quite gloomy for downtown LA.


YEAH THAT WAS THAT COLD SNAP THE COUNTRY GOT LAST MONTH!!!

Nothing special, I think.. but thanks for photos...

Why do some people think if a city is not building a load of supertalls (like Dubai) the city isn't building "nothing special" at all. And im assuming thats what you're saying.

Every single project here is something very special for L.A.

Update..

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1032.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1058.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1036.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1033.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1037.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1061.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1059.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1057.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1032.jpg



^^ If I'm not mistaken the that next to the Nokia is ESPN, right?

How big is the structure and do we have any pix of what the final design would look like:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/projectpics1032.jpg



^^ If I'm not mistaken the that next to the Nokia is ESPN, right?

How big is the structure and do we have any pix of what the final design would look like:

No one really knows what it'll look like. I've seen about 5 renderings. All of which are different. I'm waiting for that big hole to be filled though.

It could described as a 3-5 story grey building with billboards, and some floor to ceiling windows (not a curtain wall).

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/samceb/lalivesuperimposed.jpg

the top left is part of the convention center, right? looking at the pics, it seems as though that under construction as well. cool

The top left corner isn't the convention center expansion. As far as I know, it'll be a parking lot until they do expand. Which won't befor a couple of years.

Anywho..here is a newer rendering of the Glass Tower:

http://www.kalantarigroup.com/theglasstower/images/renderinga_big.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/samceb/lalivesuperimposed.jpg

the top left is part of the convention center, right? looking at the pics, it seems as though that under construction as well. cool

If it was u/c, it wouldn't have he dirt ramp.

Any renderings here for the future skyline of L.A? say like for 2010?

If it was u/c, it wouldn't have he dirt ramp.

How else would trucks be able to load and unload supplies to the site?

Maybe that's one of the reasons why it isn't u/c, they need the ramp.

any word about dart becoming trollies? i saw that somewhere

^^ Huh?

Is he talking about the street car revitalization?

i think he is talking about the Dash system in Downtown LA, and the answer is no, it will not be replaced, rather added to as well as the red cars being reintroduced to the street.

Check this out. More massive development on Bunker Hill

Despite criticism about tax breaks and land giveaways, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles City Council gave final approvals Tuesday to a sprawling mini-city atop Bunker Hill that will alter L.A.'s skyline and set a course for future development in downtown.

Elected officials and other backers of the Grand Avenue project described the vote as a turning point for Los Angeles, whose civic leaders have tried for decades without success to establish a central cultural hub downtown that would draw people from throughout the region.

"This is a historic day for Los Angeles. It changes the entire complexion of the center of our city," said civic booster Eli Broad, who is spearheading the development.

The $2.05-billion Grand Avenue project would be the largest single development in downtown history, and would be built almost entirely on public land that would be leased for 99 years to mega-developer the Related Cos. It has few if any equals in the region, in part because of the complexity and scope of the private-public partnership.

The project also has emerged as Los Angeles' most ambitious effort to create dense, high-rise residential developments next to rail lines, offices, cultural attractions and shopping.

Though some consider the project a model for "smart growth" aimed at encouraging people to walk and use mass transit rather than drive, others see it as a tax giveaway that is not in the interests of local government. Critics complain that Related is essentially getting a double subsidy: The city and county are leasing the developer public land for a profit-making business at the same time that the city is granting breaks on future hotel and parking taxes.

They also question whether the project would be the regional magnet its backers hope.

Both the council and board voted Tuesday, in part to demonstrate their lock-step support for the project. The City Council approved the deal 13 to 0, with Councilman Ed Reyes absent. The supervisors approved the project 4 to 1, with Mike Antonovich voting against it.

By approving the deal, the governmental bodies agreed to transfer the land for the first phase of the project — a county-owned parcel — to the Grand Avenue Authority, a joint city-county agency that will in turn lease it to Related. (Later phases include land owned by the city's redevelopment agency.)

The votes green-light all three phases of Grand Avenue, which calls for at least five new high-rise buildings and 3.6 million square feet of development.

The first phase would include two translucent glass residential towers to be designed by Frank Gehry, one 49 stories and the other 24.

One tower would include a five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel. Two hundred of the 1,000 housing units included in the first phase would be reserved for low-income residents.

The municipal bodies also approved the development of a 16-acre park between the Music Center and City Hall as part of the project's first phase — one of the civic benefits that backers said was vital to the project's success.

The development marks the furthest-reaching effort by local leaders to turn downtown into a 24-hour district on par with areas of New York, Chicago, London and Paris. Downtown has long retained a reputation as a sleepy district that virtually shuts down at sunset, though a recent boom in lofts and other high-end residential development is slowly changing that.

The project will rise in an area that since the early 1960s has been at the center of plans for downtown's revival. Through the 1950s, Bunker Hill was a funky — even seedy — collection of Victorian apartment buildings and boardinghouses that inspired some Los Angeles writers. The city leveled the neighborhood to make way for an extension of the high-rise district.

Backers believe that Grand Avenue can succeed where other downtown revitalizations have failed. They said that it would rise amid such cultural landmarks as Walt Disney Concert Hall, the other venues of the Music Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art at a time when downtown is suddenly a hot destination for the first time in decades.

But even some supporters said it remained to be seen whether such a massive undertaking could change the way people think about the city center.

"Done right, redevelopment is a tool for good. Done wrong, it's horrible," county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. "I really believe, let me tell you, there have been more pairs of eyes looking over this project than any I can ever remember."

Though the project has attracted mostly praise at recent public meetings, the tax breaks and other public support have their detractors.

"The desire for an iconic skyline, that's just for aesthetics," said Antonovich, a longtime opponent of the project. "That should be borne by a developer and not the taxpayers who reside in the entire county."

Christopher Sutton, an attorney for the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, which has opposed the tax breaks for the Mandarin Oriental, told the City Council and the Board of Supervisors that his client was prepared to take legal action to block the project if necessary. He called the project a "direct threat" to the Bonaventure.

The hotel issued a similar ultimatum when the convention center at L.A. Live, another mega-project being built at the south end of downtown, received a larger tax rebate in 2005. But that project has moved forward and will open its first phase this year.

Related Cos. said the Grand Avenue project was not feasible without the subsidies. The developer has spent months negotiating behind the scenes for the tax breaks, an increasingly common incentive used by cities to attract catalytic projects.

Early estimates put the tax rebates for Grand Avenue at $40 million over 20 years. But a recent report from the city's legislative analyst estimated that the rebates could cost $66 million. The largest tax break would be in the 14% city hotel tax, a maximum of $60.5 million over 20 years, the report said.

From the beginning, the Grand Avenue project has been marked by a nontraditional public-private marriage. Besides the proposed tax breaks, government agencies are providing the land, investing in street improvements and subsidizing affordable housing in the project.

Related and its fiscal partners, meanwhile, are taking much of the financial risk — particularly tenuous in a downtown real estate market that has shown signs of softening. They also are subject to a number of requirements, including the condition that all construction and permanent jobs in the development meet the city's "prevailing" or "living" wage requirements.

In addition, the agreement calls for developers to give at least 30% of jobs to workers living within five miles of the site. That clause was criticized by Antonovich, who described the city deal as unfair to workers who live elsewhere in the county.

"It's Jim Crow of the 21st century," Antonovich said. "We're denying them their constitutional rights to work in their own county?"

Despite those criticisms, several civic leaders said it was rare for the city and county to cooperate so fully as they have to move the Grand Avenue project forward.

Councilwoman Jan Perry, who serves on the joint powers authority board, called the level of cooperation unprecedented.

Though the city, county and developer each would bear a portion of the project's financial risk, each also would profit if the development was a success.

The city and county could reap substantial tax revenue from the project, far more than they receive now from the properties, which are either vacant or parking lots.

Related has written a $50-million check to the civic agencies, which represents the prepaid ground lease on the first phase and a portion of the second phase of the project.

Related has said that construction of the first phase is expected to start in October and be completed in June 2011.

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http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2006-04/23098580.jpg

More here:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-grand14feb14,0,5502803,full.story?coll=la-headlines-california

The pix only gave tantalizing glimpses of the models--too many ##$$^%&!! grinning politicians getting in the way!

Lol..poor Antonio is painfully happy.

http://www.latimes.com/media/graphic/2007-02/27900603.gif

I love the revised design of tower. I'm really interested at how the overlapping panels of glass on the base will look like. And do I see rooftop gardens?

Time for a photo update. I took these on Saturday, but I've been enjoying the long weekend too much to post them until now.


Market Lofts (Ralph's)

Not too much left on the exterior.

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The entrance to Ralph's with the clubhouse building above. You can see they're finishing up exteriors on the courtyard units.

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I could never tell from the renders that there would be glass inside that little area on the left. Kind of a nice touch.

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A sneak peak at the balcony railings. The railings themselves are good enough, but the connection to the concrete looks a little sloppy. I'm hoping it's unfinished, and they'll be putting a metal panel over the concrete to make it look a little cleaner.

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Meruelo Tower

They've dug down deeper since my last update, But it looks like this is about as deep as they're gonna go. This is looking north from 9th.

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Looking west from Flower. Gives a better scale of the depth.

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Steal piles presumedly driven for the beginning of the foundation.

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Hanover Tower

They're still moving on this one. Putting up the 20th floor plate.

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The back side, looking west along Olympic.

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Six more floors to go.

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LA Live

First, some coverage of the Nokia Theater, which is moving much faster recently.

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The view east (of the side facing Staples Center) from Chick Hearn Ct.

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No, I haven't been invited, but apparently Posh Spice, er, Beckham, has...

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The north side. You can see they're starting to prep for the facade.

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A closer view of the north side. Note the columns for the parking structure.

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Work hasn't started yet on the hotel, but this is as close as they've been so far. There's a public notice posted at the site for a meeting that happened Feb. 7th for zoning change on the hotel, so hopefully we see some movement in the coming months on actual construction of the hotel.

The ESPN/ESPN Zone building, however, is flying...

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Luma

Moving along, but they're gonna have to hurry to have those April move-ins.

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View from the south.

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Evo

8th floor, the slowest mover of the bunch right now. But you can see it popping up over some of the low rises now when driving on Fig.

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Brockman Building

A repeat of Eric Richardson's pictures, but I thought I'd post anyway. This will be one of the best looking buildings when it's fully undressed.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9375/brockman200702171lu7.jpg

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That's it for now.

Very Nice! thanks colemonkey. Love the Brockman, it looks like it will be worth the (long, long) wait.

How long has the Brockman been under the death shroud? Since 2002? In any event, it's going to be a beautiful building after it is (finally) completed.

Great Update, LA Live is so amazing. So sad to see nothing from Concerto, thank god the Brockman looks the way it does.

Nice pics and great thread. Cant wait on more updates. Seems like L.A. is out of hibernation, and making the most of it!

Huge news: After around 3 years of hiding and not knowing what the hell it looked like, the Brockman is FINALLY uncovered.

^ Uncovered all the way?

^ From what LABeauty told me.

Great! definately one of the best rehab projects out there.

Coming Into Focus

With 162 Projects, Downtown Continues to Evolve

by Evan George, Andrew Haas-Roche, Kathryn Maese, Kathleen Nye Flynn and Jon Regardie

Development Map The traditionally slow winter period had little effect on the pace of development in Downtown Los Angeles. Over the last several months, even as temperatures dropped and people tended to remain indoors whenever possible, the community not only continued its residential revolution, but began adding the bells and whistles that mark the turn from a collection of separate housing complexes into an actual neighborhood.

In the last several months, in fact, the community began to come into focus, with the opening of nearly a dozen restaurants, bars and retail outlets - everything from the upscale J Restaurant & Lounge to a second installment of coffee shop Groundwork to two locales of Japanese convenience store Famima!! - and the announcement of a handful of others. This occurred as new housing developments like the Eastern Columbia Lofts, Library Court and the Visconti came online, bringing hundreds of new active stakeholders into the area.

And while some observers remain skeptical of continued growth, the momentum continued with the mega-projects: In South Park L.A. Live continues to take shape, with the first elements due to open later this year, and on Bunker Hill, city and county officials gave the green light to the Grand Avenue plan. Each is worth more than $2 billion.

In all, Los Angeles Downtown News is tracking 162 projects, from Chinatown to South Park to City West to the banks of the Los Angeles River. Each entry includes a grid reference to our updated, full-color Downtown Development map. The map appears on page 28. (Some projects are beyond the map's boundary. They are denoted by NA).

NEW PROJECTS

These projects were either announced or garnered public interest in the last five months.

611 W. SIXTH ST.

The 42-story office tower that was once the tallest in Downtown Los Angeles may be converted into more than 500 residential and commercial condominiums. It would make 611 W. Sixth St. (also known as the old AT&T Building and 611 Place) the largest adaptive reuse project in the city. The skyscraper, built in 1967, is owned by developer 611 W. Sixth Street LLC and New York-based Chetrit Group, which has declined to comment on the conversion. But according to city planners familiar with the development, it would include 402 live/work condominium units on floors 16-42, and 135 office spaces sold as condos on the first 15 floors, totaling more than 242,000 square feet. The 620-foot tall aluminum building, which is shaped like a cross, also includes 712 parking spaces. C6

756 S. SPRING ST.

The 12-story edifice formerly known as the Great Republic Insurance Building is being transformed by developer Spring Main Development LLC. Project architect David Gray said the 72-condominium project (entirely market rate) is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2008. The average unit will be 800 square feet and will feature hardwood floors and exposed brick walls. A rooftop gym and jacuzzi are also planned. Because the building is open on three sides - on Spring, Eighth and Main streets - the large windows will allow more light than many adaptive reuse projects in Downtown. A construction cost has not been announced. There will be retail space on the ground floor but no contracts have yet been signed, said Gray. D7

2121 LOFTS

Once a rental building, 2121 Lofts, at 2121 E. Seventh Place, is reopening this year as condominiums, with 78 live-work spaces in a 125,000-square-foot property made up of industrial warehouses. Concerto Development is working with architecture firm Killefer Flammang; 19 townhomes are set to open in April. The remaining condominium units range from 750 to 1,950 square feet and include mezzanines, teak and lacquer cabinetry, 18-foot ceilings and industrial loading docks that have been turned into patios. The grounds will include a dog park, an outdoor kitchen, an entertaining area and fire pit and private herb gardens. The project is expected to be complete in September. The first phase of units is on sale now and prices range from approximately $400,000 to $900,000. NA

BREWER'S GALLERY

Jake Tringali and partner Kevin Kansy have leased a one-story brick building at 800 E. Traction Ave. with plans to turn it into a 75-seat beer restaurant called the Brewer's Gallery by late 2007. Tringali, a former manager at the Bonaventure Brewing Company in the Bonaventure Hotel, said the "beer-centric" full-service restaurant, bar and brewery will feature 10 beers made behind the counter, as well as some taps for guest beers. Chef Jason Nunley is whipping up a menu featuring "cuisine a la biere," or cooking with beer. Designers Robert Ley and Adria Pauli are currently finishing floor plans. F5

FOURTH AND ALAMEDA

Peklar Pilavjian, who owns the St. Vincent Jewelry Center, said he plans to begin construction this spring on 59 artist-in-residence lofts at Fourth and Alameda streets in the Arts District. The $30 million project will offer for-sale units in a 1923 structure that once housed the Beacon storage company. The five-story, 67,000-square-foot building will feature original octagonal columns, concrete floors, high ceilings and condominiums ranging from 650 to 1,400 square feet. The project is expected to open in mid-2008. Pilavjian said a second residential phase fronting Alameda will unfold on the same lot, and will feature ground-up construction. E5

JEWELRY TRADES BUILDING

In December the mayor's office of adaptive reuse announced that developer Mideb Nominees Inc. has been given the green light to transform the Jewelry Trades Building at Fifth and Hill streets into 62 residential units. The nine-story, 1913 property is next door to the Alexandria Hotel and features a terra cotta-colored exterior and Renaissance-influenced detailing. Originally, a first floor corridor with walls of marble and glass opened to storefronts while high-end retailers took up floors three through nine. Architects Morgan, Walls & Morgan designed the building. C6

MAGUIRE OFFICE TOWER

Developer Rob Maguire plans to build a 50-story office tower at Seventh and Figueroa streets overlooking the Harbor Freeway. The development, which would be the first new office high-rise in Downtown Los Angeles in 15 years, would complement the 777 Tower and what is now Ernst & Young Plaza and the 7+Fig mall. Pasadena-based architect Richard Keating of the firm Keating/Khang has been hired to design the high-rise that is expected to cost more than $300 million. Initial drawings show a glimmering, glass-clad edifice nearly 700 feet tall, with one curved side. Plans for the development site had always included three office towers, though the project was long delayed because of the downturn in the commercial real estate market. B7

PICO HOUSE RENOVATION

The 1870 Pico House Hotel at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument has been renovated and the top two floors may be marketed to law and architecture firms. El Pueblo General Manager Robert Andrade said there is also a likelihood of putting a high-end restaurant on the 8,100-square-foot ground floor. The building was a luxury hotel when former governor of California Pio Pico opened it, making it the first three-story edifice in Los Angeles. The top levels are each 7,700 square feet. D4

REGENT THEATER

The once dilapidated venue at 448 S. Main St. is scheduled to receive a major makeover this year, although plans are still being finalized, said an official with developer Gilmore Associates, which signed a long-term lease for the Historic Core property. The 10,000-square-foot space is expected to open by 2008. The Regent will likely see live music - particularly rock shows - and a bar, which fits with its gradually sloping floor and large stage. However, plans for a restaurant are still uncertain. The theater has recently been open for some live music performances during the monthly Downtown Art Walk. D6

RIORDAN STEAKHOUSE

Former Mayor Richard Riordan, owner of The Original Pantry Cafe at the northwest corner of Figueroa and Ninth streets, plans to open a steakhouse and bar in the restaurant's annex (which closed Jan. 7). The establishment would occupy space currently used as morning overflow seating for the famous 24-hour eatery just north of Staples Center and L.A. Live. According to a publicist for the venture, the new Riordan restaurant will take cues from New York's famed PJ Clarks. B8

TAKAMI RESTAURANT

A $4 million sushi restaurant and lounge is set to open in May on the entire 21st floor of the 811 Wilshire building. Developer Downtown Entertainment Group plans to draw a celebrity-studded crowd to the ultra-modern space, which will include wall-to-wall glass, a wraparound patio, dance floor and views of the city. B7

RESIDENTIAL FOR SALE

711 N. BROADWAY

Bridge Residential Advisors have finalized plans for a project at 711 N. Broadway in Chinatown. Construction will start in the middle of this year on the $10 million conversion of the four-story BC Plaza office building into 53 loft-style, live-work units. The ground floor will remain retail space. Residential units will range from 525 square feet to 1,100 square feet. The redesign of the project at the northwest corner of Ord Street and Broadway is being designed by Canadian-headquartered firm Habitar, said Bridge representative Thomas Sullivan. The update will rehabilitate BC Plaza's outdated façade, ground-floor storefronts and central plaza. The condominiums will include a courtyard and an exercise room. C3

717 NINTH

Plans for a 35-story tower that will feature a dramatic, glass curtain resembling a wall of water are underway. Groundbreaking on the two-thirds-of-an-acre site adjacent to the coming Ralphs supermarket will happen soon, said a representative of developer Richard Meruelo of Meruelo Maddux Properties. Plans call for the tower at Ninth and Flower streets to contain 214 units and a 6,800-square-foot ground-floor seafood eatery. Mambo Architecture is designing the $120 million project. Completion is slated for May 2009. NA

808 N. SPRING ST.

Developer Kor Group, which has undertaken housing projects in the Historic Core and the Arts District, is still in the planning stage for the conversion of a 150,000-square-foot building at 808 N. Spring St. in Chinatown. In 2005, Kor paid $9.2 million for the structure and filed permits to turn it into as many as 123 lofts. The 10-story property is the tallest structure in Chinatown. C2

808 S. OLIVE ST.

Plans have not been further developed for New-York based Moinian Group's recently acquired site at 808 S. Olive St., a spokesperson for the company said. Moinian Group, which is also developing the Figueroa Central project in South Park, has preliminary plans to build a residential complex and a boutique hotel. The land is currently a parking lot. C7

1010 WILSHIRE

Developer Amir L., LLC is looking to complete construction of its first adaptive reuse project, at 1010 Wilshire Blvd., in December. The 16-story former office building will hold 227 units, some of which will have 1,000-square-foot terraces. The company got its start in Silicon Valley and intends to bring some technological flair to the building, including flat-screen televisions in the hallways and an LCD panel display in the units' bathrooms, a spokesperson for the project said. Killefer Flammang Architects is working on the structural plans and Perkins + Will design firm is helping to create the units, which will range from 800 to 1,200 square feet. The rooftop will have a swimming pool and an eight-and-a-half-foot glass railing to protect the area from the wind. The building will be re-skinned in blue glass. The units will go on sale in the spring. A7

ARTISAN ON SECOND

Crews are working on a 118-unit condominium complex at Second and Hewitt streets. The $47 million Arts District development is on schedule and should be complete by this December, said Kim Paperin, managing director of the project for developer Trammell Crow Residential. The loft, one- and two-bedroom units in the four-story building designed by Togawa Smith Martin Residential will range from 916 square feet to 1,770 square feet. Other amenities will include floor-to-ceiling windows, private balconies, a fitness center and spa. Units will start in the high $400,000s. In March, a new sales center at 820 E. Third St. will replace a facility at Second Street and Broadway. E5

BARKER BLOCK

The 297-unit, $75 million Barker Block project, which occupies an entire block of 19th-century industrial buildings in the Arts District, is moving along and the first phase is set to open at the end of 2007. Developer Kor Group's project, on the block bounded by Hewitt, Fourth, Molino and Palmetto streets, consists of seven structures made of a variety of materials, including wood, brick and cement. Architecture firm Nakada & Associates added double-height ceilings in some units, as well as large windows with views of the Downtown skyline or the Los Angeles River. First-floor lofts on Hewitt Street have storefront windows to create potential gallery space. An interior courtyard runs through the block and will feature retail space, a restaurant and a walkway. The sales office is currently open; prices start at $300,000. F6

BARN LOFTS

Construction has not yet begun on the adaptive reuse of the Barn Lofts, said a spokesperson for El Segundo-based Rockefeller Partners Architects, which is designing the project. Developer Barn Lofts LLP is in the planning stage on the effort to turn the 39,000-square-foot brick building at 940 E. Second St. in the Arts District into 40 market-rate condominiums. All the units in the former Spreckels Brothers sugar beet warehouse will be three levels and will range from 1,300 to 2,600 square feet. Underground parking will provide access to the residences, while loading docks will be converted to exterior entrances with balconies. F5

BISCUIT COMPANY LOFTS

The conversion of the former National Biscuit Company factory at 673 S. Mateo St. is nearly complete and move-ins will begin in March. Developer Linear City is turning the nine-story, 1925 structure into 105 live-work lofts averaging 1,327 square feet. The 160,000-square-foot project will include one- to four-level units starting at $375,000; 10 penthouses begin at $1,395,000. The development includes hardwood floors, exposed brick, oversized windows and 13- to 30-foot-high ceilings. Church and State, a new restaurant by Steven Arroyo, creator of the eatery Cobras and Matadors and Silver Lake's Malo, will open on the ground floor. The project is across from Linear City's Toy Factory Lofts. Aleks Istanbullu Architects and Don Barany Architects designed the project. Units are now on sale. NA

BRIDGE LOFTS

A project that would consist of eight luxury lofts at 120 N. Santa Fe Ave. in the Arts District is still in its initial stage, said Mark Kreisel, the project's developer and the former owner of the late neighborhood watering hole Al's Bar. The units, all townhouses, would range from 3,400 to 5,000 square feet and have private entrances, driveways and garages. The one-story building with 27-foot ceilings would be marketed to working artists, Kreisel said. Units would start at $1.8 million. F4

BROCKMAN BUILDING

Developers Urban Pacific Builders and West Millennium Homes are converting a 1917 12-story Beaux Arts building into 76 lofts that will range from 850 to 2,300 square feet. Penthouses will have their own rooftop decks. Developers have not yet announced what retail will fill the ground-floor space, but the structure at 530 W. Seventh St. will boast a fitness center, community rooms and barbecues, and will maintain some of its original architectural attributes. Santa Monica-based Donald Barany Architects is designing the $24 million conversion and units are expected to sell for between $400,000 and $1 million. C7

CHAPMAN LOFTS

Now in the framing and drywall stage, the Chapman Building is scheduled to finish construction this summer, said Fred Afari of developer Broadway and Eighth Investments. The adaptive reuse project is transforming a 13-story, 94-year-old Jewelry District edifice that was once home to garment manufacturing companies. Afari said the ground floor could include a jewelry store and a convenience store or a cafe. Architect Wade Killefer is designing the restoration and will maintain the original historic hallways that are lined with marble as well as the original doors. The building will also keep its original decorative façade and its columns and window trim. The $30 million project will provide residents with a rooftop garden. Sales of the units, which range from 630 to 1,156 square feet, will begin by May, said Afari, and prices will start around $300,000. C7

CITY FRONT PLACE

Developer Dennis Needleman hopes to begin construction this summer on his plan to build condominiums above an existing strip mall at 530 E. Washington Blvd., just south of the Fashion District. Yung Kao of Alhambra-based Architech Group is designing the project that would erect three side-by-side five-story buildings above the existing structure with 136 one-, two- and three-bedroom units from 880 to 1,800 square feet. The 200,000-square-foot building would also feature a barbecue area, fitness center, pool and an adjacent eight-level parking garage with 444 spots. The Community Redevelopment Agency approved the project last year. NA

CITY HOUSE AND THE OLYMPIC

The Titan Organization closed escrow last November on a 58,000-square-foot plot at the southeast corner of Grand Avenue and Olympic Boulevard and is now making design changes for the two towers that will rise on the site. The company paid $30 million for the property, which currently holds the Grand Avenue nightclub. Titan President Gary Warfel said he has met with officials from the Community Redevelopment Agency, and that he hopes to break ground on both high-rises early in 2008. The 800,000-square-foot, $500 million development is being designed by Robertson Partners. Warfel said one of the towers may include a hotel, and that mixed-use elements could be incorporated. Plans call for the 60-story City House to have a classic design and include 180 units, while the 49-floor Olympic would feature a more contemporary look. Residences in both buildings would start at 1,200 square feet and $700,000. C8

CONCERTO

A deep hole in the center of a lot at Figueroa and Ninth streets marks the end of the excavation stage in the construction of developer Sonny Astani's three-tower Concerto project. Now crews are beginning ground work on the 348-unit first phase of the South Park development, which will include a 30-story tower and a seven-story loft building; there will be 27,500 square feet of retail. Plans call for a second 30-story tower to break ground after the first phase is complete in 2009. The buildings will wrap around a courtyard that will hold a 2,510-square-foot park. The complex will have market-rate units ranging from 750 to 2,325 square feet. Altogether, it will create 619 condominiums. B8

E2 LOFTS

Plans to convert a two-story brick warehouse into condominiums at 941 E. Second St. in the Arts District have yet to be approved, said RTI Properties' Michael Donavan. The $16.5 million project, which will hold 23 for-purchase industrial lofts, and two retail spaces on the ground floor, is still awaiting entitlements and has a public hearing scheduled for February. The units would range from 831 to 1,620 square feet and run from $455,000 to $985,000 for 15 top-level lofts with individual private gardens with views. The 33,654-square-foot building would also feature a common rooftop garden and barbecue area and a fitness center. The lofts will be targeted for the artist community, Donovan said. F5

EIGHTH AND GRAND

A $500 million development by Astani Enterprises that will rise on a parking lot at Eighth Street and Grand Avenue is two years from breaking ground, a spokesperson for the developer said. Beverly Hills-based Sonny Astani announced plans last year to develop more than 800 units and 7,200 square feet of retail on the lot. The first stage of construction would deliver a pair of 15-story buildings with a total of 425 units wrapping around an elevated courtyard. The plans call for 245 one-bedroom condominiums, with the remainder being two-bedroom units. The structure would hold 1,115 parking spaces and have retail on the ground floor. The second stage would be a 22-story mid-rise that opens to Olive Street. The 180-unit edifice would feature 40 one-bedroom and 140 two-bedroom condos. It would also have ground-floor retail and three underground parking levels. The final phase would be a 38-story high-rise with 270 units. C7

EL DORADO

Downtown Properties plans to open 65 condominiums in a former hotel at 416 S. Spring St. in the first quarter of 2008, said Project Coordinator Shawn Ho. Construction began in early 2006 on the 12-story building. Units will range from 850 square feet to 1,700 square feet and prices will start at $400,000. Each condo will feature a balcony, while penthouses will have private rooftop gardens. All residences will include granite countertops and Italian-designer kitchen cabinets. Built in 1913, the 12-story structure was originally named the Hotel Stowell and catered to wealthy businessmen. Later it became a low-income hotel. It has been vacant for several decades. Rockefeller Partners Architects are doing the designs. D6

FIGUEROA CENTRAL

Construction on New York-based Moinian Group's two towers for South Park is set to start in late 2007. Funding is still being worked out for the $700 million project, which will include a 45-story high-rise and a 33-story tower. The project will rise near the Anschutz Entertainment Group's $2.5 billion L.A. Live development. Figueroa Central will include approximately 700 lofts, condominiums, townhouses, live-works units and penthouses (among them approximately 150 affordable housing units). The project also calls for 250,000 square feet of retail space that Moinian hopes will attract large "lifestyle" stores as well as a gourmet grocery store and a 40,000-square-foot health club. A boutique hotel option is also on the table for the effort at Figueroa and 11th streets (the land is currently a parking lot). Architecture firm RTKL Associates is designing the development, which will include park space and pedestrian paseos. It replaces a previous plan called Figueroa Central; that proposed development by KB Home and Lennar Corp. was taken off the table and AEG consequently sold the land to Moinian Group for $80 million. B9

GLASS TOWER CONDOMINIUMS

Designs are being finalized for a 25-story, $60 million ground-up residential tower at 1050 S. Grand Ave. in South Park. Owner and developer Amir Kalantari said he hopes the glass-clad tower will break ground by April. The structure would hold 128 high-end condominiums ranging from 850 to more than 3,300 square feet, with prices starting at $400,000 and going up to $3 million. Kalantari said the venture would take two years to complete. C8

HAI WEI TERRACE

Developer Kim Benjamin has named his project at Figueroa Terrace and College Street Hai Wei Terrace after the city recently gave the development a green light. The 102-condominium building will rise on a hill overlooking Chinatown. Benjamin said that 10% of the units will be reserved as workforce housing for local firefighters, police officers, health care officials and LAUSD employees. Plans also call for an exercise facility and a rooftop deck. The development will cost between $30 million and $35 million, Benjamin said. The units will range from around 800 to 1,400 square feet, but many will be set up for families. B3

JARDIN

Portland-based South Group plans to break ground on two luxury condominium towers at 624 W. 12th St. and 1200 S. Figueroa St. this year, with plans for a third, future tower at 1241 S. Flower St. The project, formerly known as Figueroa South, is now called Jardin and will include 648 condominiums, 982 parking spaces for residents, and retail on the ground floor. Floor plans for the residential units will range from 800 to 4,500 square feet and include hardwood floors, decks and private balconies. GBD Architects and TVA Architects Inc. will collaborate on the design of the 23-story and 32-story towers, which like other South Park projects by South Group will be built to green LEED certification standards. No opening date has been announced. B9

L.A. LOFTS

Officials at Venice Development said plans are on track for a 25-story, 250-unit condominium tower on Hope Street between 11th Street and Olympic Boulevard in South Park. Construction of the 250,000-square-foot, ground-up building is scheduled to begin by the middle of this year. The Killefer Flammang-designed project will have 10,000 square feet of retail and 400 parking spots. B8

LUCIA TOWER

According to the most recent information available, brothers Larry and Ralph Cimmarusti are working on plans to build a 31-story tower on the southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Avenue, where a Burger King they own now stands. Early plans call for the project, with designs by Archeon Group, to hold about 200 condominiums, along with 16,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, potentially including a restaurant. The development, named for their grandmother, would feature a pool on an outdoor deck on the sixth floor, and a garage would hold more than 500 spaces. C4

MILL STREET LOFTS

Construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of this year on developer Linear City's 16-story, 113-unit condominium project at 673 Mateo St. in the Industrial District. Units will start at 550 square feet and top out at 2,400 square feet. The 132,000-square-foot project will include a landscaped park with a swimming pool and jacuzzi. The development is expected to open by the end of 2008, said Linear City partner Paul Solomon. Behnisch Architects is handling the designs of Linear City's first ground-up project and Marina del Rey-based Cunningham Group is the construction architect. Linear City also developed the nearby Toy Factory Lofts and Biscuit Company Lofts. E5

MURA

The five-story ground-up condominium complex at 629 E. Traction Ave. in the Arts District could be open by late summer, said Pulte Home Corp.'s Mark Shapiro. Half of the 190 residences in the building designed by Togawa Smith Martin Residential have been pre-sold. The condos, including some two-story units, have floor plans ranging from 662 to 1,801 square feet, Shapiro said. The 235,000-square-foot development will include a fitness center, outdoor fireplace, pool and barbecue area. E5

PAN AMERICAN LOFTS

The 111-year-old former office building at Third Street and Broadway is almost ready to open its doors following a $20 million transformation. Developer Urban Pacific Builders put 40 condominiums into the 115,000-square-foot structure that once was home to the Mexican consulate and a Giant Penny store. Santa Monica-based architect Donald Barany molded the old hallways and offices into units that range from 660 to 1,250 square feet and circle around an inner courtyard. The developer kept the original dark wood staircase that spirals up the building's 10 stories. Most units have exposed brick and windows that are set deep into the walls. Penthouses have wrought-iron staircases that lead up to a mezzanine and a private rooftop patio. The 6,400-square-foot ground-floor retail space will contain an existing wedding chapel and apparel business; plans have not yet been announced for the remaining storefront space. Prices range from $365,000 to $775,000. C5

ROOSEVELT LOFTS

The Roosevelt opened its first 90 units for reservations late last year, said Constance Blankenship, the director of sales. Construction on the $80 million conversion of the 1925 building at Flower and Seventh streets has been pushed back and now will be complete by this fall. When done, the 223-unit structure will boast 24-hour valet parking, a concierge, a rooftop pool with cabanas and a fireplace, gourmet kitchens in each unit, a fitness center, a business lounge and a wine cellar. Developer Milbank Real Estate Services hired architecture firm Killefer Flammang to convert the 16-story former office building. A La Salsa, a sushi restaurant, a coffee shop, and an upscale restaurant are scheduled for the ground floor. B7

ROWAN LOFTS

The Rowan Building at 460 S. Spring St. will not be completed until the fourth quarter of 2007, but already one-third of the 206 units have been sold, said Bill Stevenson of developer Downtown Properties. The adaptive reuse project is converting the 1912 building in the heart of the Historic Core into live/work units. The 280,000-square-foot, 13-story structure will offer 500- to 1,400-square-foot condos, as well as an exercise room and a lounge. Some units on lower levels will feature private patios or balconies. Residences still available range from $300,000 to more than $800,000. The development team, which includes Killefer Flammang Architects, is restoring the Beaux Art structure's original terra cotta façade and marble-clad lobby, hallways and stairways. Plans also call for landscaping around the perimeter of the building that will include a fountain, barbecue and dog walking areas. D6

SB LOFTS

SB Lofts, developer Barry Shy's $26 million conversion of the building at 548 S. Spring St., is nearly complete, a company spokesman said. The project will feature 184 condominiums with retail on the ground floor. The units, which will feature raw concrete floors, exposed steel and high ceilings, will range from 600 to 1,200 square feet and start at $400,000. D7

SB MAIN

The 12-story, 1920s building that developer Barry Shy plans to turn into condominiums is currently under construction. Shy purchased the building at 111 W. Seventh St., along with the 800,000-square-foot Spring Street Plaza site at 600 and 650 S. Spring St., for $75 million. The SB Main will have 190 condominiums starting at $300,000. The project will feature a pool, spa and gym. The building is scheduled to open in eight months and will have ground-floor retail. D7

SB MANHATTAN

Developer Barry Shy is turning a 122,000-square-foot office building at 215 W. Sixth St. into 198 condominiums. The project is scheduled to open in three months. Units are slated to range from 600 to 1,200 square feet and have metallic lacquer cabinets, granite slab countertops and washer and dryers. The building, originally a bank, will have a rooftop pool and spa, a fitness center, a screening room and a recreation room, along with about 20,000 square feet of retail. C7

SB SPRING

Formerly part of the Spring Street Plaza site that developer Barry Shy purchased for $75 million, SB Spring will turn a 200,000-square-foot, 12-story building at 650 S. Spring St. into 190 condominiums. The development is currently in the application process and construction should begin in the next several months, a spokesperson for the developer said. The building will feature a rooftop pool and a gym. D7

SB TOWER

Located on the block bordered by Sixth, Seventh, Spring and Main streets, along with the SB Spring and SB Main projects, SB Tower is a conversion of an existing building into a 200-unit condominium complex. The 19-story project at 600 S. Spring St. is scheduled to open in about 18 months. Units will start at $400,000. D7

SHY BARRY TOWER II

Developer Barry Shy has announced plans to build a 35-story, ground-up structure that will hold 400 for-purchase, live/work units. The building at 601 S. Main St. would rise on what is now a parking lot and would complement several adaptive reuse building transformations on the same block. Shy has said that once construction begins, it should take two years. D7

SOUTH/LUMA

The second phase of Portland-based South Group's South project, Luma is scheduled for completion in April. The $80 million development at 11th and Hope streets in South Park will create 236 units in a sleek, 19-story tower and will offer penthouses, two-story townhomes and one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts, ranging from 750 to 3,400 square feet. Luma's "soft lofts" contain open areas, ceiling heights up to 11 feet and floor-to-ceiling windows. Amenities include hardwood floors, built-in kitchens with stainless steel appliances, designer fixtures, balconies, WiFi, four levels of secure parking and a terrace plaza/pool deck shared with Elleven, the first part of the South development, which opened last year. Luma is expected to be only the second residential building in Downtown to earn a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Luma's final residences are now selling and prices start at $494,000. B9

SOUTH/EVO

The South Group broke ground on the 23-story Evo last March; it is the developer's third building in the South project and is expected to be complete in early 2008. The $160 million, 720,000-square-foot complex at 12th Street and Grand Avenue will offer 311 condominiums with studio and one- to three-bedroom floor plans ranging from 730 to 3,500 square feet. The units' interiors will feature modern elements and designer fixtures. Other amenities will include a sixth floor terrace plaza with a pool, spa and lounge seating, and a resident lounge with viewing deck and fitness center atop the 23rd floor. Like its sister buildings, Evo is expected to earn a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Evo is releasing final residences this spring; prices start in the $400,000s. C9

ZEN

While developer Kawada Company of America had hoped to get through the entitlements stage for the Zen project at Third and Hill streets by the end of last year, it looks like groundbreaking will be delayed until 2008, said the company's Steve Westin. Plans have not changed for the 50-story, ground-up tower being designed by architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merill. It is planned to hold 330 units averaging 1,040 square feet, a 60,000-square-foot fitness club and an 8,000-square-foot retail space with an upscale mini-mart and a sports cafe and lounge. There would also be about 700 parking spaces. The Community Redevelopment Agency has yet to approve the project. C5

RESIDENTIAL FOR RENT

308 E. NINTH ST.

This transformation of a warehouse at Ninth and Santee streets in the Fashion District was delayed slightly due to a conflict with the Planning Department over the rooftop penthouses, said architect and developer David Gray. But with the entitlements in place, construction is set to begin within the month. The eight penthouses - all of which are two stories and include a rooftop garden - are proceeding. The five-story building is 73,000 square feet and will house 38 loft apartments that feature large industrial windows, exposed ceilings and raised platform sleeping areas. The construction price has not been announced and rents have not been determined, but the project is expected to be complete by spring 2008, said Gray. D8

717 OLYMPIC

Construction is proceeding rapidly on the 26-story tower at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street in South Park. Houston-based Hanover Company broke ground on the project in November 2005 and hopes to complete the development by late 2007, said company representative Kevin Batchelor. Move-ins could begin by spring 2008. RTKL Architects is designing the project that will create 156 one- and two-bedroom market-rate apartments averaging 1,061 square feet. Amenities will include an Internet cafe, a coffee bar, a resort-style pool and a fitness center. B8

810 S. SPRING ST.

Developer National City Towers has decided the 12-story adaptive reuse development in the Historic Core will be rental units rather than condominiums. The 135,000-square-foot project, which has been estimated at $17 million, will include two-story penthouses with a rooftop deck and a jacuzzi. The 93 units will range from 650 to 1,700 square feet and have cement floors. Santa Monica-based architect David Gray is preserving many of the 1924 building's historic attributes, including its elaborate façade and lobby and the first-floor, gold-leaf embossed ceiling. There will be ground-floor retail space. Gray said the project is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2008. D7

ALEXANDRIA HOTEL RENOVATION

The Alexandria Hotel, once a high-end architectural gem and currently a residential hotel, was purchased last year for $30 million by San Diego-based Amerland Group, which is turning the 463 hotel rooms into rental units. The Community Redevelopment Agency gave the developer $35 million in tax-exempt bonds to maintain the hotel's affordability standards and provide 130 units to residents who make 30%-35% of the area's median income. Amerland is sprucing up the structure and will start to market the apartments to a diverse range of people working in Downtown, said Jules Arthur, an Amerland partner. The developer plans to install kitchenettes in each unit and refurbish the hallways and common areas. So far, the hotel has received a new roof, and the ground floor bar - Charlie O's - is under new management; the bar is now hosting comedy several nights each week. A designer clothing store will also move into the first floor retail space, Arthur said. Construction should be complete by early next year. C6

BIXEL COURT

According to the most recent information available, Bixel Court, LLP and developer Brad Gluckstein have received zoning approval to build a five-story apartment complex with 82 units on a former parking lot at Fifth and Bixel streets in City West. Designed in a partnership with Santa Monica-based Aleks Istanbullu Architects, the 76,000-square-foot building would include two townhouses, 14 1,200-square-foot lofts, 13 studios and 28 one- and 25 two-bedroom units. Construction is expected to take up to 18 months. A6

BROADSTONE LOS ANGELES

A 204-unit, ground-up, luxury apartment complex is rising rapidly on a former parking lot at First Street and Beaudry Avenue, with wooden framing now visible from the adjacent 110 Freeway. According to the most recent information available, the project by Phoenix-based Alliance Residential Company will be a five-story structure with units ranging from 500-square-foot studios to 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom apartments, and will come online later this year. Rents would range from $1,275 to $4,125. The project would also include 6,000 square feet of ground floor retail. Thomas P. Cox is the architect and Opus is handling the construction. B5

BROADWAY PLAZA LOFTS

The redevelopment of the former Blackstone department store at 901 S. Broadway into 82 loft-style apartments has hit a wall and developer Vista Affordable Housing Corp. is in the process of selling the building, said Wolfgang Kupka, president of Vista. Kupka would not identify the new owner as the sale has not been finalized. The delay has left the 89-year-old building roughly 55% complete; Kupka said the prospective buyer could restart construction by early spring. The project's design would remain the same, he said, with 20% affordable housing, and 400- to 1,300-square-foot units over 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. C8

CORONITA FAMILY APARTMENTS

The framing is being erected on a $7.5 million ground-up affordable housing complex at 204 Lucas Ave., said Meta Housing corporate marketing coordinator Nancy Morris. The project will create 21 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, ranging from 637 square feet to 1,007 square feet, in one four-story building with subterranean parking. Amenities will include a central laundry room, a community room, a barbeque area, a courtyard and limited access gates. The development should be complete by this September, Morris said. NA

COULTER AND MANDELL BUILDINGS

Developer George Peykar is close to finishing construction on the transformation of the Coulter and Mandell Buildings at 500-518 W. Seventh St. A ground-floor mall is set to open at Seventh and Olive streets, with shops including a 7-Eleven and a food court. Live-work units in the building, including lofts and a handful of two-bedroom apartments, will range from 1,200 square feet to 2,500 square feet. Peykar expects construction on the 128,000-square-foot building, which he purchased in 2003 for $8 million, to be complete by March, said his assistant. He is still determining rental rates. C7

EMERALD TERRACE

A $22 million, four-story complex at Lucas Avenue and Emerald Street in City West is nearly complete and plans for a grand opening are in the works, said Meta Housing corporate marketing coordinator Nancy Morris. The 98,000-square-foot project will feature 85 affordable housing units from 700 to 1,000 square feet. Meta Housing and Century Housing of Culver City developed the project. A5

GLO

Construction is nearly complete on the first, 201-unit phase of the ground-up City West apartment complex by Wilshire Court Development Partners. The developer said the building is only a month behind schedule and will likely open in April. The initial phase, comprised of two five-story buildings connected via a pedestrian bridge over Ingraham Street (one building at Bixel and Ingraham streets and a second at Bixel Street and Wilshire Boulevard), will feature studios and one- and two-bedroom units averaging 1,010 square feet. A 5,000-square-foot restaurant in the complex, which was formerly known as Wilshire Court, has not been finalized. A7

HARTFORD PROJECT

Construction on a $28 million affordable housing complex at 440 Hartford Ave., near Lucas and Fourth streets in City West, is slated to start in July, said Dora Leong Gallo, CEO of nonprofit A Community of Friends. Designed by architect Killefer Flammang, the 54-unit project would contain mostly three- and four-bedroom units, as well as a Boys & Girls Club. NA

JUDSON C. RIVES BUILDING

The 10-story complex at 424 S. Broadway is being developed by Flatiron Development's David Gray and Phil Miller. The 60-unit adaptive reuse, which will employ historic tax credits, is estimated at $11 million. The 74,000-square-foot former office building will include a refurbished glass canopy, landscaped rooftop gardens and a jacuzzi. Plans also call for new balconies overlooking the Broadway theaters and the building's courtyard. Construction is set to wrap this fall, said Gray. The project has 60 parking spaces and rents will be between $1,100 and $3,400 per month. C6

MERCANTILE ARCADE BUILDING

Developer Fifth Street Funding has been working on a $20 million adaptive reuse conversion of the 1924 Arcade Building at 541 S. Spring St. However, the company's Peterson Go has said that problems with a new HVAC system have delayed the project. The plan involves creating 140 market-rate apartments in dual Beaux Arts towers connected by a three-story retail arcade. The units, six on each floor, would be finished with hardwood floors, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Architect Killefer Flammang is handling designs in the 195,000-square-foot project. C6

METROPOLITAN LOFTS

Completion on the adaptive reuse project at 315 W. Fifth St. is set for March 2008. South Broadway, LLC is converting the 10-story Metropolitan Building into 84 live-work apartments. El Segundo-based Rockefeller Partners Architects is designing the transformation of the Beaux Arts-style, 163,000-square-foot building, which will have residences on floors three through nine. Apartments in the Historic Core building will range from approximately 650 to 1,500 square feet. Three 10th floor penthouses will range from 1,200 to 2,300 square feet. The ground floor will remain a Fallas Paredes department store with the storefront being rehabilitated to reflect a more contemporary aesthetic. Historic details, such as original tiles and windows, will be left intact. The building once housed a public library. C6

NATIONAL BUILDING

The 13-story National Building (also known as the Delano Lofts) at 609 S. Grand Ave. in the Jewelry District is now completely refurbished and is awaiting final inspections. However, developer Izek Shomof said he has elected to rent out the 99 loft-style units rather than sell them as condominiums. Architect Mueller Design created apartments ranging from 800 to 1,600 square feet; they will rent for $2 to $3 per square foot. The 130,000-square-foot former office building was largely vacant, aside from three ground-floor restaurants. The conversion of the 1926 edifice originally designed by Parkinson Architects cost $11 million. The structure was once known as the Edward, Widley & Dixon Building. C7

NORTHWEST GATEWAY

Construction is proceeding rapidly, some exterior walls have been set, and wooden framing is rising on a $55 million mixed-income housing complex on a former train yard at Second Street and Glendale Boulevard. Essex Property Trust's project will include 276 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments between 527 and 1,820 square feet. The five-story building will also hold a computer lab, pool, spa, dog park, fitness center and two levels of underground parking. The property contains the Belmont Tunnel, which runs beneath Bunker Hill. The developer has said that completion is scheduled for early 2008. NA

ORSINI II

With construction well underway on this 566-unit luxury apartment complex at 550 N. Figueroa St., Orsini II is set to open in July 2007, according to a representative of developer G.H. Palmer Associates. The ground-up project is the second phase of the three-part Orsini development. The original Orsini, at the intersection of Figueroa Street and Sunset Boulevard, is open. Rents for studio apartments in the new project will start at $1,250 while two-bedroom units will go for $1,725 and all the residences will rise up from a podium deck. B4

PACIFIC STOCK EXCHANGE

Plans for the Pacific Stock Exchange building and its surrounding City West blocks on Beaudry Avenue (from First to Third streets) have undergone yet another design change, according to developer Delson Investment Co., but are nearing the final stage. The adaptive reuse project would create 1,200 apartments atop more than 50,000 square feet of retail in two separate structures built in three phases, said Delson's Michael Delijani. Plans call for a 28-story addition of 855,000 square feet to the existing 10-story tower at Third Street and Beaudry Avenue, as well as a new five-floor condo building that Delijani hopes to break ground on by the end of 2007. Nadel Architects is handling the design. The project would include a sports and entertainment facility as well as a swimming pool and landscaped open space. A5

PIERO II

Formerly called the Lorenzo, plans are proceeding for developer G.H. Palmer Associates' 350-unit apartment complex on Sixth Street between Bixel and St. Paul streets in City West. The name change partly reflects the design that includes a pedestrian bridge over St. Paul that will connect a rooftop swimming pool deck to the already open Piero complex, also constructed by Palmer. The Piero II has been scaled down from its original design for 600 luxury units and will now include a mixed-use component. Last year the city ruled that the project must include an affordable housing element; Palmer has long fought such efforts in his projects. A7

ROSSLYN LOFTS

Owners Rob and Joseph Frontiera began converting the property at 111 W. Fifth St. to upscale apartments (dubbed Rosslyn Lofts) on a floor-by-floor basis, starting at the top, but the conversion was halted in December by the Community Redevelopment Agency. The agency's board ruled that Frontiera did not receive proper approval for the conversions and that that any approval would hinge on making up for the low-income units lost in the transformation. City officials believe a legal battle over the issue is likely. The Frontieras had announced a $12 million plan to update the 1913 building and charge rents of about $1.50 per square foot. D6

SIXTH STREET LOFTS

Construction is underway on this adaptive reuse project in the Arts District. Developers Howard Klein and Matt Klein plan to create 63 live-work units and at least two retail spaces by converting a row of brick-clad warehouses at 1291-1333 E. Sixth St. The project will include a swimming pool, along with multiple courtyards and open green space. The apartments will range from 600 to 1,800 square feet with rents starting at $1,450, said Matt Klein. The project is being designed by Seattle-based Tony Bell Architecture. Move-ins will begin this fall. NA

THE UNION

Construction is on schedule for the $17 million conversion by Meruelo Maddux Properties of the building at 760 S. Hill St. in the Jewelry District, according to Meruelo Maddux spokesman Michael Bustamante. Designs by Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang Architects to update the brick and terra cotta structure - once the headquarters of the Union Bank and Trust Company - call for 91 loft-style apartments ranging from 700 to 1,900 square feet. Meruelo Maddux acquired the 12-story edifice for $12 million from Heisman Co. Construction is scheduled to finish in the middle of this year, Bustamante said. C7

TITLE GUARANTEE BUILDING

Construction is almost complete on the $35 million renovation of the 1930 building originally designed by John and David Parkinson. The project overlooking Pershing Square, slated to finish in April, is designed by architecture firm Killefer Flammang. Developer Daniel Swartz purchased the 12-story building, which once was home to the Spanish language daily newspaper La Opinión, in 1983. Swartz said the 74 loft-style rental units will range from 800 to 4,000 square feet and will feature 10- to 14-foot exposed concrete ceilings. The one-, two-, three- and four-story units will lease for $2,000 to $12,000 a month. C6

UNION POINT

A $7 million affordable housing complex at 420 Union Drive between Fourth and Sixth streets in City West broke ground Jan. 25. West Los Angeles-based developer Meta Housing plans to build a five-story ground-up structure of two- and three-bedroom units between 800 and 1,050 square feet. Company corporate marketing coordinator Nancy Morris said the project will include on-site laundry, a community room, a computer lab and a barbecue/picnic area. Plans call for construction to wrap by September 2007. NA

WOOD APARTMENTS

The $20.5 million, 61-unit City West affordable housing project at 1322 and 1405 James M. Wood Blvd. (the two buildings are on either side of the street) is under construction. The north tower is roughly 40% complete according to developer 1010 Development. The south building is only 10% complete and the two components are expected to open in August and November, respectively. The 58,000-square-foot project will incorporate 40 two-bedroom units averaging 800 square feet and 21 three-bedroom units averaging 1,259 square feet. The complex will include 1,340 square feet of office and social service space, a 1,740-square-foot community room and a 3,000-square-foot childcare center for more than 30 preschool students. The childcare provider may be chosen as soon as this month, according to 1010 Development. Pasadena-based Ken Kurose Architects is handling the design. NA

YALE TERRACE

Construction is proceeding on Advanced Development and Investment's 55-unit, low-income apartment complex at Yale Street between Ord and Alpine streets in Chinatown. An official with the developer said the foundation and cement garage have been completed and construction is expected to wrap late this year. Designs by Jubany Architecture and Edwin Mohabir and Partners call for 37 four-bedroom and 18 three-bedroom units surrounding an interior courtyard. Social service, educational and after-school programs will also be available in 10,000 square feet of space. NA

MIXED USE

BLOCK 8/LITTLE TOKYO

The six-acre site in Little Tokyo known as Block 8 has been split into four parcels by owner Related Cos., which once planned to build on the entire block. Two of the parcels were sold to other developers; Related will develop the remaining two. The first phase is a still-unnamed 230-unit luxury apartment tower on San Pedro Street; Related plans to break ground by April. The project is being designed by Thomas P. Cox Architects, which worked on Related's Hikari apartments two blocks away. The mixed-use element will go beyond ground-floor retail, according to the company's Rick Westberg, with a street-level promenade, two-way street and landscaped pedestrian pathways. The building's amenities will include two rooftop decks, a clubhouse, fitness center, pool deck and business lounge. Units will be market rate, although an affordable component may be added, said Westberg. He said the other parcels, including one sold to Kor Group, are still in the planning stage. D5

BLOSSOM PLAZA

In January the Community Redevelopment Agency approved preliminary plans by developer Bond Companies to transform the site of the former Little Joe's restaurant at 900 N. Broadway in Chinatown into a mixed-use project that will connect the Chinatown Metro Gold Line station to Broadway. The $144 million development will feature two residential towers, designed by Nakada & Associates, with 169 condominiums, 10,000 square feet of retail space and a 344-car parking garage; roughly half of that will be available for public, paid parking. The development will also include a landscaped plaza, which will host cultural events and connect Chinatown shops to the light rail station as well as the new state park. City officials helped secure about $35 million in public funds for the project, including $15 million from the CRA. Construction is expected to begin this summer. C2

CAPITOL MILLING BUILDING

Steve Riboli of S&R Partners, who plans to turn the Capitol Milling Co. building at 1231 N. Spring St. into a mixed-use project, said that the effort has not seen much movement. Plans still call for a 60,000-square-foot structure that would include 40 apartments with 25,000 square feet of retail. Riboli is working with Larry Bond, who is trying to develop the nearby mixed-use Blossom Plaza, on creating a public space to fuse the two sites. The Capitol Milling structure is a former grain mill and silo. The plans are part of the large-scale Riverview Project at the Cornfield, a development on a triangular piece of land stretching from College Street to the Los Angeles River. The four-phase development would use the Capitol Milling Co. building as a southern anchor and include up to 300 residential units in four four-story, ground-up structures. John Deenihan, a principal with Downtown-based Rothenberg Sawasy Architects, has been tapped to handle designs. The Riboli family also owns the San Antonio Winery north of Chinatown. C2

CHINATOWN GATEWAY

Plans for a 321,000-square-foot project at Broadway and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue are moving forward, and the Community Redevelopment Agency could vote on the development as soon as next month, said developer Jeff Allen. The proposed five-story effort by Chinatown LLC, with J.B. Realty and Equity Residences, would include 280 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. Thomas P. Cox Architects is handling the designs. The project at the southern edge of Chinatown would include 581 parking spaces, most of them below ground, as well as 30,000 square feet of recreational outdoor space, a pool, and a landscaped plaza along North Broadway and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. The land is currently zoned for commercial use and would require a zoning change. C3

GRAND AVENUE PLAN

The $2 billion Grand Avenue project was approved by the City Council and County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 13, and developer Related Cos. hopes to break ground in October. The development, which will run along the top of Bunker Hill, will ultimately contain 2,600 housing units and 449,000 square feet of retail, including a 50-story high-rise and a 25-story tower, both part of the first phase and designed by Frank Gehry. While the development will feature luxury amenities including a five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel, a high-end grocery store and health club, Related is also incorporating community-oriented elements such as 100 units of affordable housing (in the first phase), a promised 30% of construction jobs to local workers and a revolving loan for more supportive housing facilities. Ground will also break this year on a 16-acre park that will stretch from the Music Center to City Hall. Related was allowed to have future hotel bed taxes waived to make the project pencil out financially; city officials have said that this could equal out to more than $60 million over the life of the project. B5

HERALD EXAMINER

There has been no recent progress on developer Urban Partners' effort to transform the former home of the Herald Examiner afternoon newspaper at 11th Street and Broadway in South Park. Plans still call for 29,000 square feet of office space and 39,725 square feet of retail in two phases: Phase one would include a new 24-story, 260-unit structure on the old press building's footprint; that is expected to take 30 months to complete. A 33-story, 330-unit tower would also rise at 120 W. 12th St., but no timetable has been established. Architect Brenda Levin is expected to oversee the rehab of the historic building while Thom Mayne's Morphosis is penciled in to design the new towers. C9

MEDALLION

The $125 million Medallion will break ground in June, said developer Saeed Farkhondepour. Two six-story structures are planned to rise on what is currently a parking lot on the northeast corner of Fourth and Main streets. The project, downscaled from an earlier vision, will include 200 rental units that average 800 square feet, 750 parking spaces and ground-floor retail. Farkhondepour said that retail on Los Angeles Street will resemble the current Toy District-style retail already in the area, while the Main Street side of the project will have shops and restaurants. M2A Architects is handling the designs. D6

METROPOLIS

The 6.3-acre, 836-unit development one block north of L.A. Live that has been in the works for more than a decade may finally break ground by the end of this year. Los Angeles-based IDS Real Estate Group bought the Metropolis project - its first development in Downtown - in December 2005. Since then, it has been going through the entitlement process, but an IDS official said the company has acquired funding for the expected $1 billion effort. The property is bounded by the 110 Freeway, James M. Wood Boulevard and Eighth and Francisco streets in South Park. The 1.83-acre first phase would have 360 condominiums in a 30-story tower. The second phase would create a 42-story tower with 388 condo units. The third phase would add a 480-room hotel along with 88 residential units, and the project's final phase would produce a 32-story office tower. Metropolis would include 46,000 square feet of retail and a five-level parking structure. Gruen Associates and Arquitectonica are handling the designs. B8

SANTEE VILLAGE

The 780,000-square-foot development on the block between Los Angeles, Maple, Seventh and Eighth streets involves the conversion of nine former garment buildings. The project is now in its second phase. According to the most recent information available, the next pieces to open will be a 12-story, 95-unit building called the Cornell; a seven-story, 48-unit structure called the Eckardt; and the Santee, an 11-floor, 73-unit edifice. Prices start in the $300,000s. Altogether, the development by Santa Monica-based MJW Investments will include 455 units and a courtyard promenade, recreational facilities, a market and a pharmacy. The 165 apartments in the first phase of the development opened in 2004 and 64 live-work units in the Textile Building, at 315 E. Eighth St., came online last year. Phoenix Realty Group last year joined MJW as a partner in the $92 million second phase of the project. D7

SOUTH VILLAGE/RALPHS

Downtown's long-awaited supermarket anchoring the Market Lofts on Ninth between Hope and Flower streets is on schedule to open this June, said Ralphs spokesman Terry O'Neil. The 50,000-square-foot store will feature a "fresh fare" concept with an upscale European boutique design and large deli that includes a meat and seafood counter, a broad selection of prepared foods and a seating area. Other gourmet touches include sushi, a chowder bar, wine cellar, olive bar and cheese station. The store will hold a pharmacy, floral department, dry cleaners and book section. Ralphs is part of developer CIM Group's South Village, which includes the 267-condominium Market Lofts also opening in June. The one- and two-bedroom units will range from 754 to 1,400 square feet. The first phase of South Village, the 251-unit Gas Company Lofts, opened in 2004. B8

UNIVERSITY GATEWAY

In November the city Planning Commission approved the $135 million, 421-unit University Gateway project at Figueroa Street and Jefferson Boulevard. The developer, Urban Partners, has not announced any recent details regarding construction. Geared toward students attending USC across the street, the massive development just east of the Shrine Auditorium will feature 83,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, including a bookstore, coffee shop, fitness center and storage for more than 800 bicycles. Parking has been a contentious issue for the privately financed project, with 800 parking spaces planned for the site and another 400 nearby. A competing area developer has opposed the project. F9

VIBIANA PLACE

Developers Tom Gilmore and Richard Weintraub have announced plans to retrofit and transform the rectory of the former Saint Vibiana's Cathedral into housing and a restaurant. Plans are also underway for a mixed-use high-rise on a lot just south of the cathedral. More than a year ago, Gilmore completed an $8 million conversion of the former church at Second and Main streets, and the venue is now used for occasional shows, concerts and parties. The cathedral was once the headquarters for the Los Angeles Archdiocese, but was closed after suffering damage during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. D5

CIVIC

CIVIC CENTER FIRE STATION NO. 4

Construction is roughly 60% complete on the two-story fire and paramedic station at First and Alameda streets, putting the project slightly ahead of schedule, according to LAFD officials. Completion of the 40,000-square-foot station, which will include a handball court, two bays for firefighting vehicles and a hose tower, is expected by August 2008. It will replace an aging 11,000-square-foot facility at 800 N. Main St. and will be staffed by 14 firefighters serving Little Tokyo, Chinatown and Olvera Street. It will also be connected to a second phase of the project - an emergency operations center at 500 E. Temple St. That 82,000-square-foot structure will house police operations and fire dispatch centers, and will replace emergency communication facilities in City Hall East. The total cost of the project is expected to be just under $23 million. GKK Dommer and Fluor/HOK are the architects, while Amoroso is the contractor. E5

EXPOSITION LIGHT RAIL

Construction began last October on the Metro Expo Line, which will connect Downtown to Culver City, via the Blue Line. The $640 million project is on schedule and is expected to open in summer 2010, said Genetha Eddins, a Metro spokeswoman. The eight-mile line, which remains without an officially designated color, will share two stops with the Blue Line and will add eight more stations, running parallel to the heavily congested 10 Freeway. The project is a joint venture of Vista-based FCI Construction, Inc., Aliso Viejo-based Fluor Corp. and Pasadena-based Parsons Corp. A second phase of the project that will connect the Expo Line to Santa Monica is currently in the planning stages. NA

FEDERAL BUILDING

A construction contract for the first phase of the $90 million upgrade of the Federal Building at 300 N. Los Angeles St. in the Civic Center has been awarded, said Gene Gibson, regional public affairs officer with the city General Services Administration. The $16.3 million bid went to Stronghold Engineers, Inc. and will cover seismic work in the basement and first floor. Overall improvements, to be done in three phases, include new fire-safety systems, ceilings, energy-efficient lighting, signage, security systems, elevators and the removal of hazardous materials. All of the work will be done with the employees of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Bankruptcy Court remaining in the building. Construction of the entire project could take up to four years. D4

FEDERAL COURTHOUSE

Bidding for the second phase of a 1 million-square-foot courthouse at First Street and Broadway in the Civic Center remains on hold, with no timeline announced. According to General Services Administration Regional Public Affairs Officer Gene Gibson, the procurement process was halted due to financial reasons. The original plan to house 41 courtrooms, 40 judges' chambers and office space for federal agencies on the 3.6-acre site that was purchased from the state of California for $2.5 million will need to be repackaged. The project next to City Hall was budgeted at $314 million. Any future plans will require changes, said Gibson. C5

GOLD LINE EASTSIDE EXTENSION

In November the pair of boring machines used to tunnel the underground section of Metro's Gold Line extension to East Los Angeles completed their work. Since then, much of the heavy street-level construction has begun - that will have an increasing impact on traffic patterns, said an MTA spokesperson. Retrofitting of bridges, widening of streets, and running electricity and other systems into the completed tunnels are the next phases for the six-mile, $899 million project that will extend the Gold Line from Union Station across the 101 Freeway. The concrete bridge that will cross the freeway is also nearly complete, according to the MTA, and crews will begin laying track in the next couple months. Officials hope to complete the project in late 2009, and they estimate the extension could eventually carry as many as 23,000 riders a day. D4

HALL OF JUSTICE

Crews are gutting the interior of the earthquake-damaged Hall of Justice at Temple and Spring streets in the Civic Center, and large chutes are funneling the debris out of the north side of the building. Plans call for spending more than $125 million on fixes and safety upgrades in order to make a new modern office building, said John Edmisten, a division chief in the county's Chief Administrative Office. The Board of Supervisors decided to break the approval and construction process into eight phases. Supervisors must approve each phase of construction separately. The debris removal is only phase three and should be complete by May, while designers are beginning stage four, creating a structural retrofit. C4

LAPD HEADQUARTERS

On Jan. 22 Los Angeles officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility that will rise across from City Hall and eventually replace the aging Parker Center. The $231 million, 10-story building being constructed by Sylmar-based Tutor-Saliba is part of a three-phase project that officials expect to cost close to $420 million by the time it is completed in 2009. The main site, bordered by Spring, Main, First and Second streets, will house the 500,000-square-foot headquarters. One block away on Main Street, an 800-car Motor Transportation Division facility is planned, though not all the land needed has been acquired for that facility. The headquarters design includes an open plaza facing First Street, and a small, landscaped park at the corner of Second and Main streets, as well as a 300-car LAPD garage. Downtown-based DMJM is the architect. D5

LOS ANGELES RIVER

On Feb. 2, the City Council unveiled a draft of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, a study that would set the course for a long-term and expensive makeover of the waterway and many of the communities it touches. The plan, which is expected to top $2 billion, would establish a long linear park along the river that would spill into Downtown. Three of the five opportunity sites for major investment are in and around Downtown, including the Rio de Los Angeles State Park, the Chinatown area and the Arts District. The plan identifies 239 different projects, including 49 in Downtown; they range from complicated tasks like creating outdoor classrooms and wetlands at the former Cornfield to simpler ones like adding bike paths to the Arts District. The proposed master plan will be open to public comment until March 19. Even if the plan is approved and funding is found, the process is expected to take between 25 and 50 years to implement. NA

LOS ANGELES STATE HISTORIC PARK

After a heated design competition in which more than 30 groups submitted bids to develop the new Los Angeles State Historic Park (the site long known as the Cornfield), the California Parks Department in November named a team headed by San Francisco-based Hargreaves Associates as the winner. Hargreaves will now design the 32-acre site between Broadway and North Spring Street east of Chinatown. Hargreaves, which includes Silver Lake-based architect Michael Maltzan, has a concept design that includes a large field flanked on one side by wetlands and landscaping and on the other side by a fountain-filled plaza. The plan also incorporates several bridges that would provide accessibility to the park from Chinatown and Elysian Park. The Parks Department is working out Hargreaves' contract and will start to look for funding. No timeline has been announced. NA

METRO DETENTION CENTER

Crews have completed the foundation, basement and first floor of the 160,000-square-foot, 512-bed detention facility just north of Parker Center at Los Angeles and Temple streets, said Mike Bernards, project manager for San Fernando-based Bernards Construction. The five-level $74 million project, designed by HOK Architects, will include one underground floor. The center will, for the first time, house female inmates. Crews have been working on the project since February 2006 and completion is expected by September 2008, said Bernards. D4

RIO DE LOS ANGELES STATE PARK

The former Union Pacific Rail Yard just north of Downtown Los Angeles is set to open as a state park by April after a 15-year effort and multiple delays. One community soccer league has already begun using the soccer facilities on the site formerly known as Taylor Yard, said an official with the state Parks Department. Last year the project was delayed when crews uncovered a significant amount of lead mixed into a concrete slurry and sequestered underground by rail yard workers, according to state officials. Designs for the 40-acre park include a multipurpose field with artificial turf, a competition-size soccer field, three junior soccer fields, a baseball field, a softball field, basketball and tennis courts and even a water splash fountain. The park stretches from San Fernando Road to the Los Angeles River and will also feature hiking trails and green space. Ultimately the site will feature major habitat and wetlands restoration as part of the L.A. River Revitalization Master Plan. The price of the park has been put at $34 million. NA

SCHOOLS

AMBASSADOR HOTEL SCHOOLS

Groundbreaking for the multi-school campus at the site of the former Ambassador Hotel west of Downtown was held Nov. 20 and all pre-construction earthwork is now complete. Plans call for building an 825-seat school for kindergarten through third-grade students; a 1,400-seat facility for fourth through eighth graders; and a 2,150-seat high school. The campus will include two gymnasiums, a swimming pool, a soccer field and extensive athletic facilities. The upper level of the former Cocoanut Grove nightclub will become a 522-seat auditorium, while the lower level will hold dining facilities and a cafeteria. The 24-acre Wilshire Boulevard site will also have a one-third-acre public park, which will include an art installation honoring Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in the hotel. The $60 million elementary school is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2009. The $175 million middle and high schools are scheduled for completion a year later. NA

CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Cathedral High School is in the midst of a $14 million effort to build a one-acre, 48,000-square-foot gym and science building for the campus' 630 students. School principal Brother John Montgomery said the project would wrap by September. Long Beach-based Kluger Architects is designing the two-story facility, which will allow students of the all-boys Catholic school to participate in 11 sports. The design will utilize split-face concrete blocks and include a red tile roof to match the other structures on campus; it will feature several labs, including one for computer design, and a gym with weight facilities, team rooms, lockers and a film room. A 1940s gym was torn down to make way for the current project. C1

COLBURN SCHOOL

The Colburn School is rapidly approaching the completion of its urban campus at 200 S. Grand Ave. Construction is scheduled to wrap this summer on the $120 million expansion, highlighted by a 12-story tower. School spokeswoman Barbara Vyden said the glass walls and doors that enclose the cafe are in place and the zinc cladding on the exterior of a new performance space is almost finished. The 326,000-square-foot extension will also hold Colburn's new college-level Conservatory of Music and the growing community program, and will feature a 200-seat performance venue along with classrooms and a 7,000-square-foot rehearsal hall, 50 practice rooms, a cafeteria and offices. Downtown-based Pfeiffer Partners is the architect. C5

HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

LAUSD's new High School No. 9, also known as the High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, is about one-third complete. The project at 450 N. Grand Ave. is north of the site for the Grand Avenue project; the school was propelled by billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad. Although an official groundbreaking was held Sept. 9, construction on the 238,000-square-foot campus, designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au and HMC, actually began last March. The 1,728-student arts-oriented high school will feature four academies: music, dance, visual arts and performing arts. The school will primarily serve students living in the Belmont High School area, although 500 seats will be open for students from throughout the district, said LAUSD spokeswoman Binti Harvey. The project budget is $208 million and construction is expected to wrap in fall 2008. C4

LOS ANGELES TRADE-TECH COLLEGE

Construction crews on the site of the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College just began a key stage in the $227.6 million renovation of the 29-acre community college campus at Washington Boulevard and Grand Avenue. Crews are now moving a ramp that leads to a rooftop parking lot, which will clear an area for the college's south campus project; that will provide a new entrance, an athletic field, a student services building, a technology building and a utility building. Completion for the ramp relocation is scheduled for this October. Construction on a $6 million Child Development Center is one-third complete and should wrap up this fall. Additionally, construction on a six-level, 250,000-square-foot parking structure that will hold 800 cars is expected to finish this summer. NA

SCI-ARC LOT

Richard Meruelo has not yet announced plans for the lot he owns adjacent to the Southern California Institute of Architecture in the Arts District. Although the school once used it as a parking lot, Meruelo fenced it off when he and SCI-Arc became embroiled in a lawsuit. Last year, the lot was offered for lease; Magnum Properties, Inc. has the listing for the 25,000-square-foot site. F5

USC HEALTH SCIENCES CAMPUS

Construction is progressing rapidly on the Harlyne Norris Cancer Research Tower on the USC Health Sciences Campus. The installation of the exterior skin of the 10-story, 172,000-square-foot building is complete and the project, which will help USC physicians and researchers treat and prevent cancer, is slated to open in the middle of this year. Meanwhile, design work continues for the 200,000-square-foot Broad Institute for Integrative Biology and Stem Cell Research adjacent to the existing Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute on San Pablo Street. The Broad Institute will be the third new research building this decade on the campus. These buildings will house more than 100 investigators engaged in interdisciplinary research in neuroscience, cancer, stem cell and regenerative medicine, diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Construction of the LAC+USC Medical Center Replacement Facility also continues, with construction expected to finish this spring; the facility will open to patients in the fall. NA

USC UNIVERSITY PARK CAMPUS

Multiple projects are underway on the massive campus at the southern edge of Downtown. The school has been working on a $23 million facelift of Webb Tower, which includes seismic and electrical upgrades. The second phase of Parkside Residential College, a 143,000-square-foot housing center for 440 students, is expected to be complete this year. The school is also building 1,100- and 1,200-car parking garages. The Thornton School of Music, a $70 million structure, is scheduled to rise by 2010. Overall, USC has committed nearly $300 million to construction projects on its University Park campus. F9

VISTA HERMOSA

A high school on the 24-acre plot at First and Beaudry streets is nearly halfway complete, said LAUSD spokeswoman Binti Harvey. However the City West project, formerly known as the Belmont Learning Center, has had several recent setbacks, including a small fire and a truck that lost its brakes and rolled down a hill and off the site, where it crushed a line of parked cars. Crews working on the existing buildings, which were erected several years ago before the project was stalled by dangers from carcinogens and earthquake faults, have completed structural steel installation and roof work and are currently installing drywall. New buildings have been topped out and crews are in the framing stage. The campus will have classrooms serving 2,100 students in three buildings, and a separate 500-seat academy will hold a cafeteria, library, student union and parents' center. The campus is scheduled to open in fall 2008. Construction on the site's second component, a park, began in November 2006 and is 15% complete. However, due to fiscal constraints, the park no longer will feature a lake, fishing pond or outdoor amphitheater, although the latter could be added if funds become available. The current project cost is $174 million. With earlier costs factored in, the development will run around $350 million. A5

CULTURAL/ENTERTAINMENT

ANGELS FLIGHT RESTORATION

On Jan. 24 the operator of the tiny funicular that connects Bunker Hill to the Historic Core announced that the railway will reopen by the end of summer and that the fare will remain 25 cents. Angels Flight has been closed since a fatal accident in February 2001. Last month, the private, non-profit Angels Flight Railway Foundation signed contracts with engineers and resumed a dialogue with the California Public Utilities Commission, which must ultimately approve the train before it reopens. The Foundation said it is proceeding with the final phase of the $2.6-million renovation process, which will include upgraded safety features. However, the project has been delayed for years and announced reopening dates have not been met. Additionally, Councilwoman Jan Perry has suggested that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should take over the operations. C6

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER

Major ground excavation has been completed for the California Science Center's new $165 million World of Ecology wing. In October, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger joined former governors George Deukmejian and Gray Davis for a ceremonial groundbreaking of the project. The wing will add 170,000 square feet to the Exposition Park museum and will host an exhibit that demonstrates principles of ecology. The expansion, set to open in 2009, will combine aspects of aquariums, zoos and botanical gardens and will include 250 species of plants and animals. The addition is the second phase of a 25-year master plan. So far, construction crews have dug three stories deep into the ground to make room for a kelp tank and support systems for the displays. F10

CENTRAL AVENUE ART PARK

Plans for a three-acre public art park must wait until the new police headquarters parking facility is completed. The site, currently a parking lot on the block bounded by First, Judge John Aiso, Temple and Alameda streets, is still several years from being changed, said city Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller. He added that formal designs for the art park are still being drawn and would not be ready for another year. D4

ECHO PARK POOL

Construction began in late 2005 on a $4.8 million renovation of the city Department of Recreation and Parks facility at 1410 Colton St. in City West. According to the most recent information available, the renovated pool will reopen during the summer. When finished, the heated, indoor pool will feature a new roof, electrical system, locker rooms, bathrooms and showers and be accessible to the disabled. The upgrades are being designed by West L.A.-based Frank R. Webb Architects. NA

FOOTBALL STADIUM

Momentum has slowed significantly in the effort to place a professional football team in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Before the Super Bowl, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a press conference, "It's important for us to be in Los Angeles long-term, but we have survived quite well without Los Angeles, and Los Angeles has survived quite well without the NFL." Although Eighth District Councilman Bernard Parks continues to lobby the league about bringing a team back to the 1923 Exposition Park stadium, the Coliseum Commission - the panel of city, county and state officials that oversees the stadium - has publicly discussed securing a long-term lease with USC as a priority, rather than inking a deal with the league. Activity was more heated in the first half of 2006, before former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped down. At the time, Coliseum supporters described an $800 million effort that would turn the 90,000-occupancy venue into a 67,000-seat stadium with improved sight lines and about 180 revenue-generating luxury suites, all while preserving the historic peristyle. The plan called for the NFL to pay for the entire renovation, and an owner and team would be named in the future. NA

IMAGINASIAN CENTER

Renovation of the storied Linda Lea Theater at 251 S. Main St. is underway. The new theater will be renamed the ImaginAsian Center and will feature Pan-Asian and general market content. The building owner, Costa Mesa-based Cinema Properties Group, hired Culver City-based Hodgetts + Fung Design and Architecture to handle the redesign. Completion is expected this year. D5

L.A. LIVE

The first phase of the $2.5 billion entertainment complex at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street just north of Staples Center is on course to open this fall. Developer Anschutz Entertainment Group broke ground in 2005. The first elements to come on line will be the 7,100-seat Nokia Theater and the plaza that will run through the complex. Other attractions include the 2,400-seat Club Nokia, the Conga Room nightclub, a 15-screen Regal Cineplex, a Grammy museum, retail, restaurants and additional venues. A second phase will bring facilities including the West Coast headquarters for ESPN. There will also be an office component, and the corporate headquarters for both AEG and Herbalife will be part of L.A. Live. B8

LOS ANGELES THEATRE CENTER

The anticipated grand opening of the Los Angeles Theatre Center has been pushed back to this September, according to documents filed in December with the city's General Services Department; previous plans had called for the venue at 514 S. Spring St. to debut this month following a $4 million renovation. Lori Zimmerman, interim manager of the Latino Theater Company, which in 2005 won a 20-year contract to operate the Historic Core edifice, said that drawings have been completed by architect John Sergio Fisher and the LTC is now seeking building permits. Plans call for turning the property into a three-theater complex with new lighting and seats. The patio would be enclosed and a cafe added, and the Latino Museum of History, Art & Culture would set up exhibits in the lobby and basement. Pankow is the contractor and Cushman & Wakefield is the project manager. D6

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Although plans to dramatically update the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park remain on hold, renovations and retrofitting to the existing buildings are set to begin this month, said spokeswoman Jennifer Mau. Museum staffers still intend to begin a fundraising campaign to raise the estimated $300 million needed for an expansion. Architect Stephen Holl completed a master plan several years ago. In the meantime, the museum's 1913 rotunda building will be retrofitted and seismically strengthened; that is expected to take about a year. The $84 million project will use private and public funds, Mau said. E10

VARIETY ARTS CENTER

Former Pasadena Playhouse owner David Houk closed escrow Dec. 7 on the Variety Arts Center for an undisclosed amount. Houk, who heads Downtown-based Houk Development Company, purchased the 1924 theater and event space at 940 S. Figueroa St. from Anschutz Entertainment Group. He plans to restore the 1,000-seat main theater and produce new plays and musicals. The renovation is expected to last a year and Houk plans to move his offices and theater company into the location once the project is complete. B8

BARS & RESTAURANTS

CROCKER CLUB

Crews have begun work on a bar and lounge in the basement of the Spring Arts Tower at 453 S. Spring St., said Vincent Terzian, president and CEO of Hollywood-based Five Five Endeavors. The developer has already obtained a liquor license for the speakeasy-themed nightspot where patrons will enter through a hidden door and mingle in the basement vault. According to Terzian, the 6,000-square-foot space, which may also serve as a private members club, will be a casual upscale bar and lounge with a 1920s feel. He is refurbishing the original Italian marble, mosaic tiles floors, and oak and maple touches. It is named after a former tenant of the 1914 building, the Crocker Citizens National Bank. The club could open by spring and will feature an extensive specialty drink list. C6

DIETRICHS

Hollywood-based Sweet Freedom Development is working on a $1.5 million bar at the base of the Hellman Building at Fourth and Main streets. Complete with a cigar bar and a smoking room, Dietrichs - named for film star Marlene Dietrich - will have a 1920s speakeasy decor and live music. Architect George Kelly is designing the 1,300-square-foot space that was previously scheduled to open in December. A new opening date has not yet been announced. D6

MERCURY LIQUORS

Plans to transform a former bank vault in the basement of the Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank Building at 215 W. Sixth St. are still on hold, awaiting the completion of condominium conversions taking place in the building above, said developer Andrew Meieran. Meieran hopes to bring a bit of classic Hollywood nightlife to Downtown with the 8,000-square-foot retro bar featuring white marble floors, walnut wood paneling, polished stainless steel walls and much of the original architecture, including the vault's 38-ton circular door. C7

SEVEN GRAND

The sign for Seven Grand now hangs outside its 515 W. Seventh St. location, and the bar is scheduled to have a soft opening in April with an official debut May 10 (pushed back from last October). Downtown-based 213 Ventures is behind the project; plans call for one of the largest selections of premium spirits west of the Mississippi. The $1 million venture will be the biggest bar 213 and its president, Cedd Moses, has created to date (it previously opened the Golden Gopher and the Broadway Bar). The 4,500-square-foot space will offer 16 beers on tap (with a system that creates its own nitrogen and CO2, allowing it to keep draft beer continuously refrigerated), plus a 250-year-old walnut bar, two 150-year-old pool tables, a smoking patio, a private room and a live music area. C7

BUSINESS

7+FIG RENOVATION

New York-based Brookfield Properties purchased the 7+Fig shopping mall last year and has begun working on plans to expand and renovate the complex. Not many details have been released yet, but Anthony Manos, senior vice president of Brookfield's Southern California region, said the company is working on a complete repositioning of the mall that would include an expansion of more than 150,000 square feet. In the meantime, the company is working to bring "some of the hottest restaurant concepts in Los Angeles" to the food court level, Manos said. New retail stores - which could include a big-name home store - will be announced within a month. B7

AT&T CENTER RENOVATION

The effort to clad the exterior of the AT&T building in a new metallic, off-white skin should be complete in March. Architect William Pereira's iconic South Park structure at 1150 S. Olive St. will also receive modern metal panels and a glass curtain wall at the corner of 12th and Olive streets. The upgrade will create a new restaurant, said Chris Egger, a spokesman representing LBA Realty, which purchased the 32-story high-rise last year for $130 million. This phase of construction will also include interior renovations such as new lobby finishes and refurbished elevator cabs; those are also expected to be complete in March. New retail will come into the building, including Starbucks, Robeks Juice, Subway, Trimana Express and a FedEx/Kinkos, some of which will open in June. Plans for a second phase of the facelift focusing on the tower's top will be finalized in mid-2007, Egger said. C9

CITY NATIONAL PLAZA RENOVATION

The twin 51-story black granite office towers at Fifth and Flower are 72% leased after a $125 million renovation that wrapped last year. In 2003, Thomas Properties Group bought the failing office skyscrapers and underground mall for a reported $270 million. The company has leased 233,661 square feet of office space since 2006, said Kent Handleman, managing director of leasing. Chaya Brasserie, a high-end, Asian fusion restaurant, is scheduled to open in the building's ground floor retail space by early 2008 and another restaurant is in the works, said Handleman. The mall was also renovated and now holds a 30,000-square-foot gym, a Weiland's Brewery, seven fast food restaurants and other service businesses. B6

CONVENTION CENTER HOTEL

Anschutz Entertainment Group is moving forward with development of the 54-story Convention Center headquarters hotel as part of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live. An earlier partner, KB Urban, has dropped out of the endeavor. The hotel/condo hybrid, whose cost has been estimated at up to $800 million, will feature three elements: an 876-room Marriott Marquis, a 124-room Ritz-Carlton, and 216 luxury condominiums, on the upper levels, known as The Residences at the Ritz Carlton Los Angeles. The Marriott's rooms will comprise the bulk of an L-shaped structure that will give way to the tower containing the higher-end Ritz Carlton rooms. The hotel, which will feature the largest ballroom in the city, is scheduled to open in early 2010. B8

GANSEVOORT WEST

Although no construction is apparent from the street, a conversion of the former Embassy Hotel and Theater at 851 S. Grand Ave. into the swank new Gansevoort West is scheduled for completion in late 2008, said Kristen Hammer, a spokeswoman for the project. WSA Management and Chetrit Group plan to turn the nine-story South Park structure into a 175-room boutique hotel. It would include a restaurant, a spa and a rooftop pool and lounge. Crews will also restore the building's 1,800-seat theater. The 1914 edifice designed by Thornton Fitzhugh has served at various points as a church, hotel and a facility for USC. Stephen B. Jacobs Group is the architect of the conversion. New York-based WSA is behind the Hotel Gansevoort in Manhattan and is also developing a hotel in Miami, which is opening in three months. C8

L.A. FASHION CENTER

According to the most recent information available, more than 70% of the 196 for-purchase retail spaces and showrooms for wholesalers and manufacturers have been sold in the project at 1444 S. San Pedro St. Plans call for the 560,000-square-foot garment industry center to open this spring and include FedEx and UPS facilities, a food court and a bank. The units will average 1,200 square feet. The project is also known as LA FACE. NA

STANFORD REGENCY PLAZA

In January developer KI Group broke ground on a massive wholesale condominium complex at 810 E. Pico Blvd., southeast of the Fashion District's core. The project, which the company's Sina Kangavari estimates at just over $30 million, will contain 150 units ranging from 1,000 square feet to 2,500 square feet. Units in the 400,000-square-foot edifice will start at about $900,000 and run up to approximately $1.3 million, said Kangavari. Architecture firm MAI is handling the plans, which call for palm trees and landscaping around the project. Hoffman Construction Management is currently excavating the ground and breaking apart surrounding sidewalks, which will be replaced. Kangavari said the anticipated opening date of March 2008 has been pushed back to late in the year. NA

USC CREDIT UNION HEADQUARTERS

Construction is underway on a four-story, 45,000-square-foot Italian-style office building at 3720 S. Flower St. near the USC University Park Campus. Frank R. Webb Architects is designing the structure, which is budgeted at roughly $13 million, said Irene Rodriguez, a university spokeswoman. The building will house a retail branch of the credit union and a classroom-like financial literacy workshop facility on the ground floor, various USC departments on the second and third floors and the credit union's administrative offices on the top level. The building's design will reflect that of USC, with brick veneer and accent bands, limestone panels and red clay roof tiles. Completion by Del Amo Construction has been pushed back to June. F9

WILSHIRE GRAND HOTEL RENOVATION

After completing an upgrade of the Grand Ballroom in September, crews have begun work on the Los Angeles and Golden State ballrooms as part of a multi-phase $40 million renovation of the hotel at 930 Wilshire Blvd., said Wilshire Grand spokesman Marc Loge. Loge said each ballroom is being equipped with state-of-the-art communications facilities. As part of hotel-wide upgrade, guest rooms will be remodeled starting in the fall, followed by a remake of the hotel's lobbies and common areas, Loge said. The four-year overhaul is being designed by Long Beach-based architect Concepts Four, and will include some structural changes. The renovation was spurred by the development of the L.A. Live project a few blocks south. B7

NONPROFIT/COMMUNITY

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

First United Methodist Church has announced ambitious plans for a $60 million mixed-use development at 1010 S. Flower St. It would create a structure at least 12 stories tall that would include office or residential units and ground-floor retail space to help pay for the project, said church leaders. The church has been located at various Downtown spots for more than 150 years. The new development would include a 500-person auditorium, classrooms, offices and a sky chapel. A past proposal for a smaller project was scrapped two years ago due to lack of funding. Church leaders hope to partner with a developer interested in taking advantage of the South Park site. Burbank-based BTG Advisors is helping the church pick a developer and an architect, although preliminary designs were done by Killefer Flammang Architects last month. No timetable has been announced. B8

HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES

The new Homeboy Industries headquarters at Alameda and Bruno streets in Chinatown is set for completion this spring and is expected to open by August, with a grand opening ceremony planned for September said Kaile Shilling, director of development for Homeboy Industries. The 20,000-square-foot facility will hold Homeboy's bakery, the Homegirl Cafe and Homegirl Catering, as well as a retail shop for Homeboy gear. The cafe will seat 96 people and will have a separate kitchen for its catering component. The building will include the nonprofit's administrative offices and support services for gang rehabilitation, such as tattoo removal and job placement assistance. Shilling said Homeboy's silk-screening facility may also move once a second phase of the building is complete. The pioneering gang prevention program is led by Father Gregory Boyle and has long operated in Boyle Heights. C2

HOUSE EAR INSTITUTE

Completion of the Wallis Annenberg Research Center at the House Ear Institute, at 2100 W. Third St., is expected by this May, said Institute spokeswoman Christa Spieth Nuber. The estimated cost of the 25,000-square-foot wing designed for hearing health research is $23.5 million. The building addition, part of a larger fundraising effort called Campaign for Building a Sound Future, was designed by architects Perkins + Will, and the contractors are Rudolph and Sletten. A grand opening celebration is slated for this fall. The Annenberg Foundation donated $10 million for the project. NA

INNER-CITY ARTS

A groundbreaking for the Skid Row nonprofit has been discussed for early this year. Architect Michael Maltzan's plans for the facility at 720 S. Kohler St. include space for a new theater, ceramics complex, library, resource center, children's community garden and administrative offices. The new theater would enable Inner-City Arts to offer acting classes for children as well as host performances. E7

JACCC EXPANSION

Earlier plans for a $15 million expansion of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center at 244 S. San Pedro St. have been shelved, said Victor Wong, director of administration for the JACCC. A new proposal for the expansion is expected within three months. In 2006, officials said they were still looking for funding for the project, which was slated to include a digital education and learning center, a lecture and reception hall and a 3,000-square-foot community gallery. Now, Wong said, the center is rethinking how best to enhance its services. D5

LAC+USC MEDICAL REPLACEMENT FACILITY

Construction is 92% complete and is scheduled to finish by this summer on the $820 million hospital on a 25-acre parcel at Merengo and Chicago streets northeast of Downtown, said a spokesperson for USC. The 600-bed project includes a seven-story outpatient structure, a five-story diagnostic and treatment building, an eight-story inpatient tower and a central energy plant. The complex will replace four hospitals, including two facilities damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Emergency Services and county bonds are financing the project. Los Angeles-based HOK and Santa Monica firm LBL Associated Architects are handling the designs, while the construction is a joint venture between McCarthy, Clark and Hunt. NA

LITTLE TOKYO RECREATION CENTER

The Little Tokyo Service Center still has plans for a recreation center south of St. Vibiana's Cathedral. However, Bill Watanabe, executive director of the LTSC, said those plans are on hold until the city completes an acquisition of the property. The city plans to build a parking structure for city employees as well as the public and the recreation center would rise on top, although it would be funded by the LTSC, said Watanabe. The development would be between 30,000 and 60,000 square feet with community space as well as four basketball courts and bleacher seating for up to 1,500 people. LTSC officials hope to one day host national martial arts tournaments in the facility. D5

LITURGICAL APOSTOLATE CENTER

The Liturgical Apostolate Center at the southwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and Beaudry Avenue is expected to open by mid-March, said Victor Newlove, a principal with Santa Monica-based construction firm Armet, Davis and Newlove. The center and convent has a new official name: the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master. The three-story, 24,000-square-foot, Mediterranean-style building will combine liturgical functions, like the selling of vestments and religious artwork, with a chapel, conference rooms and, on the third floor, accommodations for 11 nuns. The space will also offer rooms for religious retreats. The building near the 101 and 110 freeways will encircle an interior courtyard and the property will include a small orchard. A3

YWCA JOB CORPS CAMPUS

The YWCA of Greater Los Angeles is finalizing agreements with the federal government for a $52 million expansion of the YMCA Job Corps Campus in South Park, said spokeswoman May Chen Tham. A groundbreaking was held last April for the 154,000-square-foot project at Olympic Boulevard and Olive Street. The campus will have 200 rooms for students and an intake center, cafeteria, library, medical and dental centers that will serve 1,200 students annually. The expansion will allow the organization to house its operations under one roof, rather than two satellite campuses, said Tham. Jenkins, Gales and Martinez Architects are designing the seven-story steel and glass structure. C8

OPENED IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS

1100 WILSHIRE

The 20-year-old, 37-story skyscraper at 1100 Wilshire Boulevard - long a laughingstock of Downtown's office sector, as it was completed in 1986 but never leased - opened in December as the only modern high-rise to be turned into a residential building. It is also one of the only Downtown buildings to offer 360-degree views and glass walls. Since December, 85 of the 228 units have been filled, and most of those residents have moved in, according to developer Forest City Residential West. Forest City headed a team that included TMG Partners and MacFarlane Partners on the $37 million project. With 42 floor plans, the studio, one- and two bedroom units range from about 700 square feet to 3,400-square-foot, two-story penthouses. Prices start at $500,000 and run to more than $3 million. The conversion from office space to residential was completed by Thomas P. Cox Architects. A7

BLUE VELVET

This sleek poolside restaurant and lounge near Staples Center opened in November in the former Holiday Inn, which has been converted into a residential building called The Flat. Robert Hartstein and developer Bret Mosher created the 4,300-square-foot space, which features three lounges, a dining room with a 17-foot sunken granite table, a glass fireplace and a rooftop garden. Chef Kris Morningstar, formerly of Patina and Meson G, crafted a contemporary American menu that is available for lunch weekdays and dinner nightly. A8

EAST THIRD

Restaurateur Jason Ha recently opened his second establishment in the Arts District, an Asian-inspired steakhouse dubbed e3rd (next door to his popular Zip Fusion). The new restaurant, short for "east of Third," had its soft opening in January and an official opening is set for March 1. Ha converted a former warehouse and film studio at 734 E. Third St. into a stunning steakhouse and lounge that features lower price points than some of Downtown's more upscale meat palaces. E5

EASTERN COLUMBIA BUILDING

Residents began moving in to the regal, turquoise terra cotta landmark in the last week of January. The Kor Group spent $30 million converting the 1930 eye-catching structure at 849 S. Broadway originally designed by Claud Beelman. Architecture firm Killefer Flammang restored the edifice to its original splendor, and even the lobby floors are original. Interior designer Kelly Wearstler worked on the building's 147 luxury condominiums that have high ceilings and exposed pipes, ducts and thick columns. The Eastern Columbia has a rooftop fitness center, terrace and pool. Units range from 881 to 3,208 square feet and prices started around $400,000 and topped out at $2 million. All units but the penthouses, which have yet to be released, are sold out. C8

FAMIMA!!

The popular Japanese convenience store chain that sells everything from sushi to panini sandwiches to magazines has opened two Downtown locations: The first debuted in October at 800 S. Figueroa St.; the second came online in February at 525 W. Sixth St. in the Pacific Center. B7, C7

FOURTH STREET LOFTS

Construction wrapped last fall on a 10-unit, 10,000-square-foot market-rate apartment complex on Fourth Street between Bixel Street and Lucas Avenue in City West. According to Brentwood-based developer Thomas Safran Associates, the building is 60% leased with four apartments remaining. These are one-bedroom units ranging from 800 to 1,150 square feet and renting for between $1,800 and $2,400. The five-story building includes parking, a rooftop jacuzzi and 360-degree views. The project cost has been put at $3 million. A6

GALEN CENTER

The USC men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams have started playing in their new $140 million home at Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street. Except for a few details like finishing the suites, the 10,225-seat arena is complete and fully operational. The 300,000-square-foot building holds a 35,000-square-foot practice space, administrative offices and a founder's hall. The structure, designed by HNTB architects, maintains the classic orange-brick aesthetic of other USC buildings, and includes luxury accommodations such as private vanities and lounges in the teams' dressing rooms and a 500-person banquet hall with a private courtyard. The arena is also used for concerts. F9

GROUNDWORK

The newest addition to the Groundwork Coffee Co. debuted this month at 108 W. Second St. on the ground floor of the Higgins Building. Unlike owner Richard Karno's Traction Avenue location in the Arts District, this Groundwork focuses solely on brewing the company's signature coffees, with a selection of pastries and bagels. The lofty, 1,100-square-foot, two-level space has concrete floors and chairs on an outdoor patio facing Main Street. D5

HIKARI

The 128-unit, six-story apartment complex at Second Street and Central Avenue has been nearly half leased since its soft opening in December, according to developer Related Cos. About 30% of those inhabitants have already moved in to the $38 million development designed by Thomas P. Cox Architects. Rents in many units are more than $3 per square foot, making them among the most expensive apartments in Downtown. The building features studio, one- and two-bedroom residences. Amenities include an outdoor pool, a fire pit and barbecue equipment as well as a luxurious retro lobby and a façade light installation. The ground-floor retail is set to open in the coming months, including a Fed Ex/Kinkos, a Robek's, Zen Asian Bistro and Italian eatery Pastagina. E5

J RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

The former 30-year-old industry hideaway known as Little J has been transformed by entrepreneur Sergio Dovarro into J Restaurant & Lounge at 1119 S. Olive St. The sprawling 25,000-square-foot space features a 10,000-square-foot outdoor patio, a glowing fire pit and a 30-foot granite bar. Executive chef Ryan McKay has designed a New American menu. C9

LIBRARY COURT

Library Court was completed last October and the building is now 70% sold and 60% occupied, according to a sales representative. The $20 million project, at 630 W. Sixth St. near the Richard J. Riordan Central Library, features 90 condominiums ranging from 570 to 1,185 square feet. All types of units are still available and prices range from $410,000 to $735,000. With granite countertops and checkered windows that vary in translucency, the units are intended to provide a Manhattan feel in Downtown Los Angeles, said Walter Eeds, CEO of Newport Beach-based developer Greystone Group. Architect Brenda Levin took the original structure - a 1960s office building - down to the studs and added a top floor, removed material for the interior courtyard and made room for 10,000 square feet of retail space. Six restaurants are currently on the first floor, including Wolfgang Puck's Gourmet Express and Mitaki Sushi. Recently opened is the Library Bar. B7

LILIYA CHINA BISTRO

Opened in late October, the Chinese restaurant at 108 W. Second St. features a contemporary Asian interior with a split-level dining room and 20-foot ceilings. It is run by Lili Ya and is the latest offering from a family that owns several restaurants. Neon lights enliven the burgeoning residential and commercial strip. D5

MAPLE UNION

Developer KI Group opened the 100,000-square-foot Maple Union last November and the project is now about 60% occupied, said the company's Sina Kangavari; leasing in the structure on the northeast corner of Maple Street and Olympic Boulevard has been slower than expected, he said. The $10 million Fashion District development holds 120 spaces for retail tenants in a two-building complex that also includes two levels of parking with 160 spaces. Rents range from $3,000 to $6,000 per month. Kangavari said he has inked a deal with a Greek restaurant that will open in March, and he is seeking other food establishments. The project includes an open portion designed to catch the pedestrian flow off Santee Alley. D8

MOZAIC

The second phase of Mozaic is ready for occupancy this month, and it has signed 75 leases for the 107-unit first phase. The project, owned by Dallas-based Lincoln Property Group, is next to Union Station and its array of bus and rail lines. The total 272-unit development involves two four-story buildings; apartments range from 644 to 1,460 square feet and have condo-like amenities, including granite countertops and washer and dryers. Mozaic has a rooftop pool and gym and rents are $1,400 to $3,000. D3

RAINBOW APARTMENTS

November marked the debut of the six-story cube of concrete and glass at 643 S. San Pedro St. on Skid Row. The sleek modern structure, designed by Silver Lake-based architect Michael Maltzan, holds 87 units of supportive housing for the chronically homeless, as well as common rooms for services and an open-air courtyard. The project was developed by Skid Row Housing Trust, which received more than 500 applications for the rooms, according to a spokesperson. The development used 35% public funds with the rest coming from private donations. The building is fully leased, according to Skid Row Housing Trust. E7

SB GRAND

Developer Barry Shy's SB Grand is open and has residents in 180 of its 280 units. The 12-story edifice, at 312 W. Fifth St. in the Historic Core, was an adaptive reuse project. Crews are still working on the rooftop swimming pool. Condos in the 14-story structure start at $400,000. D7

TATOU

In December nightclub impresario Mark Fleischman opened the $1.5 million Tatou Restaurant and Supper Club at 333 S. Boylston St., on the western edge of Downtown (in Prince's former Glam Slam club). Dotted with four 15-foot palm trees and draped with nearly $70,000 in fabric, Tatou features a 40-foot stage, two dance floors, multiple levels and bars, a smoking patio and 30 plasma screens. A second phase is planned that will include a sleek rooftop restaurant and lounge with skyline views. Chef Michael Wray, a winner of TV's "Hell's Kitchen," designed the Cal-Asian-Latin menu. A6

TERAMACHI SENIOR HOUSING

It took nearly 20 years, but Teramachi Senior Housing at Third and San Pedro streets in Little Tokyo has finally opened its doors. The $42 million, 1.6-acre development is practically sold out and move-ins began this month. The four-story building has a modern design with sleek windows, high ceilings and a pool, but still caters to Japanese customers with features like a Zen garden and a koi pond in the center courtyard. Units range from $350,000 to $1 million; some have large decks, skyline views and soaking tubs. In order to get the grandchildren visiting, developer Thomas Wong included plasma televisions and Playstation video games in a large common area. Each floor has a public kitchen and lounge to provide room for gatherings. VTBS designed the project, which includes 127 units and will hold retail on the ground floor. D5

THE EDISON

The new $2 million bar and lounge that occupies the old boiler room in the Higgins Building held its grand opening Feb. 8, said Andrew Meieran, who partnered on the venture with Marc Smith. The 14,000-square-foot cocktail lounge and music venue at 108 W. Second St. is in the basement that once powered the 1910 building; the renovated space includes a free-floating staircase, original boilers with lounges inside, and rows of generators. The lounge has a capacity of 400. Two years ago Meieran worked with Barry Shy to convert the Higgins Building into 135 apartments. D5

TRIFORIUM RENOVATION

In December music ushered for the first time in years from the Triforium; this long-silent multi-colored public artwork in the Los Angeles Mall has been the subject of an ongoing makeover since last summer. City officials plan to fully restore the Triforium's musical component; the pod-like speakers that hang between 22 columns of colored glass prisms encircling the tripod-shaped structure were cleaned and repaired, as were the 1,500 hand-blown glass prisms and bulbs. The eventual goal is to repair the lights in the 1975 artwork and synchronize them with a 79-note, electronic glass bell carillon that chimes every quarter hour. It can play everything from Beethoven to the Bee Gees. D4

VERO

Developer Sonny Astani's $65 million condominium development at 1234 Wilshire Blvd. opened this month. Located across from Good Samaritan Hospital in City West, Vero consists of a main six-story building and two separate five-story structures, with a total of 197 units. A Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Subway and Red Mango have opened on the ground floor. Condos range from one to three bedrooms and feature modern design with wood floors and barn-like doors separating the interior spaces. The project includes a courtyard with a pool and a fitness center featuring steam rooms and a spa. Prices start around $350,000 and 90% of units have been sold. A7

VISCONTI

Residents began moving in last fall to the Visconti, a $45 million, 297-unit luxury apartment complex at Bixel and Third streets in City West. Developer G.H. Palmer Associates' project continues its line of Italian-themed, upscale apartment complexes. Amenities include an outdoor pool, gourmet kitchens and Italian marble bath vanities. A6

page 15, 2/26/2007
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Wow good job LA Ive never been but I would love to go one day good to see the skyline growing as well

I thought this was an interesting article from the LA Times..well, not an actual article...but it's a comparison of L.A. Live and The Grand Avenue project:

How downtown developments stack up
A comparison of L.A. Live and the Grand Avenue project.
SWATI PANDEY
February 25, 2007


Two major dueling development projects are remaking the northern and southern ends of downtown Los Angeles. Here's how they stack up. — SWATI PANDEY

Grand AvenueSize: 3.6 million square feet

Cost: $2.05 billion

Start date: October 2007 for Phase I

Planned completion: July 2011 for Phase I; 2018 for final phase

Public or private land: Public

Driving force: Eli Broad

Tax breaks: 20 years of hotel taxes, capped at $60.5 million; and 10 years of parking taxes

Tallest point: 50 stories

Open space: A 16-acre park

Five-star hotel: The Mandarin Oriental

High-end restaurant: Six or seven restaurants in Phase I

Cultural amenities: A large park and a bookstore

Housing units: Up to 2,660

Affordable housing units: Up to 532

Condominiums: 400 units planned for Phase I, but subject to change

Hotel rooms: 275

Jobs estimated to be created: 29,000 in construction, 5,900 permanent direct and indirect jobs, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Ongoing tax revenue generated: $109.5 million in federal, state and local taxes annually, according to the L.A. County Economic Development Corp.

--



L.A. LiveSize: 4 million square feet

Cost: $2.2 billion

Start date: October 2005

Planned completion: 2010

Public or private land: Private

Driving force: Philip Anschutz

Tax breaks: 25 years of hotel taxes, or $62 million; a $5-million Community Redevelopment Agency grant; and a building permit reimbursement of about $4 million

Tallest point: 54 stories

Open space: 40,000-square-foot outdoor plaza

Five-star hotel: The Ritz-Carlton

High-end restaurant: At least eight, including Katsuya

Cultural amenities: A 7,100-seat theater, nightclubs and a movie theater

Housing units: 424
Affordable housing units: 85

Condominiums: 424

Hotel rooms: 1,301

Jobs estimated to be created: 7,500 in construction; 8,000 permanent jobs for L.A. Live and surrounding district.

Ongoing tax revenue generated: No current estimate available.

The housing is amazing at Grand Avenue!!
An I'm so glad affordable housing in included in both projects... Does anyone know what exactly "affordable housing" really is? Like, where do you apply and what's the maximum income you can make....with prices today....it seems that someone making $75K a year, should be able to apply for this housing...what do you guys think? I mean, $75k won't get you anything in downtown anymore

I was in downtown today and talked to 3 different construction workers at LA Live about the hotel. They all said that even though it doesn't look like it, foundation work has started on the Ritz.

I was in downtown today and talked to 3 different construction workers at LA Live about the hotel. They all said that even though it doesn't look like it, foundation work has started on the Ritz.

Hopefully it's not long now until that thing begins to rise.

Maybe we just can't see the progress because the site of the hotel is camouflaged with the Nokia construction.

looking at the following images of proposed Los Angeles architecture simply induces me to take a big ....yawn . really , is this the changing face of LA these times ? i say , most of the architectural designs are largely uninspired and wanting in bold artistic expression . they are , for the most part , glamourized heaps of utilitarian boxes . i guess that great American architecture went down the drain after the likes of Louis Sullivan , Frank Lloyd Wright , Paul Rudolph and the like , vanished from the scene . now , Americans can only express their imagination volumetrically when plagiarizing whimsical European structures as built regularly in Las Vegas .
" COMPLACENCY IS THE MOTHER OF ALL DECLINE ":ohno: :ohno: :ohno: :ohn

^ ANYWAY...

Proposed L.A. Coliseum Olympic Enhancements Combine Historic Integrity and Modern Offerings

Temporary Structure to Add Suites and Olympic Flair for 2016 Games;
Elements Preserve Landmark’s Historic Appeal

Los Angeles, Calif. – February 22, 2007 – As part of its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games, the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG) today unveiled the architectural plan for a temporary addition including amenities such as luxury suites to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum without altering the structure of the venue listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The Coliseum is among the most revered and recognized sports monuments in the world and is the only facility to host two Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies, two Super Bowls (including the first) a World Series and a host of significant entertainment, political and religious events.

“The Coliseum has been the site of incredible events for more than 80 years, but it never shines brighter than during the Olympic Games,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “In 2016, the newly designed Coliseum will glow spectacularly.”

http://www.sccog.org/webapp/servlet/images/stories/2016/coliseumrendering2.jpg

Blah..I'd rather fix up the Coliseum to suit a NFL team:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Newlamc.jpg

Those arches in the second pic look really nasty. NFL Coliseum looks better, but expensiver also.

looking at the following images of proposed Los Angeles architecture simply induces me to take a big ....yawn . really , is this the changing face of LA these times ? i say , most of the architectural designs are largely uninspired and wanting in bold artistic expression . they are , for the most part , glamourized heaps of utilitarian boxes . i guess that great American architecture went down the drain after the likes of Louis Sullivan , Frank Lloyd Wright , Paul Rudolph and the like , vanished from the scene . now , Americans can only express their imagination volumetrically when plagiarizing whimsical European structures as built regularly in Las Vegas .
" COMPLACENCY IS THE MOTHER OF ALL DECLINE ":ohno: :ohno: :ohno: :ohn

In a way I somewhat agree. Although our downtown is rising to the latest modern standards, our architecture somewhat lacks when you compare them to other growing cities around the world.

Who cares if Downtown L.A. doesn't have the architecture other cities have? Only thing that matters is Downtown is growing no matter what architecture its getting.

looking at the following images of proposed Los Angeles architecture simply induces me to take a big ....yawn . really , is this the changing face of LA these times ? i say , most of the architectural designs are largely uninspired and wanting in bold artistic expression . they are , for the most part , glamourized heaps of utilitarian boxes . i guess that great American architecture went down the drain after the likes of Louis Sullivan , Frank Lloyd Wright , Paul Rudolph and the like , vanished from the scene . now , Americans can only express their imagination volumetrically when plagiarizing whimsical European structures as built regularly in Las Vegas .
" COMPLACENCY IS THE MOTHER OF ALL DECLINE ":ohno: :ohno: :ohno: :ohn

thats true but what can we do

Who cares if Downtown L.A. doesn't have the architecture other cities have? Only thing that matters is Downtown is growing no matter what architecture its getting.

I'm not trying to bash L.A. I was born here myself and consider this city having lots of potential. The thing is, I have travelled to many places around the world and do notice the architecture not as eye-catching as others. The most iconic one for me is the U.S. Bank (Library) Tower, that's about it. It would be nice to place L.A. on the map again by having buildings with better form and design.

I'm glad that downtown is growing, hopefully more people will really start making the area home again.

Well, I mean we also have the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Gas Company Tower, LA Public Library, Los Angeles City Hall, Broadbury Building, Staples Center, etc. All of these situated only in downtown, BH, Hollywood, Wishire, have a lot more too, it's just a matter of looking before talking.

^^ I'm talking about those buildings that make a DISTINCTIVE mark in the L.A. skyline only (some of those other buildings you mention are classics so that's a given).

And yes, I have seen those other places and they are great...so no need to mention about looking before talking (it depends what you are looking for, and I'm only referring to downtown L.A., not those other places you mention :ohno: ).

I'm not trying to bash L.A. I was born here myself and consider this city having lots of potential. The thing is, I have travelled to many places around the world and do notice the architecture not as eye-catching as others. The most iconic one for me is the U.S. Bank (Library) Tower, that's about it. It would be nice to place L.A. on the map again by having buildings with better form and design.

I'm glad that downtown is growing, hopefully more people will really start making the area home again.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude but the only complaint I have is that Downtown needs more taller highrise projects to fill in the gaps in the skyline.

But your right, L.A. needs bigger and better architecture, but L.A. is doing fine right now.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude but the only complaint I have is that Downtown needs more taller highrise projects to fill in the gaps in the skyline.

But your right, L.A. needs bigger and better architecture, but L.A. is doing fine right now.

I don't really think you were rude. You were just being honest about your opinion and I was also trying to give my own constructive opinion as well. And your right, L.A. is doing fine now....

I wish that Los Angeles will increase its international status even further as the developments all over the city and county continue to grow, especially the L.A. downtown skyline. :)

Those arches in the second pic look really nasty. NFL Coliseum looks better, but expensiver also.

I'm not really a grammar nazi by any means..but 'expensiver?'

These pics were taken by funhaus on SSP (Today was the LA Marathon)

Snapped some pictures of the LA Marathon as seen on 11th, passing Luma and Elleven...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1249.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1261.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1259.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1054.jpg

..and the future site of the glass tower (Note the Reserve lofts and Eastern Columbia beyond).

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1049.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1243.jpg

what's that last picture?

The ESPN building at LA Live. You can also see the Nokia Theatre on the right.

why does the ESPN building have such a small floorplate i thought it was gonna be 120k sq ft and also ESPN zone was gonna be 30k sq ft but the whole building looks smaller, are they done putting up the steel or are they gonna add more to the side facing NOkia theatre? otherwise its impeccable how fast they have came along on both structures.

The ESPN building is VERY tall as well as big for a 5 story building.

yea but i have walked by it a few times, maybe if I was inside walking around it would seem big yes it has height but i mean floorplate size if they say they are gonna have a 120k studio that averages almost 40k per floor and that building looks more like it has barely 80k sq ft.

Is the ESPN building going to be one more floor because it looks like it?

Here are pics of the Brockman (for those not knowing, the Brockman has been completely covered since late 2004).

From blogdowntown.com

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/406879454_f22d2c2cda_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/406879447_78046b9b6a_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/406879460_8b8bdd80a7_b.jpg

Also..here is a update of the lesser buildings in downtown:

With the marathon making it difficult to get out of downtown via automobile, I thought I'd take a quick jaunt around the old neighborhood, and get some pictures. First up, Little Tokyo. Who's up for some hot Type III action???


Mura

Wood framing looks almost complete. Looks like your favorite part coming up, edluva, the stucco...

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/9695/mura20070304kx9.jpg


Artisan on 2nd

More Type III action. Framing the third floor.

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/6757/artison20070304os1.jpg


Teramachi Senior Housing

Getting very close. The Marathon ran right by here today, hence the blocked off street.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/6711/teramachi200703041nt7.jpg

The pedestrian landscape along third has opened up. Yes, this could have been more active with some retail, but this is a vast improvement over what was there previously. With the landscaping, this stretch of 3rd is now a pleasantly walkable block.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/7384/teramachi200703042my1.jpg


ImaginAsian/Linda Lea

Gutted. Like a fish.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/466/lindalea20070304nz5.jpg


LAPD Headquaters

Progressing quite nicely. They're moving faster than I thought.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8088/lapd200703041aj7.jpg

You can see footings for the building foundation, and the exterior wall footings have already been poured (middle of the picture, just below the port-o-potties).

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/4162/lapd200703042er8.jpg


Federal Building Demo

The ugly behemoth starts it's slow descent!! From top to bottom...

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/3081/federaldemo200703041kf1.jpg

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5827/federaldemo200703042jg8.jpg


And some bonus pics:

The Pinkberry empire invades Little Tokyo. On 2nd Street right across from Japanese Village Plaza. With Fiore and the little mom and pop ice cream store across the street, we may very well have a glut of frozen treats.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/2374/pinkberry20070304qg7.jpg


After living in the neighborhood for almost 2 years, I'm surprised I never noticed this angle until now. St. Vibiana's and the Higgins together look like a giant locomotive.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/580/higginsvib20070304oz2.jpg


LAFD giving the marathoners a cool down toward the end of the route, on 3rd and Los Angeles. Note the drum troop in the background.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/9826/marathon200703041qb8.jpg

Here is the lobby of the Eastern Columbia Building
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/405444789_00ece13405_b.jpg

And this is what's going to replace the Linda Lea Theatre
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28210075.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1249.jpg

I was standing right over here today

Has any one heard any thing about the 7+Fig Office Tower lately? I relly want this buildng to get built!!!!!

Wow just look at the LAPD fundations, IMO this will be one of the best buildings in downtown LA, and such a great addition to the LA Civic Center. LA Live is juat amazing, too bad we didn't get a picture of the Ritz.

Here is a pic of the Eastern Columbia Building taken by funhaus on SSP. I'm posting it here because it's just too good.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/eastern.jpg

As well as a pic of the SBC reclad

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/att2.jpg\

And a night pic of the ECB at night to show how much it stands out.

http://shainla.typepad.com/photos/eastern_columbia/city1.jpg

Here are newer renderings of the FIDM Building:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/fidm5.png

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/fidm4.png

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/fidm2.png

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/fidm7.png

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/fidm3.png

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/fidm1.png

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/fidm6.png

As well as pics of LA Live and surrounding areas (pics taken by SMN)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/Weekof03-09-07010.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/Weekof03-09-07012.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/LSU/Weekof03-09-07017.jpg

Where's the activity at the Ritz in the last pic???????

Where's the activity at the Ritz in the last pic???????

looks more like the theaters are getting built and not the Ritz...

It's as if people lack common sense. The Ritz is NOT UNDER CONSTRUCTION YET!!!!

^^ You even stated you asked a construction worker, and he replied that yes it was.

That's what they said. But the photo's proved otherwise.

Just relax. It'll start soon enough.

Well yeah, hey compared to the other big projects LA Live is going 100 mph in a 10 mph zone.

Well yeah, hey compared to the other big projects LA Live is going 100 mph in a 10 mph zone.
Exactly. Despite the fact that work is obviously not going on for the hotel right now, this project is still moving along quickly. The Nokia Theater is moving along at a decent clip lately and the ESPN office building shot up in two months or less.

Remember that the hotel is one of the later phases of the project. My guess is they're still finalizing engineering documents and getting construction permits. Remember, the design of this changed pretty dramatically only six months ago. It takes some time to go from design to build, especially in LA, where the permit process can be drawn out.

The Metropolis Environmental Impact Report is out. There will be 4 towers, with the tallest two at 620 feet. The first two "shorter" towers will be built fist. I have extracted and posted the images from the entire EIR below.

You can read the entire thing here:
http://www.crala.org:80/internet-site/Projects/CBD/metropolis_final_eir.cfm


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_012_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_016_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_018_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_019_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_020_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_021_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_023_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_026_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_027_I.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Metropolis/Metropolis_SEIR_Complete_Page_028_I.jpg

It lives!!

it would be cool if they could up the 1st tower from 350' to 360' meaning 12' ceilings. 2nd tower from 500' max to 520' for 12' ceilings, 3rd tower could have 50+ stories while having 12' ceilings and maintaing its 620' max limit. If the market permits more office construction, maybe they could add more floors to the Office tower with a 13'-6" ceiling height which could equal out to possible 45 stories. Good to see this thing back on track. I hope the plazas are not too barren, and windy because we already have too many of those in downtown already, i.e California Plaza, Wells Fargo, 7th + Fig, etc

They remind me of Concerto; and the hell with ceiling heights, lets hope for bulldozers as soon as possible.

You do need high but not too high celing heights. Otherwise you'll have a 600 foot tall building with only 20 stories.

^ Like the New Federal Courthouse proposed.

Here are some pics of some newly renovated lofts and condo all throughout downtown LA:

title guarantee building

nice rental lofts. solid building. great view of the park, but way expensive.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/418442338_1a5f16f85f_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/131/418442336_14589e7423_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/418442340_4f2c16de62_o.jpg

santee village

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/418442343_bcba333551_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/76/418442354_67ca3284aa_o.jpg

2121

very interesting. "rustic industrial". feels more like a village than santee village. cute and artsy. perfect for anyone in search for their inner hippie.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/418443891_7371c09e4c_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/418443880_aee55f0344_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/418443888_29068c42f2_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/418443894_3cb92b92b8_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/418443896_e8d74ef846_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/418443902_d0e4ae6925_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/418445911_3b2862718a_o.jpg

the biscuit company lofts

i like how big and airy this unit is. i only it had concrete floors.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/133/418445922_a893fc5b65_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/418445919_f15204ee0e_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/123/418445917_995edd941e_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/418445914_c71c57e29d_o.jpg

barker block

one of my favorites. a gift from the concrete gods. only wish it would be a little closer to little tokyo.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/418449237_2232aed672_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/418449213_71750c7516_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/418449216_d570c59215_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/418449221_78d6af3b79_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/418449230_972a4ace53_o.jpg

rowan / el dorado

they closed down an hour early at 5pm, so the only noteworthy thing i saw was this:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/418449243_ee1459585d_o.jpg

Also...here are some pics of the Roosevelt:
http://www.rsvlt.com/images/gallery/photos/interior/38b.jpg
http://www.rsvlt.com/images/gallery/photos/interior/37b.jpg
http://www.rsvlt.com/images/gallery/photos/exterior/37b.jpg
http://www.rsvlt.com/images/gallery/photos/exterior/3b.jpg

And what will be the coolest looking high school ever:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/413196939_e240c24277_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/417257530_ccc12edd42_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/413196935_f35980bd4c_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/123/417257532_9b3c2ad4f8_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/417257528_13c16e93ef_o.jpg

1133 Hope St (right across the street from Luma)
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/amacon.jpg

A nice plain Jane resi tower.

^^ I like it. I think it would be cool to have a mix of Vancouverish style residential buildings as well as some sophisticated designs like what u would find on Park Ave, Magnificent Mile, and even in San Diego lol damn. I hope those Flower Street Lofts residents dont bicker too much to the point where the developers have no choice but to either downsize or cancel the project. Now I want to see what they are gonna do with that white low rise office bldg with the vertical windows across the street. btw just imagine what South Group could do if the owner of those lowrise structures adjacent to LUMA would just sell the property. I heard they had preliminary work planned for that site somewhere along 14 or 15 story structure. That stretch of Hope Street would look really residential and sophisticated if everyone would just cooperate. Imagine Hope or Flower Streets becoming the next "Park Ave" of Los Angeles. eat ur hearts out Wilshire Golden Triangle!!!

Just hit me, Imagine Hope & Flower Streets becoming the "Park Ave" of Los Angeles. EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT WILSHIRE!!!

went on a tour the other day. The Eastern Colombia is amazing. great units and the rooftop pool area is unbelievable! the Textile building has great layouts as well, but the location isnt exactly the best. The Market Lofts, well, what a disappointment. Bad designs and frankly, i think the square footage is exaggerated. Lastly, it looks as though i might reserve a unit at the Roosevelt Tomorrow. More details to come!

I'm jealous of you LASF. But congratulations.

Btw..this is what the South Park area of downtown LA will look like in about 3 years.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/south.jpg

This model is missing something important, a reference. There needs to be people there so that we can imagine how tall these buildings are.

The street lights can be used as reference.

Wow, those were hard to see, but that shows how tall these buildings are.

Just hit me, Imagine Hope & Flower Streets becoming the "Park Ave" of Los Angeles. EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT WILSHIRE!!!

No, the "Park Ave" of Los Angeles will be North Main street after the Cornfields Park is finished...

Damn. It's been over a month since my last update. Time to head out with the camera...


Evo

10th floor framed and hopefully poured, working on 11. Interior wall framing up to level four and facade mounts installed up to level seven.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/6120/evo20070325lj7.jpg


Luma

They better hurry to meet that April opening.

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/5021/luma200703252dm4.jpg

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/3206/luma200703251zt4.jpg


SBC Center

They've completed the new panels at the top, and removed the SBC sign. Could this be the prep for crown work?

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/8105/sbc200703251to8.jpg


LA Live

ESPN/ESPN Zone building, framing done, but don't expect cladding anytime soon.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4647/lalive200703251gp9.jpg

However, you'll get cladding on the Nokia Theater. A craptastic picture showing overall progress (all roof trusses are in and the interior crane is gone).

http://img250.imageshack.us/img250/1276/lalive200703253hu6.jpg

And the first facade panels are up. Same metallic silver panels as the Staples Center.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5153/lalive200703252ld2.jpg


Hanover Tower

As close as I could get to the render view. Three more floors to go.

http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/9693/hanover200703251uw8.jpg

Looks better from Olympic, IMO. Much more slender.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5784/hanover200703255qa5.jpg

Okay, now for the much maligned stucco side. Obviously it needs paint, but I still think it's the wrong material to clad a high-rise in.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9620/hanover200703253ji7.jpg

A little closer.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3240/hanover200703254mg4.jpg

Paint testing on the back.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/2999/hanover200703252zh8.jpg


717 Flower (Meruelo's Tower)

Oh hell yes. Lots of rebar on site. A few months and this bad boy should be above ground. :banana:

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4117/meruelo200703252qm5.jpg

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/1543/meruelo200703251vr8.jpg


Concerto

Nuttin'

http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/1643/concerto20070325gu8.jpg


Ralph's

See those red steel columns along the sidewalk? Those are actually in the sidewalk, so it appears they're installing a canopy of some sort along the majority of 9th Street. There were people taking hard hat tours while I was taking pics.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/2879/ralphs200703251qe7.jpg


Federal Building

Most of it is wrapped up, and they're bringing it down slowly but surely. Goooood riddance.

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6706/federaldemo20070325lk1.jpg

So, it IS a stucco facade on Hanover. Kind of disappointing. However, I like how Luma and Ralph's turned out. Evo seems to be moving quickly. Lastly, is that blue stuff on the facade of the Nokia Theater tape?

The blue stuff on the side of the Nokia Theater is an adhesive protective film. It'll eventually all come off.

As for the stucco on Hanover, we're not sure if the entire building will be clad in Stucco or just that part of the base. We'll just have to wait and see.

^ Great shot and update "C~Monkee!!!

Ugh..c'mon Concerto. Why has nothing happened yet?

A model of the Ritz

More from the A&D exhibit:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02028Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02018Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02017Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02016Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02015Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02014Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02013Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02012Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02011Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02010Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02008Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02007Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02006Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02005Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02004Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02003Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02002Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02001Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC02000Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC01999Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC01998Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC01997Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC01996Large.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Models/DSC01995Large.jpg

Who cares if Downtown L.A. doesn't have the architecture other cities have? Only thing that matters is Downtown is growing no matter what architecture its getting.

MR LA NATIVE .
LOS ANGELES IS CONSIDERED AS THE USs PREMIER CITY ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST AND WITH THIS PREEMINENCE COMES THE IMMEDIATE IMPRESSION THAT YOUR CITY SHOULD MAKE AN EFFORT TO MAKE ITSELF STAND OUT NICELY . AS A NATIVE OF THAT CITY , YOU SHOULD FEEL THE URGENCY TO ELEVATE YOUR TOWN FROM MEDIOCRITY AND MAKE L.A. AN INSPIRING PLACE TO LIVE AT, A GLEAMING BEACON/GATEWAY ON THAT SIDE OF THE U.S. CONTINENT . INSPIRED ARCHITECTURE PARTNERED WITH GOOD LANDSCAPE DESIGN (to thwart the increasing air pollution ) CAN BE THE MEDIUM IN WHICH TO ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL. IF THOSE ARABS CAN TURN THEIR EMPTY DUBAI SANDBOX INTO A PLACE OF AWE , YOUR CITY HAS FURTHER MORE SUBSTANCE ON OFFER.
LOS ANGELES AS WELL AS THE REST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA , IS FAMOUS FOR ITS HISTORICALLY-RICH ARCHITECTURAL FLAVOR . WHY THEN SHOULD THIS CREATIVE VIGOUR BE LOST TO A SEEMINGLY PREVAILING CIVIC INDIFFERENCE TO WHAT IS TRUE , GOOD , AND BEAUTIFUL ?
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO RISE FROM MISERY. IF PAM ANDERSON COULD OPT TO CONSTANTLY REBUILD HER BUSTLINE FOR AESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS , THERE IS NO REASON AT ALL WHY L.A. CAN'T PROP UP HER SAGGING IMAGE. YOU CAN DO IT:)
MY FINE REGARD TO THE PEOPLE OF L.A. AND THEIR GOVERNATOR::banana:
THE RENNAISSANCEMAN

^ That actually made sense.

Oh..the Ritz will start the end of April/early May.

:banana:

WHY L.A. CAN'T PROP UP HER SAGGING IMAGE. YOU CAN DO IT:)
MY FINE REGARD TO THE PEOPLE OF L.A. AND THEIR GOVERNATOR::banana:
THE RENNAISSANCEMAN

Sagging image?? I guess.......as one of the most economically viable metros in the world (#3) and the one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet and let's not forget one of the newest "world cities" alot of cities around the world would do good to follow LA's lead. Does LA need a Dubai-ish skyline? To prove what? It's done so well without it.......

I liek the development I hope to visit soon.The Ritz sounds like its gonna be a good project and the lofts look great as well.

Way ta go L.A.!!

That's one hot building!! Muy caliente, baby!!

Here's another update for y'all. The skies were really funky this weekend - all over the map, really.

Brockman

They've installed a lot of windows, but a peek inside revealed that the units themselves have quite a ways to go.

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/5766/brockman20070414lv4.jpg


SBC Center

Looks like work is done on the main tower. I wonder if/when they'll work on the crown. Notice how on the smaller tower, they've replaced the windows and installed the stainless steal mullions, but not replaced the darker stone panels with the lighter metal ones. I wonder if they'll leave it like that. I kind of like it, actually.

http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/2949/sbc200704142hs5.jpg

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/4140/sbc200704141px9.jpg


Evo

Framing the 11th floor. 12 more to go, so almost halfway up.

http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/7835/evo200704141ck2.jpg

Facade panels. The glass is of the dark reflective variety.

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/4445/evo200704142uz0.jpg

And it changes color considerably with the weather. The next two pictures are of the same panel on the south side, just from different angles. Notice how the glass really picks up the reflection of the sky.

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/4817/evo200704143dk4.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1232/evo200704144ft7.jpg


Luma

From the south

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/3143/luma200704141vl2.jpg

View from the future LA Live

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/3295/luma200704142vv1.jpg


LA Live

Speaking of LA Live, not much different, other than fireproofing of steal and more facade work on the Nokia Theater. Still no work on the other mid rise or the hotel.

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/7316/lalive200704141bf9.jpg

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/6070/lalive200704142jr7.jpg


Hanover Tower

Framing the 25th floor. So after this floor you should see the setback, then the "hat", then it should be topped out.

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/5470/hanover200704141sv9.jpg

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/8250/hanover200704142oh6.jpg


717 Flower

Foundation work is moving right along. There wasn't a crane on site, but I'm sure one's coming soon.

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/4439/meruelo200704141wr1.jpg

The north side of the site

http://img465.imageshack.us/img465/393/meruelo200704172na0.jpg


1010 Wilshire

Exterior's getting a facelift.

http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/4168/1010wilshire20070414xz4.jpg


No work on Concerto or Glass Tower to speak of yet, but here's the view from the Standard yesterday. :D

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/8236/standard20070414xw6.jpg

Here's a Little Tokyo/Civic Center update from earlier today.

Block 8

Not a whole lot going on here yet other than stripping the asphalt, but this should give you an idea of placement within the block. This shot is looking southeast. That's Teramachi Senior in the background.

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/6159/block8200704151fs7.jpg

This is looking back toward downtown. I like how the pile driver becomes part of the skyline...

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/6454/block8200704152gr4.jpg


Mura

http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/27/mura200704152kj5.jpg

Starting to paint?

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/3424/mura200704151mb4.jpg


Artisan on 2nd

This corner is getting nice and dense with Mura, Savoy and Artisan all rising, but they have to get rid of these power lines. How would you like to pay $600-$700K for the corner penthouse here and have that thing right in your face?

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/2199/artison20070415gx1.jpg


Hikari

Lots of retail already coming in. FedEx/Kinko's in the corner spot, looks like it's ready to open in a week or two. They're already putting products on the shelves.

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/5508/hikari200704151he8.jpg

Next spot over on Central is Pastagina. Note their other two "coming soon" locations downtown: one at 3rd & Grand and one at 9th & Hope (Market Lofts??).

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/9086/hikari200704152pa3.jpg

Further along Central, Robek's has a sign up.

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/1041/hikari200704153od4.jpg


Weller Court

It's not the best in street facing retail, but it's a marked improvement over the blank wall that once was there. Bank of the West has opened up a branch with an entrance and an ATM on the 2nd Street wall. Those awnings do a good job of breaking up the "dead space" that was previously there.

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/9839/wellercourt200704151yv8.jpg


LAPD Headquarters

They're framing some kind of thick shear concrete walls along the footprint of the building. Much of this rebar and framing goes above street level.

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/228/lapd200704151uq3.jpg


Federal Building

Slowly but surely she's coming down. Notice pieces of the structure are now missing.

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/4728/federaldemo20070415ku5.jpg

why not just implode the Federal Building? or will part of the building be recycled?

There is a fault line right under downtown LA.

So yeah..

I don't think a fault line has anything to do with a decision to implode or not implode the Federal Building. It most likely has to do with environmental concerns, asbestos, and the fact that most new goverment projects have a certain level of "Green" that they projects need to achieve. Part of a project is the demo, and I would bet that recycling old materials helps the project achieve some sort of LEED Green Building status.

^^
Doesn't the red line run underneath or around that building?

Colemonkee: did you take that picture of the federal building from the Ronald Reagan building on 3rd/spring st?

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/8236/standard20070414xw6.jpg

A thin girl with cankles? That aint exactly a great body.

Here legs and hair aren't attractive. That was my immediate reaction when I first saw that pic.

^^ you must be gay...i think she's HOT....I mean..... her overlooking the city...the pool in the forground...the juxtoposition of metal, brick and stucco...the somewhat gloomy day..you have to wonder, what is she thinking? thinking of her lost love? that romantic evening in one of those waterbeds right behind her? contemplating suicide? or just admiring the green, green grass in front of her? or thinking about YOU! I can picture her turning around and just laughing :lol:

so much development :-D but when is it gonna be TOO much so the middle class can start to share some of that sweet urban lifestyle? :-p

Great update. Everything is going well so far.

I'm gay but am not blind to beauty. That girl however, has no beauty. Her body is lumpy.

My lovely lady lumps indeed.

^^
Doesn't the red line run underneath or around that building?
No, but the blue line does. It runs right underneath Flower. Good catch.

Colemonkee: did you take that picture of the federal building from the Ronald Reagan building on 3rd/spring st?
I took it from the top of the L.A. Times parking garage on 2nd and Spring.

And the girl in the photo looked much better in person. Of course, that could be the drinks talking... :cheers:

No, but the blue line does. It runs right underneath Flower. Good catch.


I took it from the top of the L.A. Times parking garage on 2nd and Spring.

And the girl in the photo looked much better in person. Of course, that could be the drinks talking... :cheers:

I happen to work at the Dep of Justice building (aka Ronald Reagan building). I thought you were someone who worked at the north tower or something. The building complex is actually on one of your photos. It's this one.

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/6454/block8200704152gr4.jpg

It's the two 16 and 13 story towers in the center. I have a clear view of the construction going on where the police HQ is being built and the deconstruction of the Fed building. The attorney general and the governator have visited our building at least once since January. The governator apparently likes to arrive by helicopter and didn't come in through the front entrance on spring st. Well anyway, the area where the Ronald Reagan building is in has a lot of bums due to its proximity to Skid Row. I can still remember seeing a homeless person defecating in public near our building. Gross... I hope a lot of these homeless people are gone once all the lofts and new residential towers are completed.

Louman, I live at the Higgins Building on 2nd and Main, where Pitfire Pizza is, and I park at the LA Times lot on Spring (just north of the Douglas Lofts). There are still plenty of homeless people in the area, but there are far, far fewer in our general vicinity than even a year ago. The corner of 3rd and Main (right across the street from your office) is particularly bad where that little pocket "plaza" is. That should be cleaned up if the Medallion project ever breaks ground. It will go in that giant surface parking lot on Main between 3rd and 4th.

^^ Well since you live in the area. Don't try Warung Cafe at 4th St which is sandwiched between Main and Spring. They're so stingy with how much you're getting for a $8 meal, especially with the rice they give you. haha. Well anyway, here's some pictures I took when Heroes was being filmed across where I work. I find it interesting how much filming there has been since i started working in downtown.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/louman84/Heroes/Heroes09.jpg
That's on the parking lot on Spring St. between 3rd and 4th St.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/louman84/Heroes/Heroes01.jpg

Picture from my floor.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/louman84/Heroes/Heroes12.jpg

Those people wearing winter clothes are extras. And it was hot that day too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/louman84/Heroes/Heroes13.jpg

Somebody told me the real New York doesn't look like the pictures I took. He said it wouldn't have pedestrian crossings like that.

^^ Los Angeles' weather is sporadic