Ok, as said by Jason, there's a sticky thread for all the project listings, and threads for individual projects.

LA Live could be said to be the 'granddaddy' of the projects downtown. AEG is the developer of this 2.5 billion project at the heart of thriving South Park, downtown's newest neighborhood. The project has all kinds of venues, and facilities, including a 15 screen movieplex, a 7100 seat theatre, a GRAMMY museum, and an ESPN broadcasting facility.

All the discussion and articles about the project should be posted here.

The Webcams:
http://lalive.clarkconstruction.com/

http://clarkconstruction.oxblue.com/lalive/

Overview:
Phase 1: 7100 seat Nokia Theatre, 2007
Phase 2: Shops/reustaurants/cafes/clubs/ESPN Zone, 2008 or 2009
Phase 3: Ritz Carlton Hotel, 54 floors, 2010

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/RITZCARLTON.gif

Hope it's like this :)
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/LALIVEatnight.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/GRAMMYMUSEUM.jpg

Here's the link to the official page: http://www.aegworldwide.com/04_future/losangeles.html

Here are some other pics:

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

cool video on L.A live
http://www.rtkl.com/flashViewer.asp?f=caselab%5Flalive%2Eswf&qs=&h=400&w=500&n=&t=LA+Live%2C+Los+Angeles%2C+CA

There should be another thread mainly for Grand Ave which is breaking ground this year.

Ok, as said by the Jason, there's a sticky thread for all the project listings, and threads for individual projects.

LA Live could be said to be the 'granddaddy' of the projects downtown. AEG is the developer of this 2.5 billion project at the heart of thriving South Park, downtown's newest neighborhood. The project has all kinds of venues, and facilities, including a 15 screen movieplex, a 7100 seat theatre, a GRAMMY museum, and an ESPN broadcasting facility.

All the discussion and articles about the project should be posted here.

Overview:
Phase 1: 7100 seat Nokia Theatre, 2007
Phase 2: Shops/reustaurants/cafes/clubs/ESPN Zone, 2008 or 2009
Phase 3: Ritz Carlton Hotel, 54 floors, 2010

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/RITZCARLTON.gif

Hope it's like this :)
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/LALIVEatnight.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/GRAMMYMUSEUM.jpg

Here's the link to the official page: http://www.aegworldwide.com/04_future/losangeles.html

If you view all of the shit that they are doing in London,Berlin, Kansas City, LA's project is BY FARRRRR!! the most extensive and most vaunted!

There should be another thread mainly for Grand Ave which is breaking ground this year.

I concur....

We do need a separate thread devoted to Grand Avenue as well.

LA LIVE is more sports/entertainment-oriented, whereas Grand Avenue focuses on high culture and will appeal to cultural aficionados. These projects are both grand in scale and will be anchored by 5 star hotels; Ritz Carlton for LA LIVE and Mandarin Oriental for Grand Avenue.

I disagree that LA LIVE is the "grandaddy" of all projects in LA. Grand Avenue certainly is also a mega-project..heck, i'll even throw in the planned LA River Reclamation Project as well. Since they will be all built in multiple phases and its impact will be felt city-wide. They also reflect the ever-changing landscape of this city and the challenges ahead.

It's too early to conclude anything about the LA River Reclamation Porjects, up the moment it's all thoughts and brainstorms; when the bulldozers appear then enjoy the ride.

This article was posted by Bobcat at SSP.

Olevia(TM) & AEG Announce Groundbreaking Sports and Entertainment Sponsorship Agreement
31 January 2007
01:36 PM
Business Wire
English
(c) 2007 Business Wire. All Rights Reserved.

LOS ANGELES - (BUSINESS WIRE) - AEG and Syntax-Brillian Corp. (Nasdaq: BRLC), a manufacturer and marketer of LCD and LCoS(TM) HDTVs and digital entertainment products, announced details of a multi-platform marketing partnership that will feature the company's popular Olevia(TM) brand throughout a variety of AEG-owned developments, venues, franchises and other assets across the nation including L.A. Live, STAPLES Center, the Los Angeles Kings, Red Bull Park, Sprint Center, Citizen's Business Bank Arena and the Amgen Tour of California.

The far-reaching agreement, which extends through 2010 for each asset, will specifically highlight the Olevia(TM) brand of HDTVs through signage and other on-property brand exposure and include the integration of Olevia(TM) televisions and other product into public spaces at venues operated by AEG including Kansas City's Sprint Center (opening October, 2007), Los Angeles' STAPLES Center (beginning in 2008), Harrison, New Jersey's Red Bull Park (home of the MLS Red Bull New York beginning in 2008) and Ontario, California's Citizens Business Bank Arena (opening Fall, 2008).

As one of the 'exclusive' Founding Partners of each venue, Olevia(TM)'s sponsorship packages will also include large scale exterior signage, in-house LCD TV integration and use, scoreboard and concourse exposure, hospitality and other exclusive usage of entertainment spaces along with category exclusivity at each location.

While terms of the multi-million dollar agreement were not released, both parties agreed that the central component of the partnership was the sponsorship opportunities and elements which will be highlighted at L.A. Live, the highly anticipated, four million square foot development adjacent to STAPLES Center and across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center. The $2.5 billion L.A. Live features a 54 story/1,000-room convention center 'headquarters hotel,' Club Nokia, a 2,200 capacity live music venue, a 15-screen Regal Cineplex, broadcast facilities for ESPN, along with entertainment, restaurant, residential and office space and the 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live which will soon be the preferred venue for high profile entertainment programming including star studded awards shows, special events and concerts.

As one of L.A. Live's select Founding Partners, Olevia(TM) will receive unprecedented brand exposure via a number of interactive displays including newly developed advertising 'towers', exposure on a giant LED screen located within the one acre Nokia Plaza, on rotational displays outside of Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live and on fixed signs located throughout L.A. Live. Additionally, Syntax-Brillian will receive tickets to shows and events at both Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live and Club Nokia at L.A. Live for corporate hospitality use as well as additional specially designed hospitality and entertainment elements.

"This landmark agreement exemplifies Olevia's ascension to the top tier of digital entertainment brands," said Vincent Sollitto, CEO and Chairman, Syntax-Brillian. "AEG's premier venues, properties and franchises are a powerful medium for consumers to have a personal and profound experience with the Olevia brand."

The partnership will begin immediately with AEG sports properties the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race.

Olevia(TM)'s sponsorship and exposure opportunities with the Los Angeles Kings will begin with the final 29 games of the current 2006-07 season and includes radio and game night program advertising inventory, LED and dasherboard signage and hospitality elements for the NHL team. As a Founding Partner of the Amgen Tour of California, taking place February 18-25, 2007, Olevia(TM) will receive Start and Finish signage (course side and run in), :30 second commercial spots on the nightly race coverage airing on the Versus (formerly OLN) network, promotional spots and other branding elements on giant video displays at each stage finish, on-site product visibility, logo identification on promotional/collateral materials and a variety of VIP and hospitality elements. Additionally, AEG will integrate the Olevia(TM) brand of LCD HDTV's into company presentations, meeting and receptions such as the upcoming 2007 National Sports Forum (January 28-31 in Los Angeles) and AEG's pre and post-Grammy reception at STAPLES Center (February 11).

"It's very appropriate that AEG's first 'multiple property' Founding Partner agreement is also our first in the extremely relevant 'High Definition TV' category," said Timothy J. Leiweke, President & CEO, AEG. "With Olevia(TM)'s emphasis and priority on the broadcast and presentation of live sports and entertainment and AEG's core objective on presenting and viewing live sports and entertainment in person, it seemed natural for this partnership which ultimately provides the best entertainment experience to consumers no matter where they choose to watch our events. In particular, we would like to thank Vincent Sollitto and Hope Frank of Syntax-Brillian Corporation for their commitment to AEG, our venues, our events and most of all our fans who are the ultimate winners."

In addition to the sponsorship elements for the two AEG Sports properties and five venues located within the United States, the agreement also calls for Syntax-Brillian to extend their Vivitar(R) digital camera brand at The O2, a 23,000-seat sports and entertainment arena AEG is creating in the eastern part of London along the Thames River as part of a 650,000 sq. ft. leisure and entertainment district. As an Official Partner of The O2, Vivitar(R) will enjoy category exclusivity and prominent venue signage including, permanent LED concourse signage and product display areas as well as VIP hospitality elements.

"This sponsorship with AEG creates powerful opportunities to extend the Olevia(TM) and Vivitar(R) brands into the sports and entertainment markets nationally and internationally, and to work with a partner proven to create, execute and manage compelling events, venue and franchises," said Hope Frank, Chief Marketing Officer, Syntax-Brillian.

^Bring on the LED's!!! I can't wait until LA Live is finished. Seeing LED screens in downtown LA is gonna be something totally new and exciting!

I have a question in some renderings of LA Live it shows an expansion of the Convention Center on Chick Hearn Ct and the 110 just south of the movie plex. Is that whats currently being built or did they scrape LACC expansion and go with a parking structure? Last I heard an LACC expansion wasn't feasable given the current financial state the CC is in.

CArealestatejournal.com:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/378167152_f5d842c4c4_b.jpg[/QUOTE]

wow that a new one ^^

Love all the sings and especially the stars. Someone should add color with photoshop.
Just as soon as people realize the success LA Live gets, those blocks north of it will become residential highrises, Metropolis' developers should realize that.
Also the hell with the Holiday-Inn!

not bad

The media portrays LA Live as 'Time Square of the West'. But of course
-LA Live will not create a TS, if it is to be compared, it would be compared to something like Hollywood and Highland.

-You can't 'create' a TS, it is the product of lilttle space, pedestrians, and advertisment.

LA Live is great and everything but it will not become a Times Square, unless every other project on Figueroa and the boarding streets put their two cents in (which is partially happening).

A lot of people think of LA Live as the Times Square of the West, when the truth is that a lot of places in LA county are trying to create a Times Square. NY only has one, and it wasn't meant to be what it is, it started like a lot of theatres at a busy intersection. LA trying to have, TS(s) in Hollywood, WeHo, Wilsire, and other places. If they want LA Live to eventually turn out feeling like Times Square, the city needs to come together, so you dont have little 'Time Squares' popping up everywhere and diminishing the momemtum of LA Live.

i hate when people keep saying that L.A live is trying to be times square.
I think L.A just needs a city center a core in the city the way new york does
"L.As is the entertainment capital of the world" And right now L.As "entertainment district" is boring. So i think what L.A live is trying to do is bring Life to this district

Personally, I do not want LA LIve to be anything like Times Square. I have friends in NYC and visit there semi regularly, and the thing about Times Square is that people who live in New York don't go there (outside of the occasional show off Broadway). Last time I was in NYC, a new condo building was being finished up right in the heart of TS, but apparently the units weren't being sold very quickly. My guess is the people who were buying in that building are probably out of towners looking for some weekend getaway digs.
Back to the point I was trying to make, LA has enough tourist locations, between the beach and Hollywood and everywhere in between. What we need are more destinations for locals to go to. Locals go to the "just off the beaten path" places that don't interest tourists because they don't want to be around people with cameras who have little kids running around. I sure as hell know to avoid these types of places. I live about a 10 minute walk from the Venice boardwalk, but I might go there a couple of times a year. I guess its too late now that LA Live is half built, but hopefully some of these thoughts went through designer minds when they were putting it on paper.

LA Live won't become the next Times Square, it will become a really nice hub. But sure, why not exaggerate it and call it Times Square of the West to make some extra cash.

i hate when people keep saying that L.A live is trying to be times square.
I think L.A just needs a city center a core in the city the way new york does
"L.As is the entertainment capital of the world" And right now L.As "entertainment district" is boring. So i think what L.A live is trying to do is bring Life to this district


I don't think LA will ever have just ONE city center, hell even NYC has a couple(Lower Manhattan, Midtown even throw in Prospect Park Brooklyn area). It's just not in the cities DNA to have just one place that everyone will go to, realistically their are just too many exciting spots in LA to single out just one. Even after LA Live is built and the Purple Line is extended to the sea, tourists and Angelenos alike will be shuttleing back and forth between the beach and downtown then up to Hollywood over to the Observatory and perhaps even down to the Queen Mary. More pointedly I envision it being Santa Monica(Pier-Venice Beach)/DowntownLA Live-Grand Ave)/Hollywood(Highland-Vine) as the must sees on everyones map.

^^ Not to get too much of topic here....

I think the pier in Santa Monica needs like a casino or a legendary club. The roller coaster is fine but let's step it up a notch. To me is not as exciting as it was when I was younger when we had a blast at the arcade after swimming with my buddies. Hopefully something gets done in a near future and bring back the fame to the pier.

IMO, all major cities have more than one center though their downtowns are more dominant. LA's layout is like a sprawling European city like London and Paris. In London and Paris, the centers are more for business. Both of those cities don't really have a clear center. They are made up of various vibrant neighborhoods. For LA, Downtown, Hollywood, Wilshire, Long Beach, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Century City, Westwood, and West Hollywood are and will continue to be the major centers of the LA Basin. In the future, these centers will hopefully be connected by rail. Just by extending the Purple Line to the sea will connect Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, and Santa Monica. I really think we must extend the Red Line to West Hollywood. It's a major part of the LA culture and one of the most popular areas in LA. The Sunset Strip, Melrose Avenue/Place, Robertson, La Brea, Santa Monica, Beverly, etc. all must be accessible by rail in the near future. In addition, those areas must all be connected by pedestrian friendly developments with continuous ground-floor retail space. We must truly rebuild LA in that way if our city is going to continue to grow in the future.

I don't think LA will ever have just ONE city center, hell even NYC has a couple(Lower Manhattan, Midtown even throw in Prospect Park Brooklyn area). It's just not in the cities DNA to have just one place that everyone will go to, realistically their are just too many exciting spots in LA to single out just one. Even after LA Live is built and the Purple Line is extended to the sea, tourists and Angelenos alike will be shuttleing back and forth between the beach and downtown then up to Hollywood over to the Observatory and perhaps even down to the Queen Mary. More pointedly I envision it being Santa Monica(Pier-Venice Beach)/DowntownLA Live-Grand Ave)/Hollywood(Highland-Vine) as the must sees on everyones map.

But L.A does need a city center in its downtown L.A live should hopefuly be the main City center in the future

If LA wants to have a dominant city centre, then the city needs to pull itself together. Instead of spawling city centres, the city needs to focus in just one. Don't go around building a new Grove down the 15 in San Bernadino, or a new Hollywood and Highland in Silmar. The city needs to focus in just one, one acessible throughout the city of LA, close to the rail system, and that is LA Live.

I'm all for LA Live and stuff [it's what got me interested in the growth of LA] but what exactly will it have that should attract locals? I'm assuming there won't be unique shops like the ones found on Main Street in Santa Monica or there won't be clubs that allow 18 year olds in? Someone show me the light...

I totaly agree kidA. I have a feeling that LA Live is going to end up no different than the Grove, where instead of the Farmer's Market being the only reason why locals still go there, LA Live will have the Staples Center for that. I'm guessing that all the shops and restaurants will be large chains that are all over the city/region.

Well doesn't CityWalk atrack locals? And don't we always compare LA Live with CityWalk? All of us Angelenos visit CityWalk more than once a year becuase of it's great party amenities, and the fact that there's something overpowering about neon lights. LA Live will have both the factors that makes CityWalk a nice hub for locals, plus Staples Center, it's main server of people.
In a more personal note, there's is more locals at CityWalk than tourists IMO, the tourists are all too busy enjoying Universal Studios, and the Walk of Fame. Us locals who know better, will rather have a nice time at CityWalk, watch a movie, make out, eat, and leave. :banana:

Maybe its because I live on the opposite side of town, but I haven't been to Universal for leisure in years. I've been up to the universal highrise down the hill and eaten lunch at citywalk, but thats about it. my mall of choice is the 3rd street promenade, first because of proximity, second because of the wide array of shops, restaurants and bars beyond those at a standard mall. It also has a real urban feel, where the shops and eats spread beyond just the pedestrain only stretch. I also really enjoy the street entertainment, reminds me of the times square subway station. Hopefully LA Live and Grand Ave will have this same open and inviting "personality" to them.

i agree Solongf. LA Live will have an ESPNZONE and ESPN Studios, the Nokia Theater, the Grammy Museum, the Congo Room, and a bunch of restaurants. its also open to the street on three sides so it will be integrated. remember, its part of a bigger zone, the Entertainment zone, that included the parcels around it, such as LA Central, South Group towers 3, 4, and possibly 5, Hanover, FIDM, a possible hotel across from the Ritz as well as Metropolis.

City Walk is a tourist trap and it does that job well, considering the throngs of Japanese and German, Portuguese tourists I saw there..which was over a year ago.... But I think LA Live will be different, since it will actually be integrated into the city and street life of Downtown. The live music venues (Club Nokia, Conga Room, etc.) at LA Live will be hosting concerts and live performances every night, so I actually see many locals going here.

Totally agree with Trance....

I definately see local and sorrounding community folks meeting and having a blast at LA Live. For those who tend to hit Long Beach, Santa Monica, Burbank Media Center, and Glendale will actually support the local economy and eat, party and hang out at the new Downtown. Then those other areas are going to see the crowds minimize and the impact it ill do in their pockets.

Downtown will be very hip and it will be known as the spot.... :banana:

Yes of course people are going to go to LA Live, but will it have that genuine feeling? I've only been to the Grove [fairfax one] twice, I go to Citywalk one every two years or so and the promenade because I work there.

I'm not saying it's going to be evil or anything like that, but I have this feeling that it isn't going to be a place I go to find something unique.

Well I think it will have a unique feeling because it will be the first of its kind in LA.

Yes of course people are going to go to LA Live, but will it have that genuine feeling? I've only been to the Grove [fairfax one] twice, I go to Citywalk one every two years or so and the promenade because I work there.

I'm not saying it's going to be evil or anything like that, but I have this feeling that it isn't going to be a place I go to find something unique.


^^ It's going to be unique because of it's location. Remember Downtown is booming and as the geography of the area. You will have many, many options and choices within a walking area. That's one of the pluses of having everything compact into one zone. The other cities that offer entertainment have minimal area of activities. So your kind of force to drive and kind of get stuck in one particular area. As for Downtown you can do most things by either walking, quick cab drive or even Transit. Besides the fact that it will be a 24/7 city. it can't get any better.....

Yes of course people are going to go to LA Live, but will it have that genuine feeling? I've only been to the Grove [fairfax one] twice, I go to Citywalk one every two years or so and the promenade because I work there.

I'm not saying it's going to be evil or anything like that, but I have this feeling that it isn't going to be a place I go to find something unique.

I see LA Live as mainly something for the tourists ala H&H and they will hit it up by the throngs. "KidA" if you're a local and want something unique you will probably be found in Silver Lake amongst the truly unique shops, the ever evolving fabulous Los Feliz w/ even more unique shops, Melrose of course, Larchmont of course, Weho has very unique and interesting non-chain shops and both Culver City and Leimert Park are expected to finally explode due to the coming Expo and oh yeah, Pasadena old town is really fun and kinda unique and accessible by mass transit.
I don't know why everyone is pinning their hopes on LA Live when if you want true LA culture it already exists.
What LA Live will do, it will bring much more people into downtown adding to all of the people that are already there at least on weekends. It will also be a counterbalance against Hollywood and Universal Citywalk which once again all accessible by mass transit.

Tourist will still prefer going to places like H&H, Hyllywood Blvd, etc, LA Live wont take that away for sure. LA Live will bring people to the hood, and let the people who already live downtown have a one of a kind venue. IMO, since LA Live wont be filled (please dont let it be!) with the filthy rich from the west side, it will become more accesible to the avarage LA Joe. Thats a plus.

^ Very true. LA Live will further re-inforce Downtown LA as the city center where the main activity should be. But no matter how vibrant and developed Downtown LA may be, tourists will still visit Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, kind of like how tourists in NYC visit Soho, Greenwich Village, and the Upper East/West Sides which are outside of Midtown.

Thanks for your input guys. It's not like I'm totally against it/hate it or anything like that, I was just tryingt o make discussion. :-)

I know for a fact I will go and that it will make downtown a more attractive place [and imagine how it will be with the Grand Ave. project!].

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/5552/interestlistlalivebp8.jpg

http://allaccessliving.com/

i was downt here for the Laker game last night, LA Live is flying. the ESPN building is on the 5th floor of framing.

5th floor? Quickly someone run down there and get a pic.

February 17, 2007

LA Live

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

http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/2684/lalive200702172tq3.jpg

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

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/4041/lalive200702175ng5.jpg

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

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/8250/lalive200702173cx9.jpg

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

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/3011/lalive200702177lw1.jpg

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

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7870/lalive200702176ek5.jpg

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...

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7392/lalive200702171ab7.jpg

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/1237/lalive200702174in9.jpg

Steel is so fast. Anyone know how the final facade for the Nokia will look like?

Have they started construstion on the hotel yet?

^^Yes, but it is hard to see.

Latest construction image of LA Live posted by funhaus SSP
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/LALIVEMARCH.jpg

^^ hiza!

does the ESPN building floorplate look small to you? i thought it was gonna be a total of nearly 150k sq ft on the top 3 floors and a 30k space on the bottom for ESPN Zone, that means the building should have at least floorplates that are around 40k sq ft but that building looks too small, are they still erecting the steel on the side facing NOkia or are they done completely with the skeleton?

Just came back from the area and they had a new crane laid out on Chick Hearn Court. i wonder what its for ?!?!?!

The hotel????????

I doubt it. No piles have been driven yet. Nor has a support for a crane been built. It'll be awhile for any sort of cranes arrive for the hotel.

Well then, the theatres.

Latest picture of LA Live by godblessbotox

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/lalivemarch2.jpg

probably the crane is there to dismantle the crane that built the ESPN building seeing that it is basically "topped out" and there is no other use for it?maybe I'm wrong. Btw I remember reading awhile back that the hotel was going to be constructed with those "kangaroo" cranes like the ones that built the WTC in the 60s. I seriously doubt that crane is for the hotel, but I could be wrong.

Well if they used the crane to dismantle a crane, then they would use another crane for the new one, which woukd be a chain reaction. And to dismantle a crane they don't use another tower crane.

The additional crane is most likely for Phase 2.

^^Ohh ok i didnt know if it was a mobile or tower crane. If it is a tower crane then probably it is for phase 2. cool;)

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/7600/picture022zw0.jpg

i think im gona start camping out downtown just to watch the daily progress of this super fine complex

i think im gona start camping out downtown just to watch the daily progress of this super fine complex

Haha! I feel the same way. Just seeing all the cranes is pretty exciting. And to think that LA Central is coming soon. More cranes! Wooohoo!!

Latest construction image of LA Live posted by funhaus SSP
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/LALIVEMARCH.jpg

^^
This pic really gives a good perspective of how huge the ESPN building will be. When your walking down Figueroa it really looks massive!

Very cool.

Can't wait to finally visit this place and hopefully Valet would be offer?

Screw valet parking! I'll take the Metro to Downtown and walk a few blocks instead.

HOLLA!

Screw valet parking! I'll take the Metro to Downtown and walk a few blocks instead.


^ That's fine if you have all the time in the world. Some of us are extremely busy and have to live on tight schedules.

Well, the Metro will get you to Downtown quicker at certain times of the day.

In certain scenarios maybe.... My routes sometimes don't offer Metro so a vehicle is a much better option! Hope you understand!

Can't wait to finally visit this place and hopefully Valet would be offer?
Clearly the LA mentality. Come on, it's true we all have a tight schedule, but if everyone thinks like that, Figueroa is going to end up like the Dodger Stadium parking lot.

Can't wait to finally visit this place and hopefully Valet would be offer?

what kind of crap it this? valet? :bash: some people never learn :ohno:

Don't want to make a big discussion about Valet at all. Therefore this service is part of L.A.'s tradition until cars no longer roam the street here...

from L.a Curbed
http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-ad-lalive.jpg



We found ourselves at the Architecture & Design Museum on Wilshire last night for the "Enlightened Development" Exhibit Opening Reception. It was a neat-o crowd with lots of architect and developer types and Councilman Bernard Parks [CD8] who gave a rousing speech about... well, we couldn't quite hear him since everyone kept talking. Manners, people. Manners. We also bumped into Ugliest Building Contest judge Lorcan O'Herlihy of LOHA. He's a non-conformist who finds beauty in ugliness. Sweet. Should make for an interesting winner. The exhibit featured scale models and pictures of various LA projects that curators say "embody innovative vision in the field of architecture and thoughtful consideration for the future of the urban fabric."

Among the exhibits was the LA Live tower (pictured), several projects from CIM and Urban Partners, the Community Corp of Santa Monica's affordable housing project with the aluminum sail, and your standard WTF? Eric Owen Moss architectural masterwork.

Thank you to Lettuce for letting us tag along. The exhibit runs through May 31st and is worth checking out.

From SSP:

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

Can't wait to finally visit this place and hopefully Valet would be offer?

I'm surprised you threw out the "v" word. No question valet will be offered. This is LA. My local Del Taco even has valet service. Obviously LA Live is going to make DT gridlock worse.

I'm surprised you threw out the "v" word. No question valet will be offered. This is LA. My local Del Taco even has valet service. Obviously LA Live is going to make DT gridlock worse.

LA Live needs the gridlock, both in vehicles and pedestrians to even come close to the vibrancy of Times Square. Baz, don't let NIMBY-ism creep into your head now...haha..Yes, traffic is expected to get worse, but we live in a city don't we? so things like that are to be expected. We'll eventually deal with that problem, hopefully the problems can be mitigated with enhanced PT service if when the Downtown Connector gets built.

The area around L.a live will be a Pedestrian freindly area becuase
of the Staples. Instead of the usual people walking out and going straight to their car they hang out at L.a live. traffic will always be bad until we get better public transportation system.

Speaking of the LA Love area. Does anyone know if Caltrans/City officials are planning to make Fig a two way street again?

Doesn't become two way near 12th street or something?

L.A. Live Hotel Groundbreaking Coming

News Brief

The $800 million Convention Center headquarters hotel, which is part of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live sports and entertainment district, is expected to break ground around April 30, Los Angeles Downtown News has learned. The 54-story project is being developed by the Anschutz Entertainment Group and is expected to open in early 2010. It will feature a 124-room Ritz Carlton, an 876-room Marriott Marquis and 224 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 anchor the base of the tower housing the Ritz, and will include the largest ballroom in the city. The Convention Center hotel has long been envisioned by tourism officials as a way for the city to finally compete with San Diego, San Francisco and Anaheim for lucrative convention business by offering a central facility big enough to house visitors. "The infrastructure is already underway, and it will mark construction on the last component of L.A. Live," said AEG spokesman Michael Roth, who added that several new announcements regarding the hotel will be made during the groundbreaking. The first phase of L.A. Live, the Nokia Plaza, will open Nov. 1.

page 2, 4/9/2007

^^ that is awesome news!!! so will it take like 2-3 years to complete?

L.A. Live Hotel Groundbreaking Coming

News Brief

The $800 million Convention Center headquarters hotel, which is part of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live sports and entertainment district, is expected to break ground around April 30, Los Angeles Downtown News has learned. The 54-story project is being developed by the Anschutz Entertainment Group and is expected to open in early 2010. It will feature a 124-room Ritz Carlton, an 876-room Marriott Marquis and 224 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 anchor the base of the tower housing the Ritz, and will include the largest ballroom in the city. The Convention Center hotel has long been envisioned by tourism officials as a way for the city to finally compete with San Diego, San Francisco and Anaheim for lucrative convention business by offering a central facility big enough to house visitors. "The infrastructure is already underway, and it will mark construction on the last component of L.A. Live," said AEG spokesman Michael Roth, who added that several new announcements regarding the hotel will be made during the groundbreaking. The first phase of L.A. Live, the Nokia Plaza, will open Nov. 1.

page 2, 4/9/2007


^^ I've been driving on the 110 and been noticing construction on the Hotel site. If I'm not mistaken their working on the foundation.....

This definately has to be posted here.
http://lalive.clarkconstruction.com/

http://clarkconstruction.oxblue.com/lalive/

Notice the north building one floor above ground.

Could you please post it on the front page as well?

sweet... i cant wait to see one of these for la live:
http://www.oxblue.com/example/?c=dvd


...better yet. i would just rather see la live finished

Could you please post it on the front page as well?

Yes. So does anybody know if it broke ground today as speculated?

Yes. So does anybody know if it broke ground today as speculated?

Footings should begin 1st of june, according to on site engineers. (went by there today)

Check the webcam! They're starting work on the second floor of the other building! :banana:

Check the webcam! They're starting work on the second floor of the other building! :banana:

god bless you person who invented the webcam
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a22/godblessbotox/fuckin-right.jpg

Now that that building is under construction, all we need now is for the hotel to break ground! Meanwhile I'm hoping to see the facade for the ESPN building very soon.

Isn't the white crane missing the end portion all the way on the left?

Here's a pix from the 110...
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/S5030247.jpg

Check the webcam again! It's moving right along!

we need a sticky of that cam on every page of this thread...

^^ is that even possible? .. itd be pretty awesome though

we need a sticky of that cam on every page of this thread...

That's not necessary.

From SSP:

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Downtown%20LA/LALive_Aerial_LR_5-10-06.jpg

i think i just peed myself. god damn that is a beautiful thing!!!

Nice render, but it would be better with the actual design of the hotel.

Nice! Who made the render? Would have been better with the newer designs

...Wow no helipad!!!!

...Wow no helipad!!!!

I hadn't noticed that, but it looks so much better without that thing.

OMG it's orgasmic, and its not entirely complete 'cause I'm pretty sure the parking loft to the West of the Hotel is also supposed to be filled with something, still pretty awesome though, I like

I hadn't noticed that, but it looks so much better without that thing.

I am sure someone has asked and answered the following ?, but why do all the buildings in L.a need a heli pad? Fire codes, I know, but why doesn't S.F or S.D have similar codes? Not fair!!!!!!!!! I just know this thing is going to end up with some heli pad on it's noggin.:no:

From SSP (courtesy of LACityRat):

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i284/mongo255/Downtown%20LA/LAL_V1_Camera-Match-8816_LR.jpg

I thought that nothing had been approved for across the street from Staples. What are those buildings?

wait... is this the same render from last time. just with an updated building?

is this a user generated render or something more like the architecture firms working

Mwa ha ha ha ha!!! I told you there was something on that parking lot!!!!

Thanks Westside, the hotel looks much better when the wide side of the building faces north to south; it's going to help with the goddamn gaps.

^^ nice rendering, it shows you though how much blank wall space exist especially on the Nokia theater. I kind of like the old rendering because there was all glass facing Georgia street on the theater now its just blank. btw they really should do something with that Holiday Inn either upgrade the signage like other holiday inns or somehow reclad the whole facade and add 10 more stories if possible. Also can they do something with the old LACC roof it just looks bleeech...

Well not sure where to post this but pretty interesting stuff on Anschutz, DA Papa of L.A Live. courtesy of the associated press/ C.B.S.


Anschutz Building Empire In Los Angeles
http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_134074305.html

(AP) DENVER Denver investor Philip Anschutz's home remains in Denver, and the neon blue sign identifying Qwest, the company he founded, still dominates the skyline.

But much of the tycoon's empire is now in Los Angeles.

Anschutz has cobbled together an entertainment conglomerate that includes sports teams, venues, concert promotion, the world's largest theater chain, and movie production companies.

Anschutz's footprint in Tinseltown has been growing since the mid-1990s.

Last year, the Los Angeles Times ranked him the sixth most powerful person in Southern California, right behind the leader of 5 million Roman Catholics, Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

"Southern California has more than its share of absentee landlords. Few, however, have had as much impact as Anschutz," the newspaper said.

His $400 million Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, is helping to revive the city's downtown. And through his sports and entertainment company, AEG Worldwide, he is developing a $2 billion entertainment and sports district nearby.

He developed and owns the $150 million Home Depot Center in nearby Carson City, where his Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team plays; has a share in the Lakers; and owns the L.A. Kings hockey team and two other major league soccer teams.

Anschutz has long been a pioneer for American professional soccer. AEG recently signed glam British soccer star David Beckham to a five-year deal with the Galaxy, adding another high-profile celebrity to the city's tax rolls.

Anschutz also built a 130-mile pipeline that transports oil from the San Joaquin Valley to refineries and terminal facilities in the Los Angeles Basin.

"He has made a huge investment in this community in infrastructure, in entertainment and in sports, and those three drive our economy," said L.A. developer Steve Soboroff, a former adviser to ex-Mayor Richard Riordan, who worked with Anschutz on the Staples Center and other projects.

Anschutz, who made his fortune in oil, gas, telecommunications, real estate and other ventures, runs his global enterprise from an office tower on 17th Street in Denver. He is a substantial benefactor to Colorado charities. His AEG Live opened a Denver office last year, operates the Ogden and Bluebird theaters and books venues in Denver and elsewhere. His in-theater advertising company, National CineMedia, is based in Centennial.

"Investments are made where opportunities exist that fit one's business plans or philosophy," said Anschutz spokesman Jim Monaghan.

Anschutz has cut his stake in two high-profile Denver companies, selling off virtually all his Qwest holdings and a substantial share in Forest Oil. And in 2003, he sold the rights to the Colorado Rapids to Stan Kroenke, owner of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets.

Anschutz first made a splash in Southern California's sporting world when he and real-estate investor Ed Roski Jr. purchased the bankrupt L.A. Kings hockey team in 1995.

It wasn't long before he revived an idea that had fallen flat in Denver in 1987, when he was competing to develop a convention center on railroad land he owned in the Central Platte Valley. That proposal included an entertainment district with a $20 million amusement park, a hotel and other improvements.

"Am I crazy?" he said in pitching the 1987 plan. "My opponents say I am, but I disagree. I see here a tremendous opportunity for a fantastic place waiting to happen."

He lost that bid, but 10 years later he got approval to build the Staples Center in Los Angeles' moribund downtown. The deal with the city gave him control of 30 acres near the Staples site where AEG is building LA Live, an entertainment district.

The Staples Center, which draws nearly 4 million customers a year, contributed to a 30 percent increase in the number of visitors to downtown L.A. between 2003 and 2005, according to a study by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"There is no question that Staples was transformative. I look at downtown and I refer to it as BSC and ASC - Before Staples Center and After Staples Center," said Carol Schatz, president of the Los Angeles Downtown Center Business Improvement District.

LA Live will include theaters, restaurants, retail, commercial and residential space, and a convention-center hotel that will be part Marriott, part Ritz Carlton and have condominiums on the top floors.

"It is really going to anchor the southern portion of the downtown area, which used to be covered with parking lots," said Nancy Sidhu, senior economist at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

The 54-story hotel will put the city's downtown convention center in the running for business that now goes elsewhere, said Jack Kyser, chief economist at the development corporation.

But the up-to-$290 million in hotel tax rebates that the Los Angeles City Council approved for the property last year drew the ire of many Angelenos.

Joel Kotkin, author of "The City: A Global History," was one of those who opposed the tax breaks.

"The whole LA Live is an absurdity for a city like LA that has a huge, and unsubsidized, entertainment industry. Stuff like ESPN Zone and other packaged entertainment is not necessary for a city like ours. If you are bored in L.A., get another life," he said in an e-mail response to a query.

AEG owns, operates or acts as booking agent for venues across the country and in Europe.

While Anschutz wields the power, "he is not visible operating the levers" in L.A., Kyser said. The public face of privately held AEG is Timothy J. Leiweke.

Anschutz also owns Regal Entertainment, the world's largest movie chain, a holding that gives him clout in in Hollywood, said Dan Glickman, chief executive of the Motion Picture Association of America, a trade organization of major American film companies.

"He is a very big force within the theater-owners organization, and they have a very powerful relationship with the studios and other filmmakers because that is where the product is distributed," Glickman said.

In 2000, Anschutz, a conservative Christian, branched into film, forming production company Crusader Entertainment, later renamed Bristol Bay Productions. The following year he launched Walden Media. Both companies specialize in family fare, with movies such as "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," based on a children's book by Oxford scholar and Christian writer C.S. Lewis, and "Around the World in 80 Days."

"Phil is very much involved in the whole family-format film movement, so we have talked a lot about the need to make more family entertainment," Glickman said.

Anschutz is a force to be reckoned with in a city where the entertainment industry rules, said Schatz. "He leaves a huge imprint in the whole entertainment arena. L.A. is the entertainment capital of the world; if you are big in L.A., you are big in the world," said Schatz.

Fron the CA Real Estate Journal-
http://www.carealestatejournal.com/

AEG to Break Ground on L.A. Live Hotel and Residences

LOS ANGELES - A grounbreaking ceremony will be held for Anschutz Entertainment Group's hotels and residences at its L.A. Live project in downtown Los Angeles June 1 at 10 a.m. The groundbreaking is for the Ritz-Carlton Residences and Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotel at the development.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and city Councilwoman Jan Perry are among some of the hosts who will be at the ceremony.

:dance:

Can't wait to see the Ritz rise up in South Park! Good times indeed.

some pics i took from today
http://i11.************/4qyob5v.jpg
http://i19.************/54iid6e.jpg
http://i12.************/4p4aflz.jpg
http://i10.************/63jmcsm.jpg
http://i13.************/5z4gpco.jpg
http://i14.************/67nv0gn.jpg
http://i7.************/6cziiq8.jpg
http://i9.************/61ki8g8.jpg
http://i16.************/53h6ctv.jpg
http://i19.************/4or17vs.jpg
http://i12.************/6g8kbw1.jpg

Folks by 2009 it looks like we're going to have a majorly altered skyline(LA Live, Park Fifth, Ghery etc.)

yippy!

time to check that webcam again

Thanks for the update Mr Staples Center. Welcome to the forum!

Folks by 2009 it looks like we're going to have a majorly altered skyline(LA Live, Park Fifth, Ghery etc.)
seriously cant wait. I LOVE LAhttp://i17.************/6ciouti.gifhttp://i17.************/6ciouti.gif

Thanks for the welcome LAsam

What a great first post Mr. Staples Center! Welcome! Can we expect photo updates like these from you regularly?

Once again, welcome! Head to the Roll Call thread in The Interchange.

seeing all those hooks comming out of NOkias walls getts me excited
billboards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great first post Mr. Staples Center! Welcome! Can we expect photo updates like these from you regularly?

Once again, welcome! Head to the Roll Call thread in The Interchange.
most definitely. my main focus is LA LIVE. i love the other projects going on downtown but this is what catches my eye. im really excited about it.

Awsome update, but even better news.
You are ever so much welcome to the forum, and your pix also. You will become our own LA Live[I]Imre![

Nice pix Mr Staples Center, welcome aboard Dude!!!!! Now go to RollCall!!!!

Nice updates, thanks mr staples center

Orale Ese! Good JOB Mr. S.

Webcam number one has been down the last couple of days now.

Nice updates! Now let's see that baby(Ritz-Carlton/LA Live tower) rise!!! :)

Oh, by the way! Welcome to the Thunderdome, Mr. Staples!!! Put on your knee pads, jockstraps and shin gards and don't forget to brace yourself..make sure to check in and leave your sanity at the door....Ferney and the rest of the L.A. SSC party freaks will take your ticket at the door.... Now you are approved to partaaayyy!!! :dance:

Nice to see it moving forward, but sometimes I think the hotel might turn out a little bent, lets hope not.

The Ritz breaks ground tomorrow!

Downtown project to get really 'Live'

Construction will start on a complex housing two major hotels and luxury condominiums near Staples Center.

By Roger Vincent, Times Staff Writer
June 1, 2007

It's been the dream of downtown boosters for decades. And today, that vision will finally begin to take shape as crews begin to erect a high-rise, high-end hotel complex adjoining the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The project faced a major obstacle last year when developer AEG lost its financial partners.

At a ceremony today, AEG plans to announce that Wachovia Corp. and investment firm MacFarlane Partners have signed on to help finance the 54-story, $900-million hotel and condominium complex — the cornerstone of the $2.5-billion L.A. Live entertainment center.

"This is the most important thing we have ever done as a company," said AEG President Tim Leiweke, whose company owns Staples Center and the Los Angeles Kings NHL hockey team, among other teams and arenas. "It will change the economy of not just downtown but of Los Angeles."

Civic leaders see the hotel project as crucial to attracting the kinds of big-league, national conventions that now go to places such as Anaheim, San Diego and San Francisco.

JW Marriott and upscale Ritz-Carlton will operate separate hotels in the building on Olympic Boulevard. Combined, there will be 1,001 guest rooms when the hotels open in 2010. The Marriott will also operate one of the largest ballrooms in Los Angeles, with a seating capacity of 3,000. The top 26 floors will house 224 luxury condos attended to by the Ritz-Carlton staff.

Past attempts to put hotel rooms next to the Convention Center have been plagued by doubts about their viability. But the participation of Wachovia and MacFarlane gives the project new credibility, said David Wise, a hotel consultant who is not involved in the project.

"We're talking about really big guns here," Wise said. "It's good to see such an institutional capital structure."

Wachovia is making a major push into California's consumer banking market, while San Francisco-based MacFarlane invests money for the California Public Employees' Retirement System and other big clients.

Institutional investors avoided downtown for years after the office market crashed in the early 1990s but began tiptoeing back amid a housing construction renaissance that started after 2000 and has added thousands of residents.

Many years have passed, however, since downtown has seen a new hotel built from the ground up.

"Downtown has been the redheaded stepchild with braces compared to the Westside," Wise said.

"This is really a quantum leap forward in terms of credibility about downtown's revitalization," he added.

Owners of downtown's Bonaventure Hotel tried to stop AEG's hotel plans in court, arguing that AEG will have an unfair competitive advantage because it will receive financial assistance from the city. The suit was later dropped.

The deal approved by the City Council calls for AEG to receive a rebate of at least $246 million in the hotel bed taxes it is expected to generate during the first 25 years of operation. In addition, the project is being given a $5-million grant from the city redevelopment agency and a rebate of $4 million in building permit fees.

Those concessions from the city were essential to getting the hotel started, Leiweke said.

San Francisco-based MacFarlane, which invests in urban real estate developments, will provide as much as $400 million in financing, said Chief Executive Victor MacFarlane. The company also may invest in the $2-billion Grand Avenue retail, residential and office project set to begin construction north of Staples on Bunker Hill later this year.

"We'll probably invest in the two largest bookends downtown," he said.

The terms of Wachovia's investment were not revealed, but it will be a "founding partner" in the L.A. Live project and receive exposure on large electronic signs there and in other locations around Staples Center — which will help raise its profile here, said Dan Fleischman, Wachovia's director of sponsorships.

Also helping fund construction of the hotel are the expected sales of the condominiums, which are priced at $1.5 million to $6 million.

Buyers have already made deposits on nearly half of the units, Leiweke said.

Construction is well underway on other portions of L.A. Live, including the 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre and a separate studio building for sports broadcaster ESPN.

The theater is set to open in October and is expected to host such events as the Emmy Awards, Country Music Awards and Miss USA pageant.

The 4-million-square-foot development also will have movie theaters, restaurants, nightclubs, a bowling alley, offices and the Grammy Museum, all expected to be completed by 2010. Other developers have completed or are in the process of building almost 1,700 apartments and condos on blocks nearby.

Supporters hope L.A. Live will attract millions of visitors who have seen it on television or who are attending a convention.

"The visitor impact will be huge," said economist Jack Kyser of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. "And the hotel will put us back in the game of attracting major business shows.

"I've been waiting at least 20 years for this."

^ Let's get the party started... Woohoo.... LA live is coming alive!!!!
:dance: :dance:

Is anyone here going to attend the ceremony?

From bogdowntown:



http://viewfromaloft.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/01/_igp2923.jpg

ooh Schwarzenegger was there, how exciting

and some guy holding an old mans hand... how sweet

haha.. yeah, dude and that guy in the blue on the right, he looks like he works at disney

He'll be back: Schwarzenegger mulls Los Angeles condo
Construction of Ritz-Carlton homes to be finished in 2010.
BloombergLOS ANGELES -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has found a new place to park his Hummer: in front of the soon-to-be-built Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he plans to buy a condo.
Schwarzenegger, already a Los Angeles resident who never found a permanent residence in the state capital Sacramento, said he is considering buying a penthouse suite at the 224-unit Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live development.

“I right away committed to buying a condominium,” Schwarzenegger said in a speech at a groundbreaking ceremony for the building today. “That's a no-brainer.”
Schwarzenegger was looking at plans today for units in the residential-and-hotel project, which also includes J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels with 1,001 rooms and a 54-story Ritz- Carlton Residences, said Michael Roth, a spokesman for AEG, a unit of closely held Anschutz Co. that is developing the $2.5 billion L.A. Live project.

“He asked for a penthouse,” Roth said.

An interest list is being formed for the penthouse residences, on floors 50 through 52 of the tower, according to a price sheet handed out at the groundbreaking ceremony. Prices have not been set yet for the penthouse units.

The lowest-priced condominiums in the tower start at $864,000. Residences with three bedrooms, a study and three and a half bathrooms, which are located on floors 42 through 49, range from $3.13 million to $4.61 million, according to the price sheet.

Brentwood Resident

Schwarzenegger already lives in Los Angeles' tony Brentwood neighborhood where actor John Travolta lives, and where former football star O.J. Simpson once lived.

Schwarzenegger commutes to Sacramento several times a week, mainly by private jet. Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, a spokeswoman for the governor, said she didn't immediately have more information on the governor's plans for the penthouse.

Completion of the condominiums and hotels is scheduled for early 2010. Schwarzenegger leaves office in January 2011.

The 4 million-square-foot L.A. Live project, being built on a 27-acre site near the Staples Center sports arena, also includes a 7,100-seat Nokia theater, a nightclub, broadcast studios for the ESPN sports television network, and more than a dozen restaurants.

The arena, along with Walt Disney Concert Hall and newly built condominiums and apartments, is part of a revival of downtown Los Angeles, which was dominated for decades by government and corporate offices and law and accounting firms and had few residents and little nightlife.

Investment Partner

AEG said today that closely held MacFarlane Partners, a San Francisco-based real estate investment company, will invest in the $900 million hotel-and-condominium component of L.A. Live, and that Wachovia Corp., the fourth-largest U.S. bank, bought sponsorship rights at the development.

AEG Chief Executive Officer Timothy J. Leiweke said that his company on Friday secured financing from Credit Suisse Group for the hotel-and-condominium development. Credit Suisse's Column Financial unit will provide a 44-month, $650 million loan, with the balance of the construction costs coming from AEG and MacFarlane Partners, said Ted Fikre, AEG's general counsel.

MacFarlane Partners will have an equity stake of $100 million to $150 million in the hotel-and-condominium component, spokesman Doug Holm said.

Way to generate some buzz for the area!

OMG the Terminator possibly living Downtown... yup your right WS it sure will create a whole lot of buzz....

i may take some more pics sometime next week.

June 7th 2007 UPDATE
http://i12.************/53hzvgk.jpg
http://i18.************/4qsyljt.jpg
http://i18.************/4uuz40g.jpg
http://i18.************/4xnil5g.jpg
http://i8.************/5043v9j.jpg
http://i8.************/4zk5t0x.jpg
http://i8.************/4pmbwvm.jpg
http://i9.************/4q87ont.jpg
http://i11.************/4uwb8ed.jpg
http://i18.************/62fr7l5.jpg
http://i9.************/54dtm36.jpg

Is this new? ive never noticed this lcd panel on staples:nuts:
http://i17.************/6g9cw29.jpg

Nice update.

And that LCD screen has been there for years.

in the first picture are they done extending the Club Nokia Building along Olympic? because in the renderings the structure extends all the way to the entry on Francisco Street. When are they gonna fully complete if not yet the steel skeleton?

Was there any buzz at the hotel site?

OMG the Terminator possibly living Downtown... yup your right WS it sure will create a whole lot of buzz....

Because he has created so much buzz for Sacramento. :?

Because he has created so much buzz for Sacramento. :?

Ughhhhh, YEAH........He doesn't live in Sacramento!!!! Thank You, try again!:llama:

Was the crane installed yesterday or has it been there for a while now? (for the hotel)

A lot more equipment onsite for the hotel, check out the web cam :)

The first webcam is FINALLY back up and running! :banana:

jesus that took a long time

From SSP:

Saturday, June 16

They're driving sheet piles to shore up a deeper dig for the foundation. It'll be quite a while before this thing gets above ground...

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/852/ritz200706161gv9.jpg

The tunnel that goes under Georgia St. to the parking underneath the theater. I never knew that was part of the plan.

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/4035/ritz200706162fo0.jpg

"in the first picture are they done extending the Club Nokia Building along Olympic? because in the renderings the structure extends all the way to the entry on Francisco Street. When are they gonna fully complete if not yet the steel skeleton?"

Anyone know whats going on? are they finished with the steel skeleton or are they gonna erect more steel to fully surround the 2nd yellow crane?

what? a tunnel? is that for the parking levels or for people?

its gotta be for parking. with all this stuff in development around staples center where the heck are people gonna park at?

http://www.ststlocations.com/gallery/pictures/miscellaneous/lalive/stst-LALive01-Retail-HotelFig.jpg

http://www.ststlocations.com/gallery/pictures/miscellaneous/lalive/stst-LALive02-Retail-HolidayInn.jpg

http://www.ststlocations.com/gallery/pictures/miscellaneous/lalive/stst-LALive03-Nokia-Staples.jpg

http://www.ststlocations.com/gallery/pictures/miscellaneous/lalive/stst-LALive04-Retail-TCW.jpg

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Double Wow.... those are some great inside the project pix. :applause: first inside view!!!!

Way to go Coleman*

^ Those photos weren't taken by colemonkee.

Great tour! Note that the crane for the Hanover is coming down.

^Those photos weren't taken by colemonkee.

....and?

....and?

Just that we should give credit to the right person, that's all.

Just that we should give credit to the right person, that's all.

Coleman is colemonkee by the way....that's how he was introduced @ Lost Souls.

AWESOME PICS!!!! Thank u coleMonkey!!!

Gee......Coleman is Colemonkee......I'd had never known.....

nice pics...it's really coming along.

yaaaaaaaayy updates!

those interior views are indeed fantastic

AWESOME PICS!!!! Thank u coleMonkey!!!

Those pics were NOT taken by colemonkee.

whoever took the pics, thank you. i can only get so close to the sites before security goes crazy on me lol.

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http://www.nokiatheatrela.com/lalive.php

Imagine being "in the moment" – when nothing else matters but what's going on around you right then and right there. It's when you experience something so fully you don't think about it or analyze it, you just enjoy it. The moment is that magical place where you scream the loudest, laugh the hardest and live the fullest.

As a one-of-a-kind entertainment campus, the vision of L.A. LIVE is to provide Los Angeles' residents, commuters, guests and tourists a genuine world-class sports and entertainment destination where they can experience moments like this all the time.

Located in the center of the entertainment capital of the world, the 5.6 million square foot L.A. LIVE mixed-used development on 27 acres will be the primary "content campus" and event center for Southern California where people seeking entertainment offerings intersect with the sports and entertainment industries at work in an energetic, unique, urban environment covering more than 6 city blocks.

Leveraging the tremendous success of STAPLES Center, L.A. LIVE will expand the entertainment content in downtown Los Angeles' South Park neighborhood with complimenting venues, fully functioning broadcast studios, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, bowling lanes, music clubs and cultural museum.

In addition, L.A. LIVE will serve as the catalyst to enhance the economic potential of the adjacent Los Angeles Convention Center by adding a convention headquarters hotel and meeting space, making Los Angeles competitive with other regional convention markets. As a major mechanism in rejuvenating the downtown core, L.A. LIVE will also invigorate an emerging high-density urban residential neighborhood and pedestrian district.

L.A. LIVE is a one-of-a-kind, landmark entertainment destination. It is a multi-faceted campus featuring an exciting mix of entertainment from sports to music to movies to dining. It will serve as the leading entertainment destination for all of Los Angeles and as the event capital of the world. L.A. LIVE was created to put its audiences in the moment. "Live" is the driving force – you cannot get any more "live" than when you are in the moment.

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STAPLES CENTER
L.A. LIVE is anchored by STAPLES Center, the world's most successful arena. Since its debut in October 1999, STAPLES Center has changed the perception of downtown Los Angeles and has completely transformed the adjacent South Park neighborhood. Home to five professional sports teams (Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Sparks, Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Avengers) the 20,000-seat area hosts 240 events and 4 million visitors annually. STAPLES Center has presented virtually every major indoor sporting event in Southern California including ESPN's X Games, HBO Boxing, the PAC-10 Basketball Championships, U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the NHL and NBA All-Star Weekends and the WTA Championships.

In its relatively short history, STAPLES Center has also become the premier venue for musical performances, family entertainment, televised award shows and many major events in the region. Under AEG's management, STAPLES Center has welcomed such major touring acts as U2, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Prince, Justin Timberlake, Cirque du Soleil, The GRAMMY Awards and the Democratic National Convention, among others.

NOKIA Theatre l.a. live
To compliment the arena, the new state of the art NOKIA Theatre l.a. live will provide a mid-sized venue for live performances and events. The 235,00 square foot, 7,100-seat venue will host 125 music, family, dance and comedy acts, award shows, televised productions and short running Broadway theater events annually.

CLUB NOKIA
More intimate live performances will be hosted at Club NOKIA. Accommodating over 2,300 guests, Club NOKIA will be the perfect venue for new emerging music acts, cultural shows and will provide excellent space for corporate events and private parties. It is expected that Club NOKIA will host 150 concerts annually - concerts that are currently booked in non-AEG controlled venues in Los Angeles through AEG's live music division, Goldenvoice.

NOKIA PLAZA
Designed by Rios Clementi Hale Studio, the 40,000 square foot open air plaza, capable of hosting special events, community gatherings, cultural festivals and live performances will be located in the very heart of L.A. LIVE. The plaza space has been designed with flexibility as well as state-of-the-art "plug-and-play" technology to accommodate broadcast events, large celebrations, festivals, outdoor concerts and other live programming. The ability to close 11th street/Chick Hearn Court during non-peak hours is another major amenity serving L.A. LIVE as it connects STAPLES Center and provides a pedestrian friendly campus as well as excellent logistics for red carpet arrivals for guests attending events taking place at any of the venues.

STUDIOS
A 110,000 square foot showcase studio and regional headquarters is planned for ESPN, arguably the foremost sports brand in the world. ESPN's brand reach is gigantic and it's impact immeasurable. Included in this building will be state-of-the-art television and radio broadcast studios, office space and a two level, 30,000 square foot ESPN Zone restaurant and sports bar. The studios will be home to SportsCenter and a number of live shows and original programming broadcast on ESPN and its affiliate networks including ABC Sports. An additional broadcasting center is planned to accommodate national and local entertainment coverage, sports, news and music broadcasts.

An additional broadcasting center is planned to accommodate national and local entertainment coverage, sports, news and music broadcasts.

RESTAURANTS
In addition to the ESPN Zone restaurant, L.A. LIVE will offer a rich mix of local, regional and national restaurants reflecting the uniqueness of Los Angeles and its passion for food. Serving most everyone's taste and budget, the restaurants at L.A. LIVE will be open for lunch and dinner, offering outdoor dining to take advantage of Los Angeles' pleasing climate.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar will occupy approximately 7,250 square feet on the bustling corner of Olympic and Figueroa Boulevards. Established in 1998 and currently operating 50 locations throughout the United States, Fleming's has been the recipient of numerous fine dining awards and 37 Wine Spectator Magazine Awards of Excellence. Just south is The Farm of Beverly Hills, a 7,000 square foot American restaurant from one of Beverly Hills' most popular operators and the fourth popular local chain that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and an array of fresh bakery items.

Los Angeles' legendary Conga Room will relocate from its mid-Wilshire location and occupy approximately 13,000 square feet of second floor space. Since it's opening in 1998, the Conga Room has become the premiere intimate performance venue for top name Latin, World & alternative music. Featuring live entertainment Thursday through Saturday nights, the nightclub will also host special events, a television broadcast with live, weekday Latin music programming and daily radio broadcasts. The new Conga Room is owned by a group of high profile celebrities and entertainment executives including Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez and Paul Rodriguez.

Los Angeles' nightlife guru, Sam Nazarian of SBE Entertainment (Hyde Lounge, Prey, Privilege and Area), brings his sushi and robata bar concept, Katsuya to L.A. LIVE. Recently opened in Brentwood, this location will be the second expanded version of Katsuya which began in 1998 as a small, but wildly popular storefront sushi bar in Studio City. Designed by Phillipe Starke, the ultra-hip 7,600 square foot, ground floor space will be utilized as the main dining room and a cocktail lounge will share the area. The remaining space on the second floor footprint will be dedicated to a commissary style kitchen operated by Wolfgang Puck Catering which will provide food service for Club NOKIA and NOKIA Plaza.

Long Beach-based Yard House will open its 12th location, a 13,000 square foot restaurant and brew pub at L.A. LIVE. The popular casual dining operator offersa wide menu of American food, excellent service and over 100 different beers from around the world and will feature a large outdoor dining terrace.

New York-based Rosa Mexicano brings a fine dining concept of traditional and nouvelle Mexican food within a contemporary David Rockwell design. Known for their pomegranate margaritas, guacamole freshly prepared tableside, and indoor water wall, Rosa Mexicano currently operates five locations in the Northeast.

Los Angeles' own culinary icon, Wolfgang Puck will bring an exciting new California cuisine concept of fresh seafood, salads and steaks concept to L.A. LIVE in a 7,500 square foot location. The space, centrally located on NOKIA Plaza, will also be used for private parties and special events.

Several quick service restaurants are planned for L.A. LIVE as well. Starbucks will bring its popular coffee house concept to an approximately 1,800 square foot space indoors plus outdoor patio seating. A quick service restaurant will offer traditional deli sandwiches, salads and catering in a 2,800 square foot restaurant next door to New Zealand Natural Ice Cream, a 650 square foot premium ice cream shop whose parent company operates over 100 locations internationally.

Bowling
Hollywood's own Lucky Strike will occupy approximately 24,000 feet on the second floor offering a cafe' and bar, plus billiard tables, dart and private function rooms in addition to 18 state-of-the-art bowling lanes.

Cinemas and Premiere House
The West coast flagship for Regal Cinemas will be built at L.A. LIVE including a new 140,000 square feet of state-of-the-art cinema with 14 screens and 3,800 seats including an 800-seat house suitable for the industry's most glamorous movie premieres. With close proximity to the convention center and the headquarters hotel meeting and ballroom spaces, it is also expected that the theaters will be utilized during the day for corporate presentations and break out space.

Corporate Office Space
L.A. LIVE will become the 25,000 square foot executive headquarters for AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, and the developer of L.A. LIVE. AEG, one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world, owns and/or operates many of the nation's most popular and successful facilities, venues and sports teams including, STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, NOKIA Theatre Times Square, London's new The 02 arena and the Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Galaxy. A state-of-the-art, HD broadcast studio with a panoramic view of NOKIA Plaza and suitable for live and recorded broadcasts, will be adjacent to AEG's third floor offices.

Herbalife will relocate its executive offices to 60,000 square feet at L.A. LIVE's Nokia Plaza. Led by Chairman and CEO Michael O. Johnson, Herbalife is a highly successful, publicly traded company with more than one million independent distributors marketing more than 100 nutritional supplements in more than 60 countries. Herbalife is a founding partner and corporate sponsor of many AEG-managed events and facilities.

Holme Roberts & Owen, an international law firm with offices in London, Munich, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado and Utah, will lease 25,000 square feet of office space within L.A. LIVE to support its continuing growth in Los Angeles.

Museum
The Recording Academy (NARAS) and AEG are together developing The GRAMMY Museum, the permanent home for the GRAMMY Awards. Slated to open in October 2008 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary year of the GRAMMY Awards, the one-of-a-kind museum experience will be the cornerstone of the exciting L.A. LIVE development and is expected to draw over 300,000 visitors annually.

The GRAMMY Museum will introduce artists of all musical genres, unveil the creative process, teach the art and science of recorded music, examine its rich history, demonstrate its evolution, and celebrate the pinnacle of the music industry's success - the annual GRAMMY awards telecast. Guests will experience music from a never before seen insider perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum, with the support of The Recording Academy, can deliver.

Located on four levels at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street, the 33,400 square foot museum will bring guests through a unique, interactive journey and educational opportunity unlike any other. A rooftop event terrace for over 450 guests will host private functions and fundraising galas and will enjoy spectacular views of downtown.

The GRAMMY Museum will introduce artists of all musical genres, unveil the creative process, teach the art and science of recorded music, examine its rich history, demonstrate its evolution, and celebrate the pinnacle of the music industry's success, The GRAMMY Award telecast. Guests will experience music from a never-before-seen insider perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum, with the support of The Recording Academy, can deliver.

HOTELS
Designed by Gensler, the 1,001 guest room, 1,150,000 square foot Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotel soaring over 54 stories in the sky will serve as the focal point of the entire district and a venerable beacon for the South Park neighborhood. Operated as two separate entities under The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott brands, the hotel will serve both the convention, group meeting and tourist market on its competitively priced main floors, as well as offering five-star accommodations on its upper levels for headline performers, visiting sports teams and executives doing business at L.A. LIVE and downtown. Guests of the hotel will enjoy spectacular views of the Westside, South Bay, ocean and downtown skyline. The hotel will also include substantial meeting, ballroom and amenity space, planned in excess of 84,000 square feet including the largest ballroom in Southern California with capability of serving 3,000 seated guests. The tower will also include 224 luxury Ritz Residence condominiums on its uppermost floors, enjoying optimal views and amenities such as valet, concierge, maid and food services provided by The Ritz-Carlton.

Up to 400 additional guest rooms are planed as part of a second "boutique" hotel in a later phase of development.

RESIDENTIAL
By 2008, over 60,000 people are expected to live in Greater Downtown Los Angeles, with many of the new residential projects near L.A. LIVE already underway. The public planning process for L.A. LIVE has served as a major stimulus in rejuvenating the downtown core, specifically by invigorating the high-density urban residential neighborhood and establishing a pedestrian district. The following is a short list of projects completed, under construction or planned within walking distance to L.A. LIVE:

Project Location Developer Details Status
Flower Lofts 12th & Flower Lee Group 91 Condos Completed
Met Lofts 11th & Flower Forest City 264 Apartments/8,500 Retail Completed
Grand Ave. Lofts 11th & Grand Lee Group/CIM 66 Condos/Rehab Completed
"elleven" 11th & Grand Williams & Dame / Gerding Edlin 181 Condos Completed
"Luma" 11th & Hope Williams & Dame / Gerding Edlin 236 Condos Completed
"Evo" 12th & Grand Williams & Dame / Gerding Edlin 311 Condos Under Construction
Figueroa South (East Parcel) 12th & Figueroa Williams & Dame 448 Condos/48,000 Retail Planned
Figueroa Central 11th & Figueroa The Moinian Group 860 Condos/250,000 Retail Planned
Olive St. Lofts 11th & Olive Lee Group/CIM 105 Condos Under Construction
Name TBA Olympic & Figueroa Hanover Group 156 Apartments/7,400 Restaurant Under Construction
Figueroa South (West Parcel) 12th & Figueroa Williams & Dame 200 Condos/30,000 Retail Planned
Glass Tower 11th & Grand Kalmarari Group 128 Live/Work Condos /5,000 Retail Planned
FIDM Olympic & Flower FIDM 112 Apartments/95,000 Office/Classroom Planned
Concerto 9th & Figueroa Astani 629 Condos/32,000 Retail Planned
Ralph's Building 9th & Hope Lee Group/CIM 286 Condos/65,000 Retail Under Construction
TIMING
L.A. LIVE is being developed over a five-year time frame in 3 phases. Construction commenced on the first phase in September 2005 and will open in October 2007 with the NOKIA Theatre l.a. live and NOKIA Plaza.

The second phase will open in October of 2008 with the ESPN offices and studio, the ESPN zone, the restaurants, the Grammy museum, Club NOKIA, The Conga Room, Lucky Strike, the broadcast studio and the corporate office space.

The third phase will complete the project in late 2009 with the opening of the JW Marriott, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences, ballrooms and Regal Cinemas.

ECONOMIC IMPACT
L.A. LIVE, a multi-billion dollar development, will produce an economic impact of over $10 billion, create more than 25,000 jobs, and produce more than $18 million in new annual tax events/room rights revenues. When complete, over 13.5 million visitors are expected annually.

PARKING
Approximately 3,500 new parking spaces will be added to the existing parking supply servicing STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The district-wide parking management strategy will involve shared parking among many demand generators and will build upon the successfully operating parking program at STAPLES Center to distribute peak parking demand throughout L.A. LIVE while providing ample close-in parking to serve tenant and customer needs. Employee parking will be located at remote facilities within a few block walk or shuttle ride.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
L.A LIVE is well served by public transportation systems including the MTA Blue Line Station at Pico and Flower Streets, the MTA Red Line Subway at 7th and Figueroa, the LA Dot Downtown DASH shuttle service and numerous MTA regional and local bus routes. L.A. LIVE is also centrally located within the regional freeway system with seven major interchanges on the nearby 110 and 10 freeways and on a grid of major arterial streets with excellent inbound traffic capacity during the high traffic volume peak periods. The district will feature wide sidewalks, rich landscaping and attractive hardscape features aimed at connecting various venues while also providing linkages to adjacent residential and commercial areas and public transit.

^^ I wish all this was all completed and we had our first SSC meet there....

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wow! , so much excitment.

So the street is not completely going to close??... just in special occasions??

wow....its much further along than I thought........is the plan still to have huge screens (similar to times square in a way) on the outside facing fig and olympic ?

wow....its much further along than I thought........is the plan still to have huge screens (similar to times square in a way) on the outside facing fig and olympic ?

Man, if we only could only have a better curfew call. Closing everything- bars, and clubs at 2 am sucks. I wish they could make it 4am ONLY IN downtown.only!!!:banana: :dance: That would bring all kinds of clubs and crate a more 24/7 feel. I am just saying that at 1:30am you are already getting last calls. At 1:30 am I am barley getting "my drink on".

I would like to see the Oscars return to DT and held in the Nokia theatre. It's the perfect place for such a big awards show.

Well the Grammys would be held at Nokia, which is better than nothing, right!

This is going to be big. At first I thought it was cute but now it's like wow! Think of the construction that this will spur around it!

Well the Grammys would be held at Nokia, which is better than nothing, right!

Let's get them all at the Nokia.

Let's get them all at the Nokia.


^ I'm sure MTV awards, nick kidz award, Latin Grammys, and other awards would be held @ Nokia. As far as the Oscar's, if I'm not mistaken they have a long term contract with kodak Theater @ H/H. Can someone confirm this?

Oscars should stay in Hollywood... we don't want to detract from Hollywood to benefit DT. Hollywood has its own renaissance going on.

im really reallly excited for this....yeah yeah!!!

so chick hearn court wont be a street anymore? its just gonna be a walkway?

I would like to see the Oscars return to DT and held in the Nokia theatre. It's the perfect place for such a big awards show.

the Oscars should stay in hollywood. DTLA and Hollywood should provide the one two punch, especially since there is the red line subway connecting the two major neighborhoods. Hopefully Hollywood and DTLA both continue to grow rapidly.

so chick hearn court wont be a street anymore? its just gonna be a walkway?

I dont think its permanent. I believe its only during special red carpet events. They may never close it, but they are putting the mechanisms in place in order to close it if necessary. I think the developers want it to remain open, urban and dynamic, but they also want to make it conducive to major red carpet events.

^ I'm sure MTV awards, nick kidz award, Latin Grammys, and other awards would be held @ Nokia. As far as the Oscar's, if I'm not mistaken they have a long term contract with kodak Theater @ H/H. Can someone confirm this?

Oscars are going to be in the Kodak for a long time, as they should be. I dont have the resource, but I remember that during the negotiation process, the hollywood chamber of commerce forced the Acamedy Awards Association to commit long term.

Oscars are going to be in the Kodak for a long time, as they should be. I dont have the resource, but I remember that during the negotiation process, the hollywood chamber of commerce forced the Acamedy Awards Association to commit long term.


^ It's something in that nature about long term lease and whatnot. I like for it to remain in Hollywood, since that's were it really belongs.

It would be better if they closed down permanently Chick Hearn Court.

why?? then Limos cant drive up for the red carpet
are they going to park on the side and walk up to the Nokia???

This is going to be big. At first I thought it was cute but now it's like wow! Think of the construction that this will spur around it!

I concur!!!!

:banana:

It would be better if they closed down permanently Chick Hearn Court.

Close up Chick Hearn Court and turn it into another version of the Third Street Promenade? Nahhhhh!

I concur!!!!

:banana:

I'm gona get my drink on!!!:banana: 4am curfew In D.T baby. Hell drunk people can walk home or use our transit system. Just hope you don't stager in skid row. Or worst off get deported :laugh: \


I want to see lot's bright signs, some short skirts, and a lot of drunk peeps! Drunk peeps always make it fun. SOmetimes.

I'm gona get my drink on!!!:banana: 4am curfew In D.T baby. Hell drunk people can walk home or use our transit system. Just hope you don't stager in skid row. Or worst off get deported :laugh: \


I want to see lot's bright signs, some short skirts, and a lot of drunk peeps! Drunk peeps always make it fun. SOmetimes.

Oh helll yesss, I can see it already! Great minds think on similar wavelengths!!! :lol: It'll be great, and especially sweet on days when the cross-town rivals...Lakers and Clippers play the Hallway Series. Thousands of Laker fans and Clipper fans decked out from head to toe in their respected team's jerseys and regalia, drunk and in a daze walking all around Nokia Plaza like ants pouring out of an ant hill, attracted by all the oh-so-sweet smells and bright lights of LA Live. ESPN Studios West will be beaming live feeds. The battle of LA will start here and not just on the hardwood! (Hope they get lotsa security!) LOL.. Sexy mamas parading around in their oh-so-tight mini skirts and baby-Tees, baby-Uni'z... necklines gleaming with ICE bearing the team's logos.

For Lakers fans, it'll be like bling bling! 2000, 2001, 2002 revisited. The shimmer, shine, and the MAGIC of SHOWTIME resurrected! Just like how old Chicky would like it!!! Are you readyyyy to rummmbbblle???!!!:)

^ As far as the Oscar's, if I'm not mistaken they have a long term contract with kodak Theater @ H/H. Can someone confirm this?

Actually it's a year to year lease for the Oscars so they can leave at any time. Kodak is the one with a long term contract to pay to have it's name on the theatre.

Actually it's a year to year lease for the Oscars so they can leave at any time. Kodak is the one with a long term contract to pay to have it's name on the theatre.



^ Hey thanks for clearing that up ETO. Although I still think that the Oscar's are to remain in H/H for the next couple of years.

Hey what's with your username?

Sexy mamas parading around in their oh-so-tight mini skirts and baby-Tees, baby-Uni'z...
)
Please God NO!!:cry:

how about yes^^

Hey what's with your username?

Very simple. It's the initials of my homeowners association and the three numbers of my street address. Anyone could have figured that out...in a million years. Heh! Heh!

Very simple. It's the initials of my homeowners association and the three numbers of my street address. Anyone could have figured that out...in a million years. Heh! Heh!



^ I know exactly where that's at... expect me to knock in your door one of these days...:hilarious

This is going to be big. At first I thought it was cute but now it's like wow! Think of the construction that this will spur around it!

I had the same reaction. THey have covered all of the bases. Tons of venue space, live broadcasts, bright signs, widened sidewalks, tangential development, quality restaurants, new businesses and invesment, high rise, etc.

I love how people compare this to citywalk. Do the lakers play in citywalk? Does citywalk have a huge convention center or lots of corporate space? Does city walk have luxury residences and a 54 story high rise? Is citywalk surrounded by a potential pedestrian and dense urban enviornment with mandatory ground level retail? Will citywalk have movie premiers, the grammy's, sportscenter live, or anything else nationally televised? Does citywalk have a semmingly legit Museum and 3 high end live venues? Does LA live have a GAP or Abercrombie or any other mall store?

I think the makers of LA live have great partners , a good vision, and well balanced plan. It may not be perfect, but I think it is good enough. THis is a place to see bright lights and LIVE national action. It isnt a place for teenie-bops to shop at the GAP or Soccer Moms from the midwest to go to some theme park.

BEst of all, it is being built in phases. By phase 2 it might be so successful that more businesses and partners want to move in. THis is good because LA live has tons of hooks for expansion space. Additional rooms and events spaces are everywhere so that it can reach more and more capacity. They also have extra broadcast facilites if needed so that more than ESPN can broadcast live. They have extra extra business space if needed and they are expanding the convention center to meet potential future demand. They have sold off all the adjacent parcels already for additional development in case LA live explodes. They also have plans for an additional boutique hotel if more beds are needed. Cedd Moses is even hooking it up by building an exlusive high roller club to keep the celebs and high profile business people coming. In general I dont care about celebs or the whole hollywood scene but it seems that LA live is striking the perfect balance between catering to high profile guests and normal people. For instance, the Ritz residences offer 5 star services for celebs while the marriot caters to normal people. Both can coexist in the same building. Most spaces are for in LA live are designed to be public while a very small percentage are trying to cater to private VIP events. Hollywood would be 100% VIP if it could!

I am rambling, but I just think they are doing a lot more things right than I thought they would. It might do well, it might not, but it seems that they are giving the development a lot of thought, and that is always good.

There's no way in hell you can compare LA Live w/ Citiwalk at all. It's two completely different beast.

There's no way in hell you can compare LA Live w/ Citiwalk at all. It's two completely different beast.

There is no comparison, but some feel there is. ACtually some people wanted to stop it from happening because they called it a bonafide citywalk.

Well those people are going to be singing a different tune once LA live in complete. There going to feel the city energy and I guarantee they'll be returning for more.

Give it time.... before they the Wow affect!

Oscars are going to be in the Kodak for a long time, as they should be. I dont have the resource, but I remember that during the negotiation process, the hollywood chamber of commerce forced the Acamedy Awards Association to commit long term.

Even if the Oscars don't have a long term lease I doubt AEG would want them to move to the Nokia. Since AEG runs (or will run in the case of the Nokia) both theatres I don't think they would be trying to steal name events from themselves. If I'm not mistaken it's the Emmy Awards that will be the new "major" event for the Nokia.

The Grammy Awards will most likely stay at Staples Center (another AEG facility) when they are in LA since the Grammy Award folks made a decision a few years back to make the awards more of a arena event in an attempt to add more of a concert vibe to the show and liven them up a bit.

Well those people are going to be singing a different tune once LA live in complete. There going to feel the city energy and I guarantee they'll be returning for more.

Give it time.... before they the Wow affect!

I agree. I think most people will be pleasantly suprised, and I think the area will work well for many different types of people. I am pretty confident.

Even if the Oscars don't have a long term lease I doubt AEG would want them to move to the Nokia. Since AEG runs (or will run in the case of the Nokia) both theatres I don't think they would be trying to steal name events from themselves. If I'm not mistaken it's the Emmy Awards that will be the new "major" event for the Nokia.

The Grammy Awards will most likely stay at Staples Center (another AEG facility) when they are in LA since the Grammy Award folks made a decision a few years back to make the awards more of a arena event in an attempt to add more of a concert vibe to the show and liven them up a bit.

First of all it's not AEG that decides where the Oscars are held, it's the AMPAS board of directors and they can pick any venue in Los Angeles for their next Oscar show as they have done in past years, most notably the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Shrine Auditorium.

First of all it's not AEG that decides where the Oscars are held, it's the AMPAS board of directors and they can pick any venue in Los Angeles for their next Oscar show as they have done in past years, most notably the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Shrine Auditorium.

True, it is the various Academies that select the venues for their awards ceremonies. My point is that since all of the facilities are booked by AEG I would doubt they would be actively recruiting a major event from one of their own facilities. Business wise, it makes more sense for publicity to have at least one major televised event at each of the facilities (Oscar @ Kodak, Grammy @ Staples, and Emmy @ Nokia). The Emmy awards are the only one currently not utilizing an AEG location (I guess you could also list the Grammy Awards when then use Madison Square Gardens in NYC).

Although I guess in reality it all speculation since the only thing AEG is saying on their website is: NOKIA Theatre l.a. live will look to host the Latin GRAMMY® Awards and ESPY Awards, as well as numerous other productions from VH1, MTV, and BET.

UPDATE: I found an article that confirms why I thought the Emmy Awards were going to be held @ the Nokia. Apparently, when the theatre was first announced the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences signed a letter of intent to move to their awards show to the new venue for 15 years. However, due to construction delays they withdrew that letter.

Here's a link to the article: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_30_26/ai_n6154326

It would be better if they closed down permanently Chick Hearn Court.

IN this rendering it looks like it will be closed off. The street surface is the same as the plaza area.

http://www.nokiatheatrela.com/images/gallery_01.jpg

I believe they've said it will only be closed off for special events. I'm not sure what qualifies as "special" though... could be talking about events as rare as the Grammy's or as common as a Lakers game.

Let's face it, the Nokia theatre is better suited for the Oscars. As the academy membership has grown to more than 6,000 members, venues such as the 6,600 seat Shrine auditorium was the preferred theatre for the ceremonies as recent as 2001. The Nokia theatre will have a seating capacity for 7,100 so everyone including guests will be able to attend. Even a spokesman for AEG said the Nokia theatre is specifically built to host award shows. So don't be surprised if sometime in the near future AMPAS announces that the Academy Awards will be moving to the Nokia theatre.

^I don't think the Academy Awards will want to or should move to the Nokia Theater. The Kodak Theater is an incredible, glamorous venue and is the perfect fit for the AA - AND it's on Hollywood Boulevard!! I think they're content there and will not be announcing a move any time soon. Nokia Theater is doing well with its lineup of award shows already.

IN this rendering it looks like it will be closed off. The street surface is the same as the plaza area.

http://www.nokiatheatrela.com/images/gallery_01.jpg

if you look closely you can tell its a street.

^I don't think the Academy Awards will want to or should move to the Nokia Theater. The Kodak Theater is an incredible, glamorous venue and is the perfect fit for the AA - AND it's on Hollywood Boulevard!! I think they're content there and will not be announcing a move any time soon. Nokia Theater is doing well with its lineup of award shows already.

Sentiments aside, the Oscars have been held everywhere in Los Angeles including at three downtown venues (Shrine, Dorothy Chandler, Biltmore Bowl) and there's no reason the academy would not want to have it at the Nokia, a much larger theatre for the academy awards. The Kodak is not a perfect fit. It is much too small. Furthermore, I don't think it is glamouros at all and it's not historical. It's a new theatre with that fake art deco look. Even the Los Angeles Orpheum on Broadway is a better choice.

Sentiments aside, the Oscars have been held everywhere in Los Angeles including at three downtown venues (Shrine, Dorothy Chandler, Biltmore Bowl) and there's no reason the academy would not want to have it at the Nokia, a much larger theatre for the academy awards. The Kodak is not a perfect fit. It is much too small. Furthermore, I don't think it is glamouros at all and it's not historical. It's a new theatre with that fake art deco look. Even the Los Angeles Orpheum on Broadway is a better choice.

The Academy Awards were held at all those venues for lack of a better place. I never said the Kodak was historical, but it is a good match for for the AA b/c it's in the heart of Hollywood, exactly where the movie making business originated. Nokia doesn't look all the glamorous either, especially from the interior renderings. I'm not sold on the idea.

The Academy Awards were held at all those venues for lack of a better place. I never said the Kodak was historical, but it is a good match for for the AA b/c it's in the heart of Hollywood, exactly where the movie making business originated. Nokia doesn't look all the glamorous either, especially from the interior renderings. I'm not sold on the idea.

What do you mean lack of a better place? The historic Shrine Auditorium is three times bigger than the Kodak and the art deco style is real not fake. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is a glamourous setting with it's huge crystal chandeliers and wide staircases. These are two very different theatres that suited the Academy members for 32 years. If they are so happy with the Kodak why don't they commit to a long term lease instead of year to year?

What do you mean lack of a better place? The historic Shrine Auditorium is three times bigger than the Kodak and the art deco style is real not fake. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is a glamourous setting with it's huge crystal chandeliers and wide staircases. These are two very different theatres that suited the Academy members for 32 years. If they are so happy with the Kodak why don't they commit to a long term lease instead of year to year?

I meant lack of a better place in Hollywood. I believe the Academy Awards belongs in Hollywood, and obviously so does the Academy. If they were so happy with the other locations, why did they opt to leave them?

Nokia Theatre will be fine. It doesn't need to compete with the Kodak Theatre for the Oscars. Hollywood is where the Academy Awards belongs and I don't see it fitting well in Downtown LA or anywhere else for the matter. If anything Nokia has to compete with Staples Center for events. How ironic huh? An AEG venue competing with another AEG venue...It'll be like competing with its big brother.

From SSP:

Here are those renders I promised of the Ritz!

In my opinion, the Tower is too far from the downtown skyline, having the "Transamerica Effect", so I'm not that crazy about its placement. Hopefully more towers will be planned around LAlive. Since we dont know the height, I assumed it'd be a little bit higher than the 777 tower.

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Although, I do like the Tower itself :yes:

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I thought the Kodak was owned by the City of L.A.??

ETOA is right. The big awards should go to the big theaters. Personally I liked the Shrine best.

well maybe because Of terrorist attacks... they should make some kind of invantion like PARASHOOTS>. lol

oh and also....

L.A. like I heard its going to be flashy like Time Square..... and they are planning on connecting the LA Live with the Grand Ave.. with maybe using the Angels flight...

well maybe because Of terrorist attacks... they should make some kind of invantion like PARASHOOTS>. lol

oh and also....

L.A. like I heard its going to be flashy like Time Square..... and they are planning on connecting the LA Live with the Grand Ave.. with maybe using the Angels flight...

no, not angel's flight...possibly a red car trolley sytem

From SSP:

l.a. live
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please tell me there gonna have some LEDs lined up on fig

^ There going to have some LED's lined up on Fig.

The problem I see arising with LA Live is the seemingly liberal implementation of plazas and open-air areas. While it is good to have these, I feel too much of them, such as from what I see so far of the project and the adjacent LA Central project, not only deprives these projects of added density, but makes enjoying the facilities a journey with all the walking involved. I feel the Arclight plaza area by the Arclight theatre in Hollywood is a role model for making plaza space. Over there by the Arclight, there is a gap between the theatre and the parallel restaurant that is not too big yet not too small, and provides sufficient open space to relax.

Some L.A live pics i took today

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Plans for the L.A. Live development may have included a possible expansion to the Los Angeles Convention Centre.

^ Have those plans been scrapped?

LA Live’s Nokia Theatre Opening in the Fall

Downtown Becomes a Destination With LA Live making substantial progress, Senior V.P. of Real Estate Ted Tanner explains AEG's vision for Downtown L.A.'s newest destination.

The construction of LA Live is making progress, as is immediately apparent to anyone who has driven along the 110 Freeway through Downtown L.A. in recent months. But even with buildings taking shape with more detail every passing day, the project’s biggest, most ambitious element only recently broke ground. In order to catch up with the ongoing details of the development shortly after the groundbreaking for the project’s 54-story Ritz-Carlton hotel, TPR was pleased to speak with AEG’s Senior V.P. of Real Estate and veteran of the Downtown development scene, Ted Tanner.
LA Live has been moving along nicely; construction is on schedule, and you recently broke ground on the 54-story, Ritz-Carlton hotel. What is the current status of the project, and when can we expect to see some of the promised elements of the development delivered?

The first component of the project, the 7,100-seat Nokia Theater located directly north of Staples and Chick Hearn Court, will open this October. At that time we will also open Nokia Plaza, a one-acre open space forming the main entry court for Nokia Theater, which when Chick Hearn Court is closed, is a key element of the pedestrian realm surrounding LA Live.

The second components are the buildings that are being steel-framed and skinned right now, including the ESPN building at 11th and Figueroa. It is a five-story building with about 130,000 square feet of gross building area. ESPN’s radio and TV broadcast studios and support space will occupy the top floors, and a two-level ESPN Zone will occupy the lower levels. The Zone is due to open September 2008 and the broadcast studios would come online in the first quarter of 2009.

The other big building that’s currently being steel-framed on the south side of Olympic between Figueroa and Georgia streets is our AEG Entertainment Building. It’s a 430,000-square-foot, five-level building. The ground floor consists of eight restaurants, six of which have signed leases; two are in final stages. Occupying the upper floors are a number of live entertainment venues: the eighteen-lane Lucky Strikes bowling club, the 60,000-square-foot Club Nokia, a live music venue with capacity for 2,300, and a 13,000-square-foot Conga Room. The Grammy Museum is a 32,000-square-foot facility that will be stacked on three levels above the corner of Olympic and Figueroa. A terrace will occupy the rooftop space above the museum. Approximately 165,000 square feet of office space that will occupy four levels on the western portion of the building and will house Herbalife, AEG HRO, ESPN Radio as its prime tenants.

The core and shell of this structure will be completed next April with all tenants moved in and fully occupied by the fall of 2008. That completes the three-building composition around Nokia Plaza by fall of 2008. On June 1, we broke ground on the 54-story Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences which includes JW Marriott Hotel of 878 rooms, a luxury Ritz-Carlton Hotel of 123 rooms and 224 luxury condominiums that will be branded as Ritz residences, offering all the amenities and services of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, such as room and maid services, concierge, valet, and more.

Given the housing data that’s been driving prices down nationally, have you been having any trouble marketing the residential units?

We have currently received 160 reservations—more than two thirds of the total number of units in the building. We limited the initial marketing effort to a limited group of friends and family, partners, tenants, suite owners, and premier seat holders at Staples Center, so we really haven’t begun our broad based public marketing campaign.

We expect to open our marketing center in September in the Petroleum Building at the corner of Flower and Olympic. We’re buoyed by the success we’ve had with our reservation program to date and we expect to have our white report soon, which will allow us to convert those reservations to contracts over the summer. I think the market is recognizing that this is a very unique project. It offers a lot of amenities, not only the extraordinary benefits of being a Ritz-Carlton-branded residence, which has established premium value around the country but also all the amenities of being right in the midst of LA Live. The plan is to have the hotels completed December of 2009, and begin closing units and moving people into their residences through the first and second quarters of 2010.

In an interview with TPR in 2000, Tim Leiweke said, “If we ever figure out how to link the central city and Exposition Park area, Downtown L.A. will be one of the great urban areas in the United States.” It’s been seven years since that interview, have you figured it out this linkage challenge?

We’re working on it. Together with a number of stakeholders, we have put together an exciting vision statement for what we’re calling a “Figueroa Corridor Improvement Effort,” to better connect communities and encourage high density residential infill, but also to provide amenities of a great boulevard such as improved landscaping, wide sidewalks, bikeways, areas for dog-walking, new parks and open space, as well as important land use changes. This private initiative is now being presented to CRA, MTA, City Planning, as well as the Council and Mayor’s Office.

The city, the Planning Department, and the CRA have, for years, favored project by project planning. Is this changing? Is LA Live integrated with the rest of Downtown? What ought the Planning Department do to assure that Downtown will be a livable, destination center?

Gail Goldberg has brought in a fresh perspective about the need for innovation and inclusiveness in the planning process and she has been very straightforward with her views about density and the creation of a livable and sustainable community. I believe she is aware of some of the good work that has been done to create a pedestrian-friendly urban realm in the South Park area. Good examples include what the South Group is doing with the area surrounding Luma, Elleven, and Evo, coupled with the hardscape and the landscape program that we are implementing which include expanding the width of sidewalks by setting back our private development an additional eight feet to create more pedestrian-oriented areas and outdoor seating areas to enliven the street edges.

LA Live faced and surmounted a number of challenges along the way to completion. Who are your partners, owners, and underwriters?

Regarding LA Live—which includes Nokia Theater, the ESPN building, the AEG Entertainment Building, and the parking garages both east and west of Georgia—we’ve been able to secure long-term financing based on the strength of our own commitments, the commitments of our district sponsors and founding partners like Nokia, Wachovia, Toyota and others as well as many tenants we have under binding leases. All of the development currently underway has guaranteed maximum price contracts locking in our costs and avoiding further risk of construction cost inflation, which has been the bane to all developers in Southern California recently. So on the LA Live development side, we’ve secured our future and have a very solid financing plan in place with Wachovia and Bank of America as co-leads.

With regard to the hotels and residences, the key was getting the reinvestment of the TOT approved by the city. We went through a couple of tough steps, losing Lew Wolff and his partners Apollo and Hilton as the hotel operator due to rising construction costs, and late last year KB Urban withdrew. Afterward, in order to get it done, we realized that we were going to have to step in and do it ourselves. We brought in a phenomenal equity partner in the McFarlane Group. We view them as solid partner in the development of the hotels and residences, and together we have secured all necessary financing in excess of $900 million with Credit Suisse First Boston as our lead bank. We’re on our way. We are, as we speak, locking up GMP contracts with 3 major contractors to spread the workload and risk.

Author and planning critic Joel Kotkin recently wrote that “The whole of LA Live is an absurdity for a city like L.A., which has a huge and unsubsidized entertainment industry. Stuff like ESPN Zone and other packaged entertainment is unnecessary for a city like L.A. If you’re bored in L.A., get another life.” What’s your reaction to Kotkin’s assessment?

Tim Leiweke has made a key point in the past, and I think he’s absolutely right, that so much of the entertainment, or content, that’s created here in Los Angeles is not part of a public awareness. His view was to make LA Live a “content campus,” where all the big live events occur in a more public place such as award shows, a rollout of a brand or new product, a community celebration, a Fashion Week or Electronic Expo. Those are events that bring people and products together. We have a great opportunity, with all the venues in LA Live, to create an extraordinary environment that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the country: a true stage for the world’s great events. I think that’s what people and companies are responding to; that’s what creating the value, and that is what people want to be part of.

You’ve been an interviewee of TPR’s off and on for the 20+ years we’ve been publishing. What has your learning curve been like over two decades of place-making?

Pretty humbling and quite amazing. As you can imagine, beginning at the Produce Market with Mayor Bradley and then to Union Station with Catellus, it’s been fantastic to be a part of bringing great historic properties back to life. As a regular user of Union Station to shuttle to LAX or pick up family or friends, it has been particularly rewarding to see this icon reclaim its key role in our city life.

When I took this position at AEG with Tim, I had no idea that I’d be doing what I am now, traveling around the world working on the most exciting projects in our industry. I have the most amazing respect and regard for AEG’s vision, courage and commitment to go beyond where everybody else has been—to set the bar in entertainment worldwide.

What did you mean when you used the word “courage” to describe AEG?

In the case of our hotel/condo project, following 8 years working with many of the nation’s best developers and hotel chains, we decided to step up and take it on ourselves. This was the most challenging project I have ever been part of and I don’t think anything quite like it has been done anywhere before. We began with a large group hotel with major ballroom and meeting spaces, combined it with a 5 star luxury brand and then layered a huge number of serviced condos on top over 2M square feet, during a time period when construction costs were rising and the residential market was slowing—it was daunting.

But our ownership said, “We’ve got to do this and now is the time.” We were convinced that we could sell the units and get the hotels to a level of profitability, with the support of the TOT reinvestment to make it a worthwhile project. And I’m confident it will be.

Lastly, being able to take our ideas about making entertainment destinations to other places such as London, Berlin, possibly Shanghai, then adapt and reshape them to local customs and cultures, has been one of the most incredible and unexpected opportunities. AEG is a truly dynamic company willing to take significant risk to deliver the very best entertainment experiences to artists, our customers and partners.

Check out the webcam so you could see how the hole is really deepening.

August 4, 2007

LA Live/Nokia Theater/Convention Center Expansion
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that bright green wallboard is fun. too bad it's soon to be covered up. ;)

My hope is that The Grammys are kept in L.A., the way New York kept the MTV Video Music Awards from coming back. :cheers:

My hope is that The Grammys are kept in L.A., the way New York kept the MTV Video Music Awards from coming back. :cheers:

Music is a mojor L.A. industry, i dont think the Grammys are going anywhere anytime soon. There even making a GRAMMY MUSEUM at L.A. Live..

Actually, let the Video Music Awards stay there, I hate MTV.

My hope is that The Grammys are kept in L.A., the way New York kept the MTV Video Music Awards from coming back. :cheers:

Don't worry about it. Looks like the Grammy Awards will be kept in Los Angeles permanently and the Nokia Theatre will be Grammy's permanent home, what with the Grammy museum nearby. Besides I doubt that N.Y. has a theatre that seats as many as the Nokia Theatre's 7100 seating capacity and let's not forget that Grammy is a home grown native of Los Angeles so it should be kept here. It's quite possible that the MTV Video Music Awards may return to Los Angeles and the Nokia Theatre.

My hope is that The Grammys are kept in L.A., the way New York kept the MTV Video Music Awards from coming back. :cheers:

The VMA's were last in LA in 1998. Since then, they've been in NY, Miami, and (a first, this year at the Palms in Vegas). But I wouldn't doubt that the VMA's will come to Nokia in 2009 or 2010.

MTV sucks. let new yorkers deal with that crap of an awards show.

Anyways im lovin how LA Live is coming along. When i get back in town i gotta make sure to check it out

is the hotel tower under construction?

Yes it is, right now the foundation is u/c.

there putting up the 6 billboard towers.

Photos courtesy of funhaus at SSP

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/light.jpg


http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/LIGHTTOWER.jpg

L.A. Live job fair happening today. With so much construction going on, it doesn't look nearly done, but I guess it is close!

where are the LED advertisements gonna be at?

There won't be any.

I got the impression that LED imagery was the latest, greatest? :cheers:

will there be an Metro Station for LA Live?

will there be an Metro Station for LA Live?


Yes, Blue Line on Pico.

is that expo or blue line? seems inadequat for LA Live.

The Expo and Blue lines will share this and the 7th Street Metro Center stations. At this point they are one and the same.

is that expo or blue line? seems inadequat for LA Live.

is that expo or blue line? seems inadequat for LA Live.


^ Actually it would be both Blue/Expo in a near future. For the time being is only Blue on Pico and Red on 7th/Fig.

is that expo or blue line? seems inadequat for LA Live.

Both. You walk through LA Central to get to LA Live.

That sounds so hot

*Rioding the expo to ge to downtown. Get off, walk around, go through LA Central, chop some more, then end uup at a theatre in LA Live. Then at then take the expo back home*

^ Drunk? Or typing in the dark?

Lol.

Hahaha

WHOOPS.

Yes, I was drunk. But you get what I was saying. Do you?

I understand.