HOLLYWOOD | Development News [Archive]

saiholmes

February 13th, 2007, 06:00 AM

Sequel planned at iconic corner
Work begins today on a huge multiuse complex that may revitalize Hollywood and Vine.
By Roger Vincent, Times Staff Writer
February 12, 2007

Construction is set to begin today on a long-awaited $600-million hotel, residential and retail project at the iconic intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood.

The massive development is regarded by planners as a bookend to the glitzy retail and entertainment complex nine blocks away at Hollywood and Highland Avenue, which is the home of the Kodak Theatre and next to Graumann's Chinese.

The new project calls for a 305-room W hotel with 143 adjoining condominiums that would receive hotel services, the first such complex in Los Angeles. Also part of the plan for the southeast corner of the intersection: 375 luxury apartments, restaurants, a nightclub, stores and a spa.

Major development is already underway at two other corners of the famed intersection.

"We'll see a lot of activity up and down Hollywood Boulevard" prompted by the project, predicted one of the developers, Dennis Cavallari, senior vice president of Legacy Partners.

"Everyone is hoping for a renaissance that will make it a pedestrian-oriented retail district," he added.

The project on a site surrounding a Metro Rail subway stop has been planned for about five years.

Some real estate industry observers were skeptical that it would ever happen because they doubted that there would be enough demand among travelers and buyers to support it.

The blocks around the intersection, once at the center of the region's broadcasting industry, had fallen into disrepute by the 1980s.

"Hollywood used to be the last place you would think affluent people would want to reside," said real estate broker John Tronson of Ramsey-Shilling Co. "I think a lot of people had doubts anybody would truly sign up to build a high-end product."

The project is being developed by Legacy Partners of Foster City, Calif., and Gatehouse Capital Corp. of Dallas. Gatehouse President Marty Collins said the Hollywood "brand" had survived the down-and-out decades and still held global appeal that can be capitalized on.

By the time the project is completed in mid-2009, Collins hopes to attract buyers willing to pay from $600,000 to more than $1 million for condos. He expects the hotel to appeal most to business travelers in the fields of entertainment, fashion, art and design.

The builders have applied to the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council for certification of the project as an environmentally friendly development.

"It's going to be one of the very first full-service" green hotels, Collins said. For potential guests that W is targeting, "the whole idea of going green resonates."

Most of the project will rise on land owned by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is encouraging dense development around more than 20 train stations in hopes of limiting traffic congestion and air pollution, said Roger Moliere, chief of real estate management and development for the MTA.

It will also surround the Taft office tower, a landmark completed in 1924 that once housed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Also remaining on Vine Street will be the one-story Bernard Luggage store completed in 1928. Its owner, Robert Blue, successfully resisted the city's eminent domain proceedings intended to remove his building to make way for the new project.

This project is the largest at an MTA station since the $615-million Hollywood and Highland complex completed in 2001 and is one of the most expensive in the history of the district.

Two other large projects are nearing completion at Hollywood and Vine: Palisades Development Group's $50-million conversion of the former Equitable office building to condominiums and Kor Group's $70-million conversion of the former Broadway department store also to condos.

The Broadway, Equitable and Taft buildings are links to the era when Hollywood and Vine was one of the city's great crossroads. In the 1920s, it was the second-busiest intersection after Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue.

It was a gateway to the San Fernando Valley in pre-freeway Los Angeles and a draw for the movie industry from the beginning. Cecil B. DeMille shot "The Squaw Man," Hollywood's first feature film, at the nearby corner of Selma Avenue and Vine in 1914.

Later, radio and then television stations set up operations in the neighborhood and KFWB announcers repeated often that they were broadcasting "from Hollywood and Vine," according to historian Marc Wanamaker. "It was considered the downtown of Hollywood," he said.

Such mass appeal was a distant memory by the 1980s, when parts of the neighborhood fell prey to such activities as drug dealing, prostitution and panhandling.

By the early 1990s, the Community Redevelopment Agency had come up with a plan for improving Hollywood that called for commercial and residential development at the intersection. Changing political administrations, subway construction and real estate downturns kept builders at bay, however.

Finally, a city ordinance that simplified the conversion of commercial buildings to residential use, along with the Hollywood and Highland development and the recent housing boom, spurred developers to action.

Westsidelife

February 13th, 2007, 06:07 AM

A little old but still worth posting again.

NY Times, January 26, 2007

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/25/us/hollywood.03.jpg
The new Hollywood represents a cross-continent bookend to the transformation of Times Square in New York, with
one key difference: the people who live in Los Angeles, not just the tourists, have found reasons to go there.
Monica Almeida/The New York Times

Hollywood, the Sequel: Less Shabby, More Chic

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 25 — For decades, tourists deposited themselves at one of the most famous intersections in America — Hollywood and Vine — and looked around in puzzlement, wondering what exactly they were supposed to be seeing. The surrounding Hollywood neighborhood had fallen into such miserable disrepair that its main consumers were people seeking drugs or tattoos. Many entertainment companies were long gone. Crime was rampant, incomes were depressed, and people who labored in the industry that gave the neighborhood its fame were nowhere to be found.

But in a few weeks, work will begin on a luxury hotel and a collection of $1 million condominiums at Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, joining a skyline of condos and trendy new hamburger and sushi outposts rising among the mid-20th-century architecture. That Los Angeles neighborhood, which had been promised a comeback for a good 40 years, seems to have finally achieved it, a cross-continent bookend to the transformation of Times Square in New York, with one key difference: Los Angeles residents, not just tourists, have found reasons to go there and live there.

“Hollywood is a testament to people’s desire to live in places with some sense of history and a sense of place,” said David Malmuth, a developer who brought the Kodak Theater, home to the Academy Awards, to Hollywood and also oversaw the renovation of the New Amsterdam Theater in Times Square.

In the last several years alone, more than $2 billion has been spent on projects in the neighborhood, including mixed-use retail and apartment complexes and new schools and museums. Many urban planning experts see something other than a confluence of low interest rates, a tight housing market and developers with a gleam in their eyes. The Hollywood renaissance represents a potential future of much more of Los Angeles, a sprawling, horizontal city where vertical, dense and at least somewhat walkable neighborhoods with public transportation are increasingly in vogue.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/25/us/hollywood.06.jpg
A construction site across from the historic Capitol Records building near Sunset and Vine.

“It is a comeback that shows there is some demand for a more urban way of life,” said Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, chairwoman of the Department of Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It is a comeback that is based not only on entertainment and commercial spaces, but mixed use and housing, at the same time the city is building its rail service.”

Among the many celebrated neighborhoods of Los Angeles, the 25 square miles of Hollywood have long stood out. Outside of the Walk of Fame, the circular Capitol Records building and other historically sumptuous landmarks, the neighborhood is a richly diverse community of 222,694 people — from the wealthy residents peering out at the world from the hills above Hollywood proper, to the middle- and lower-income inhabitants of the streets below.

Like a great old house, the bones of Hollywood remained mostly untouched in its down years by large-scale development and the more unfortunate inclinations of contemporary urban planners. Yet years of disinvestment in the area, led by the fleeing of the movie studios, took its toll. “It just needed a huge surge of capital investment to bring those buildings back,” said Christi Van Cleve, a partner at Roschen Van Cleve Architects, which has restored several buildings in the neighborhood.

Proponents of the new Hollywood have a data point they love to trot out: in the 1980s, the average stay on Hollywood Boulevard was a depressing 28 minutes, or about the time it can take to find a parking spot in the thriving nearby city of West Hollywood. People slept in the streets, and a drug trade prospered among boarded up historic sites. By the early 1990s, three major projects proposed for the area had fallen apart. Subway construction was just beginning, leaving a sinkhole in the street and traffic nightmares all around. The Los Angeles riots and an economic recession had done little to brighten the hopes of Hollywood, and private equity wanted no part of it.

Then, in 1993, “Jackie Goldberg came along,” said Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, referring to the Los Angeles city councilwoman representing Hollywood at the time who went on to become a state legislator. “She said, ‘Nothing is going to happen here until we address some of the basic problems,’ ” Mr. Gubler said.

The Community Redevelopment Agency, a city-sponsored revitalization effort, had begun to pay for street improvements, fixing up facades on buildings. Next came a police foot patrol paid for largely by the transit authority. In 1995, Ms. Goldberg and the chamber staff decided to create a business improvement district along six blocks on Hollywood Boulevard. The next year, the district was established with $600,000 raised through business owners, who had their trepidations. They had heard the “Hollywood is back” storyline before.

“It was a challenge,” said Mr. Gubler, who at one point nearly stalked the owner of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to get the last signature on a petition needed to get it all done. The hotel — founded in 1927 by a syndicate of Hollywood stars like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and home to the first Academy Awards — had as much at stake as any luminary.

By 1997, thanks to armed guards, crime in the area had dropped over 50 percent. “That is when we began to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Mr. Gubler said. At the same time, Mr. Malmuth, the developer, took an interest in Hollywood. He and others focused on the corner of Hollywood and Highland, a major intersection ripe for commercial development. Mr. Malmuth joined a development firm that committed to a mixed-use project that would become the home of the Academy Awards ceremony.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which had been sniffing around for new options for the Oscars, embraced the idea of a live theater surrounded by retailers and other tenants. “When I took this into the board of governors, I thought it was going to be a hard sell,” said Bruce Davis, the executive director of the academy. “At that time, Hollywood definitely had a seedy reputation.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/25/us/hollywood.08.jpg
The Hollywood and Highland complex is one of the large
new commercial developments in Hollywood.

The Hollywood and Highland project, first proposed at a cost of $150 million in 1998, came to fruition in 2001 at a cost closer to $600 million. Slowly, a steady stream of interest among other commercial developers followed, and nightlife and restaurants — the dual forces of urban renewal — came too, as did the final piece, new housing. Now cruising east on Hollywood Boulevard toward a sea of glittering lights, the sleazy motels and tattoo parlors begin to give way to Starbucks and a Virgin Megastore, and the hopelessly chic Geisha House, a giant emporium of oyster shooters and sashimi “igloo style,” and the sort of people who spend a good chunk of their week in Pilates classes.

In a nod to the corner’s glamorous past, there will be an 11-story W Hotel at Hollywood and Vine. It was there that the famous Brown Derby Restaurant opened in 1929, and for years remained the watering hole for studio executives and “the talent” streaming out of nearby film studios — more Spago than Spago today. The restaurant fell to seed like much the neighborhood in the 1970s, and closed in 1985. In a depressing coda, most of the building burned in 1987, and it was demolished in 1994. The new project at the intersection, expected to open in 2009, will include the 300-room W Hotel and a 14-story luxury condominium tower. Across the street, a converted office building has sold out its luxury condos, including one to Charlize Theron, said Eric Garcetti, the Los Angeles City Council speaker whose district includes Hollywood.

“People are seeing stars here again,” said Mr. Garcetti, who helped pass an ordinance to increase housing in the area. Developers creating apartment and condo complexes with city money are required to set aside 20 percent of the units for low-income residents, and a few sites offer more, like one along two blocks at Hollywood and Western, in colorful block buildings that look like a Mondrian painting.

But displacement of the residents who stood by Hollywood at its worst — the seamy underbelly of neighborhood renewal — is no doubt happening. “The more they put up big flashy apartments, the more difficult it is to make ends meet,” said Tita Stallings, who has lived in Hollywood for 20 years. “As a low-income single parent, it scares the hell out of me.”

Larry Gross, the executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, a tenants’ rights organization, estimates that at least 1,000 units of low-income housing have been lost to development over the last five years. Mr. Garcetti said he has struggled against this tide, requiring developers, for instance, to offer jobs to local residents and pay higher wages, and pushing for more affordable housing. “We don’t want the people who laid the groundwork here to get pushed out,” he said.

The Gap is in Hollywood now, which may just about say it all. And the subway is now open for business, ferrying people in and out of the area and setting the foundation of what may become a new Los Angeles, with fewer cars and more urban living.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/25/us/hollywood.09.jpg
Slowly, a steady stream of interest among other commercial developers followed and nightlife and restaurants
— the duel forces of urban renewal — came too, as did the final piece, new housing.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/25/us/hollywood.10.jpg
The Geisha House is a new bar and restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/01/25/us/hollywood.11.jpg
Inside the hopelessly chic Geisha House, a giant emporium of oyster shooters and "sashimi-igloo style," and the
requisite sort of people who spend a good chunk of their week in Pilates classes.

Westsidelife

February 13th, 2007, 06:10 AM

A new Hollywood revival
CIM Group has big plans for the Seven Seas building it is buying from Eddie Nash.
By Roger Vincent, Times Staff Writer
February 6, 2007

Efforts to upgrade a key section of the Hollywood shopping and entertainment district, part of a revival that is making the area more attractive to locals and tourists, have taken a major step forward.

CIM Group, the district's largest commercial landlord, said it had agreed to acquire the Seven Seas building, a dilapidated structure that once housed a famous Hollywood Boulevard nightclub. At the request of the city's redevelopment agency, CIM plans to restore the edifice to its 1920s style.

It's the latest example of a wave of investment seeking to improve the formerly blighted neighborhood.

The Seven Seas building "has been a missing piece" in the real estate recovery along Hollywood Boulevard, said Helmi Hisserich, the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency's regional administrator for Hollywood. "It's a beautiful historic building, but nobody can see its beauty."

The three-story building, across the street from Grauman's Chinese theater, stands out like a broken tooth in the blocks around Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue that have benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of property improvements in recent years. Further transformation is underway, including new housing, stores and entertainment attractions.

The building's seller, infamous impresario Eddie Nash, agreed to part with the retail and office structure for an undisclosed price.

Nash, who owned the building for almost 50 years, said he finally agreed to sell after a CIM executive "wore me out."

Much of the time Nash owned it, and as far back as the 1930s, the building was the home of Seven Seas, a popular island-themed nightclub that once boasted live floor shows with music and dancers three times a night.

"It was a great hangout during [World War II] for soldiers and sailors on leave from the Pacific, or on the verge of going out," the late Times columnist Jack Smith once wrote. "There was a tin canopy over the bar, and every few minutes an artificial rainstorm would come, drumming on the tin like the rain on the roof of the Pago Pago rooming house in Somerset Maugham's 'Rain.' "

Like many other buildings in Hollywood, this one fell far and hard in the 1980s and 1990s when scores of businesses departed and the neighborhood earned a reputation for being disreputable and even dangerous.

The $650-million Hollywood and Highland retail, hotel and entertainment complex across the street was a financial debacle for its original owners after it opened in 2001. But the project helped spur other improvements nearby, including the creation of a studio next door to the Seven Seas building where ABC television's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is taped.

Madame Tussauds, the legendary London wax museum, announced last October that it plans to build a flashy $55-million branch next to Grauman's.

With ownership of Nash's building, Hollywood-based CIM hopes to advance its strategy of trying to make the neighborhood appeal to locals and not just tourists, said Shaul Kuba, a principal at CIM who conducted a long campaign to acquire the property.

The company controls 12 office, retail and residential properties in Hollywood, including the Hollywood and Highland complex, the TV Guide building and the Sunset and Vine Tower.

One of the reasons the Hollywood and Highland complex struggled after it opened was that it had too many tourist-oriented businesses, such as fancy boutiques and a duty-free outlet, said Jeff Kreshek, CIM's head of leasing.

CIM is attempting to bring in businesses that would serve the daily needs of people who live and work in Hollywood, such as drugstores and fitness centers, as well as restaurants and boutiques.

CIM's heavy investment in the Seven Seas building may not be profitable in itself, but it could help create the kind of neighborhood that lifts the value of other company assets.

"They have a different way of calculating a return on their investment," the redevelopment agency's Hisserich said. "It's going to have a heavy impact on leasing and who comes into Hollywood as a whole."

Because of its location in a city-designated historic zone, developers who sought to improve the property were required to bring it up to historic standards, and others balked at that prospect, Hisserich said.

CIM agreed to meet federal standards for historic renovation, which are considered especially stringent, she said.

"It will be an example to owners down the boulevard about how to bring new life to these historic buildings," she said.

The property, currently in escrow, is worth about $35 million or more, according to a real estate broker who asked not to be named because he wasn't involved in the deal.

The building is mostly empty, its top two floors of offices boarded up. Ground floor retailers aim for the low end of the tourist market, selling maps to stars' homes, cheap T-shirts and Zippo lighters.

Nash said he wanted to fix up the property, but gave up after vibrations from subway construction damaged the building in the mid-1990s and directions from the redevelopment agency on what could be done with it were unclear.

Nash once operated more than 20 bars and restaurants, including the Starwood, Odyssey, Ali Baba's and the Kit Kat Club. Prosecutors accused him of trafficking drugs out of his clubs and he was suspected of ordering the bludgeoning deaths of four people at a Laurel Canyon drug den in 1981 in a case known as the "Wonderland murders."

In 2001 he pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges and was sentenced to 37 months in prison, ending his long contest with authorities. At age 77, he now lives in the San Fernando Valley.

The complete historic renovation, valued at as much as $10 million by CIM, could help lure some sought-after retailers who are waiting to see whether Hollywood's turnaround is real, CIM's Kreshek said.

So far, Spanish clothier Zara has agreed to move into the renovated building next year and Swedish clothier H&M is set to open a store next door this September in space formerly occupied by Hamburger Hamlet.

http://www.latimes.com/media/mapimage/2007-02/27759095.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/plinko923/Hollywood/061021LA142.jpg?t=1163710264

Westsidelife

February 13th, 2007, 06:13 AM

Forever 21 Rollout Barreling Into L.A.

Published: Wednesday, February 07, 2007
By Emili Vesilind
LOS ANGELES — Junior retailer Forever 21 plans to open a 10,480-square-foot XXI store in the Hollywood & Highland shopping center here in mid-2007, pursuing an aggressive rollout in the Los Angeles metro area, where it operates 28 units.

The newest Los Angeles store will be located on a touristy strip of Hollywood Boulevard, within three miles of existing company units at the Beverly Center and The Grove shopping centers. The XXI concept was originally conceived as a larger-format Forever 21 store; most units measure more than 18,000 square feet.

The privately owned company characterized the store as a new retail concept, although it is more revision than reinvention. Forever 21 already operates 17 XXI stores in nine states and Canada, but will now integrate men's wear into its mix of young contemporary apparel.

"Going forward, XXI will feature an expanded accessories section and will add a full men's line," said Larry Meyer, senior vice president of Forever 21. "Store size will increase to help accommodate the increased merchandise."

The Los Angeles retailer helped invent the concept of fast fashion, producing ubertrendy merchandise at lightning speed. It has had to stay nimble to keep pace with a growing pack of competitors, chiefly Hennes & Mauritz and Zara, two European chains that have opened strongly in key U.S. markets. Last year at the Beverly Center, H&M launched a unit across from Forever 21's three-year-old XXI store.

"We welcome [H&M] as a competitor in this market," Meyer said. "We have competed well with them in other markets."

Part of the company's strategy for staying on top has been to diversify its retail base. In recent years, Forever 21 has started a hodgepodge of retail concepts, including Heritage 1981 — pricier casualwear geared to the Abercrombie & Fitch set — a 40,000-square-foot department store-like Forever 21 prototype and For Love 21, an all-accessories concept that added four new doors in 2006.

Growing all the concepts is a priority for the company, which will launch more than 70 stores and expand another 20 in the next few years. "Our focus is on finding locations for our larger concepts and expanding in better malls," Meyer said.

The company, which also is pursuing expansion in smaller, less-saturated markets such as Lynnwood, Wash., and Toledo, Ohio, operates more than 300 locations nationwide, in addition to an estimated 100 Gadzooks stores since acquiring the teen retailer in 2005.

Westsidelife

February 13th, 2007, 06:15 AM

Developers Break Ground on Major Joint Development at Hollywood & Vine Metro Red Line Station
$600 million development to include affordable and luxury housing, a 305-room W Hotel, W Residences, retail and convenient access to mass transit
Metro joined with two large national real estate developers, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a host of city, agency and community officials today to officially break ground at the world-famous Hollywood and Vine intersection to build one of the largest, most ambitious mixed-use, transit-oriented development projects in Los Angeles.

The $600 million development project will include a 305-room W Hotel, 143 W Residences, 375 luxury rental apartments (including 78 affordable units), approximately 50,000 square feet of retail space and transit plaza improvements at the Hollywood/Vine Metro Red Line Station in Hollywood.

Project developers are Gatehouse Capital Corporation and Legacy Partners. The development is a result of five years of planning, negotiation and collaboration with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), Los Angeles City Council and the Hollywood community. “It has been a labor of love and patience, but well worth both the time and money,” stated Marty Collins, president and CEO of Gatehouse Capital.

“This project fulfills many of the goals I’ve identified if we are to realize the ‘City of Our Dreams.’ This development embodies the principles of smart planning and growth. We need to encourage these types of projects to make LA a more livable city for people who work here, for employers staking their futures here and for the families who want to grow here,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

”This is the most exciting day in Hollywood since the return of the Oscars to the Kodak Theater,” said City Council President Eric Garcetti. “With glamour on the outside and living-wage jobs and a housing mix to serve Hollywood workers at all levels on the inside, this development will make this once bustling intersection a destination once again, not only for tourists, but for residents too.”

The project will be developed on the entire city block bounded by Hollywood Boulevard to the north, Vine Street to the west, Selma Avenue to the south and Argyle Avenue to the east with the exception of the historic Taft Building located on the northwest corner of the block at the Hollywood and Vine intersection. The Hollywood/Vine Metro Rail Red Line Station is located at the northeastern corner of the project site.

The project is a product of Metro’s Joint Development Program, which works closely with public and private partners to encourage high-quality, transit-oriented development around Metro station sites and along transit corridors. Its goal is to help reduce auto trips and relieve congestion through transit-linked development. To date more than $1 billion has been invested in such programs since 1993.

“Metro has spearheaded yet another high-profile development project on the Metro Red Line, one that will transform the Hollywood/Vine Station into a thriving transit plaza complete with nearby housing, commercial and entertainment centers,” said Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair. “Transit-oriented developments like this are now underway throughout Los Angeles County, and will play an increasingly vital role in helping improve regional mobility and quality of life for our residents.”

The Hollywood and Vine project will provide numerous benefits to the community. Among the project’s public benefits are 78 affordable rental apartments; coordination with Worksource Hollywood to implement a first-source hiring program to facilitate the employment of local residents; $30,000 to fund community outreach programs for the Health Insurance Trust Fund; $100,000 to fund job-training programs for the Culinary Institute and $50,000 for Health Care Careers, and a $500,000 endowment to the Hollywood High School for Performing Arts. In addition, the development Joint Venture HEI/GC Hollywood & Vine has signed a neutrality agreement with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, Local 11.

“This project delivers a fabulous return on CRA/LA’s investment,” said Cecilia V. Estolano, CRA/LA Chief Executive Officer. “We put in $6 million and the City will get $167 million in tax revenue and $92 million in tax increment, all by 2036. A full $25 million will be set aside for affordable housing,” she added.

“Like Hollywood & Highland accomplished on the west end, this project has served as the catalyst for redevelopment for the eastern gateway of Hollywood,” said Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Leron Gubler. “We commend the development team and W Hotels for having the foresight to recognize the potential of this long-ignored intersection. This development sets a new standard by which all new projects will be measured in Hollywood.”

Presale of the W Residences to friends and family only quietly began several months ago and interest has been very strong. “The response was overwhelming with over a thousand buyers interested in 143 residences,” said Jeff Cohen, senior vice president of Gatehouse Capital. “We are confident that the W Hotel will be similarly well received. We have a great team to whom we owe a lot on this project.” Gatehouse has partnered with both HEI Hospitality and Hicks Holdings to provide capital for the project.

As a result of ongoing discussions with city leaders, Legacy Partners agreed to build 100 additional apartments. “Originally, the plans called for 275 apartments. However, given our proximity to the Red Line, Councilman Garcetti convinced us to increase the density of the apartment component,” said Legacy Partners Senior Vice President Dennis Cavallari. “The result is a more vertical, aesthetically pleasing project that helps the city address its chronic housing shortage.”

Construction is expected to take approximately 26 months, with completion targeted for the second quarter 2009.

http://www.mta.net/news_info/press/Metro_019.htm#TopOfPage

Westsidelife

February 13th, 2007, 06:16 AM

February 12, 2007 03:00 PM Eastern Time

http://www.nbc4.tv/2007/0212/10988195.jpg

Developers Break Ground on Major Joint Development at Hollywood & Vine Metro Red Line Station

$600 Million Development to Include Affordable and Luxury Housing, a 305-Room W Hotel, W Residences, Retail and Convenient Access to Mass Transit

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two large national real estate developers joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a host of city, agency and community officials today to officially break ground at the world-famous Hollywood and Vine intersection to build one of the largest, most ambitious mixed-use, transit-oriented development projects in Los Angeles.

The $600 million development project will include a 305-room W Hotel, 143 W Residences, 375 luxury rental apartments (including 78 affordable units), approximately 50,000 square feet of retail space and transit plaza improvements at the Hollywood/Vine Metro Red Line Station in Hollywood.

Project developers are Gatehouse Capital Corporation and Legacy Partners. The development is a result of five years of planning, negotiation and collaboration with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA), Los Angeles City Council and the Hollywood community. “It has been a labor of love and patience, but well worth both the time and money,” stated Marty Collins, president and CEO of Gatehouse Capital.

“This project fulfills many of the goals I’ve identified if we are to realize the ‘City of Our Dreams.’ This development embodies the principles of smart planning and growth. We need to encourage these types of projects to make LA a more livable city for people who work here, for employers staking their futures here and for the families who want to grow here,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

”This is the most exciting day in Hollywood since the return of the Oscars to the Kodak Theater,” said City Council President Eric Garcetti. “With glamour on the outside and living-wage jobs and a housing mix to serve Hollywood workers at all levels on the inside, this development will make this once bustling intersection a destination once again, not only for tourists, but for residents too.”

The project will be developed on the entire city block bounded by Hollywood Boulevard to the north, Vine Street to the west, Selma Avenue to the south and Argyle Avenue to the east, with the exception of the historic Taft Building located on the northwest corner of the block at the Hollywood and Vine intersection. The Hollywood/Vine Metro Rail Red Line Station is located at the northeastern corner of the project site.

The project is a product of Metro’s Joint Development Program, which works closely with public and private partners to encourage high-quality, transit-oriented development around Metro station sites and along transit corridors. Its goal is to help reduce auto trips and relieve congestion through transit-linked development. To date more than $1 billion has been invested in such programs since 1993.

“Metro has spearheaded yet another high-profile development project on the Metro Red Line, one that will transform the Hollywood/Vine Station into a thriving transit plaza complete with nearby housing, commercial and entertainment centers,” said Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair. “Transit-oriented developments like this are now underway throughout Los Angeles County, and will play an increasingly vital role in helping improve regional mobility and quality of life for our residents.”

The Hollywood and Vine project will provide numerous benefits to the community. Among the project’s public benefits are 78 affordable rental apartments, coordination with Worksource Hollywood to implement a first-source hiring program to facilitate the employment of local residents, $30,000 to fund community outreach programs for the Health Insurance Trust Fund, $100,000 to fund job-training programs for the Culinary Institute and $50,000 for Health Care Careers, and a $500,000 endowment to the Hollywood High School for Performing Arts. In addition, the development Joint Venture HEI/GC Hollywood & Vine has signed a neutrality agreement with the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, Local 11.

“This project delivers a fabulous return on CRA/LA’s investment,” said Cecilia V. Estolano, CRA/LA Chief Executive Officer. “We put in $6 million and the City will get $167 million in tax revenue and $92 million in tax increment, all by 2036. A full $25 million will be set aside for affordable housing,” she added.

“Like Hollywood & Highland accomplished on the west end, this project has served as the catalyst for redevelopment for the eastern gateway of Hollywood,” said Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Leron Gubler. “We commend the development team and W Hotels for having the foresight to recognize the potential of this long-ignored intersection. This development sets a new standard by which all new projects will be measured in Hollywood.”

Presale of the W Residences to friends and family only quietly began several months ago and interest has been very strong. “The response was overwhelming with over a thousand buyers interested in 143 residences,” said Jeff Cohen, senior vice president of Gatehouse Capital. “We are confident that the W Hotel will be similarly well received. We have a great team to whom we owe a lot on this project.” Gatehouse has partnered with both HEI Hospitality and Hicks Holdings to provide capital for the project.

As a result of ongoing discussions with city leaders, Legacy Partners agreed to build 100 additional apartments. “Originally, the plans called for 275 apartments. However, given our proximity to the Red Line, Councilman Garcetti convinced us to increase the density of the apartment component,” said Legacy Partners Senior Vice President Dennis Cavallari. “The result is a more vertical, aesthetically pleasing project that helps the city address its chronic housing shortage.”

Construction is expected to take approximately 26 months, with completion targeted for the second quarter 2009.

About Legacy Partners: Based in Foster City, California, with a regional office in Irvine, California, Legacy Partners has been an industry leader in residential and commercial real estate for more than 35 years, acquiring, developing and managing a portfolio valued in excess of $4 billion. The company’s expertise spans the industry spectrum to include property acquisition, development, financing, marketing, and property and asset management. From Legacy Partners’ roots in Northern California, its portfolio extends to Southern California, Arizona, Colorado, Washington and Texas. Legacy Partners has more than 1,000 employees in six offices throughout the Western United States. For more information, visit www.legacypartners.com.

About HEI Hospitality: HEI Hospitality, headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a leading hospitality investment firm, which currently owns and operates 25 first-class and full-service hotels throughout the United States under such well-known brand names as Marriott, Sheraton, Westin and Hilton. For more information, please visit www.heihospitality.com.

About Gatehouse Capital Corp.: Gatehouse Capital Corporation, founded in 1995, is a real estate investment and advisory services firm based in Dallas, Texas. The company specializes in mixed-use developments and hotels. Gatehouse utilizes best-of-class institutional partners to design, build and operate its properties. Gatehouse developments include W San Diego, W Silicon Valley, W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences, W Hollywood Hotel and Residences, Hyatt Regency Resort and Marina in San Diego, the Sydney High hotel and mixed-use development in Milwaukee, and the Joule hotel by Kimpton in Dallas. For more information about Gatehouse, please visit www.gatehousecapital.com.

About W Hotels Worldwide: W Hotels is a global lifestyle brand with 21 properties in the most vibrant cities around the world. Inspiring and indulging its guests with thoughtful, refreshing and stylish experiences, signature restaurants, bars and destination spas, W has become the fastest growing luxury hotel brand in the world. Each hotel offers a unique mix of innovative design, comfort and cultural influences from fashion to music to art and everything in between. W’s first Retreat & Spa, W Maldives, opened in September of 2006 following a highly successful opening of the brand’s first residential property, W Dallas Victory, in June of 2006. W Residences, offering the W lifestyle at home, have been announced for Austin, Las Vegas, Hollywood, South Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Philadelphia, Downtown Atlanta and Hoboken. Internationally, W has announced plans for hotels in Vieques, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Santiago, Athens, Istanbul, Doha, Dubai-Festival City, Dubai-The Palm and Koh Samui. For more information, visit www.whotels.com.

Westsidelife

February 13th, 2007, 06:19 AM

Hollywood's Walk of Fame gets surgery
By Bob Pool, Times Staff Writer

Hollywood -- Maybe they should order up an extra-thick red carpet for this year's Academy Awards ceremony.

Workers are racing to fix a buckling section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Kodak Theatre where cracked terrazzo and broken sidewalk stars could be a major Manolo Blahnik hazard for starlets arriving for the Oscars.

The emergency work was under way Thursday as Hollywood announced that it is boosting the price of placement of new stars along the famous boulevard by more than 40 percent in order to pay for future Walk of Fame repairs -- to $25,000 per celebrity.

Hollywood officials believe the buckling is the fault of the Red Line subway, which has a station beneath the Hollywood & Highland shopping center that houses the Kodak Theatre. The subway's tunneling was blamed for the infamous 1994 crumbling of the Walk of Fame that left Tinseltown in turmoil.

But Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials contend that the sun is at fault for the sidewalk buckling. They suggest that damaging "thermo-expansion" occurs when sunlight heats up the black terrazzo.

The repair work, along a 60-foot stretch of the Walk of Fame on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard west of Highland Avenue, is viewed as a test project that could determine once and for all what is causing the buckling.

Its $80,000 cost is being divvied up four ways among the Hollywood Historic Trust, which operates the Walk of Fame, and the city of Los Angeles, the Hollywood & Highland center and the MTA.

About 121 damaged terrazzo squares, plus 16 others with stars in them, are being replaced. Workers are experimenting with a concrete base up to 8 inches thick to hold the new squares in place. The buckling sidewalk's base is about 3 inches thick.

"We wanted it to look good for the Academy Awards" Feb. 25, said Hollywood Honorary Mayor Johnny Grant, who leads the trust.

"We have a problem," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. "It's unsafe and ugly. "You could break an ankle walking there."

Fern~Fern*

February 13th, 2007, 07:50 AM

Now that we are discussing Hollywood venues. Does anyone know or have any idea what will be done with this eye~soar?

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/Newwraparound.jpg

Westsidelife

February 13th, 2007, 07:55 AM

Eyesore? Hardly the case. That's the Hollywood First National Bank. It's beautiful. I think there are plans to convert the building into residential space.

LosAngelesSportsFan

February 13th, 2007, 10:52 AM

ive always wondered why nothing has been done with that building. It should be condos or a hotel and have a Gameworks, or something like that on the first couple of floors. also, the junk behind it all the way up to the Strip mall past burger king, needs to be leveled and a 10 story mixed use built in its place.

klamedia

February 13th, 2007, 11:12 AM

That's one beautiful building! The parking lot directly behind it is slated for a ground up residential as well as directly across the street from that new project. Behind the all of that is "The Hollywood" that is almost finished. I have to go find the link.

LosAngelesSportsFan

February 13th, 2007, 11:25 AM

future_trance011

February 13th, 2007, 03:37 PM

Now that we are discussing Hollywood venues. Does anyone know or have any idea what will be done with this eye~soar?

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/Newwraparound.jpg

That building is not an eyesore, its an architecural gem!!! There are rarely any buildings in Hollywood (let alone many places in Los Angeles) with spires. It's a rather gorgeous buidling if they gave it a new paint job, and lit the roof and spire with spotlights....

The last time I noticed any activity in that building was over 6 months ago, I saw people doing some kind of work in the upper floors of the interior of the building, as if they were converting it into lofts/condos. But I haven't seen activity there the last time I walked by which was over 2 weeks ago I only noticed a couple dudes walking out of the building's entrance...Hmm, I should've asked them what was going?:nuts:

klamedia

February 13th, 2007, 06:54 PM

I went inside of the First National building about 2 months ago. A friend was working on some kind of promotional campaign for some company.

Yes, "LASF" I'm talking about First National. The parking lots directly behind it are already scheduled for destruction w/ renderings of the new buildings and everything. The info can be found at the MTA joint transit projects link, I just can't find it for some reason right now. In fact, that link is exhausting in that it takes you to every stop that has some sort of joint project planned, constructed or under construction. Tons along the Red Line and Gold. Not surprisingly the Blue Line and the Green have very little.

Fern~Fern*

February 13th, 2007, 08:05 PM

I always figure that some kind of production company taking over the building. Where they can film live shows from all floors overlooking Hollywood Boulevard. On the main floor have E entertainment film live shows where you have tourist watching from the huge windows. What's more Hollywood than that. Possibly add huge electric Billboards and add some lighting on the roof to showcast the spier.

LosAngelesSportsFan

February 13th, 2007, 10:12 PM

Westsidelife

February 14th, 2007, 12:41 AM

I think it's safe to say that in Hollywood, covering a building with signage gives the building and the area some new life and is also a great way to hide ugly/dated parts of structures. Just throw a few billboards here and there and boom, you have made a noticeable to difference. It's that easy.

LA-dude

February 14th, 2007, 04:02 AM

In fact, that link is exhausting in that it takes you to every stop that has some sort of joint project planned, constructed or under construction. Tons along the Red Line and Gold. Not surprisingly the Blue Line and the Green have very little.

I live near the Lakewood station on the Green line and always hoped that some highrise mixed use building would rise near it but then how would you build a big building over the 105 lol.....what do u guys think?......how would something like that be done?

solongfullerton

February 14th, 2007, 04:33 AM

I think that so much housing was razed for the building of the 105 freeway and green line that the MTA won't be doing the same anytime soon for high rise housing. Also, most of the green line is not in the city of LA, and most suburb cities aren't pushing for higher density.

Fern~Fern*

February 14th, 2007, 04:47 AM

^ Yet around Universal Red Line Station their building like crazy, especially down Lankernshime Boulevard. To where the new midrise apartment complex are almost connecting with the NoHo area . Where you catch people walking/hanging at local coffee houses and eateries throughout the day and late evening.

klamedia

February 14th, 2007, 05:40 PM

Very good point "solong". The Southbay wants to stay the way the Valley would have liked to if they didn't experience such a population boom.

LosAngelesSportsFan

February 27th, 2007, 09:20 AM

redspork02

March 2nd, 2007, 01:53 AM

Film Academy Plans Hollywood Movie Museum

LOS ANGELES -- Film executives are moving forward with a long-planned movie museum they hope will lure more visitors to the heart of America's film industry.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is building the museum, has selected a site for the $200 million film archive about a half-mile south of the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, said Bruce Davis, the academy's director.

"I think it has a chance of being enormously successful in getting visitors," Davis said.

Groundbreaking is set for 2008 on the museum, which will occupy 75,000 square feet next to the film academy's Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study.
The academy's museum committee hasn't considered an architect yet, but Davis said members want the displays to be shown in pavilions spread over an outdoor space, "since the weather is what attracted the movies here in the first place."

Some of the pavilions would house exhibits on the history of film, while others would be used for changing exhibits on different subjects, he said.

The academy already owns much of the land at the planned site, but still needs to acquire some parcels along an adjacent commercial strip of chain restaurants and discount shops, Davis said.

"People come to Hollywood and look for things that teach them about the art form of movies, and it is astonishing that there are only a few things," he said.

klamedia

March 3rd, 2007, 06:45 PM

Half a mile south would be a parking lot, right? It would have to be on the west side of the street because the east side is already spoken for w/ the residential + Whole Foods thing.

soup or man

March 3rd, 2007, 07:41 PM

Hollywood and Vine update!!!!!!

It's a mound of dirt!!!!

godblessbotox

March 3rd, 2007, 09:05 PM

my wife works in the taft building right next door, ill try to get a constant flow of photos for you all

future_trance011

March 4th, 2007, 10:35 AM

From CurbedLA:

Jeff Kreshek of CIM Group also announced that the British firm, Tesco, had agreed to locate their U.S. flagship neighborhood grocery store on the ground floor of the former Galaxy complex. Construction on the 14,000-sq.ft. store will begin immediately.

http://la.curbed.com/2007-02-galaxy.jpg[/QUOTE]

Sweet news!!!

They've got a Famima!! Now a Tesco..all they need now is a Whole Foods!! Wait a minute isn't Whole Foods coming to a development near the Pantages Theater if my rusty memory is correct?

soup or man

March 4th, 2007, 08:09 PM

Whole Foods will be at the Camden Apartments.

saiholmes

March 7th, 2007, 07:48 AM

March 6, 2007

Blackstone to buy Tussauds' parent
The $1.9-billion deal would add to the private equity firm's stable of attractions, which includes Legoland.

LONDON — Private equity firm Blackstone Group is buying Tussauds Group, owner of Madame Tussauds wax museums, for about $1.9 billion in cash, creating the world's second-biggest theme park group, behind Walt Disney Co.

The deal, announced Monday, would combine Tussauds, one of London's biggest tourist attractions, Sea Life aquariums and the London Eye Ferris wheel with New York-based Blackstone's Legoland and Gardaland theme parks, which are held in its Merlin Entertainments Group.

The newly enlarged tourist attraction group plans to accelerate expansion, particularly in North America, with a Legoland in the Kansas City, Mo., area and a Sea Life in California already in the works.

"If we were sitting here five years from now, I think we'd be disappointed if we weren't operating 10 businesses, from three now, under three different brand names in America," Merlin Chief Executive Nick Varney said.

Tussauds is also planning to open wax museums, home to lifelike re-creations of the world's biggest celebrities such as Queen Elizabeth and Brad Pitt, in Washington this year and in Hollywood in 2008.

The group is planning to spend as much as $118.2 million each year to roll out four or five attractions to exploit the brands before an eventual initial public stock offering, Varney said.

"I think all those things point to a stock market flotation in three or four years' time," Varney said. "That is probably the most likely outcome."

Dubai International Capital, a government-backed buyout firm, bought Tussauds Group for about $1.5 billion two years ago. It is retaining a 20% stake in the merged group.

The combined 50 attractions and four hotels drew about 30 million visitors last year. Only Disney's theme parks attract more visitors globally.

Merlin and Tussauds currently rank sixth and seventh, respectively, Varney said.

The new group, which does not anticipate much in the way of cost savings from the combination, aims to create clusters of short-visit and long-term attractions with related hotels, enabling more efficient marketing and revenue growth.

Tussauds was sold by Pearson, the world's biggest educational publisher, in 1998 to Charterhouse Capital Partners. It has grown to 6,000 staff members last year from 2,000 when it was acquired, Tussauds CEO Peter Phillipson said.

Britain-based Tussauds Group also operates the Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures theme parks in Britain.

Merlin operates the Dungeons and Earth Explorer tourist sites in addition to four Legoland theme parks and Italy's biggest theme park, Gardaland.

future_trance011

March 9th, 2007, 02:42 PM

^^
So according to that article..Madame Tussuad's should be breaking ground pretty soon this year. I can't wait to see that deadzone next to Grauman's
Chinese Theater disappear! :banana:

LA-dude

March 10th, 2007, 04:08 AM

OMG!!!.....I just typed up like this super huge post about my trip to Hollywood last weekend and I took too long writing it because as soon as i clicked post it said i was not logged in!!!....so i went back one page and ALL my writing was gone:bash:

....whatever ill probably type it up later but not know because im just a little peeved.

godblessbotox

March 10th, 2007, 09:22 AM

hollywood and vine. the w.
i thought they broke ground, but i was expecting more then this
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/416188334_9639a6891b_b.jpg

hey look its that empty lot that i still dont know whats being built
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/416187928_def23c2f39_b.jpg

hollywood and vine condo stuff
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/416187077_4e283b6705_b.jpg

klamedia

March 12th, 2007, 09:34 AM

Took a walk around Hollywood this evening and I saw banners on lamp posts that said "Whole Foods Hollywood". Now, isn't that being built like a million years from now? Thought I read somewhere that they wouldn't break ground til 2010.

LosAngelesSportsFan

March 12th, 2007, 10:53 AM

no, i think they will break ground this year if i remember correctly, probably towards the end of the year.

saiholmes

March 15th, 2007, 05:55 AM

March 15, 2007
Out of castle's shadow
Bar Marmont is not strictly a restaurant, but it does offer a new menu substantial enough to fuel a long night of partying.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28412111.jpg

By S. Irene Virbila, Times Staff Writer

CHATEAU MARMONT, the glam 1920s hotel on a hill above the Sunset Strip, has always owned the walls of Bar Marmont down below, but until recently the space was leased out. Now this sexy spot is run by the hotel, and changes are afoot. The biggest: a new chef, and not just a line cook, but the former chef de cuisine of the New York gastropub the Spotted Pig. Her name is Carolynn Spence, and her new menu looked good enough to warrant a visit.

The bar's look is an enchanting mix of slightly shabby and bohemian, and the scene is a wild brew of A-listers, poseurs and tourists who've passed muster with the muscle at the door. Drifts of real or fake (it's too dark to tell) Monarch butterflies are pinned to the ceiling. Ornate lamps with red silk shades and marbled glass light fixtures from some antiquarian's stash dangle from the ceiling. A party of rock 'n' rollers may be tucked away in the small room at the end of the bar. And in the long, yellowed ivory dining room animated lovers and friends are seated within inches of one another along banquettes.

Bar Marmont is not strictly a restaurant, but it does offer a short, succinct menu of bar snacks, small plates and a handful of dishes substantial enough to fuel a long night of partying.

In its previous incarnation the food was never the draw, but that could change. As I looked over the new menu, the word "goug–res" leapt out from the bar snacks category. Cheese is supposed to smooth out any rough edges in a wine, and goug–res are a favorite with winemakers in Burgundy. Bar Marmont's are delicious, like miniature popovers, served wrapped in a cloth napkin to keep them warm. Other bar snacks include the usual olives and mixed nuts, but also tarragon lupine beans and "boozy" bacon prunes.

You can get half a dozen oysters on the half shell with Bloody Mary mignonette for seasoning, or a selection of three cheeses with fig toast and buckwheat honey. More interesting is the spicy lamb and pea crepinette with a minty salsa verde or crispy rosemary artichokes with a lemon-drenched aioli. Tomato soup comes with asparagus and a Parmesan crisp. And tomato salad gets a lift from lovely opal basil and ricotta salata.

More substantial appetites can tuck into a "damn good burger" with homemade ketchup and fixings. Spence makes her gnocchi with sheep's milk ricotta — a nice touch. Grilled Porterhouse, though well-priced at $29 (versus the $40-something charged at some steakhouses), wasn't top quality. A hangar steak might fit the concept and the place better.

The menu offers something for everyone: vegetarians (tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and artichokes), fish-lovers (crispy skinned salmon), even French fry connoisseurs (here they come with three different dips). For those with a sweet tooth, there's salty pistachio crumble with pistachio gelato and affogato (ice cream drowned in espresso), which seem pricey at $11 each.

But then, nobody expects a bar like this to be inexpensive. And guaranteed, there's nothing else on the Strip with Bar Marmont's sort of low-key glamour. Tant pis.

*

Bar Marmont
Where: 8171 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
When: 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily. Kitchen closes at 1 a.m.
Price: Bar snacks, $5 to $7; appetizers, $8 to $18; salads, $9 to $12; entrees, $19 to $29; sides, $7; desserts, $11. Full bar. Valet parking, $18.
Info: (323) 650-0575

redspork02

March 22nd, 2007, 06:54 PM

vicecityguy

March 22nd, 2007, 07:14 PM

saw this from curbed la:

http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/newsletter/Jefferson%20at%20Hollywood2.jpg

The Chamber was represented at a hearing this week in support of JPI Development’s proposed Jefferson at Hollywood project. Vice President of Public Policy Rochelle Silsbee testified that the development is an important addition to the revitalization of Hollywood at a highly visible entrance to the community. Located at the corner of Highland Ave. and Yucca Street, the project will feature 270 residential apartments, about 8,500-sq.ft. of retail space, with 470 parking spaces to serve the development and an additional 285 spaces provided for public parking. The public parking spaces will fill an important need at this location, since the adjacent historic buildings fronting Hollywood Blvd. do not have parking spaces of their own.

saiholmes

March 26th, 2007, 03:47 AM

This Oscar goes to … the first taker
A 1930s Academy Award lies among the furniture up for grabs at a Hollywood home.
By Deborah Schoch, Times Staff Writer
March 25, 2007

The early morning browsers at the estate sale on Miller Drive found the typical crystal, dining room set, Wedgwood collection — and, in the jewelry case, an Oscar for best supporting actor, on sale for $150,000.

At first glance, it looked too small to be an Oscar. A shopper in a rush might miss it altogether. The figure holding the sword is shorter and a bit more squat than the statuettes given out today, and he stands next to an engraved plaque. But it's an older model.

"Presented to Joseph Schildkraut," it reads, "in recognition of his performance in 'The Life of Emile Zola,' 1937."

This is Hollywood, and one never knows what memorabilia may show up at Saturday garage sales.

But even here on the steep, twisting streets of the Hollywood Hills, Oscars are not a common sale item. On Saturday morning, no one seemed in a rush to buy it. The hot items seemed to be the furniture: the dining room set, the upstairs vanity, the yellow chaise longue.

Some shoppers said they wouldn't want it, even if they had the money.

"I didn't win it," said Mahnaz Hendifar of Los Angeles, who was shopping for glassware instead. "That Oscar means something to the person who won it."

Only a few people interviewed outside the simple two-story home even recognized the name of Joseph Schildkraut, who took home the statuette for his performance as Captain Alfred Dreyfus.

But Evelyn Kilbrick, a neighbor and self-described film buff, said she went to the sale because she knew Schildkraut's work, and, besides, she is looking for an armoire for her television.

"Most people don't know who he is, or was," Kilbrick said. "He was never a Tom Cruise. But he's a nice-looking man, and he usually played the other guy." She remembers him best from "The Shop Around the Corner." A wonderful film, she said.

Schildkraut, the son of actor Rudolf Schildkraut, may be best known today for his role as Otto Frank in the 1959 film "The Diary of Anne Frank," which he called the culmination of his 60-year career.

He also had roles in dozens of other films, including "Orphans of the Storm," "The Three Musketeers" and "Flame of the Barbary Coast." He performed on Broadway and appeared in a well-known "Twilight Zone" episode in 1962 called "The Trade-Ins."

Schildkraut died at 67 in 1964, leaving behind his third wife, Leonora Schildkraut, who owns the Miller Drive house where the three-day estate sale is being held. She is a former music editor whose radio broadcasts for children became well known.

It was her choice to sell the statuette, said Wendy M. Gerdau, owner of Treasures Estate Sales, which is holding the sale.

"She has been the keeper of the Oscar for many, many years, and it's time for someone else to enjoy it," Gerdau said.

Schildkraut was known as an intellectual, and his extensive collection of records and books has been donated to USC, she said.

Leonora Schildkraut could not be reached for comment Saturday, nor could a spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which sponsors the awards.

Historically, academy officials have frowned on the sale of Oscar statuettes. Since 1950, they have asked all Oscar recipients to sign an agreement stating that the first right of purchase goes to the academy, for the price of $1.

In one well-known case, Beatrice Welles, the daughter of Orson Welles, fought to be able to sell her father's Oscar as co-writer for "Citizen Kane." Christie's auction house withdrew it from sale in 2003 after the academy raised objections.

The rules haven't stopped the buying and selling of the statuettes awarded before 1950. Ronald Colman's best acting award for the 1947 film "A Double Life" sold at Christie's for $147,500 in 2002. In 1999, Michael Jackson paid $1.54 million for the 1939 best picture Oscar for "Gone With the Wind." Steven Spielberg has bought several Oscars and returned them to the academy.

As of Saturday evening, Schildkraut's Oscar was still for sale.

Kilbrick, who would not give her age — "senior citizen would be preferable," she said — bought only a china hors d'oeuvre dish.

She said she enjoyed viewing the items in Schildkraut's house, including the art prints and the baby grand piano given to him at age 13. It was rather like a museum, she said.

"You just got that feeling of what it might have been like for them in those times," Kilbrick said. "It's a little piece of Hollywood, old-time Hollywood."

Joey313

March 28th, 2007, 03:03 AM

Sunset-Gower Project
In an exclusive to you the reader, we present you with the first glimpses of the proposed mixed-use development at the corner of Sunset and Gower, on the site of the CBS Studios. Featuring 400 dwelling units, 125 hotel rooms, 380,000 sf of office space, 12,000 sf of ground floor retail and 22,500 sf of restaurant space, the project will also incorporate about 105,000 sf of the original CBS Studios. The Columbia Square project, as it is known, will tower 40 stories above Sunset (approx 480 feet). For comparison purposes, the Sunset-Vine Tower is 20 stories and 306 feet tall. It's being developed by Apollo Real Estate Advisors with the fancy design/architecture work produced by Johnson Fain.

http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-sg-model1.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-sg-model3.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-sg-siteplan.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-sg-model2.jpg

http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-sg-profile.jpg

Westsidelife

March 28th, 2007, 04:18 AM

From Curbed LA:

http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-sg-rendered.jpg

Sunset-Gower Project Rendered

And God said, "Let there be a colored rendering." From the inbox, we have the rendered (at night) visual of the Columbia Square project. And the press release speak:

Under the development plan by award-winning architect Scott Johnson of Johnson Fain, a boutique hotel, live/work lofts, a high-rise residential community and new creative office space will be added to the northern portion of the site. The two proposed high-rise structures will be oriented to step back and away from Columbia Square and adjacent residences to preserve sightlines to the Hollywood Hills.
...
The project’s initial design includes multiple access points. Landscaped courtyards will
connect and integrate all elements of the project and provide a mix of public and private open space. Pathways will be defined and open to pedestrians traversing the block or connecting to elements within it.
Happy now?

Fern~Fern*

March 28th, 2007, 04:22 AM

^^ The view from the 40 story tower are going to amazing. No matter what direction your watching from. East (Downtown), West (Beach), North (Valley), South (LAX-South Bay)....

godblessbotox

March 28th, 2007, 04:24 AM

sweet! another parking lot falls victim to infill!!!

hiza los angeles! hiza!!!

Fern~Fern*

March 28th, 2007, 04:25 AM

...a very needed parking I must say!

djm19

March 28th, 2007, 06:09 AM

I really like it.

Westsidelife

March 28th, 2007, 06:13 AM

I like everything except the fact that there isn't a continuous strip or retail that wraps the complex. I also wish that they would replace all of the existing structures to build more of a streetwall.

Fern~Fern*

March 28th, 2007, 06:23 AM

I really like it.

^ What do you like about it?

djm19

March 28th, 2007, 09:00 AM

Im not quite sure.

It reminds me of Columbia Square

Buildingfrenzy

March 28th, 2007, 12:43 PM

Stupid question here, but what the hell is Columbia Square?:nuts:

djm19

March 28th, 2007, 11:14 PM

Columbia Square is the old CBS studio. You can see it in that rendering, its the 6 story building and that corner building without any retail

http://you-are-here.com/sunset/columbia_square.jpg

timquinn

March 29th, 2007, 12:54 AM

LosAngelesSportsFan

March 29th, 2007, 08:37 AM

^ definitely agree. thank god for the lack of stucco.

Westsidelife

March 29th, 2007, 08:40 AM

Why can't they just build on top of the existing structures?

djm19

March 29th, 2007, 09:58 AM

that wouldnt solve the ground floor problem though. Something tells me that whole space there is used for something, and therefore little entrance is needed

Westsidelife

March 29th, 2007, 10:26 AM

^I was suggesting they build on top of the existing structures in order to add more density.

soup or man

March 29th, 2007, 07:49 PM

So I went to Hollywood yesterday. The parking lot where the W is slated to rise is taped off. Not a single car was parked there.

Btw..that little yellow diner on Vine is top tier.

godblessbotox

March 29th, 2007, 08:15 PM

^^mollys?

soup or man

March 29th, 2007, 09:13 PM

Yeah..teriaki sandwiches for the win.

klamedia

March 30th, 2007, 12:11 AM

The point of the whole thing is that the CBS building is a protected historic building (ya know? mid-century modern.) They had to work with what was there.

thank God they are not totally mimicking the style. Stucco box any way you look at it.
Thanx Tim! Sometimes on these boards we act as if no one ever thinks about what we consider the obvious. Though that seems to be the case sometimes, most times their is a reason behind these questionable decisions, even if it's just plain ol' politicos. Actually I like the building much. Don't think the blank wall is going to hurt the project much so long as their is gr fl retail fronting some of the building. The best example is the H&H complex. No eastside street level retail but it doesn't seem to hurt business much or the pedestrian vibrancy of Hollywood Blvd. I know we would like every single street to be alive and "on" like a 'parade day' but some streets end up carrying the brunt of access and service streets to parking garages and delivery docks.

Westsidelife

March 30th, 2007, 03:21 AM

Sunset Blvd. is one of the busiest streets in Los Angeles yet it is rather un-pedestrian friendly. Hopefully the retail strip at Columbia Square will generate the much needed pedestrian activity on Sunset Blvd.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/50677281_dac318fef4_b.jpg
From Flickr, by Snap Man

saiholmes

March 30th, 2007, 04:50 AM

Santa steps up to save parade
Supporters of the canceled holiday event stage rally along Walk of Fame in Hollywood.
By Bob Pool, Times Staff Writer
March 29, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28675072.jpg

It was only a week ago that Hollywood leaders announced that there would never be another Hollywood Christmas Parade.

But there Santa Claus was Wednesday, parading down the boulevard's Walk of Fame with a ragtag band of supporters behind him.

"Save the Hollywood Christmas Parade!" they shouted during a three-block march as tourists snapped photos and locals stared.

"This is a grass-roots effort to get the community to launch a campaign that can save the parade," explained organizer Greg Durfee, a Hollywood resident. "Adults need to slow down. The parade doesn't have to be canceled."

Executives with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which staged the parade for 75 years, disclosed March 21 that they had reluctantly decided to cancel the annual Thanksgiving weekend event. The 2006 parade was the final one, they said.

"We're disappointed and sad. But we're out of the parade business," said Jeff Briggs, chairman of the chamber's board of directors.

Briggs and other leaders of the business group said the chamber had lost about $100,000 staging the 2006 parade. Financial projections indicated that losses would be double that if a 2007 parade were held, he said.

The parade cost about $1 million to produce. Most of its expenses were covered by television broadcast fees tied to a percentage of TV ad revenues, grandstand ticket sales and various sponsorships.

Durfee said his campaign would focus on finding major sponsors willing to underwrite the parade, preferably for a 10-year period.

"We're not taking any donations. We want people to e-mail companies like Coca-Cola and Paramount Pictures," said the 44-year-old Durfee — who described himself as an operator of a small production company and a fan of the Christmas parade since he was 7 years old. He asked that supporters e-mail savetheparade@yahoo.com for details.

Durfee climbed into a red Santa suit and attached a white beard to lead the march. A costumed character, "Norky the Peneagle," joined him. With the body of a penguin and the head of an eagle, the figure is a "goodwill character" from the North Pole, said Marina del Rey entertainment promoter Brady Farmer.

The pair were quickly joined by several backers carrying hand-printed signs. By the time they walked from Las Palmas Avenue to Highland Avenue, about a dozen others had fallen in behind.

"It would be great to have another Christmas parade," said marcher Luciano Rauso, 11, of Burbank.

"Yes, it's very crucial," agreed onlooker Tom White, 29, of Los Angeles.

Near the Kodak Theatre, Santa and Norky began encountering Hollywood's other characters — the costumed actors who pose for tourist pictures near Grauman's Chinese Theatre. One of them was dressed like a "Pirates of the Caribbean" buccaneer.

"Johnny Depp! Help save the parade," shouted one marcher.

"I've always wanted to be in a parade," replied Capt. Jack Sparrow look-alike Thomas Fox.

"This is a parade. Join us," Farmer said.

"I'm kind of on a break right now. I can't," Fox said.

The sidewalk in front of the Chinese Theatre was blocked off for the premiere of the movie "Blades of Glory," so the marchers crossed Hollywood Boulevard and briefly continued on. But they stopped before reaching the Chamber of Commerce office next door to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

"We don't want to get into anything political," said Durfee. "I don't want to say anything negative about the Chamber of Commerce. They've done a great job for 75 years."

Briggs and chamber President Leron Gubler could not be reached for comment late Wednesday afternoon.

But a spokesman for Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents parts of Hollywood, said Garcetti is anxious to learn more about the save-the-parade campaign. "That's an interesting development, and our office looks forward to learning more about their efforts," said aide Josh Kamensky.

As for Durfee, he plans to parade down the boulevard in a Santa suit each Wednesday — until a way is found to return Santa in a real Christmas sleigh.

saiholmes

March 30th, 2007, 05:40 AM

This is Hollywood? Hell yes.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=457467

LAsam

March 30th, 2007, 09:50 PM

^Thanks for the advertisement!

vicecityguy

March 31st, 2007, 12:09 AM

Last updated: March 30, 2007 08:04am
$160M, 400,000-SF Office Project Launches
By Bob Howard

http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek06/0428/0428red1_b.jpg

http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek06/0428/0428red2_b.jpg

http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek06/0428/0428red3_b.jpg
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA-Developer Charles S. Cohen of New York City broke ground Thursday for the long awaited “Red Building,” the third and final phase of the Pacific Design Center at the corner of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard. The $160-million, 400,000-sf class A office building will join two others, known as the Green Building and the Blue Building, on the 14-acre campus.
Cohen, who is the head of Cohen Brothers Realty Corp., says that demand for office space on the Westside of Los Angeles, one of the region's tightest office markets, was one of the driving factors in the decision to start the new project. He notes that the office portions of the PDC’s Green and Blue buildings are fully leased.

Recent market reports show the West Hollywood office market as one of the tightest submarkets in an overall Westside L.A. office market where demand remains extremely strong. The direct vacancy rate in West Hollywood stood at about 4.5% at the end of 2006, with only a 5% overall availability.

Among the amenities planned for the new building are a valet motor court with elevators to its two sky lobbies, concierge service at the lobbies, and a landscaped area called Palm Court sitting six stories above the Pacific Design Center plaza. Other features at the design center include an on-site fitness center, two restaurants created by chef Wolfgang Puck, a branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art and a screening facility known for celebrity events such as Oscar Night parties.

Like the two before it, the Red Building is being designed by architect Cesar Pelli. The executive architect for the project is Gruen Associates, with Area Design Inc. as interior architect and Thomas Balsley Associates as landscape architect.

The Red Building's 400,000 sf of office space is expected to be available for occupancy in 2009. In addition to its office space, the Pacific Design Center is one of the West Coast's leading showroom facilities for the design industry, with more than 130 showrooms representing 2,100 product lines.

With 1.2 million square feet, the PDC is home to the area’s top decorating and furniture market, with showrooms, public and private spaces, and an outpost of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Developer Charles S. Cohen says the Red building should be completed within 24 months. During its gestation, Red has evolved to become a 400,000-square-foot structure with two state-of-the-art office towers—six and eight stories high respectively—sitting atop seven levels of enclosed parking for 1,500 cars. The building will accommodate a variety of office floors ranging from 14,000 to 36,000 square feet. “Because we have divided the building in two, we are able to create a very high sixth-floor level courtyard, which will be just a terrific space to be in, with palm trees and phenomenal views of the Hollywood Hills. You will feel as if you can touch the hills.”

godblessbotox

March 31st, 2007, 05:29 AM

..hollywood. not west hollywood.

i dont think i have ever even seen the blue building

klamedia

March 31st, 2007, 07:59 PM

Yes, two very different places.

saiholmes

March 31st, 2007, 11:16 PM

shouldn't be a problem.

Robert Stark

April 1st, 2007, 12:52 AM

I created a West Hollywood thread but it got locked.

Fern~Fern*

April 1st, 2007, 02:16 AM

I created a West Hollywood thread but it got locked.

^ Geez I wonder why "Stark"?

America cannot all look alike.... it's about diversity Dude!

godblessbotox

April 5th, 2007, 06:04 AM

w-hotel lot... empty parking spots
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/446764449_8d787cb784_b.jpg

djm19

April 5th, 2007, 07:12 AM

now break that sucker up!

soup or man

April 5th, 2007, 08:32 PM

The entire W lot is green fenced off. Including the 2 little buildings on the upper right. And possibly those poor buses.

godblessbotox

April 5th, 2007, 11:17 PM

yes the buses are now going to become embedded into the foundation.

on a side note, any one have any thoughts on how hollywood and vine metro is going to stay open durring all this?

soup or man

April 6th, 2007, 06:25 AM

^ I doubt the subway will present a problem. Wilshire/Vermont as well as Solair (Wilshire/Western) remained open while construction went on top.

godblessbotox

April 6th, 2007, 07:16 AM

cool cool. thanks

saiholmes

April 12th, 2007, 06:57 AM

New operator plans to renovate Palladium
Live Nation will invest millions in top-to-bottom upgrade of the Hollywood landmark, which is to reopen in September 2008.
By Valerie Reitman, Times Staff Writer
April 12, 2007

The Hollywood Palladium, the 66-year-old Art Deco palace on Sunset Boulevard that has hosted legends from Frank Sinatra to the Grateful Dead, will get a top-to-bottom renovation by a new operator and reopen next year.

Live Nation, the Los Angeles-based live music company, said Wednesday it plans to invest "millions" in a more than yearlong renovation as it enters a 20-year lease on the concert hall.

City officials said they were thrilled.

"Live Nation's restoration of the Hollywood Palladium synthesizes the best of Hollywood's past, present and its future," said City Council President Eric Garcetti, who represents the area, as the deal was announced Wednesday. "Hollywood's next golden age is here, and the Palladium will be the first stop to watch it up close."

The theater opened Sept. 23, 1940, with performances by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and Frank Sinatra. Over the years, it has played host to the Emmy Awards, the Grammy Awards, the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Barbra Streisand and hundreds of others.

Live Nation said it would renovate the 4,000-capacity live music venue and reopen it in September 2008. It plans a major upgrade to the stage infrastructure to accommodate larger productions and an overhaul of interior and exterior areas to bring the hall up to date while preserving its "original aesthetic integrity."

Other improvements include doubling restroom facilities and putting them in more easily accessible locations, modifying the auditorium to provide better views from all areas, doubling the amount of back-of-house space, and increasing the number of beverage sale counters.

"When you look at the inside and the outside, we expect it to be every bit as beautiful as when it opened in 1940," said John Vlautin, Live Nation spokesman.

Live Nation owns or operates 160 theaters worldwide, including the Wiltern on Wilshire Boulevard, the House of Blues on Sunset and the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine.

The last concert at the Palladium was performed by Wolfmother in December.

Alan Shuman, president of Palladium Investors Ltd., the privately held group that has owned the theater for 22 years, said he decided to stop operating at the end of last year and lease it out to others to operate.

Last August, a deal fell through to sell the theater to a Beverly Hills developer, Combined Properties Inc., which planned to retain the concert hall but develop the adjoining parking lot, possibly with stores and homes.

Pudong

April 19th, 2007, 12:58 AM

godblessbotox

April 19th, 2007, 02:20 AM

all i got is, i dont speak english and sunset and vine...

so sayith the google translate:
"To pardon to me but not well English, if somebody I know Spanish would like to know which is the state of the reform of the tower Sunset & Vine: Somebody has some photo of the zone? When we were in Los Angeles forgot to us to visit the part of Sunset Boulevard of Hollywood, I remained with the pain because it interested much to see the Palladium, Cinerama, Crossroads me of the World and Hollywood High School, Amoeba music… and everything in the L.A guide that compranos notices “this section to us of Sunset is even frequented by prostitutas and drug salesmen. He is advisable to remain in the car with spuertas closed and without objects of at sight value. If a stroll decides to leave the car and to occur, it does not give the impression to walk without fixed course; keep the portfolio in a discreet site and it does not take jewels.” If it will be truth that… is not cost to believe it when having so many things to me of interest… Is no life in that zone having so many cinemas and stores of music? The Palladium, Cinerama and Hollywood High School no longer are in operation? Very many thanks, kisses! "

godblessbotox

April 19th, 2007, 02:22 AM

prostitutas!

redspork02

April 21st, 2007, 01:35 AM

Hes saying he came to Hollywood but did not visit Sunset Boulevard, he did go to Hollywood Boulevard and they told him not to have anything of value visible, but it didnt seem to him to be true.
If anyone can post pics of the area hes wondering if all the famouse places mentioned above are still operating....

Westsidelife

April 21st, 2007, 04:35 AM

From SSP:

Sunset & Gorden Mixed Use Project

Not sure if this has been posted here...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/GrdonSunset1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/GrdonSunset2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/GrdonSunset3.jpg

Westsidelife

April 21st, 2007, 05:06 AM

Hollywood is in much need of more projects like these. That portion of Sunset Blvd. is dead and this will generate some sidewalk activity. Note that this project is located a block away from Columbia Square and a few blocks from Hollywood and Vine.

CITYofDREAMS

April 21st, 2007, 05:14 AM

Perdonarme pero no se bien inglés, si alguien sabe español me gustaría saber cuál es el estado de la reforma de la torre Sunset & Vine:

http://you-are-here.com/los_angeles/sunset_vine.jpg

¿Alguien tiene alguna foto de la zona? Cuando estuvimos en Los Ángeles se nos olvidó visitar la parte de Sunset Boulevard de Hollywood, me quedé con la pena porque me interesaba mucho ver el Palladium, Cinerama, Crossroads of the World y el Hollywood High School, Amoeba music... aun y todo en la guía de L.A que nos compranos advierte "este tramo de Sunset está frecuentado por prostitutas y vendedores de droga. Es aconsejable quedarse en el coche con la spuertas cerradas y sin objetos de valor a la vista. Si decide salir del coche y darse un paseo, no dé la impresión de andar sin rumbo fijo; guarde la cartera en un sitio discreto y no lleve joyas."
No se si será verdad eso... me cuesta creerlo al tener tantas cosas de interes... ¿No hay vida en esa zona teniendo tantos cines y tiendas de música? ¿El Palladium, Cinerama y el Hollywood High School ya no están en funcionamiento?

Muchísimas gracias, besos!

He likes to have an updates of the Sunset tower renovation.
He also would like to know if anybody has a pic of the area...when he was here he didn't visit this part of LA meaning Subset Blvd. He feel sorry he couldn't do it because he was interested in seeing it...Palladium, Cinerama, Crossroads of the World and Hollywood High School, Amoeba music... he also says that the guide he bought for LA warns "that this part of Sunset is frequented by prostitutes and drug dealers and advise to stay in the car with closed doors and valuables out of sight. If you decide to leave the car and take a walk don't give the impression that you don't know where are you going; keep the wallet in a safe place and don't carry jewelry"
He doesn't believe it's true and he is having hard toime beleiving it since there are many interesting landmarks there. Is there any life in the area? with so many theaters and music stores one would think it would. Hollywood Palladium, Cinerama, hollywood high School are they still open?

Thank you so much, kisses!!

Anybody wants to answer?

soup or man

April 21st, 2007, 05:40 AM

Regarding Sunset and Gordon: Even though the base looks a bit bland (the box on the bottom of the second picture suggests a fast food joint), this is a VERY cool building.

Westsidelife

April 21st, 2007, 06:03 AM

From Curbed LA:

http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/newsletter/GerdingEdlenSW%20Perspcp.jpg

CurbedWire: On top of Spaghetti

HOLLYWOOD - The Hollywood Chamber reports that the Gerding Edlen (http://www.gerdingedlen.com/) project proposed for the area surrounding the Spaghetti Factory (http://www.yelp.com/biz/K76WcsFPlJCro0JDB8x_-Q) on Sunset is moving forward. Via the Chamber: "The multi-faceted mixed-use project includes a 23-story residential tower with 301 for-sale condominiums, 40,000-sq.ft. of creative office space, 13,500-sq.ft. of ground floor retail space, and a new half-acre public park for the neighborhood. In addition, the existing Spaghetti Factory building would be preserved. A total of 508 parking stalls are proposed. Of particular interest is that about 60 of the units would be targeted at the under served mid-market segment, such as teachers, police officers, firefighers, and entry level professionals. The company has just begun the entitlement process for the project." Also from the Chamber, the Hollywood Garfield (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2007/04/monday_morning_23.php) project has been approved by the City and will move forward. [Hollywood Chamber]

Westsidelife

April 21st, 2007, 06:08 AM

Edit.

godblessbotox

April 24th, 2007, 09:24 PM

unknown on sunset
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/230/471498729_f35a301ae8_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/471481542_335743fbb5_b.jpg

the crack house
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/193/471480634_f8b7b3f8de_b.jpg

not much happenin on the W lot. though bernard got his ass shut down
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/471498467_ba860534e7_b.jpg

godblessbotox

May 9th, 2007, 04:01 AM

hiza curbed la!!

HOLLYWOOD - The Hollywood 411 blog lets us know that demolition has begun in earnest at the future site of the W Hollywood. "Major demolition has started to make way for the W Hollywood. Daddy's Bar is history." We also received a nice booklet from the W Hollywood in the mail which we've been trying to scan for the past week but our scanner software has malfunctioned. [CurbedWire Inbox/ Hollywood 411]

ill get a nice foto from the taft building when i go back there... whenever thats gona be.

^^better yet i will harness the power of the tubes!!
http://bp3.blogger.com/_exBVqwZy524/Rj_r4wfrKiI/AAAAAAAAACY/evPnEthSlTw/s1600/wlot.jpg
http://bp1.blogger.com/_exBVqwZy524/Rj_r0QfrKhI/AAAAAAAAACQ/-Eg9IeJj5c4/s1600/wlot_cu.jpg

Westsidelife

May 9th, 2007, 11:49 PM

CIM Signs Zara for Vintage Building

May 9, 2007

By Bob Howard

http://www.globest.com/newspics/los_zara_building.jpg

6904 Hollywood Blvd. HOLLYWOOD-The CIM Group has signed fashion retailer Zara for a 17,000-sf store at CIM's redevelopment of the 55,000-sf 6904 Hollywood Blvd. building, across the stret from CIM's Hollywood & Highland project. Zara, a 990-store chain that is one of a group of companies owned by Spain’s Inditex, will become the latest in a series of national and regional boutiques that have opened their doors in Hollywood as part of the revitalization of the area's commercial districts in recent years.
According to Shaul Kuba, principal and co-founder the CIM Group, Zara will occupy half of the first two floors of the three-story 6904 Hollywood Blvd. building, which is the latest in a series of Hollywood-based CIM Group's acquisitions there. Kuba adds that Zara is among a handful of top apparel retailers being courted by retail developers across the country.

Kuba says that the CIM Group plans a full renovation of the 6904 Hollywood Blvd. building, which was built in the 1920s and is adjacent to the restored El Capitan and the historic Masonic temple. The CIM Group will strip the 6904 building to its original façade and will complete what Kuba calls “significant structural upgrades” to convert it into two floors of modern retail space topped by 22,000 sf of class A office space.

Zara is expected to open in summer 2008 near retailer H&M, which CIM signed for a 10,000-sf store at 6914 Hollywood Blvd. that is set to open this fall. Both retailers are directly across the street from CIM Group’s Hollywood & Highland Center, which features 387,000 sf of national and local fashion and luxury retailers, along with clubs, restaurants and the 3,400-seat Kodak Theatre.

Also at Hollywood & Highland, the CIM Group recently signed two other popular fashion retailers, Guess and the new XXI concept from Forever 21. Jeff Kreshek, a principal at CIM Group, says that the new retailers underscore Hollywood's emergence as one of the fastest growing commercial districts in Los Angeles, with major retailers investing in the area, abundant clubs and restaurants, new housing and steady demand for office space.

http://www.globest.com/news/902_902/gsrwest/160489-1.html

godblessbotox

May 10th, 2007, 02:20 AM

damnit.. my picture link broke

Fern~Fern*

May 10th, 2007, 04:13 AM

damnit.. my picture link broke

Yeah sure...

saiholmes

May 10th, 2007, 05:24 AM

http://www.hollywoodfreewaycentralpark.org/wp-content/uploads/fwypark.jpg

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proposing the “Hollywood Freeway Central Park,” a freeway park deck from Bronson Avenue to Wilton Place above the 101 Freeway in Hollywood, California.

The Hollywood Central Park will provide direct benefits to the public, is precedent-setting example for new land use in the region, will create positive environmental impacts, will promote more active and healthy lifestyles, and will encourage the use of mass transit through transit-oriented development.

The 101 Freeway at the proposed location (Bronson Avenue to Wilton Place) is below street level, with the proposed park deck creating a brief tunnel for vehicular traffic while affording a street-level park for pedestrians. This specified location of the park would also provide a nexus between East Hollywood and Central Hollywood–alleviating the strain on the community from the initial creation of the freeway through this section of Hollywood.

In addition to the many obvious benefits of creating new park space, by placing a “cap” over one of the world’s most congested freeway system, the necessary ventilation system would be required to clean the air before re-circulating it back into the environment - creating a positive improvement in the air quality in Los Angeles.

This park will create an unprecedented 24 acres of new green space in Hollywood, directly adjacent to a high school currently under construction. Currently, the resident to open space ratio is the lowest of all of the City of Los Angeles. In fact, taking the City of Los Angeles as a whole, there is approximately 0.012 acres of open space per resident. Within the community of Hollywood, this figure is only 0.005 acres of open space per resident.

The Trust for Public Land conducted a study in 2003 and found that two-thirds of children in Los Angeles do not live near a park, playground, or other safe place to play. By comparison, New York City’s parks are much more equitably distributed with more than 91 percent of its children living within walking distance of a park. The Trust for Public Land state:

The case for new parks in Los Angeles is perhaps the most compelling of any American metropolitan area. More than 1.5 million children in Los Angeles County do not live within walking distance of a public park, and existing park space is disproportionately concentrated in the region’s wealthy neighborhoods. As a result, studies based on U.S. Census Bureau data show that Latino, African-American, and Asian Pacific Islander youth are dramatically less likely than their White counterparts to enjoy access to open space, playgrounds, and other exercise facilities.

The 80,000+ residents including approximately 21,000 children that live within one-mile square mile in this neighborhood will benefit from the promotion of a more active and healthy lifestyle. With local transit, individual transportation, or simply by walking to the park, the population that will benefit from this park is innumerable. To give a sense of the demographics of the area, the region of Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange County combined rank 43rd in the nation with a median household income of $45,913. The median income for this one-mile area is $23,481 - nearly half the region’s median income level. In addition, 75.2 percent of this one square-mile population is non-white minorities according to U.S. Census bureau statistics with 53.3 percent of Hispanic ethnicity.

Also, utilizing the air space above the Hollywood Freeway where it is below-grade is not only an exemplary illustration of efficiency and an alternative form of land use, but it is also financially prudent. Preliminary costs to plan and construct the Park are estimated to be less than the cost of purchasing the raw land in the surrounding neighborhood.

To both the east and west of the proposed location, there are Metro Red LineTM subway stations within walking distance and several transit stops nearby, making this a transit-oriented development.

Locally, there is a strong local base of support for this project quoted in every local major media outlet; with all four neighborhood councils endorsing this plan; and with the strong support of elected officials and several government agencies. The Hollywood Central Park Coalition, comprised of these supporters meets bi-monthly to discuss the progress, address questions from the community, and/or develop solutions related to Hollywood Central Park.

http://www.hollywoodfreewaycentralpark.org/

redspork02

May 19th, 2007, 01:07 AM

The concrete parking lot is gone for the W Hotel

PotatoGuy

May 19th, 2007, 04:22 AM

That park will be so awesome when its finished

godblessbotox

May 19th, 2007, 10:00 PM

someone i work with got alot of pics of the model of the W buildling located in the lobby of the taft building, do you guys want those posted?

klamedia

May 19th, 2007, 10:32 PM

Yes! Yes!

Fern~Fern*

May 19th, 2007, 10:50 PM

someone i work with got alot of pics of the model of the W buildling located in the lobby of the taft building, do you guys want those posted?

.... could you!

godblessbotox

May 20th, 2007, 02:10 AM

ok, will do. have to watch sleepy hallow first

redspork02

May 20th, 2007, 02:25 AM

On Thursday i drove by Holly-High and those Shops mentioned above next to Jimmy KIMS show were all closed down and it was around 3:00 pm.
Do you guys think there already moved out??

Fern~Fern*

May 20th, 2007, 02:36 AM

^ Nope, power went out!!!

Buildingfrenzy

May 20th, 2007, 11:49 AM

CIM Signs Zara for Vintage Building

May 9, 2007

By Bob Howard

Also at Hollywood & Highland, the CIM Group recently signed two other popular fashion retailers, Guess and the new XXI concept from Forever 21. Jeff Kreshek, a principal at CIM Group, says that the new retailers underscore Hollywood's emergence as one of the fastest growing commercial districts in Los Angeles, with major retailers investing in the area, abundant clubs and restaurants, new housing and steady demand for office space.

http://www.globest.com/news/902_902/gsrwest/160489-1.html

Well, I hate to blog this here but, I just heard that they are planning on closing the Banana Republic, and the Express store at Hollywood & Highland. Express is closing because the brand was sold and not making any money, and Banana- I am not sure why. I work in Retail Management & got this from a great source. I just hope this is not the begining of something bigger in this center. My company (huge retailer) in this location is still not generating any money as well. We hope this changes but with exsits like major retailers like these is NOT GOOD! It tends to have a snow ball effect. See the Burbank Mall for example.

dlbritnot

May 21st, 2007, 03:11 AM

Ive heard that the Hollywood Highland location of American Eagle is actually one the highest sellers in their district. This was a year ago though, who knows how it is now.

godblessbotox

May 22nd, 2007, 07:54 AM

sorry for the laziness. here you go

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/508908508_b5d7a5f05e_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/508934045_f2e68088fb_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/217/508908132_ec71b0e852_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/508933627_6c5b6f609d_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/217/508933423_1528079b94_o.jpg

Fern~Fern*

May 22nd, 2007, 08:36 AM

[QUOTE=dlbritnot;13301809]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/508934045_f2e68088fb_o.jpg

^ The funny thing is I got dizzy looking at this pix... thanks for sharing!

hello345

May 28th, 2007, 04:21 AM

Has the W started construction yet?

soup or man

May 28th, 2007, 04:39 AM

The parking lot is dirt and there is a protective scaffold over the Hollywood and Vine station. And those 2 little buildings on Vine and Selma are destroyed.

redspork02

June 5th, 2007, 11:44 PM

Eva Longoria is opening a Tex-Mex cuisine restaurant on the corner of Hollywood and Ivar called De-Nada.
heard it on Ryan Seacrest' show this A.M.

Fern~Fern*

June 6th, 2007, 12:04 AM

Cal~Mex is more unique and flavorful... Someone needs to E~mail her right away!

klamedia

June 6th, 2007, 08:48 AM

agreed!

redspork02

June 19th, 2007, 05:45 PM

http://www.multi-housingnews.com/multihousing/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003597145&imw=Y

Fern~Fern*

July 2nd, 2007, 09:06 AM

Drove by Hollywood Blvd this evening and there's was huge crowds all along the Blvd. Didn't really many construction zones going on for some odd reason. I only ran into two projects that where on the beginning stages nothing overwhelming yet.

LApride

July 3rd, 2007, 09:57 AM

I was in Hollywood saturday night and was really surprised to see how many people were in the streets. The place was crawling with people.I think Hollywood is def on the way back. With new projects on the way it should only get better.

klamedia

July 3rd, 2007, 01:14 PM

Hollywood and Downtown will be bookends for tourists and natives alike........From LA Live and Grand Central taking the Red Line to Hollywood/Highland and Hollywood/Vine........and if the Purple Line is ever finished it will be something of a triangle for a massive amount of people shuttling back and forth.

fridayinla

July 3rd, 2007, 07:28 PM

^Hollywood is definitely back! I go there often on the weekends for dinner/movies/drinks via the red line. 5 - 8 yrs ago, I would avoid that area like the plague... times are a changin'!

LApride

July 3rd, 2007, 11:20 PM

The red line is key in Hollywood...I live in the Valley and will never drive to hollywood or downtown for that matter again! For tourists, Hollywood will always be the spot.....Even when downtown is much further along in the future it is still Hollyhood that is on everyone's mind. I'm happy there is progress in both areas......be patient Angelinos

Fern~Fern*

July 4th, 2007, 05:13 AM

Westsidelife

July 4th, 2007, 09:04 AM

According to Curbed LA, The Clarett Group's BLVD6200 project has been approved. BLVD6200 will sit directly across from the W Hotel/Legacy Apartments at Hollywood and Vine and the Pantages Theater. So excited to hear this news, for it assures us that Hollywood is on the comeback!

From Curbed LA:

CurbedWire: Developments
Friday, June 29, 2007, by jwilliams

http://la.curbed.com/2007-06-blvd6200-2.jpg

HOLLYWOOD - We were at a Planning and Land Use hearing this week where the Pantages redevelopment project (http://www.blvd6200.com/) by Clarett Group was approved. Everyone, and we mean everyone, came out to support it, except one cranky NIMBY. That being said, a reader wonders if the rest of the area, just west, is due for some developer love. "Walked around before a "Wicked" performance and was dismayed that the real estate between Vine and to about Musso and Frank continues to be so taudry. Will there ever be an effort to re-hab the old Pacific (Warners) Theater? I would think it would be a good anchor to get further activity going." [CurbedWire Inbox]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/ned6.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/HollyVineAerial.jpg

CITYofDREAMS

July 4th, 2007, 10:10 AM

Hollywood it's looking really good... BLVD6200 seems like a huge project.

Westsidelife

July 4th, 2007, 10:21 AM

Hollywood is going to be one dense district!

Westsidelife

July 4th, 2007, 10:26 AM

Oh, and does anyone know if The Hollywood on Yucca St. is completed yet? According to their website, The Hollywood is scheduled to be completed in early 2007. Can anyone confirm this?

BTW, they have a really comprehensive website with lots of renderings and photos.

http://www.livethehollywood.com/

klamedia

July 4th, 2007, 10:50 AM

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/ned6.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/HollyVineAerial.jpg

Ghee, that map is pretty old......Sunset + Vine has been done since I've been here, the Gay Srs is done(my future home) and The W is u/c.

LApride

July 4th, 2007, 01:53 PM

wow! These projects will really fill up some holes in the area. Hollywood's future is def bright.

saiholmes

July 6th, 2007, 05:19 PM

Site of Hollywood gems eyed for development
By Roger Vincent, Times Staff Writer
July 6, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/mapimage/2007-07/30992659.gif

Two Hollywood landmarks, the Magic Castle and Yamashiro restaurant, are poised to be sold as the pace of development in the once-gritty neighborhood continues to sizzle.

The family that has owned the properties since shortly after World War II has been flooded with offers from developers that want to add structures to the 10-acre site, which is just above Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood & Highland and other attractions.

The terms of any sale will stipulate that Yamashiro and the Magic Castle, a private club for magicians, continue to operate as they have for decades, according to the properties' manager. Also on the 10 acres are the less recognizable Magic Castle Hotel, Hollywood Hills Hotel & Apartments and Magic Castle Park apartments, which could be redeveloped by the buyer.

The owners are 11 descendants of mid-century landlord Thomas O. Glover, who bought Yamashiro for $150,000 in 1948. They're ready to give up day-to-day control, said Andy Ulloa, Glover's stepgrandson. The key vote was cast by Ulloa's stepfather, Glover's son Thomas Y. Glover, who has helped run the complex for about 50 years.

"He is interested in divesting his interest and establishing security for himself," Ulloa said. "It's a good time to move on."

With Hollywood in the midst of a building boom, the property is highly sought after and bids have surpassed $70 million, people familiar with the situation said.

A mostly undeveloped site with panoramic views "is unheard of in the Hollywood Hills," said broker Marc Renard of Cushman & Wakefield, who represents the Glover family. "We see phenomenal interest in this site."

The Magic Castle is an Edwardian manor with French and Gothic elements built in 1908 by Rollin Lane, a Redlands financier and orange grower, and his wife, Katherine. By the '60s it had become a maze of small apartments.

Glover and his partner, television writer Milt Larsen, turned it into a clubhouse for magicians in 1963, and today it serves as headquarters for the Academy of Magical Arts Inc. Magicians perform for guests of the academy who have to know the password to unbolt a sliding bookcase in the lobby and gain entrance. (It's not a secret password; it's been "open sesame" for decades.)

As for Yamashiro, a replica of a palace in the Yamashiro Mountains near Kyoto, Japan, it was completed in 1914 by the Bernheimer brothers, who wanted a mansion to house their Asian art collection and brought hundreds of craftsmen from Asia to build it. The grounds were elaborately landscaped and what is probably the oldest structure in California was imported: a 600-year-old pagoda.

During the '20s the mansion was an exclusive social club for the Hollywood elite, including such actors as Lillian Gish and Ramon Navarro. After World War II began, Yamashiro was mistakenly rumored to be a signal tower for the Japanese and was vandalized. It went on to become a boys military school and then an apartment building. Glover restored it and turned it into a restaurant in 1960.

For local residents, the concern is that new buildings on the site will spoil the neighborhood's old-Hollywood ambience and add congestion to heavily burdened streets.

"We have been told there is room for 200-some condos," said Malcolm S. McNeil, president of Hollywood Heights Assn., a local homeowners group. There is already more than enough traffic in the area, he said. "Have you been to the Hollywood Bowl lately, especially on a Friday or Saturday night?"

McNeil said he hoped that the property would be acquired by someone "who cares about the neighborhood as much as Andy's family has over the past 40 years."

Ulloa said he was undecided about what the best additions to the property would be, although he thought that office buildings wouldn't be appropriate. And "given that condos are being built all over the place," he said, "we would like to do something more unique."

That suggests further hotel development. City approval for stores and other retail uses might be hard to come by because the land is zoned for residential use. Some observers expect to see a proposal for new condominiums, which have been profitable for developers in other parts of Hollywood.

Shaul Kuba, one of Hollywood's leading landlords, said land in Hollywood was becoming so expensive that buyers were at risk of overpaying. If a developer pays too much for land, he may find that he is not be able to build at all because his final costs would be too high to make a profitable return, said Kuba, whose company, CIM Group, owns the Hollywood & Highland shopping and entertainment center and several other commercial properties.

To make a profit from the Yamashiro and Magic Castle site after paying $70 million or $80 million, a developer would have to build 500 to 800 condominiums, Kuba said. "Is this going to be a project that the community is willing to accept?"

Real estate attorney Jerry Neuman of Allan Matkins agreed that rising prices were pushing Hollywood toward increasingly dense development.

"Eventually there is a point where you can't get enough density to support the land prices," Neuman said. "Are we getting close to that? It's possible. Whether Yamashiro falls into that category is uncertain."

Preservationist Robert Nudelman of Hollywood Heritage Inc. said the steep slope of the hilly site would help protect it from overdevelopment. "The geology limits what you can do," he said, "unless you build on stilts."

A buyer will probably be selected by the end of the year, broker Renard said.

Ulloa said he hoped to reinvest some of his profit in the new owner's development as he continues to help oversee operations of the Magic Castle and Yamashiro, which would be the new owner's tenants.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-07/30989227.jpg
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-07/30989269.jpg

fridayinla

July 17th, 2007, 02:49 AM

Hollywood + Vine Project
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1011/814501714_ceee0e6f91_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1046/813621621_293b23abb5_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1362/814499480_5100049ca2_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1203/814496440_1844ff862c_b.jpg

Preserving the facade of historic Herman Building
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1084/813618243_1feea29fc4_b.jpg

PaliHouse Hollywood - near Hollywood/Vine
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1205/814495570_a501927966_b.jpg

The Hollywood - condo project
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1292/813613699_250247000b_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1370/813612527_62d094d5a6_b.jpg

Hollywood Terrace Hotel (Addition/Renovation) - Highland Avenue north of Franklin
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1364/814493884_7ea224639c_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1065/814494786_b490a25c52_b.jpg

GilbyDM101

July 17th, 2007, 11:38 PM

Huge Hollywood apartment complex approved
The L.A. City Council clears the way for 1,000 rental units in seven buildings to rise on parking lots around the Pantages. It's the largest residential project in the resurgent area.
By Roger Vincent, Times Staff Writer
12:51 PM PDT, July 17, 2007

Hollywood apartment complex approvedIn another boost for Hollywood, the Los Angeles City Council today approved a major new apartment complex with 1,000 rental units in seven buildings that will rise on sprawling parking lots around the historic Pantages theater.

After decades of being considered seedy, the Hollywood business district has been on a growth spurt since 2001, as many new commercial and residential projects are turning the area into a more sophisticated urban locale.

The complex would be the largest residential project among more than 2,500 upscale condominium and apartment units that have been built, are under construction or planned just on blocks around the famous intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

The $400-million development "continues the incredible momentum we have seen in Hollywood during the past five years," said City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents the area. "It's a picture of what the future of Hollywood will be as well."

The project is called Blvd6200 for its Hollywood Boulevard address. The council unanimously approved a zoning change that will allow construction to begin by early next year on the long-planned project on both sides of Hollywood Boulevard at Argyle Avenue east of Vine. It would also include shops and restaurants at street level.

Developer Veronica Hackett said she was attracted to the project in part because she believes the elements of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood are coming together around it.

"One of these days, people are going to walk in Hollywood," said Hackett, who worked as a developer on the revitalization of Times Square in New York in the 1980s.

During that process she became acquainted with the Nederlander family, which owns several theaters for live performances, including the Greek Theatre and the Pantages in Los Angeles.

Hackett is managing partner of the Clarett Group, which has a 99-year lease with the Nederlander Co. for control of more than 7 acres around the Pantages that the family owns and planned to develop for many years.

The land is now mostly parking lots serving the Pantages and other businesses. Chairman James Nederlander said he supports the Clarett project.

Blvd6200 would house 2,696 parking spaces underground or concealed behind stores on the first floor. "We had to get everything inside so we don't have ugly parking garages," Hackett said. "They're not inviting to walk by."

More than 650 spaces will be reserved for the Pantages on event days, and a portion of those will be available for public transit users on days when no performances are scheduled.

The project is within a block or so of the Hollywood and Vine subway station. That fact helped Clarett get city approvals to develop 140 units per acre, which makes Blvd6200 one of the densest projects in Los Angeles. It would take as much as two years to complete, Hackett said.

Neighborhood groups support the project, said Orrin Feldman, vice president of the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council.

"This is one of best success stories in the Hollywood redevelopment era," he said. "This is a great achievement the community needs to keep the Pantages viable."

Roger.Vincent@latimes.com

LosAngelesSportsFan

July 17th, 2007, 11:45 PM

Yay! that area is going to be REALLY Booming in 6 months! hopefully that other project south of the W also breaks ground soon, the one with the Whole Foods. I just wish that the parking was cut by 1/2. we need to stop promoting cars.

Westsidelife

July 18th, 2007, 02:53 AM

From SSP:

These are the pics that went with the article:

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-07/31240918.jpg
A computer rendering showing the plaza area of the massive apartment complex to be
built around the historic Pantages Theater in Hollywood. The Los Angeles City Council to-
day approved plans for the complex which will include 1,000 rental units in seven build-
ings. (Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderberg)

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-07/31240920.jpg
The Hollywood business district, which will house the massive complex, has seen a steady
surge in growth since 2001.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-07/31240922.jpg
The $400 million dollar development will also include shops and restaurants at street level.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-07/31240919.jpg
A computer rendering of one of the buildings in the Hollywood apartment complex. The
complex would be the largest residential project around the famous intersection of Hol-
lywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-07/31240921.jpg
A computer rendering showing one of the seven buildings to be erected as part of the
apartment complex.

fridayinla

July 27th, 2007, 08:51 PM

This view of the entrance to the residential area has had observers remark on its similarity to the famed Spanish Stairs.
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/walgreens3.jpg

Artist concept of the rooftop public space.
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/walgreens2.jpg

A Model showing the development from the northeast.
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/walgreens8.jpg

This view is from the northwest
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/walgreens10.jpg

This artist concept looks east on Santa Monica Boulevard.
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/walgreens4.jpg

This aerial view show the rooftop public/private space, as well as the topiary.
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/walgreens1.jpg

Walgreens Unveils Mixed Use Project

July 26, 2007 – By Ryan Gierach, West Hollywood

The developers of the Walgreens At Crescent Mixed-Use Project, Walgreens and Pacific Development Partners, put on a series of meets and greets recently to introduce the surrounding neighborhood to its new design, almost 18 months in the making.

The architect and developer themselves attended, answering questions and concerns raised by the neighbors. Neighbors’ reactions varied, but most found consensus on the beauty of the design.

Redesigned after adverse community reaction to their plans’ original iteration - a non-descript Walgreens store with boxes of apartment built atop it – the new architect made a point of providing a building for West Hollywood worthy of the city’s reputation as the creative city, he told WeHoNews.

Lorcan O’Herlihy heads an architectural firm that has designed a few award-winning buildings in West Hollywood over the past two years. “When I had the chance for this project, I wanted to throw my all into it and create something very special, unique, for this site,” he said.

“The corner is naturally pedestrian friendly,” Mr. O’Herlihy told WeHoNews. “We wanted to keep the feeling of the store open and receptive. That’s why the glass on three sides.”

For Walgreens, glass walls stands as a radical departure in their retail strategy. Retailers usually wish to maximize their shelf space by lining the walls with shelving and infilling with aisles.

Glass require a radically different in-store design, something that Walgreens had to come to grips with before signing off on Mr. O’Herlihey’s plans.

Mr. O’Herlihey also spoke to the main residential entrance, a broad flight of stairs that swoops to meet the street, bounded by glass walls that allow visitors and residents alike to peer into the shops to the east and the Walgreens to the west.

The 15,000 square feet of retail, 28 apartment units and approximately 123 parking spaces, says the developer, Ron Recht, are all just what WeHo needs. “We recognize that the city faces a real rental housing crunch, so we’re glad to be able to supply 28 additional rental units – six of them permanently affordable senior housing apartments – in this project.”

He pointed out that, unless a long-term commitment were made to the land and to the city, building rental units in today’s real estate market does not ‘pencil out,’ or make any money, a disincentive to move forward.

“We’re here with Walgreens, who owns the land and is unlikely to give it up, for the long haul,” he said. “Another reason we sought so hard to answer and address the community’s concerns about the original design."

Chief among those initial concerns was the loss of the ten neighborhood-serving business that have long existed in the strip mall, Crescent Square, some for three decades.

Neighbors felt that another pharmacy in the neighborhood was one too many if it cost them their cleaners, donut shop, printers and beauty supply store. The developer added retail shops, totaling three, in response.

Others felt that the 44 apartments in the original plan was far too many, so the plans changed to build 28 units. Mr. O’Herlihey said that it gave him an opportunity to offer more open space for the tenants, along with privacy by creating passageways to front doors more akin to crooked nooks and crannies.

Much thought has been given, likewise, to traffic – another neighborhood beef. Concerns raised over the intersection at Crescent Heights and Santa Monica Boulevard and its often gridlocked condition have been mitigated by setting the building back away from Crescent Heights a few feet and installing an additional ‘slowing’ lane in the area around the only customer entrance.

The freight, according to the models, will move one way, from Havenhurst off Santa Monica Boulevard into the freight garage and through out of the Crescent Heights exit.

Mr. Recht, the head of Pacific Development Partners, made it a point to express his primary goal: to be a good neighbor by building the project without zoning variances and to mitigate any potential problem that his building might have on the neighborhood.

“We did our own traffic study to determine how to address the additional traffic flow at this corner,” he said, “and we have the privilege of paying for another, independent, traffic study done by the city. We will do whatever it takes to make this development work without asking the city for favors.”

In a novel twist, the tops of the apartments will sport four large billboard-shaped and sized topiary and steel statues.

“We wanted to spend the civic fine arts set aside money on site, and this is the first time ever that the top of a building has been designed with such a living art component,” said O’Herlihey.

According to Mr. Recht, the frames for the vine growths will be steel and visible through the growth. “We’ll be using seasonal foliage, so the colors will change from season to season, several times a year,” he said.

John Chase, the City’s Urban Designer, told WeHoNews that this will be the first time such an art piece will be integrated into an urban building. “It’s a first time, yes,” he said, “It really costs them a lot of extra money to do all these things.

“The way the corridors are set back to give privacy but also to provide for semi-public space are non-living space they could be getting rent from if they built it traditionally,” Mr. Chase said. “On one hand, I’m sure there will be people who dislike it, but we are the Creative City and this is a very creative set of plans.”

A quick polling of attendees uncovered a begrudging acknowledgment that the project is greatly improved on several points, including the beauty of the structure.

Irena and Esmerelda, a pair of sisters who live on Laurel, told WeHoNews as they exited the meeting that they thought it would be an improvement.

“We’ve lived right over there now for almost 40 years,” Irena said, “and we’ve seen it all change in that time. This will be very nice for the neighborhood. Especially replacing this old mall,” she said, swatting at the window next to her.

Opponents of the project were not swayed, however, by what one of them disparaged as a “dog and pony show.” Norma Kemper, one of the organizers of the Havenhurst Neighborhood Association, which is fomenting opposition to the development, said, “The scope is still too big for the block. It will still take away from the community feel.

“You can’t put that many housing units in place without it affecting the community,” she said. “But we want to be fair, so we’re waiting for the traffic study to come out.”

Buildingfrenzy

August 27th, 2007, 10:03 AM

http://www.rockstargames.com/midnightclubLA/

Games love L.A and Hollywood.

godblessbotox

August 29th, 2007, 09:30 PM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1145/1268131117_fd2936cb03_b.jpg
big:http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1268131117&size=o

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1309/1268988524_7252e46116_b.jpg
big:http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=1268988524&size=o

lan56

August 30th, 2007, 03:05 AM

^^ What project is that again? Sorry if this has already been answered, but I'm not too keen on development in that area.

Fern~Fern*

August 30th, 2007, 03:59 AM

^^ What project is that again? Sorry if this has already been answered, but I'm not too keen on development in that area.

Come on Lan56 get with the program!!!!

I told you about coming down the hill more often to get familiar with all these projects... :ohno:

Westsidelife

August 30th, 2007, 04:47 AM

^^ What project is that again? Sorry if this has already been answered, but I'm not too keen on development in that area.

That's the Hollywood/Vine project which consists of the W Hotel and the Legacy Apartments.

lan56

August 30th, 2007, 06:13 AM

Come on Lan56 get with the program!!!!

I told you about coming down the hill more often to get familiar with all these projects... :ohno:

I am a big chimpanzee... :banana:

redspork02

August 30th, 2007, 05:48 PM

KTLA-TV's iconic home in Hollywood goes on the block
The Tribune property, where the first talking motion picture was filmed in 1927, also houses production facilities.
By Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 30, 2007

The historic former Warner Bros. studio on Sunset Boulevard, now occupied by television station KTLA-TV Channel 5, has been put up for sale by Tribune Co. amid a wave of high-stakes real estate investment in Hollywood.
No price has been set for the block-size property at the southeast corner of Sunset and Bronson Avenue that also houses Tribune Entertainment and Tribune Studios. In recent years, other studios and historic properties in the neighborhood have sold for millions of dollars as investors race to take part in Hollywood's resurgence.

A real estate expert who asked not to be identified because he may become involved in the bidding process valued the property at about $175 million. Nearby Sunset-Gower Studios, the former Columbia Pictures headquarters, sold this month for more than $200 million.

KTLA occupies the prominent Colonial-style mansion facing Sunset that was built by Warner Bros. in 1919.

City officials expressed hope that the property would remain entertainment industry-oriented. Several historic properties in Hollywood are being turned into condos, apartments and shops.

Television shows filmed at Tribune's production facilities on the property -- but separate from KTLA -- include "Judge Judy," "Judge Joe Brown" and "Hannah Montana."

Chicago-based Tribune, which also owns the Los Angeles Times, has retained real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield "to explore strategic alternatives for the property," said Gary Weitman, a Tribune spokesman.

Even after a sale, KTLA would remain at its current location as a tenant for an indefinite period, said Carl Muhlstein, a Cushman & Wakefield broker. "They hope to start planning for a new facility either somewhere else on the site or nearby. KTLA has a long-term commitment to Hollywood."

KTLA needs to update its facilities, General Manager Vinnie Malcolm said. "We have been working around a lot of not-very-efficient uses of space. There is no question we could use a better physical plant."

Tribune is moving quickly to sell the property by year-end, Muhlstein said. That could coincide with the company's pending $8.4-billion buyout by Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell, expected to close in the fourth quarter.

A representative for City Councilman Eric Garcetti said the councilman hoped the property would continue to be a hub for entertainment businesses.

Garcetti "looks forward to having a continuing conversation with the new owners to ensure that we keep vital entertainment-related jobs right here in Hollywood," said David Gershwin, the councilman's chief of staff.

"This stretch of Sunset Boulevard and its surrounding neighborhoods have a critical mass of post-production facilities, entertainment venues and cultural institutions that makes this a prime location for film and television production in the years ahead," Gershwin said.

The Colonial-style building and a sound stage on the former Warner Bros. lot are registered historic properties, Gershwin said, and could not be demolished or substantially altered.

The studio, situated just west of the Hollywood Freeway, was the site of Warner Bros.' first studio. It is where talking pictures were born when Al Jolson recorded his first words in "The Jazz Singer" in 1927. In later years, Warner used the site to produce musicals and dramas.

Paramount Pictures Corp. purchased the studio in 1954 as an annex to its studios a few blocks to the south at Van Ness and Melrose avenues. In 1956, KTLA, then owned by Paramount, moved onto the lot, according to KTLA. Cowboy star Gene Autry bought KTLA and the studio from Paramount in 1964. It was sold to Tribune Broadcasting in 1986.

The site, which includes about 10 sound stages, has plenty of room for expansion, broker Muhlstein said. He predicted that a buyer would add more film and television production buildings and office space. There is little vacant office space in Hollywood, and Technicolor Inc. agreed months ago to rent an entire six-story office building under construction at Sunset-Gower Studios.

Other studio space has been taken off the market, creating a shortage of facilities, Muhlstein said. In recent years, about 70 acres' worth of production facilities such as KTTV's Metromedia Square, KCOP Studios and CBS Columbia Square have been closed to make way for residential and commercial redevelopment, Muhlstein said.

KTLA "is the only active television lot left in Hollywood," City Councilman Tom LaBonge said during a phone call from Ireland. "I hope Channel 5's beacon still stands brightly there as an active television production center. It's so much a part of Hollywood."
Hollywood's largest commercial landlord, CIM Group, will be among those evaluating the property, said Shaul Kuba, a company principal. "We are definitely going to be very interested."The site is potentially big enough to accommodate studio production, housing, office and retail uses, he said, "but it would require a huge amount of planning to find the right balance."

The site will be marketed to large potential buyers such as CIM Group that are capable of closing the deal by year-end, said broker Michael DeSantis, also of Cushman & Wakefield.

roger.vincent@latimes.com

redspork02

August 30th, 2007, 05:51 PM

KTLA-TV's iconic home in Hollywood goes on the block
The Tribune property, where the first talking motion picture was filmed in 1927, also houses production facilities.
By Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 30, 2007

The historic former Warner Bros. studio on Sunset Boulevard, now occupied by television station KTLA-TV Channel 5, has been put up for sale by Tribune Co. amid a wave of high-stakes real estate investment in Hollywood.
No price has been set for the block-size property at the southeast corner of Sunset and Bronson Avenue that also houses Tribune Entertainment and Tribune Studios. In recent years, other studios and historic properties in the neighborhood have sold for millions of dollars as investors race to take part in Hollywood's resurgence.

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-08/32198225.jpgThe former Warner Bros. building on Sunset Boulevard
http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/mapimage/2007-08/32199888.gif

A real estate expert who asked not to be identified because he may become involved in the bidding process valued the property at about $175 million. Nearby Sunset-Gower Studios, the former Columbia Pictures headquarters, sold this month for more than $200 million.

KTLA occupies the prominent Colonial-style mansion facing Sunset that was built by Warner Bros. in 1919.

City officials expressed hope that the property would remain entertainment industry-oriented. Several historic properties in Hollywood are being turned into condos, apartments and shops.

Television shows filmed at Tribune's production facilities on the property -- but separate from KTLA -- include "Judge Judy," "Judge Joe Brown" and "Hannah Montana."

Chicago-based Tribune, which also owns the Los Angeles Times, has retained real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield "to explore strategic alternatives for the property," said Gary Weitman, a Tribune spokesman.

Even after a sale, KTLA would remain at its current location as a tenant for an indefinite period, said Carl Muhlstein, a Cushman & Wakefield broker. "They hope to start planning for a new facility either somewhere else on the site or nearby. KTLA has a long-term commitment to Hollywood."

KTLA needs to update its facilities, General Manager Vinnie Malcolm said. "We have been working around a lot of not-very-efficient uses of space. There is no question we could use a better physical plant."

Tribune is moving quickly to sell the property by year-end, Muhlstein said. That could coincide with the company's pending $8.4-billion buyout by Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell, expected to close in the fourth quarter.

A representative for City Councilman Eric Garcetti said the councilman hoped the property would continue to be a hub for entertainment businesses.

Garcetti "looks forward to having a continuing conversation with the new owners to ensure that we keep vital entertainment-related jobs right here in Hollywood," said David Gershwin, the councilman's chief of staff.

"This stretch of Sunset Boulevard and its surrounding neighborhoods have a critical mass of post-production facilities, entertainment venues and cultural institutions that makes this a prime location for film and television production in the years ahead," Gershwin said.

The Colonial-style building and a sound stage on the former Warner Bros. lot are registered historic properties, Gershwin said, and could not be demolished or substantially altered.

The studio, situated just west of the Hollywood Freeway, was the site of Warner Bros.' first studio. It is where talking pictures were born when Al Jolson recorded his first words in "The Jazz Singer" in 1927. In later years, Warner used the site to produce musicals and dramas.

Paramount Pictures Corp. purchased the studio in 1954 as an annex to its studios a few blocks to the south at Van Ness and Melrose avenues. In 1956, KTLA, then owned by Paramount, moved onto the lot, according to KTLA. Cowboy star Gene Autry bought KTLA and the studio from Paramount in 1964. It was sold to Tribune Broadcasting in 1986.

The site, which includes about 10 sound stages, has plenty of room for expansion, broker Muhlstein said. He predicted that a buyer would add more film and television production buildings and office space. There is little vacant office space in Hollywood, and Technicolor Inc. agreed months ago to rent an entire six-story office building under construction at Sunset-Gower Studios.

Other studio space has been taken off the market, creating a shortage of facilities, Muhlstein said. In recent years, about 70 acres' worth of production facilities such as KTTV's Metromedia Square, KCOP Studios and CBS Columbia Square have been closed to make way for residential and commercial redevelopment, Muhlstein said.

KTLA "is the only active television lot left in Hollywood," City Councilman Tom LaBonge said during a phone call from Ireland. "I hope Channel 5's beacon still stands brightly there as an active television production center. It's so much a part of Hollywood."
Hollywood's largest commercial landlord, CIM Group, will be among those evaluating the property, said Shaul Kuba, a company principal. "We are definitely going to be very interested."The site is potentially big enough to accommodate studio production, housing, office and retail uses, he said, "but it would require a huge amount of planning to find the right balance."

The site will be marketed to large potential buyers such as CIM Group that are capable of closing the deal by year-end, said broker Michael DeSantis, also of Cushman & Wakefield.

roger.vincent@latimes.com

redspork02

September 13th, 2007, 07:03 PM

L.A. block renamed Larry King Square

LOS ANGELES - A city block that surrounds a CNN building in Hollywood has been named after the cable network's talk-show host Larry King.

The City Council voted Wednesday to rename the block "Larry King Square" in recognition of King's 50 years in broadcasting.

King, who started his career at a Miami radio station in 1957, hosts CNN's longest-running interview program, "Larry King Live."

The council also agreed to name an intersection near Paramount Studios "I Love Lucy Square," after the late comedian Lucille Ball and Lucy Casada, who owned a popular restaurant there called Lucy's El Adobe Cafe.

Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, also had a production company at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Plymouth Boulevard.

Fern~Fern*

September 15th, 2007, 06:10 PM

This pix was taken from Franklin Hall @ LACC during my lunch break. Went with my co-worker to the student store to buy a book for his Saturday class. We did it all this in a little over an hour, did I mentioned we took the Red Line...Woohoo!!!!

More mid-rise buildings in East Hollywood...
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/LACC1.jpg

From here you can see the World Famous Hollywood/Griffith Observatory sign...
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/LACC2.jpg

klamedia

September 15th, 2007, 08:55 PM

Yes, I'm taking a Spanish class there this semester...they are really building the campus up. "Ferney" I'm imagining that you tood the Red Line from downtown took care of your business at LACC and headed back to downtown afterwards all via Metro. Now think of living in a city where their are 3 or 4 of those lines going out in all different directions that connect with an even larger network of lines.....that's what living in a rapid transit rich city is like....* pure heaven *! No traffic. No parking. No gas. Your quality of life goes up a few notches immediately.

milquetoast

September 16th, 2007, 09:40 AM

This pix was taken from Franklin Hall @ LACC during my lunch break.

Your lunch break looks like 6 o'clock!:cheers:

phattonez

September 19th, 2007, 06:29 PM

I took some pictures on Monday on my drive back from UCLA. Now I'm not familiar with all the projects going on, so maybe some of you can label this for me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00977.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00976.jpg
This one is the new Kaiser building.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00975.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00974.jpg
Two pics of the new high school, I wish I could have been higher to get a picture of the lot.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00973.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00972.jpg
These are two pics of the same building, but the second one is a bad attempt at a picture going up the length of the building.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00971.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00970.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00969.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00968.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/phattonez/DSC00967.jpg
That stupid billboard got in the way.

Fern~Fern*

September 20th, 2007, 06:53 AM

Great pix Phatt!!!

phattonez

September 20th, 2007, 06:58 AM

^^See, I'm a good driver, I can take pictures and drive at the same time without hitting other cars or other people.

Fern~Fern*

September 20th, 2007, 07:12 AM

^^See, I'm a good driver, I can take pictures and drive at the same time without hitting other cars or other people.

^ You were stuck at a red light!

phattonez

September 20th, 2007, 07:13 AM

^^Not for all of them.

Fern~Fern*

September 20th, 2007, 07:18 AM

^ 9 out of 10 are.

phattonez

September 20th, 2007, 08:06 AM

^^What? 9 are not at a red light.

LosAngelesSportsFan

September 26th, 2007, 09:49 AM

the burger king across from the HH complex has shut down and the jefferson, a 6 or 7 story TOD is going in its place.

Westsidelife

September 26th, 2007, 09:55 AM

Regarding the Jefferson...

http://la.curbed.com/2007-03-jefferson.jpg

Jefferson at Hollywood Ready to Displace Burger King

By jwilliams
March 21, 2007

We always wondered what would replace the lowly Burger King sitting amongst the sea of parking lots across from Hollywood & Highland. Thanks to the Hollywood Chamber (http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/newsletter/enewstemplate.asp), now we know. The curiously named Jefferson at Hollywood located at the southeast corner of Highland and Yucca is in the middle of its approval process. As proposed, the project "will feature 270 residential apartments, about 8,500-sq.ft. of retail space, with 470 parking spaces to serve the development and an additional 285 spaces provided for public parking." Can someone with a shred more intelligence than us please explain the "Jefferson" part of this name equation?

Source: Curbed LA (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2007/03/jefferson_at_ho.php)

milquetoast

September 26th, 2007, 11:34 AM

Can someone explain to me why the project is of such low capacity, especially in that particular location! The land must have been expensive as hell, and they build this? Next to a development like H&H? This belongs out in the Valley somewhere, there is nothing distinctive about it. :bash:

klamedia

September 26th, 2007, 12:43 PM

I truly disagree with you on this. I think that Hollywood is still a neighborhood and projects should be kept on a neighborhood scale. I think that this one along w/ the other infill projects seem to be quite manageable, then their are some really huge developments like the one next to the Pantages and the other at the Old Spaghetti restuarant lot.....I in fact think these are almost out of scale w/ the rest of the area but welcome them wholeheartedly. Hollywood is not downtown LA or even Century City, part of its charm for me are the smaller unique apt houses that pretty much cover the 'hood. I would hate to see something like the Hanover or Park 5th in Hollywood, it would just overwhelm the area.....that belongs downtown, along Wilshire or in Century City. I think this project, though could be a smidgent larger, is in scale w/ the rest of the existing developments that surround it. Hooray for Hollywood!

godblessbotox

September 26th, 2007, 08:32 PM

http://mail.google.com/mail/?attid=0.1&disp=emb&view=att&th=11542dd649e1d34a
as of sept 25

Robert Stark

September 26th, 2007, 10:38 PM

Westsidelife

September 27th, 2007, 12:38 AM

that building is pathetic for the location.

No it isn't. Refer to klamedia's post.

CITYofDREAMS

September 27th, 2007, 12:47 AM

that building is pathetic for the location.

Do you ever have something positive to say about anything in LA?

redspork02

September 27th, 2007, 02:23 AM

that building is pathetic for the location.

I agree , Pathetic, Sorry guys!
Not Flashy enough for HOLYYWOOD!

Robert Stark

September 27th, 2007, 06:12 AM

Do you ever have something positive to say about anything in LA?

occasionally, but its hard.

Westsidelife

September 27th, 2007, 06:18 AM

Do you ever have something positive to say about anything in LA?

I wouldn't worry too much about him. After all, this is the guy who said that LA will look like something out of Blade Runner by 2050.

Fern~Fern*

September 27th, 2007, 08:11 AM

occasionally, but its hard.

^ Hey Messxican be positive and proud of your city!:bash:

milquetoast

September 27th, 2007, 10:39 AM

redspork02

September 27th, 2007, 09:41 PM

Prudential RE Sells Hollywood Office Tower for $50MLincoln Savings Bldg. on 'Walk of Fame' Changes Hands for $286 PSF

http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=F484E8E6DCEDED7191F690394B3A5691&ref=1&src=rss
The LeFrak Organization purchased the 174,804-square-foot former Lincoln Savings Building at 7060 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, CA, from an entity of Prudential Real Estate Advisors for $50 million, or approximately $286 per square foot.

Situated on Hollywood Boulevard's "Walk of Fame," the office tower is on .75 acres and is currently vacant. The owner plans on an extensive renovation that has an expected completion date of early 2008, which would convert the building into Class A standards.
Bob Safai of Madison Partners represented the seller, Prudential taking title as Broadstone Hollywood LLC. The buyer represented itself.

Please refer to CoStar COMPS #1389044 for more information on this transaction.

http://www.costar.com/imageviewer/GetThumbnail.aspx?id=710CBE91F9CEDF52122ADA16291D82AB&atype=4

klamedia

September 28th, 2007, 02:56 AM

Eeeaahhhh I'm just sayin'. It is Hollywood and Highland, I mean, it's a major intersection in Hollywood. Look at the old construction at the intersection to the east, H and Vine. You tend to build up the intersections and lay low in between. That's standard urban planning. Man, that better be one damn, goodlooking building! :)

All of those parking lots in that satellite photo will be covered w/ developments. Sheesh.....some of you??? Some of the buildings will be flashy while others will be slightly mundane....I mean it's not FACING Hollywood Blvd, so I don't know what the big huh is all about! The Jefferson will have below ground parking making it a very good candidate for other apt buildings abutting it, perhaps those will be larger and flashier? I'm looking for the link that shows what these series of parking lots will look like in the future.

Westsidelife

September 29th, 2007, 02:46 AM

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/jefferson1a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/jefferson2a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/jefferson3a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/jefferson4a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/jefferson5a.jpg

Source: VTBS Architects (http://www.vtbs.com/index.html)

milquetoast

September 29th, 2007, 12:49 PM

That looks good. :)

CITYofDREAMS

September 30th, 2007, 07:45 PM

I think it's a good looking building... nothing pathetic about it.

Robert Stark

September 30th, 2007, 09:57 PM

its to short. Hollywood is filling al there lots with these lowrises.

soup or man

September 30th, 2007, 10:04 PM

^ But the lots are getting filled young padawan. In Hollywood's case, ten 5-7 story building > one 20 story building.

Quit being greedy.

milquetoast

October 1st, 2007, 10:56 AM

If you don't demand satisfacton, you don't get shit! :cheers:

godblessbotox

October 2nd, 2007, 12:39 AM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1315/1469150171_5fe83f50da_o.jpg
image from flickr by christoph3D (http://www.flickr.com/photos/christoph3d/)

klamedia

October 2nd, 2007, 02:10 AM

3-7 stories is appropriate for residential Hollywood with some 10-20 story residential thrown in but I like the low rise look of Hollywood. Wouldn't want to see the sign blocked anyway.

Joey313

October 2nd, 2007, 02:29 AM

^^ yeah but that does not mean the design have to be so boring. Its hollywood and especially right next to H&H. I just think they should be more creative with the area.

lan56

October 2nd, 2007, 08:33 AM

What project is that photo of?

Fern~Fern*

October 2nd, 2007, 08:44 AM

What project is that photo of?

^^ Seriously Dude! you need to come down to this side of the hill more often. It seems as if you have no idea about any of these projects?

Better yet next drink meet we have show up and we will take around (get your feet wet) so you won't be asking "what project is that"???

lan56

October 2nd, 2007, 09:06 AM

I'd be interested in meeting a lot of you regulars. It would be something different for me. Keep me posted, or point me to where announcements of that are posted.

Fern~Fern*

October 2nd, 2007, 06:48 PM

I'd be interested in meeting a lot of you regulars. It would be something different for me. Keep me posted, or point me to where announcements of that are posted.

We just had one a week or so ago.... another one is in the planning stages then sent for final approval. Stay tuned!!!!

godblessbotox

October 2nd, 2007, 07:25 PM

We just had one a week or so ago.... another one is in the planning stages then sent for final approval. Stay tuned!!!!

did you file an EIR yet?

surfnspy

October 3rd, 2007, 08:43 AM

Looks like a FOURTH crane is going up at the W site. There are currently three and the "trunk" (for lack of an actual term for it) of a fourth is about six stories up.

I guess they mean to build this project FAST!

I am gonna learn how to post pix here one of these days. I PROMISE!

Westsidelife

October 3rd, 2007, 08:49 AM

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/movie1a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/movie2a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/movie3a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/movie4a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/movie5a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/movie6a.jpg

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/movie7a.jpg

Source: VTBS Architects (http://www.vtbs.com/index.html)

godblessbotox

October 3rd, 2007, 10:26 AM

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1258/1475668254_ce2a46ebd2_b.jpg
by me (http://www.flickr.com/photos/godblessbotox/1475668254/)

soup or man

October 3rd, 2007, 08:37 PM

^ Ha..I was there last night. Magically, I was able to get free VIP passes to some shoe release party at The Highland. Some guy was giving away free passes. I got pretty drunk. Lots of girls asked for my myspace page (possibly due to the fact that I had just bought a hoodie from Neighboorhoodies that reads 'Add me on myspace.'

There was also a crane across from Capitol Records. Anyone know what that is?

Regards to Movietown: Crappy name but awesome design.

godblessbotox

October 3rd, 2007, 08:45 PM

There was also a crane across from Capitol Records. Anyone know what that is?

that crane is for this building:

hey look its that empty lot that i still dont know whats being built
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/416187928_def23c2f39_b.jpg

which i still do not know the name of, or what is going on that lot

gelofts

October 3rd, 2007, 09:45 PM

its hard not to design a square, rectangular building given the streets and lots; need to plan for parking, street widening, sidewalk, streetscape, open space requirements.

am developing a leed gold mixed use project in hollywood close to the western-hollywood metro station. looking for a design that encompasses the golden era of past hollywood with a design suitable for the next 100 years. I look at all the renderings and photos of the planned and existing buildings in hollywood; they all look similar.

any suggestions or links to good designs.

klamedia

October 3rd, 2007, 11:16 PM

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/tmaxx6/Hollywood2.jpg

godblessbotox

October 3rd, 2007, 11:28 PM

k, what is that ^^?

milquetoast

October 4th, 2007, 10:08 AM

Why, that's the most darlin' lil' buildin I ever did see! :)

klamedia

October 4th, 2007, 12:35 PM

The refurbished apt. building that I dream of living in at Hollywood and Schrader.

kidA

October 4th, 2007, 12:56 PM

that crane is for this building:

which i still do not know the name of, or what is going on that lot

Yeah I passed by there a year ago on my way to the valon
and it looked like that. It should be/or almost finished by now. Anyone know?

godblessbotox

October 4th, 2007, 10:49 PM

they have the first floor built. i took some blurry noise pictures out of a dirty window in the taft building. ill post them at some time. just wish someone out there knew what the hell is it

Fern~Fern*

October 5th, 2007, 05:55 AM

The refurbished apt. building that I dream of living in at Hollywood and Schrader.

^ No way! I also plan on living on this darling apartment complex. Way too cool and expect me knocking on your door while holding a cup to get some sugar from you, soon to be neighbor! :drunk:

soup or man

October 5th, 2007, 06:40 AM

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/tmaxx6/Hollywood2.jpg

I always pass by this thing and wonder why Hollywood would let such a ugly building rise? It looks like a piece of cake. Crap crap crap.

Joey313

October 5th, 2007, 07:21 AM

you wonder about why would hollywood let that rise you should wonder why would L.A let ugly one story buildings rise all over the city. Its not that bad. It's interesting gives character to the area

jessemh431

October 5th, 2007, 08:06 AM

ya. it brings variety.

milquetoast

October 5th, 2007, 11:25 AM

I like cake! :)

ArchiTennis

October 5th, 2007, 03:24 PM

I like that building aslo. it's somewhat silver-lakish. ya know? lot's of character.

godblessbotox

October 5th, 2007, 05:04 PM

why has this been un-stickied?

surfnspy

October 5th, 2007, 08:16 PM

Has this been posted yet?

There is glass going up on the sunset and vine condo tower--about four stories so far. It is being applied to the north side (on sunset.)

The glass is bluish and there seems to be some vertical lines going up and down.

At least some progress finally.

godblessbotox

October 5th, 2007, 08:36 PM

got some images of that two... will post stuff on sat/sunday

Westsidelife

October 5th, 2007, 09:45 PM

why has this been un-stickied?

Because only the two Downtown discussion threads should be stickies. Otherwise, we would have to sticky the Wilshire, Long Beach, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Inland Empire, etc. Development News threads.

LosAngelesSportsFan

October 6th, 2007, 04:41 AM

you know, thinking about it, this is a very active thread so im gonna sticky it again.

Westsidelife

October 6th, 2007, 05:59 AM

I don't think this thread should be a sticky because the discussion in the Development News section focuses on Downtown. There's really nothing special about the activity in Hollywood. It's just another neighborhood, hence it doesn't need to be a sticky.

godblessbotox

October 6th, 2007, 08:56 PM

sunset and vine glassy
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2245/1497913107_9387a95cb8_b.jpg

the unknown on vine
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2109/1497913615_4edaf15768_o.jpg

Fern~Fern*

October 6th, 2007, 09:13 PM

[QUOTE=godblessbotox;15751390]sunset and vine glassy
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2245/1497913107_9387a95cb8_b.jpg

^ Now that's what you call "Building Porn" totally bare!!!.... :naughty:

btw the glass will make it looks 100 times better than before* :righton:

Westsidelife

October 6th, 2007, 11:41 PM

The "unknown" construction on Vine St. is called the PaliHouse.

LAsam

October 7th, 2007, 08:48 AM

Walked by Hollywood and Vine today... lots of work going on there. They have 3 cranes up and running and it looks like the are building a fourth. They're not messing around on this one!

godblessbotox

October 9th, 2007, 07:45 PM

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2276/1521473721_fcf30a11e3_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/1521472273_6f36e5f9f2_b.jpg

soup or man

October 9th, 2007, 09:51 PM

Remember this?

http://www.jozjozjoz.com/archives/S+V%20Fire%204-01-14p-sm.jpg

And a reminder of what this thing will look like: http://www.cimgroup.com/imgs/props/Sunset_&_Vine_Tower_lg2.jpg

surfnspy

October 11th, 2007, 11:14 PM

Is this the right spot for posts about West Hollywood?

Anyway, here is a link to a revised and surprisingly dense project for West Hollywood.

The strip mall where this project is planned is FUGLY and this is a huge improvement. Tho, it is still remarkably dense for Santa Monica Blvd. which is gridlocked with buses nearly all the time.

http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/page.php?articleID=1781

Clever folks can paste the pics here from the news article.

Fern~Fern*

October 11th, 2007, 11:24 PM

Not too bad...
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/movie1.jpg

http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/movie.jpg

http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/movie4.jpg

http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/images/movie2.jpg

hello345

October 14th, 2007, 12:50 AM

has the legacy started or is it just the w?

surfnspy

October 15th, 2007, 08:14 PM

The fourth crane went up late last week over the W project.

Really looks like a forest now!

P.S. That condo/apt conversion pictured above is taking SOOO long. Do the people doing this even know what they're doing? (I think there are lots of elmer's glue bottles around the construction site.) I think all the construction on L.A. Live will be done before this tower is complete. Based on slow progress, I wouldn't live there--can't be doing quality work if it is taking this long.

Robert Stark

October 15th, 2007, 10:24 PM

klamedia

October 16th, 2007, 07:02 AM

Remember this?

And a reminder of what this thing will look like: http://www.cimgroup.com/imgs/props/Sunset_&_Vine_Tower_lg2.jpg
I like how that little girl looks like a zombie in red boots.^^

surfnspy

October 16th, 2007, 11:17 PM

I am usually all for modern, but does this model for the new Madame Tussaud's look a little like piles of rubble and building debris?

surfnspy

October 16th, 2007, 11:19 PM

oops, forgot the link:

http://www.rotoark.com/proj_com_holl.html

Fern~Fern*

October 17th, 2007, 02:00 AM

oops, forgot the link:

What about posting the pix instead?

Westsidelife

October 17th, 2007, 04:41 AM

Surfnspy, that's an old rendering.

stuckintraffic

October 17th, 2007, 08:40 AM

yea, The General's Daughter (playing next door) came out in 1999!

milquetoast

October 17th, 2007, 10:18 AM

Somebody kill Hollywood and Orange!:ohno:

future_trance011

October 17th, 2007, 01:59 PM

Somebody kill Hollywood and Orange!:ohno:

Hollywood and Orange has been killed and buried for all eternity. Thank God! They put the nail into the coffin of that hideous monstrosity. Judging by how it's all boarded up on that corner, Madame Tussuad's should be rising very soon with a much more pleasing design.

surfnspy

October 19th, 2007, 03:14 AM

Orange doesn't look so dead to me.

http://www.cajaeir.com/portfolio/tussauds.html

milquetoast

October 19th, 2007, 09:37 AM

That looks better. I wish I could see more. :)

Robert Stark

October 19th, 2007, 10:38 PM

Westsidelife

October 19th, 2007, 11:48 PM

Is that by Fairfax?

It's at Santa Monica and Poinsettia in West Hollywood.

Robert Stark

October 20th, 2007, 05:35 AM

Santa Monica and Fairfax is where the Red Line extension will probably be.

jessemh431

October 20th, 2007, 09:17 AM

they shoudl bring it to beverly and san vicente

Sunland

October 20th, 2007, 08:36 PM

Remember this?

http://www.jozjozjoz.com/archives/S+V%20Fire%204-01-14p-sm.jpg

And a reminder of what this thing will look like: http://www.cimgroup.com/imgs/props/Sunset_&_Vine_Tower_lg2.jpg

I wish CIM Group would have left off the giant billboards in their design, but if they're going to be there I would hope for something a little edgier than the Gap when it comes to what's going to be on those giant billboards. After all this is Hollywood. :ohno:

Fern~Fern*

October 20th, 2007, 08:44 PM

I wish CIM Group would have left off the giant billboards in their design, but if they're going to be there I would hope for something a little edgier than the Gap when it comes to what's going to be on those giant billboards. After all this is Hollywood. :ohno:

^ We shall wait and see.... besides huge billboards are a new thing!!! I say add more huge neon, electric billboards to all major structures in the city. :banana:

Antarctica

October 20th, 2007, 08:48 PM

^ We shall wait and see.... besides huge billboards are a new thing!!! I say add more huge neon, electric billboards to all major structures in the city. :banana:

Are you fucking kidding me? Get these monstrosities out of L.A. Do you really wanna drive around a huge pop up ad?

soup or man

October 20th, 2007, 09:34 PM

^ We shall wait and see.... besides huge billboards are a new thing!!! I say add more huge neon, electric billboards to all major structures in the city. :banana:

Uhhh...no? LA isn't Vegas.

Fern~Fern*

October 20th, 2007, 10:28 PM

Are you fucking kidding me? Get these monstrosities out of L.A. Do you really wanna drive around a huge pop up ad?

What are you talking about, those "monstrosities" make an area alive. A few huge signs and the rest can be regular neon just to be an eye catcher.

Soup Boy.... but Vegas is our backyard.

soup or man

October 21st, 2007, 12:21 AM

^ I repeat: LA is NOT Vegas.

Robert Stark

October 21st, 2007, 03:06 AM

they shoudl bring it to beverly and san vicente

The Beverly Center. Yes that what I have been saying for forever but it should stop some where in WEHO on SM blv. after Hollywood. I'm not sure what line it would be maybe RED or Silver.

jessemh431

October 21st, 2007, 04:03 AM

they should make one that roughly follows santa monica blvd that starts somewhere in hollywood or west hollywood and is connected to the red line. they could extend it to the beach where it could meet with the Expo Line.

klamedia

October 22nd, 2007, 05:22 AM

Has anyone been following the alignment suggestions and all of the meetings for these proposals that have been going on for 2 weeks already???/ One of the proposed alignments would shoot out from H&H and follow Sunset Blvd til it hits the Purple Line in Century City. Their it would go on to the ocean.

phattonez

October 22nd, 2007, 06:07 AM

I guess that having 2 subways isn't an option?

Fern~Fern*

October 22nd, 2007, 08:14 AM

^ I repeat: LA is NOT Vegas.

^ 10-4 big daddy!

klamedia

October 22nd, 2007, 05:00 PM

Keep up people! These are the 2 that they are considering. No one has said that these 2 can't be built simultaneously.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/tmaxx6/losangelessubwayproposals.jpg

LAsam

October 22nd, 2007, 10:52 PM

Keep up people! These are the 2 that they are considering. No one has said that these 2 can't be built simultaneously.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/tmaxx6/losangelessubwayproposals.jpg

We might as well build both. If we're going to expand the thing, lets go all out and do it right.

Robert Stark

October 22nd, 2007, 11:52 PM

Keep up people! These are the 2 that they are considering. No one has said that these 2 can't be built simultaneously.

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q138/tmaxx6/losangelessubwayproposals.jpg

would that be the red line? that plan skips the Beverly Center and Grove which are critical.

klamedia

October 23rd, 2007, 04:47 AM

Are you blind? There will be stop at LaCienega and Santa Monica within walking distance to the Beverly Center. For the Grove, just take a short bus trip up to it from Wilshire.

jessemh431

October 23rd, 2007, 06:23 AM

I think the grove is more important though.

do you think it would be possible to build a light rail going above the 405 thru the sepulveda pass? we really need to do something about that area.

also, are there any rails planned to go along the coast. there is not enough North/South rail. maybe have something roughly follow sepulveda/PCH or the 405 starting at the Sepulveda Pass in the Valley and ending in either PV, San Pedro, or meeting with one in DT LB. there also needs to be a rail following the southern part of the SFV.

Robert Stark

October 23rd, 2007, 07:16 AM

Are you blind? There will be stop at LaCienega and Santa Monica within walking distance to the Beverly Center. For the Grove, just take a short bus trip up to it from Wilshire.

there hast to be a station at the Beverly Center since that area is known as the time square of the west.

jlrobe

October 23rd, 2007, 10:02 AM

there hast to be a station at the Beverly Center since that area is known as the time square of the west.

Walking is good up to a half mile
buses are good up to 1.5 miles
rail is good the rest of the way.

Rail doesnt have to hit everything, it just has to get within a reasonable distant for another mode to finish the job.

milquetoast

October 23rd, 2007, 11:23 AM

That orange line wouldn't have to reach the ocean if the other one does, but it would make sense for a line down Sepulveda from the Veteran's complex to L A X. Then continue that line north into the valley over or through the Sepulveda pass. None of this is easy, it's shitty difficult! But that's the mess you're in. The city will die from multiple traffic heart attacks in the coming years and, if not Washington, then at least Sacramento should pay it some mind! :bash:

Robert Stark

October 23rd, 2007, 08:59 PM

Walking is good up to a half mile
buses are good up to 1.5 miles
rail is good the rest of the way.

Rail doesnt have to hit everything, it just has to get within a reasonable distant for another mode to finish the job.

I walking distance is short I just have this vision of a station there like in the film Volcano. that area will one day be LA's version of Time Square.

redspork02

November 3rd, 2007, 11:48 PM

:ohno: Hollywood Christmas Parade is a wrap:ohno:
With revenue and audience shrinking, the Chamber of Commerce ends its annual event.
By Bob Pool, Times Staff Writer
March 22, 2007

Hollywood Christmas Parade - A 75-year Los Angeles tradition came to an end Wednesday as officials disclosed that last year's Hollywood Christmas Parade was the final one.

Rising costs and shrinking revenues are to blame for the cancellation, leaders of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said.

"This is a very difficult thing for us to have to do," said Jeff Briggs, chairman of the chamber's board of directors. "We're disappointed and sad. But we're out of the parade business."

The business group, supported by member merchants' dues, lost about $100,000 in staging the 2006 parade. Losses were expected to double this year, Briggs said.

Begun in 1928 to draw Los Angeles residents into Hollywood shops and stores, the parade had struggled in recent years to attract celebrity participants and a national TV audience. Fees from broadcast advertising helped finance the $1 million event.

The parade had been on the verge of being canceled several times in the past, officials revealed Wednesday.

"We struggled for 10 years to keep it alive. We were always holding out hope," said chamber President Leron Gubler.

Starting in 1998, the chamber labored to hammer out annual television contracts that would promise celebrities the exposure they were seeking while producing advertising dollars to cover parade and telecast costs.

For the last three years KTLA-TV Channel 5 was the only station willing to pay the chamber a broadcast fee. The station, which — like the Los Angeles Times — is owned by the Tribune Co., upgraded the parade telecast's production and distributed it to other company-owned stations, including "superstation" WGN-TV of Chicago. The parade was accessible to about 80% of the country's viewers.
The parade telecast won a local Emmy for best live event of 2005. "KTLA was going to televise it again this year, but they were going to have to cut their production costs" by using fewer cameras and less nighttime lighting," Briggs said.

Such changes would have discouraged actors and other entertainers from participating in subsequent parades, he said. "You can't get celebrities without TV. You can't get TV without celebrities."

Longtime parade producer Johnny Grant, a former radio personality who now serves as Hollywood's honorary mayor and the head of its Walk of Fame, said he was heartbroken.

"When that last float went down the street last year, half my life went with it," he said. "But L.A.'s changing. America's changing. The public has many more entertainment platforms now."

Initially, when the event was known as the Santa Claus Lane Parade, "people were happy with Sheriff (Eugene) Biscailuz and the police chief in the parade," and movie studios were happy to send actors and actresses under contract to ride in it, said Grant — who rode in the parade in the 1950s as a radio personality and produced it between 1978 and 1998.

The parade was the focus of cowboy actor Gene Autry's hit song "Here Comes Santa Claus," and it annually drew the likes of such stars as Bob Hope and Jimmy Stewart.

That changed when old-guard stars began fading away and Hollywood's new breed of celebrity took hold.

They were shielded by handlers and more inclined to jet away to Aspen or Hawaii during the Thanksgiving break, when the parade was staged, than ride in it.

In 2004 Grant even issued a public appeal in The Times for show business support.

"If you'd gotten the big people like we used to, the parade would still be doable," he said Wednesday.

Chamber officials said they tried various ploys to pump up interest in the parade, including a "Desert Storm" military theme in 1991 and a variety show-type production in 2002.

In 2006 KTLA pressed stars of its CW Network shows to participate, and the chamber hired what officials described as "celebrity wranglers" to line up such entertainers as grand marshal George Lopez, honorary grand marshal Regis Philbin and entertainers Brooke Hogan, Michael Bolton and Shawn Wayans.

The parade was staged annually except for 1930 and during World War II.

Loss of the parade was bemoaned Wednesday by Los Angeles political leaders.

"I'm heartbroken," said City Councilman Tom Labonge, who represents the Hollywood area. "I saw it as a child and as a teenager. I went as a young father, and now as an official I've ridden in that parade. It's a very sad day. Hopefully we can regroup with another kind of event."

LaBonge said the Christmas parade added color and character to Los Angeles. "All of that is what a city is about. We could sterilize our lives and never do a parade, but do we want to do that?"

City Council President Eric Garcetti, who also represents a portion of Hollywood and has ridden in the parade, held out hope that an alternative event could be planned for Hollywood.

"The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has had a spectacular run with its annual Christmas Parade. I'm sorry to see it draw to a close. Hollywood's a pretty inventive town; I think it won't be long before we learn what Tinseltown's next version of holiday cheer looks like," Garcetti said Wednesday.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
bob.pool@latimes.com

New holiday parade to make Hollywood premiere

Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times

With the local chamber bowing out because of costs, the city of L.A. steps in with funding for a scaled-back event to keep the 79-year-old tradition alive.

By Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 3, 2007

Escorted by TV icon Bob Barker and the youthful cast of "High School Musical," Santa Claus is coming to town after all this year, Hollywood leaders said Friday.

A hastily organized Hollywood Santa Parade will replace the 79-year-old Hollywood Christmas Parade, which was canceled seven months ago for financial reasons by its former sponsor, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Hollywood Christmas ParadeThis year's parade will begin at 5 p.m. Nov. 25. It will follow the same route as in recent years -- east on Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Highland avenues and then west along Sunset Boulevard between Highland and La Brea.

Thirty-five bands, floats and equestrian units have been booked so far by a private producer hired by Los Angeles officials, who last month authorized the expenditure of $175,000 for the event.

In ending their involvement last March, Chamber of Commerce leaders blamed the high cost of producing the parade, which in 2006 cost $1 million. The Hollywood business group was left with a $100,000 deficit.

"This was something I couldn't in good conscience let die," said City Council President Eric Garcetti, who represents the Hollywood area surrounding the parade route. "This parade is one of the last free things families can do."

Garcetti said the aim in hastily organizing this year's scaled-down parade was to keep it alive long enough to regain some of its past momentum. That could take years, he said.

In the past, broadcast fees from televising the parade helped defray its cost. But broadcasters started losing interest when A-list actors began deserting the event and the shows' ratings began to wither.

This year's parade will be videotaped by cable TV staff from CityView Channel 35. The tape will be aired at noon, Dec. 16, by KTLA-TV Channel 5 and possibly later on WGN-TV in Chicago, Garcetti said. Both stations are owned by Tribune Co., as is The Times.

The city's decision to save the parade followed a months-long lobbying effort by a private group that sprang up days after the event's demise was announced. Organizer Greg Durfee, a production-company operator who lives in Hollywood, wore a Santa suit and led an impromptu protest parade down Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame.

"When we took the rally to City Hall, both Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge stepped up to the plate," Durfee said Friday. LaBonge is the councilman whose district includes the east side of Hollywood.

Chamber of Commerce President Leron Gubler said his organization is encouraging its members to support and participate in the 2007 parade.

He said the chamber has offered the use of leftover parade signs and parade workers' vests if needed by Pageantry Productions. The Lynwood-based company, which assisted the chamber with past years' parades, is also staging Christmas parades this year in Huntington Park, East Los Angeles, Rolling Hills Estates, Downey, Bell, South Gate, San Fernando and Lynwood.

Along with the 83-year-old Barker -- who stepped down this year as host of daytime TV's top-rated and longest-running game show, "The Price Is Right," and the teenage stars from Disney's "High School Musical" -- the parade will feature a salute to firefighters from San Diego, Los Angeles County and the city of Los Angeles, Garcetti said.

Gubler said chamber directors would consider signing over the rights to the name "Hollywood Christmas Parade" to the city if this year's parade is of high quality.

For much of its existence since its start in 1928, the parade was called the "Santa Claus Lane Parade," prompting the popular "Here Comes Santa Claus" holiday tune by cowboy crooner Gene Autry. The name was changed to Hollywood Christmas Parade in the late 1970s.

The new name is already provoking controversy among those who favor use of the word Christmas and those who prefer something more secular. One Internet commentator has offered a compromise: "Hollywood Holiday Hoopla."

It could be called " 'Ho Ho Ho' for short," he suggested.

bob.pool@latimes.com

LAsam

November 14th, 2007, 12:32 AM

Apollo Shops West Hollywood Land
From Real Estste Alert

Apollo Real Estate Advisors could get bids as high as $200 million for undeveloped land on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, Calif. The parcels, which straddle La Cienega Boulevard at West Sunset Boulevard, are slated to become the second phase of the mixed-use Sunset Millennium development. They are zoned for two towers with 190 residential condominiums and a two-tower hotel with 296 rooms. There would also be 44,000 sf of retail and restaurant space and a 1,279-car garage that would connect the residential and
hotel properties via a tunnel under La Cienega Boulevard. A buyer could supplement the complex’s income by leasing billboards overlooking West Sunset Boulevard. In 2005, when the 4.1-acre second phase was approved by the West Hollywood City Council, the cost was estimated at $400 million. Apollo sold the first phase this year to a fund operated by Broadreach Capital Partners of Palo Alto, Calif., for $105 million. The price translated into a 5.25% cap rate. The first phase, at 8560-8790 West Sunset Boulevard, consists of the 78,000-sf former Playboy Magazine office building and a 106,000-sf retail/restaurant complex. The office building was constructed
in 1958. Apollo redeveloped it in 2001 and built the retail complex the following year. New York-based Apollo teamed up with Maefield
Development of Bloomington, Ind., in 1999 to buy the site for $55 million. The initial plan was to develop a mix of office and
hotel space. But after Apollo bought out Maefield in 2002, it scaled back the development plan, replacing the offices with
residential and retail space.
Apollo has given the listing to Eastdil Secured. v

Westsidelife

November 20th, 2007, 06:33 AM

Cirque du Soleil Comes to the Heart of Hollywood With a Show About the History of the Movies

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- CIRQUE DU SOLEIL and CIM GROUP announced today that Cirque du Soleil will open a major new show at Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards, in 2010.

The $100 million production is the centerpiece of a 10-year agreement between the two companies. A cast of 75 performing artists will present the show in the 3,400-seat theatre 368 times a year, and while few details about the production's content are available now, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte announced that it would focus on Hollywood's place in the history of cinema. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071119/LAM069-a | http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071119/LAM069-b)

"Hollywood movies are important in so many ways, artistically, culturally and socially," Laliberte noted. "They don't just entertain, they inform, inspire and move audiences all around the world. They've changed the way we think and the way we live, and they've certainly had a positive influence on Cirque du Soleil."

"We are thrilled to have found such a spectacular home in LA," added Laliberte. "The city is at the forefront not only of film, but music, architecture and art as well. This is also a kind of homecoming for us. Our international career started right here when we brought a show called We Reinvent the Circus to the LA Festival for opening night on September 3, 1987. At the time we were broke. We literally had no money to put gas in our truck to go back home if we failed. We said, 'We live or die in LA.' And when I saw movie stars -- household names -- actually standing in line to buy tickets, I began to think maybe there was a possibility we might live!"

Cirque's partner in the venture, as announced today is CIM Group, the owner of Hollywood & Highland Center where Kodak Theatre is located. "Cirque du Soleil is an internationally renowned performance company. Bringing a permanent show to the Kodak Theatre is a tremendous attraction for both residents and tourists," said Shaul Kuba, founder and principal, CIM Group. "This commitment from Cirque du Soleil is another significant milestone in the continuing rebirth of Hollywood as a flourishing community with a vibrant daytime and nighttime population."

Since its debut in Los Angeles 20 years ago, Cirque du Soleil has brought nine touring shows to the area. During this time, more than three million people have attended the 1,360 performances.

"Hollywood is the home of the stars, and it's only fitting that Cirque du Soleil would someday dwell at the home of the Academy Awards -- Kodak Theatre," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "For 23 years, Cirque du Soleil's trademark brand of imaginative entertainment has captivated audiences around the world. Now, the circus is coming to our town and the people of Los Angeles can't wait."

In 2002 Cirque du Soleil designed, produced and performed a special act as part of the 74th Academy Awards. Cirque will share Kodak Theatre with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the new show will step aside to make room for the Academy Awards each year.

"Cirque du Soleil's ten-year commitment reaffirms Hollywood standing as the entertainment capital of the world. We're proud to welcome what is sure to be a captivating show and we invite everyone to come experience our exciting, revitalized Hollywood," said Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, whose district includes Hollywood.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AT A GLANCE

From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is now a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has close to 4,000 employees from over 40 different countries, including 1,000 artists.

Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to close to 70 million spectators in close 200 cities on five continents. In 2007, Cirque du Soleil will present 15 shows simultaneously throughout the world. The company has received such prestigious awards as the Emmy, Drama Desk, Bambi, ACE, Gemeaux, Felix, and Rose d'Or de Montreux. Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters are in Montreal, Canada. For more information visit: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com

CIM GROUP AT A GLANCE

Founded in 1994, CIM Group is a full-service private equity real estate investor. The company applies its multidisciplinary expertise in the areas of investment and development, mezzanine financing, fund management, commercial leasing and property management. CIM has successfully identified and invested in some of the most vibrant transitional urban districts in North America based on its integrated approach to investing that utilizes its broad based in-house capabilities and deep market knowledge.

CIM specializes in high-density urban communities, bringing its extensive real estate experience to a diverse array of asset categories including mixed-use, office, retail, hotel, entertainment and multifamily. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CIM maintains regional offices in San Francisco and Bethesda, Maryland. CIM Group acquired the Hollywood & Highland Center in February 2004. For more information visit: http://www.cimgroup.com/

KODAK THEATRE AT A GLANCE

Kodak Theatre is the crown jewel of the Hollywood & Highland Center retail, dining and entertainment complex located in the heart of historic Hollywood. The 3,400 seat theatre opened in November 2001 and soon became known to more than one billion people across the globe as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards. Built at a cost of $94 million, Kodak Theatre was designed by the internationally-renowned Rockwell Group to be as glamorous as its onstage artists and celebrity guests, yet capable of serving the enormous technical needs of a live worldwide television broadcast on Oscar night. The naming of Kodak Theatre, in a 20-year marketing partnership with Eastman Kodak Co., was one of the most significant non-sports corporate sponsorships in history. For more information visit: http://www.kodaktheatre.com

A FEW CIRQUE DU SOLEIL STATISTICS

In 1984, 73 people worked for Cirque du Soleil. Today, the business has close to 4,000 employees worldwide, including close to over 1,000 artists.

At the Montreal International Headquarters alone, there are close to 1,600 employees.

Cirque's employees and artists represent over 40 nationalities and speak 25 different languages.

Since 1984, Cirque du Soleil's touring shows have made nearly 250 stops in close 200 cities around the world.

Over 70 million spectators have seen a Cirque du Soleil show.

Close to 10 million people will have seen a Cirque du Soleil show in 2007.

In 2007, Cirque du Soleil is presenting 15 different shows around the world.