Location: Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street
Function: Mixed-Use | 156 Units | 6,831 SF Retail
Developer: The Hanover Company (http://www.hanoverco.com/index2.asp)
Architect: RTKL Associates (http://www.rtkl.com/)
Completion: 2008

717 Olympic

Houston-based Hanover Company has topped out on construction of the 26-story tower at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street in South Park. Interior construction is now proceeding. The project broke ground in late 2005 and move-ins could begin next spring, said a Hanover representative. RTKL Architects is designing the development that will create 151 one- and two-bedroom market-rate apartments averaging 1,061 square feet as well as two-level penthouses. Amenities will include an Internet cafe, a coffee bar, a rooftop pool and a fitness center. - Los Angeles Downtown News

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/2310/hanoveruw9.jpg

February 2, 2007

Hanover Tower

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

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/1983/hanover200702172gx9.jpg

The back side, looking west along Olympic.

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2682/hanover200702171nt6.jpg

Six more floors to go.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/4061/hanover200702173hw0.jpg

i cant believe how fast this building went up! awesome.

yah no kidding... what, it was a empty lot last may?

Everyone keeps saying that Hanover is rising very quickly though it has slowed down significantly since December. In addition, I expected to see the facade in place a couple of months ago.

^ It's much easier in life when you don't expect things to go your way. That way, you won't be upset when they don't go your way.

Everyone keeps saying that Hanover is rising very quickly though it has slowed down significantly since December. In addition, I expected to see the facade in place a couple of months ago.


Again, I must correct you. The tower has not significantly slowed. It has been very steady, almost like clockwork.

The facade is behind the screen. It's not a typical precast system.

and RTKL is the Architect

Well, it stayed in the 19-20 story range for a couple of weeks. Other work may have been done though...I don't know. But it should be topped out already IMO.

Well, it stayed in the 19-20 story range for a couple of weeks. Other work may have been done though...I don't know. But it should be topped out already IMO.


It may seem like it, but that is not the case. A floor plate is poured every 8th working day, barring weather delays.

Their original top out was the end of March, but that was pushed to mid May last summer.

I updated the first page with better renderings.

So what will be the total height of this building? And why isn't this in the Skyscrapercity Development thread? or is it too short?

I don't know.

What are you talking about? Each project has its own thread.

I meant in the World forums...not just the city forums

LOL, this project is INSIGNIFICANT to outsiders. The Ritz-Carlton/Marriott Marquis tower and Grand Avenue Project are the only projects that would be suited for that forum.

Probably Park 5th too, and Metropolis.

May 6, 2007

Hanover Tower

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2047/hanover200705062qu6.jpg

Glass inside the balconies

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/30/hanover200705061ri9.jpg

Nice progress, by when is it supposed to be finished?

I can't wait until the huge electric billborads are functioning and advertising LA Live or whatever...

I can't wait until the huge electric billborads are functioning and advertising LA Live or whatever...

are they really electric? they look like normal old fashioned billboards from the renderings

I'm praying for them to be electric as opposed huge plain billboards. Does anyone out there have any info on the billboard type? Your expertise would be highly appreciated.

those animated electric billboards can be quite the distraction.

there is one on some random art building in pittsburgh. a huge 3o foot animated lightshow. at night it lit up half the city and during the day drivers would be constantly starring at the animated flare rather then the road ahead

They are not electronic billboards and last I heard the signage had not yet been "officially" approved.

Project should receive substantial completion in February.

^ What a bummer knowing the billboards won't be electric. They sure would of blend in nicely with L.A. Live and staples Entertainment District. So once approved I'm sure they look great...

From SSP:


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/822544121_e6d1eac509_b.jpg

I updated the front page with the most recent photo update.

Hanover adds some density. But how long do you think that empty parking lot across from Met Lofts will remain?

I was checking out Hanover this morning on my commute to work. Realize that the darn thing looks the same from like 4 months ago.... What gives?

Electrical work, interior work, and then don't forget that the exterior is covered by a huge tarp.

I was checking out Hanover this morning on my commute to work. Realize that the darn thing looks the same from like 4 months ago.... What gives?


ferney, the building is not hollow....they're working on the interior

I was checking out Hanover this morning on my commute to work. Realize that the darn thing looks the same from like 4 months ago.... What gives?

Do you think before you post?

Do you think before you post?


Nice!

Electrical work, interior work, and then don't forget that the exterior is covered by a huge tarp.

Indeed. I remember at some points Elleven seemed like it stalled, but I would read a progress report somewhere and was informed that work was being done on the inside. Unfortunately, the inside is not as exciting as outside work, but oh well :)

Yes, the work is definitely happening now on the interior. You can even see on the south side of the structure that nearly all the windows for all floors have been installed. You can also see on the ground level along Fig that there's still much work left to be done. Hanover is expecting to deliver in 1Q 2008, so expect several more months of interior work behind the green tarp.

Some pics i took today of Hanover
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g280/Joey313_photos/DSC00739.jpg

Closer look
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g280/Joey313_photos/DSC00740.jpg


http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g280/Joey313_photos/DSC00761.jpg


http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g280/Joey313_photos/DSC00762.jpg


http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g280/Joey313_photos/DSC00763.jpg

^nice pics man thanks for sharing

Is FIDM dead? Looks like Hanover is gonna need to dress up the East elevation of their parking garage until FIDM gets started...

sorry if it's been answered before...but why the green tarp?

August 4, 2007

717 Olympic
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1275/1021822811_7a0cf6d480_b.jpg

sorry if it's been answered before...but why the green tarp?

You know, they don't do that here in Vegas. What are they hiding?:)

... I guess to keep shit from accidently flying out onto on going traffic. Since it's location is on a major intersection!

^ That's probably the case. I rememer this time last year, it was a very windy day and lots of dust was blowing off of Hanover.

Anyway, a pic by LABeauty from SSP that makes Hanover look huge. It seems as though the fin is almost complete.

http://img40.picoodle.com/img/img40/9/8/16/f_IMG8796m_ee902fd.jpg

its taking too long in this short time before it opens

September 12, 2007

Just walked over to 717 Olympic because I happen to have my camera with me today. I'm not sure if it's unwrapping, yet - you be the judge:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1304/1367621101_7628cb5d91_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1177/1368515796_b78e1b912b_b.jpg

September 15, 2007

Hanover- A little bit more of the green tarp is coming off in the second picture.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v315/ziggy331/LA/JuniorYear233.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v315/ziggy331/LA/JuniorYear201.jpg

September 22, 2007

Hanover Tower (717 Olympic), will help street life on Olympic/Fig
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee6/laofanaheim/LosAngeles019.jpg

September 23, 2007

Hanover Tower
The crown is slowly getting finished off.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/9388/hanover200709231cu3.jpg

A close-up of the exterior cladding. From what I could tell, it looks like a combination of painted concrete and stucco. I'll wait until it's finished to fully render a judgement, but I don't have high hopes.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3202/hanover200709232zu9.jpg

From SSP:

The Hanover Tower/717 Olympic's green construction tarp is coming down:

http://www.angelenic.com/images/dtla0930 013m.jpg

http://www.angelenic.com/images/dtla0930 034m.jpg

http://www.angelenic.com/images/dtla0930 023m.jpg

http://www.angelenic.com/images/dtla0930 017m.jpg

http://www.angelenic.com/images/dtla0930 025m.jpg

More photos at angelenic here (http://www.angelenic.com/downtown-general/717-olympic-undresses/).

^^ Is the tarp really coming off? It seems like it is just flaking off, a little each week or so. Almost like it is teasing us.

Check Camera Two of the LA Live project webcams. You can see that the green tarp enveloping 717 Olympic has been unwrapped even more.

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

Hanover looks better in person that in pictures.

Glad to hear that!

This is like a skyscraper peep-show... where do you put the quarters?

October 4, 2007

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1151/1490393533_199219b208_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

Honestly, I really like it.

^I posted about that photo on angelenic today:

http://www.angelenic.com/downtown-general/behold-717-olympic/

such a lovely building. one of my favs

October 5, 2007

Hanover Tower
http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/2366/img1349snb2.jpg

October 5, 2007

Hanover Tower
http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/7098/img1352syr9.jpg

Hanover looks beautiful!! It is a really great building, none of that half a block long tower look like South has, or a dozen other proposed 20 something story towers. But besides all that, the building just looks great all on its own!!

October 5, 2007

Hanover: doesn't look as bad as you think.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/2daIdaaMexicalienagosto029.jpg

Looks like Hanover came out just fine :)

October 9, 2007

Hanover Tower looks decent from the front...

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/3250/hanover200710092tt1.jpg

...but average at best from the back.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6194/hanover200710091vk5.jpg

^^ it's growing on me...well..actually, not really. It's too bad that these developers can't work with "real" architects, to come up with better designs. I hate this generic type of architecture. I'd understand if it had to do with it being leed certified, like South Groups' towers, but this isn't. Oh well. The best part about this project is it's location.

Ugh! The back of that building. :ohno:
Please tell me the reason it's just a blank slated wall is because another project is going to be built against it.

^ FIDM

^^ it's growing on me...well..actually, not really. It's too bad that these developers can't work with "real" architects, to come up with better designs. I hate this generic type of architecture. I'd understand if it had to do with it being leed certified, like South Groups' towers, but this isn't. Oh well. The best part about this project is it's location.

we'll see once the tarps are down and the roof are complete. yeah the back is bland in color but no one will see it once FIDM goes up back there

its not THAT bad....

that's the thing...instead of saying..it's not THAT bad, we should be able to say, "freakin' WOW! what an amazing project! plus it'll add to the already vibrating south park area.!" ...if not, at least make it a self-sustaining building..something conscious (sp?) to the environment.

I do think its an amazing project. Lets just all wait for the tarps to come off first :)

October 14, 2007

A little bit of a closer look at the top of Hanover
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2156/1752938545_8926209583_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2302/1752940773_cddd72871b_b.jpg

^^ looks like a was a little too quick to judge..from that first pic. hanover looks pretty good. I can't wait to go back in december..hopefully by then it will be completely undressed, sporting it's "other" apparel as well.

What does the top of this building say to you?

^ Helicopter pad.

ROOFTOP CLUBBING!

LOL

November 3, 2007

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/1849083855_aa7ddb9d9a_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2373/1849034063_5cff52b42b_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2333/1849021493_293d2c9798_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/1860923952_9ee6af217c_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

What does the top of this building say to you?

It Looks like the part of a sowing machine where you stick the needle in!:lol:

the building looks great. i just wish they didn't have a big blank wall facing the street. makes it look like skid row or the industrial buildings by the river

that might be covered with a target ad.

that might be covered with a target ad.


... or IKEA!

What is that circular hole in what looks like a plank off the building for? The roof area. Is it just for design?

What is that circular hole in what looks like a plank off the building for? The roof area. Is it just for design?


^^ Dunno :dunno: but this came to mind....
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e124/fnee1901/boooooo.jpg

I think they came close to running out of finances and decided to cut back on building materials. That hole is what saved them from needing another loan for this tower.

Just my thoughts though, not necessarily fact...

lol

Looks pretty sweet to me. Finally got up close.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd299/losangelinos/PICT0045.jpg

November 11, 2007

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/kingofthehill2/PictureorVideo157.jpg

November 18, 2007

Hanover (717 Olympic):
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee6/laofanaheim/11-17-07/LosAngeles014.jpg

November 24, 2007

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2308/2061128804_a1dd1788ab_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2196/2061170490_9ad8ea6e3b_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

December 15, 2007

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2028/2114417682_a91336d269_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2358/2113643505_c440fa543b_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

beautiful looking structure!! Should look really nice when the base is completed. What a good looking intersection this will be in the near future (despite the INN accross the street). Thanks for the pics westsidelife.

I like this tower a lot more than Luma, great progress!

The parking podium is quite obtrusive.

im ready to move in!

The parking podium is quite obtrusive.
Really hate these parking podiums. Why can't they conceal them better? Or better yet put the shit underground?

LOL, slow down guys. The podium isn't even close to finished yet... judging by the renderings for this project. They are going to put large ads up and ground level retail in. Give it some time to come together.

^ Large ads won't do the trick.

Well large ads will soften the podium and the ground level retail will take your eye away from the box but why not just spend a few extra millions and put the shit underground?

^ If they had extra money to spare, they wouldn't have used stucco to clad the facade. :|

yeah but they didnt

Well, at least they're installing windows into the parking podium.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/downtown035.jpg

January 15, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2196368874_72ee6ee335_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2160/2195559109_d6814207ac_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

Wow, this one looks nice...:okay:

Those stupid parking requirements need to be altered for the downtown and dense urban areas. It truly discourages large residential developments seeing that you must provide 2.5 spaces per unit......that shit is insane!

is it really 2.5 spaces per unit? good god thats ridiculous. .5 might be more realistic in Downtown LA.

is it really 2.5 spaces per unit? good god thats ridiculous. .5 might be more realistic in Downtown LA.

Yeah... but reality is that a person with the wealth to buy a condo in one of these highrises is probably not going to take busses around town. Plus, we don't exactly have mass transit to get people all around the city in style. As a result, you either provide parking for people with $$$ to live downtown... or the people with the $$$ aren't going to live downtown.

why cant they use a new form of parking. Where maybe someone just drops off the car and a machine stacks it up nice and neat somewhere. Thats called dense parking..:yes:

is it really 2.5 spaces per unit? good god thats ridiculous. .5 might be more realistic in Downtown LA.

Of course! You need 1 space for your gas guzzler, 1 for your hybrid and .5 of a space for the bike you will never use. :)

If the building did not have a parking structure then it would cut nearly half of its size. You need that parking structure, either that or underground. Luckily the structure is going to be covered in ads and it will have retail space at the first floor so its not so noticeable.

If the building did not have a parking structure then it would cut nearly half of its size. You need that parking structure, either that or underground. Luckily the structure is going to be covered in ads and it will have retail space at the first floor so its not so noticeable.

Here is some information some may not be aware of, back when they built the U.S. Bank tower in 1990, part of the package was to build an offsite parking structure, to accomidate several thousand cars, so Miguire/Thomas (that was the partnership at that time) acquired a site near the Friedman collage, and built a ten, (or 12) story parking structure, (you can't miss it from the 10 fwy on Grand ave.) and had to provide a bus shuttle service to the tower from the structure.

But, here's the thing, it was built with the ramps in a confined area, as to leave the floors level as much as possible, so in the future the building could be used for other purposes,(with the ramps demolished, and replaced with a flat floor) like residential or office space... Miguire/Thomas also built a 7 story under ground structure under the park at the central library (across the street from the Citigroup tower) with a pedestrian tunnel under 5th st. to the tower it self, they also added a wing to the library as well, to acquire it's air rights for the tower(s) also. They built the Gas Company tower also..

I think many developers build there parking structures with future use in mind.

Those stupid parking requirements need to be altered for the downtown and dense urban areas. It truly discourages large residential developments seeing that you must provide 2.5 spaces per unit......that shit is insane!

Perhaps the new Downtown zoning ordinance introduced last year requires developers to reduce the amount of parking within their developments? I can't recall.

This is pretty much what I mean when I say we're not advancing towards more urban-minded zoning laws. The improper zoning demonstrated by 717 Olympic defeats the purpose of density altogether.

Yeah... but reality is that a person with the wealth to buy a condo in one of these highrises is probably not going to take busses around town. Plus, we don't exactly have mass transit to get people all around the city in style. As a result, you either provide parking for people with $$$ to live downtown... or the people with the $$$ aren't going to live downtown.

I don't believe that public policy should assume or think for others once a viable alternative is in place. Downtown has converging upon it 2 subways and soon to be 3 light rail lines along with all types of commuter and regular busses to choose from. When do we finally begin shut out that repetitive and awfully annoying whine about "but I need a car". If you truly need a car(s) perhaphs downtown isn't the place you'd want to move. I know a couple who both make 100k each who recently sold their 2nd car because they moved downtown to the Pegasus. If you feel that you are going to need 2.5 cars in downtown LA the most transit friendly district in the county perhaps you don't need to move there......or pay through the nose!

I thought that the new zoning laws only lowered the square footage threshold necessary for housing units. I don't remember hearing anything about parking requirements, but we should be advocating for that too. What would you rather have: Hanover with a huge podium that it sits on, or the classic architecture that actually rests on the ground?

Perhaps a compromise......spend the xtra money and put it completely subterranean.

January 22,2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2230/2212363601_51eb0d2ee4_b.jpg

From Flickr, fridayinla

http://www.angelenic.com/images/ccrendering_717_olympic.jpg

From www.angelenic.com

cool..looks like the ads will be up soon. I wonder what they'll be?

cool..looks like the ads will be up soon. I wonder what they'll be?

Yeah, me too...
Grand opening is planned for Spring 2008...:nocrook::soon:

Are they going to paint that concrete or leave it that color?

cool..looks like the ads will be up soon. I wonder what they'll be?

As long as they're not giant Target icons of Coke ads.

^^ahahah true those add are everywhere

Yeah, all those Target ads and not a Target store in sight.:dunno:

It seems its just a regular billboard and not a Screen.

Yeah, all those Target ads and not a Target store in sight.:dunno:

oh..maybe Target will be going at 7th & fig.? no? and I wonder when they'll start remodeling that Macys. (it never made sense to me that there are 2 almost next to each other!

I'm crossing my fingers for some big-box retailers at 717 Olympic. The retail at 717 Olympic, LA Central, and South Figueroa will play a large role in determining whether or not LA Live becomes a mere carbon copy of Hollywood/Highland, albeit a flashier one.

oh..maybe Target will be going at 7th & fig.? no? and I wonder when they'll start remodeling that Macys. (it never made sense to me that there are 2 almost next to each other!


The one on 7th Market Place was a Robinsons May and when Macy's acquired May Co it became Macy's. I think their intention was to convert that one into a Men & Home Store and leave the Macy's Plaza store for Women.

The one on 7th Market Place was a Robinsons May and when Macy's acquired May Co it became Macy's. I think their intention was to convert that one into a Men & Home Store and leave the Macy's Plaza store for Women.

I had also been told by someone working at the Robinson's May, during the period that Macy's hadn't officially announced what they were going to do with the stores, that Macy's was considering turning one of the locations into a Bloomingdale's. I guess they're still holding their options open as to what they will eventually do with the two sites.

I had also been told by someone working at the Robinson's May, during the period that Macy's hadn't officially announced what they were going to do with the stores, that Macy's was considering turning one of the locations into a Bloomingdale's. I guess they're still holding their options open as to what they will eventually do with the two sites.

I don't know that a bloomies will make a lot of sense in DT yet... The only Bloomies added in SoCal after the May Co acquisition/merger was the one in South Coast Plaza. It would it have made sense in Topanga Plaza with a Neimans and Nordstrom stores to compete with but instead they converted that Rob May into a Macy's which I think is crazy since there is already a Macy's Store at the Woodland Hills Mall only two blocks away... Sorry didn't mean to get off topic here. BTW Hanover looks beautiful

February 1, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2030/2241891565_9e10feacd2_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2268/2235721620_defbb2989f_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/2241888699_e33fd70f3c_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2395/2234926369_f83ce1575f_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

February 10, 2008

Hanover Tower
Looks like paint tests on the crown. I really hope they paint the crown. That unfinished stucco looks, well, unfinished. It also looks like they might be installing some exterior light fixtures underneath the "hat".

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/8564/hanover200802101yk6.jpg

A view of the podium...

February 9, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2316/2255095203_67b94a1ab6_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

February 22, 2008

Hanover Tower
Looking east from Georgia. There's still work going on under the "hat".

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8388/hanover200802221pr8.jpg

February 23, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2193/2289367747_e8b1854381_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

March 2, 2008

Hanover Tower

Getting very close. You can see they've painted more towards the top. This makes me think they're not going to paint the very top white. The beige-ish color they have now looks unfinished to me, but what do I know?

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/7617/hanover200803021eo1.jpg

The base is getting close too. Note the grates installed just to the right of the corner signage. They give the podium a much cleaner look.

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/7194/hanover200803022wn2.jpg

March 8, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2041/2320794390_266b927383_b.jpg
Hanover w/completed corner banner backing

they need to put an ad up quick. right now it looks like they riped off a piece of the disney concert hall.

March 8, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2383/2320855324_f6c5ef9812_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2320040717_b8a8d38dba_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

That building looks sooooooo good...:)

That building looks sooooooo good...:)

Yeah, but I still think it needs some color.

March 24, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2256/2359903496_9dba5beaaa_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/2358977777_ea696bc0c6_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

That is such a disgraceful car-wash. Right next to L.A. live to make it worse!! we'll see what happens over time.

someone please tell fernando and the car wash to take a hike. the times have now changed and its time for them to go.......far away.........from south park

That is such a disgraceful car-wash. Right next to L.A. live to make it worse!! we'll see what happens over time.

What about that atrocious apt building or whatever that is right next door to it? The signage painted on helps, but for christs sake, the place is a dump.

That is such a disgraceful car-wash. Right next to L.A. live to make it worse!! we'll see what happens over time.

someone please tell fernando and the car wash to take a hike. the times have now changed and its time for them to go.......far away.........from south park

What about that atrocious apt building or whatever that is right next door to it? The signage painted on helps, but for christs sake, the place is a dump.

You guys live there.... go down and throw rocks at it!

What about that atrocious apt building or whatever that is right next door to it? The signage painted on helps, but for christs sake, the place is a dump.
:ohno::ohno::ohno: hotel fig stays. la icon

:ohno::ohno::ohno: hotel fig stays. la icon

ONE perfectly situated seismic shock will take care of that, now won't it?

It's historical. It's never going to leave. Deal with it. It doesn't look that bad to me anyway.

Is The Figueroa really an icon? http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/nba-building02.jpg fabioandgabriel.blogspot.com

What about that atrocious apt building or whatever that is right next door to it? The signage painted on helps, but for christs sake, the place is a dump.

You might want to read up on the Hotel Figueroa before audaciously declaring it a "dump." This whole notion that if something doesn't look good it's not worthy of staying is superficiality in its most ignorant form.

He's referring to the burnt orange block that's directly next door to 717. It is hideous, outdated, and small for that space.

^ Which happens to be the Hotel Figueroa.

You might want to read up on the Hotel Figueroa before audaciously declaring it a "dump." This whole notion that if something doesn't look good it's not worthy of staying is superficiality in its most ignorant form.

kinda like the Holiday Inn...perhaps...:lol:

^ No. :ohno:

kinda like the Holiday Inn...perhaps...:lol:

LOL. You took the words right out of my mouth.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/121.jpg

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/120.jpg

^ They still need to paint a good portion of the building. Part of it is that ugly gray color. :puke:

^^ Truth...I think that combination of colors looks just perfect...Green glass and white facade...Perfect...:)

^ I like it too, but the gray looks terrible.

^^ Truth again...:)

April 6, 2008

717 Olympic

Slowly applying the finishing touches. But to their credit, they were hard at work on a Sunday.

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5743/hanover200804061ip7.jpg

You might want to read up on the Hotel Figueroa before audaciously declaring it a "dump." This whole notion that if something doesn't look good it's not worthy of staying is superficiality in its most ignorant form.

Well said.

^^you know what I use to depise this hotel just because I didnt see the inner beauty but wow after looking at the website, I am awestruck, I hope after LA Live is completed that this hotel will realize its worth and utilize its full potential to the surrounding area. Maybe AEG could invest a few million into it making it a landmark "boutique hotel" alongside the ultimate star "LA Live" http://www.figueroahotel.com BTW can someone please upgrade that eyesore HOTEL FIGUEROA sign already?

Hanover, MetLife JV Debuts New High-Rise

By Bob Howard
April 9, 2008

LOS ANGELES-The new 26-story 717 Olympic luxury apartment tower, a joint venture of the Hanover Co. and MetLife Inc., will soon open its doors in Downtown L.A. next to the Staples Center with 151 live/work units for lease. The JV has developed the new project in the middle of the L.A. Live entertainment complex that includes the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, the Grammy Museum and other entertainment, shopping and cultural amenities either planned or completed.

The new tower, slated to open in May, is the most recent entry in the Downtown L.A. residential and entertainment scene, which hardly existed a few years ago but has since grown to thousands of units of newly built and redeveloped apartments and condominiums as well as hotel and retail projects. Last year, for example, a development partnership headed by the Anschutz Co.'s AEG subsidiary kicked off construction of a $900-million, 1,001-room Marriott Hotel and Ritz-Carlton condominiums.

Like the Hanover-MetLife partnership, the hotel project has well-capitalized sponsors, including MacFarlane Partners as a development partner and Wachovia Corp.as a founding partner. The 54-story Marriott Hotel, which will be topped by 224 condominiums, will be the centerpiece of a new development near the Staples Center, which is owned and operated by AEG.

The 717 Olympic tower features units of one and two bedrooms, including penthouse apartments, that the developers describe as “equal to a luxury home or condominium.” It features a host of luxury amenities, including an Eighth Floor “Orbit Lounge” that opens to a landscaped rooftop terrace, a 24-hour fitness club, valet parking and dry cleaning, concierge services and other amenities typically associated with hotels.

The 717 Olympic project is one of a number of developments by Hanover and MetLife of mixed-use, low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise projects in Valencia, Pasadena, Irvine and Downtown San Diego. The partnership is also finishing construction on a 60-unit luxury apartment project called Viridian in L.A.’s Wilshire corridor.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: GlobeSt.com (http://www.globest.com/news/1133_1133/losangeles/169809-1.html)

April 11, 2008

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2406214069_9ae04a4f99_b.jpg
From Flickr, by LA311

^ The building looks terrible with its partially off-white stucco facade. Why couldn't they just paint the whole damn thing white?

I hope those signs last for a few years and someone in the city adds new ordinances to have LED's placed on any sign where there is a banner advertisement especially those going up in LA Live. BTW that stucco is ugly but once u try to get past that its a fairly decent looking building

^ The building looks terrible with its partially off-white stucco facade. Why couldn't they just paint the whole damn thing white?
it doesnt look that bad:ohno:

^ It makes the building look incomplete.

arent they still working on that portion? thats why i let it slide...

^ They've already put up that ad and announced a May opening. I doubt they're still working on it.

At least it was built unlike most of the others that had said grounbreaking in early 2007.

^ As if that's any excuse.

April 19, 2008

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2429099855_416bbbf8af_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2001/2429096079_9c44bf768e_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2207/2429109967_527dab96c2_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2279/2429927056_f260061d03_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2429121743_936127d975_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7198/img1781slb6.jpg
k3d

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2282/2427674022_7a772232d8_b.jpg
LA311

oohhhh pretty lights! :)

rents START at $2,500. I think their smallest units are 650SF. So at some point wouldn't you rather just live in a hotel?

looks real "Miami" with those blue neon lights, if only it had 15 - 20 more stories it would make a strong impact. But the way it came out is just fine also.

Really digging the lights!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2432057533_fd2ede6eac_b.jpg
vodila

April 24, 2008

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3195/2439521522_396a7f8d75_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2438695683_49c2df4a30_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2377/2439757088_0e65613fd8_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

Nice update. I wonder if they left the east wall blank because they plan on painting those giant billboards like the Figueroa Hotel or because they know that the FIDM tower will be there soon.

^ Probably because of the latter.

I believe FIDM intends to build student housing in the lot east of the building, and would be attached to that blank wall.

FIDM is still a "go" according to AEG

^ Source?

^ Source?

http://la36.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=26&clip_id=3217

Tim Lieweke mentions it as a future building in the Fig corridor. Along with a big hotel announcement coming soon for LA Central.

Tim Lieweke mentions it as a future building in the Fig corridor. Along with a big hotel announcement coming soon for LA Central.

I heard that it is a W Hotel.

Street trees are in and looking fantastic. Double row along Fig and single down the side. It's a shame that they end so abruptly at the Variety Arts. Maybe AEG will take the reins and continue them down the street.

Two new W hotels in LA? Could be.

well Concerto will also have trees too once construction is completed hence them stopping abruptly @ the Variety Arts bldg, speaking of which, whats going on with that building does anyone know? that would make a great live theatre sort of what the purpose of Club NOkia is meant to have.

well Concerto will also have trees too once construction is completed hence them stopping abruptly @ the Variety Arts bldg, speaking of which, whats going on with that building does anyone know? that would make a great live theatre sort of what the purpose of Club NOkia is meant to have.

AEG purchased the theatre and has said very little about its intended use. They have made some statements that it will be restored and used as a performance space but I haven't seen a whole lot of details. It is being used as the home for Bravo TV's reality show "Step it up and Dance" with the contestants living at the Pegasus.

I kind of figured that Concerto will have trees which will make the lack there of at the Variety Arts even more glaring.

^ David Houk, the developer behind the Park Fifth project, subsequently bought the Variety Arts Center from AEG. Here's the story:

http://www.downtownnews.com/articles/2007/01/08/news/news02.txt

David Houk, the developer behind the Park Fifth project, subsequently bought the Variety Arts Center from AEG.

Very true, as soon as you mentioned the name I remembered my error. Thanks for the memory jog. And it was him that had the comments about restoring it and programming it, but nothing specific as of yet.

Completed south park tower highlights itself

by Stephen Friday on April 28, 2008

Following up last week’s news of 717 Olympic’s recent marketing billboard display and pre-leasing campaign, the new luxury highrise has now transitioned into full promotional swing.

The completed structure, flaunting all of its tail feathers, began illuminating the night sky late last week with an unexpected, electric-blue lighting scheme.

Aside from its focal point around the penthouse crown, a rear outdoor space atop the podium level carries the luminous effect.

Early project renderings show only subtle, thin strips of blue neon extending up the edges of the tower. It remains to be seen whether those will be added, or if the lighting design has been reconfigured altogether.

Even with the ramped up appeal, will renters be willing to shell out a reported $2,500 to $19,999 per month for an LA Live-adjacent residence? Are the developers just blinded by their own light? Maybe. But they do deserve props for glamming up that white stucco. Bravo!

From http://www.angelenic.com/

Pool Season: Say Hello to Downtown's 717 Olympic
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/2008_04_hanoverpool-thumb.jpg

Photo via Loft LA

From Loft LA comes a photo of the pool at South Park's new Hanover Tower, aka 717 Olympic. Swimming facilities look cozy; rife for overcrowded parties that security will have to bust up. In other 717 news, Angelenic reports the 26-story luxury tower is now illuminating itself in blue neon at night, hoping wealthy renters will be attracted to the light. With rents ranging from $2,500-$19,999, they're going to have to pull out all the stops.Curbed LA

717 Ninth is looking good in the background there.

Pool Season: Say Hello to Downtown's 717 Olympic
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/2008_04_hanoverpool-thumb.jpg

Photo via Loft LA

From Loft LA comes a photo of the pool at South Park's new Hanover Tower, aka 717 Olympic. Swimming facilities look cozy; rife for overcrowded parties that security will have to bust up. In other 717 news, Angelenic reports the 26-story luxury tower is now illuminating itself in blue neon at night, hoping wealthy renters will be attracted to the light. With rents ranging from $2,500-$19,999, they're going to have to pull out all the stops.Curbed LA


^^ The pool looks great up there!!!!

Sure makes me want to slap on my red speedos and take a dip...:banana:

^ spare us


;)

it looks as if it's only slightly bigger than the deckchairs... hahaha.

^Seriously that pool looks ridiculously small..lol.

May 1, 2008

First of all, the sidewalk at Hanover. It actually looks rather inviting; I had an urge to walk up to 9th street, but alas it was still closed to pedestrians.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2459019288_cc5853936d_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/2459018398_72aef7f1b0_o.jpg

^ I like the trees, but why did they have to plant them right in the middle of the sidewalk?

good question, it kind of does help establish the residential character along that stretch with Hanover and Concerto though. But it also would've been nice to have them plant curbside instead. This is going to be a high pedestrian area so it wouldve helped to also have a bench installed somewhere also.

Now remember, these are the same trees that will be uprooted and set on fire when the LAKERS win their next ring! Shouldn't they be in plain sight, and well within reach? Come on, guys- THINK :)

good question, it kind of does help establish the residential character along that stretch with Hanover and Concerto though. But it also would've been nice to have them plant curbside instead. This is going to be a high pedestrian area so it wouldve helped to also have a bench installed somewhere also.

Actually, it's hard to see in the photo, but there is a second row of trees curbside. As the trees mature it's going to form a very nice arc of shade for pedestrians. I think that one of the reasons the sidewalk is so "inviting" as was mentioned earlier. There's something about that massing of green that softens the hard streetscape.

May 12, 2008
http://i31.tinypic.com/otes95.jpg

^ Good job.

May 11, 2008

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/2486993351_bc30ceee4e_b.jpg
From Flickr, by lacurbed

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2229/2486993079_b032273387_b.jpg
From Flickr, by lacurbed

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2487808726_6a0b4c5457_b.jpg
From Flickr, by lacurbed

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2241/2486992745_573768c2d6_b.jpg
From Flickr, by lacurbed

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/2486993295_d25212d7bf_b.jpg
From Flickr, by lacurbed

this aint back to the future westy!

Are those Magnolia trees?

May 14, 2008

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2495427790_eb58c024eb_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

Are those Magnolia trees?

yes

A look inside 717 Olympic (too many pictures to post):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23616100@N06/sets/72157605135885801/

Looks great. wish I could live there :(

http://i30.tinypic.com/znvgk3.jpg

Oh no people in concerto are gonna see me making love to my wife!!!

That bed looks like it's designed for someone 3 ft tall...

AWESOME VIew!!!
LUUUUUCKY!!

May 29, 2008

Took these two pics tonight. Thought I'd go through downtown on my way home - smell the roses, so-to-speak. The area around LA Live, especially on Figueroa St., actually has a sense of grandeur about it. Hanover, with its bright lights, really adds a strong presence to an otherwise desolate and dark street. That's why I'm TOTALLY in favor of Concerto installing those LED panels on the side of the building. Regardless of what one may think about advertisements, the very fact that they're lit up at night gives a particular area a sense of "life" even after dark. A great example is Hollywood. Without all the neon and flashy signs, you wouldn't have the kind of nightlife that is thriving there today.

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/4849/img0441smbe8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/2482/img0444smiq2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

does it go without saying that the car wash/gas station got to go?

We know it has to go. The question is will it go?

No, the question is "when will it go?"

June 5, 2008

Hanover with lights
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9796/img1880szr2.jpg

rooftop lighting (turn the lights back on the gas tower!)

but aren't the residents in the superpremium penthouse going to complain?

^^ whoever decided to live there were probably told about the lights during their walkthrough before purchasing.

Tell 'em to go Fuck themselves- I LIKE IT! I'm 300 miles away and I like it, so on they'll stay! (I'm also working on getting the Hollywood sign lit...) So damned sick of this NIMBY attitude- You can't have this lit here, these lights are too bright, those L E D's are bad news....:bash:

i never understood why the hollywood sign isnt lit. hollywood = lights. no reason why it shouldnt but it is...

Tell 'em to go Fuck themselves- I LIKE IT! I'm 300 miles away and I like it, so on they'll stay! (I'm also working on getting the Hollywood sign lit...) So damned sick of this NIMBY attitude- You can't have this lit here, these lights are too bright, those L E D's are bad news....:bash:

:lol:
You're awesome Milky. :)

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/hollywoodsunset1_3.jpg
I'd cake so many brand new bright white l.e.d.'s on each letter that you would have to go down and get sunblock just to live near it. The weak would move and you know what comes next: Party at the empty houses!! :)

I have a better idea. Paint it with glow-in-the-dark paint :cheers:

to see the Hollywood sign lit up.

BUT, it would attract all sorts of trouble.

Beachwood and houses in the area below the sign are a neighborhood before a tourist attraction so that's never going to happen.

People dumping trash and drinking and peeing in your yard would piss you off too.

June 8, 2008

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2563857894_9111b72b25_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3094/2563712350_160a04f15e_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

Love that shot looking down Fig.

^^ With one glaring exception- you could put two Hanovers on the acreage the Holiday Inn sits on!

Now If only we could just get something to go on 8th and Fig. Across the 777 tower....

Downtown L.A. renters spin muscles in the sunset http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/42494144.jpg
Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times
Leslie Macias, right, leads a small group of stalwarts in her rooftop spinning class atop the 717 Olympic building. “It goes along with the resort-type feel,” said Joanna Wiese of Hanover Co., the building’s owner.
One new residential tower, seeking a unique amenity, offers rooftop fitness classes.
By Cara Mia DiMassa, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 22, 2008
It wasn't just the fact that Leslie Macias' 7 p.m. spinning class at the 717 Olympic building was numbingly hard, leaving even the most well-toned of bodies drenched in sweat. That wasn't what made the class distinctive.

It was, rather, the view. The class is held on the building's rooftop -- 27 stories up.

The wide open space, where half a dozen bikes sit on an AstroTurf lawn, is also adorned with telescopes to better gaze at Staples Center to the south, Boyle Heights to the east and the changing skyline of downtown.

A breeze swept across the roof on a recent Wednesday, flapping the United States flag on the construction crane of a residential tower rising nearby. Macias walked to a bike at the front of the class, stopping to turn on an iPod before she climbed into position.

Adjusting her heart rate monitor, she looked around at the residents perched on bikes, watching her with a mixture of anticipation and dread.

"Ready?" Macias said.

And with that, as Janet Jackson belted out the first few lines of "Rhythm Nation," a unique L.A. gym class began.

As new luxury high-rises arrive downtown, each new building owner is contemplating how to use amenities to appeal to upscale residents. For 717 Olympic, which opened a couple of months ago near the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street, that means a "concierge" space on the eighth level, complete with wine refrigerators for residents and a cappuccino machine, a private screening room and a fitness center. The spinning classes represent another perk for renters, who pay between $2,500 and $20,000 a month.

"It goes along with the resort-type feel," said Joanna Wiese of Hanover Co., the building's owner. "If you want to go for a wine tasting or a spinning class, it's an added amenity for the building."

Macias, a pixieish woman with red hair, freckles and impressive biceps, is a former Laker Girl and Denver Broncos cheerleader. She was hired as the building's fitness director after working in a similar capacity at a Hanover building in Denver.

Macias said that the first time she toured the building, before residents had arrived, she saw the rooftop space and immediately had ideas about how it could be used.

"It was one of those things," she said. "I came up here and said, how cool would it be if we had bikes up here? And they got them."

For resident Arash Yazdani, a doctor who recently moved to Los Angeles from San Francisco, the rooftop classes were a selling point for the building. "I'm pretty active, and it's much more convenient to have the gym at the building," Yazdani said. "The spinning part is very unique to the building. A lot of buildings have gyms, but they are indoors. To have outdoor spinning makes a big difference."

Macias said she's talked about holding yoga classes on the roof too, though that will have to wait until more residents arrive. For now, she said, she is teaching three to four classes a week, mostly in the evenings, when it is cool enough to work out outdoors so high up.

By 7:15, the sky had begun changing color, the first sign that sunset was not far off. A gray cloud had settled over the vista, stretching from Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center to the north, past the former Transamerica tower, to South Los Angeles. The clock atop the distinctive turquoise Eastern Columbia building nearby reminded the five members of the class that they still had nearly 45 minutes to go.

The neon marquee of the Orpheum Theatre flickered to life.

As the smell of barbecue wafted through the open-air classroom -- from someone's patio below -- Macias led the class in a series of "jumps." They stood on their pedals, lifting their bodies off the bikes to the beat of the music.

For the next half hour or so, they would ride up and down imaginary hills, to a variety of music. Lights went on in the distance about 7:40, and soon after, a red neon "Jesus Saves" sign appeared on the skyline as if from nowhere, near the Eastern Columbia clock tower.

The group of five cyclists that started the class had been winnowed to a sweat-soaked three. They peddled with a ferocious intensity as Macias encouraged them.

"Almost there," she yelled.

A few seconds later, as the hands on the Eastern Columbia clock moved close to 8 p.m., Macias sat up on the bike and raised her arms. Night had fallen. The class was over.

"Nice!" she cheered. "Shake 'em out."

cara.dimassa@latimes.com

^^ $20,000 (twenty thousand) a month?!?! :wtf::omg:

Anyone watch Bromance on MTV about Brody Jenner finding a bff? It's like Paris Hilton's My New BFF, but the guys are hotter on this show. =P

Well anyways, according to him on the show, he owns the penthouse of this place and is giving it to the winner of the show. =O

I fucken hate that show...
For whatever reason I thought it might be 'good'...
yuck

Anyone watch Bromance on MTV about Brody Jenner finding a bff? It's like Paris Hilton's My New BFF, but the guys are hotter on this show. =P

Well anyways, according to him on the show, he owns the penthouse of this place and is giving it to the winner of the show. =O

Are you a girl?

^^ a girl? in these forumz? the only I know of is NYGirl. :)

^ There actually are a few around, but they keep well hidden.

Jesse isn't one of them....i think. :shifty:

^^ Really? Interesting...

Naah, he's not...:)

Well anyways, according to him on the show, he owns the penthouse of this place and is giving it to the winner of the show. =O

Isn't this building rentals only?

Are you a girl?

I can't imagine why that matters.

I can't imagine why that matters.

I was just interested because I always pictured him as a guy but we never really knew.

LASF, we should change the status of this project to "Com".

after completion is this thread deleted?

no of course not

If it means anything, Hanover plays a big role in 'Bromance' on MTV. Apparently, Brody Jenner (from The Hills) is looking for a boyfriend or some such.

I was driving by LA Live and this place yesterday and was yelling for Brody....
but no one replied... :(

..restraining order #3 against Aquamadoor. One for Brody Jenner, one for Bruce Jenner and one for Wall-E! http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/untitledcdxxx.jpghttp://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/untitledfhfhfh.jpghttp://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/wall-e.jpg Disney/Pixar