Be careful up there, Eric.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/DowntownVisit027.jpg

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what floor are we at? there almost done, so 1 or 2 floors to go?

every time I see these pictures I think I'm looking at construction of an office tower in the 70s.. I really wonder how this thing will look when it's done, whether it'll be able to avoid that or not.

But facade looks great...:)

every time I see these pictures I think I'm looking at construction of an office tower in the 70s.. I really wonder how this thing will look when it's done, whether it'll be able to avoid that or not.

I've seen it in person, and the photos don't do it justice.

my count of floors says they are working on floor 26. You can also see this is a "penthouse" floor as the ceiling heights are much greater than the levels below.

I agree, it is a handsome looking building in a suit and tie sort of formal way--I'm surprised no one is building something more "homey" ie apartment towers that look more like the ones in manhattan (or even wilshire in westwood ala the californian and the carlisle). There condo towers look like homes and office buildings look like office buildings. Here it is difficult to tell the difference. I guess the conversions can't be helped, but you think they would build something a bit less sterile for home owners--you think it would make more business sense frankly. What kind of building would you rather live in?

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/DowntownVisit026.jpg

Kung Fu Panda..!?

^^ :yes: :laugh:

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g189/FROMLOSANGELES/DowntownVisit026.jpg

This view always looks surreal. The parking lot makes it look like the city is just a backdrop, like a painting or something. It's hard to make sense of so many tall buildings at the edge of a rather large parking lot.

It's like a K-Mart

Concerto has grown on me, I think it looks great.

November 29, 2008

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(You can see 717 and LA Live in there too :D)

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That facade looks so...awesome...

That facade looks so...awesome...

Agreed! It will be twice as nice when the second tower is built as well :banana:

I really like how these two towers look. Are they office towers or residential?

^^ Function: Mixed-Use | 624 Units | 23,000 SF Retail | One Acre Urban Park

Does anyone know if the second tower is still on schedule to begin construction in July?

P.S. The pictures don't do this building justice. Everytime I see pictures of it I think, "Meh. It's okay," but when I see it in person I love it.

December 5, 2008

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3289/3091094466_c6524c712b_b.jpg
From Flickr, by California Pete

Ooo I was wondering how that part would have looked :D

I still think this is ugly.

I think it's going to look like a 70s office building after a really big earthquake.

It is not a BAD looking building to me, it just doesn't look like an appealing place to call home.

The angled floors are at least a little bit of visual interest, but this is still more office tower than home. Why build something that looks like an office tower conversion when building from the ground up? Oh, right, it's probably cheaper.

I am surprised no one is building something like The Century in DTLA.

That building could never be confused for an office building.

if they really wanted to be more daring with the design, I think the upper floors shouldve been angled by another 15 or 25 degrees outward and inward on the Figueroa side and maybe a mixture of translucent and mirrored glass like the Ritz. However I love the current glass its sleek and modern. Hopefully we get enough mix of pushing-the envelope as well as some traditional designs in the next building boom.

Wait 'til its finished to judge damnit

does that also apply to those who likes it?

Not having seen it in person yet, I'm kinda of dissapointed. It looks like an office-to-condo retrofit.

Not having a balcony in LA makes no sense to me.. let alone windows that don't even open.

This thing almost done? or is it already done?

It still needs a twin...

December 30...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/3152971482_7ce4905694_b.jpg
From Flickr, sarahtude (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahtude/)

thats a great picture. reminds me of the beach for some reason.

^^The scene does look a lot like Ocean Ave. minus the ocean.

thats a great picture. reminds me of the beach for some reason.

It's the palm trees.

^^they look sooo out of place lol now, but i dont think they will ever get cut down. I would cut them down though and gladly put in some more green shrubbery

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!!

How are they out of place in the city symbolized by nonetheless than them?

I guess if they were more uniform and maintained maybe adding some new banana & date palms (any palms with wider leaf spans) all with exterior lighting for all the trees. A larger median island could be constructed with plants and shrubbery, pherhaps a water feature, letters spelling "DOWNTOWN" with lighting I mean this could be a southern "gateway" to Downtown and ppl should feel that they have arrived.

Raymond, you're thinking too much, have too much passion for your city and care about your city in a way that doesn't much occur anywhere these days. Also, that would cost money, your proposal. Talk to Cal Trans, they're in charge of freeway aesthetics and usually do a good job.

milque says the strangest things sometimes...

"You care too much." .....???

Not having a balcony in LA makes no sense to me.. let alone windows that don't even open.

I'm watching LA Hard Hats right now on National Geographic Channel about Evo. It looks like balconies are very dangerous to construct so I'd assume they're pretty expensive. Concerto had enough funding problems as it was.

milque says the strangest things sometimes...

"You care too much." .....???

I'm just being cynical. Remember the Santa Monica Blvd. project entering Century City? How's that going? I haven't heard too much about it- a much larger version of what Raymond was talking about. It was supposed to be the 'gateway' into Century City from the west, a wide boulevard of the type you would see in Europe or South America. Potholes gots to be filled :)

I'm just being cynical. Remember the Santa Monica Blvd. project entering Century City? How's that going? I haven't heard too much about it- a much larger version of what Raymond was talking about. It was supposed to be the 'gateway' into Century City from the west, a wide boulevard of the type you would see in Europe or South America. Potholes gots to be filled :)

The Santa Monica Blvd. project entering Century City was finished about 2 years ago if my memory is correct. It definitely looks nice, but it's not nearly worth the costs and time spent on it.

The very last I heard was that it was more concrete than it should have been.

The very last I heard was that it was more concrete than it should have been.

I don't know what the original plans were so I can't comment on that.

What's the time line on the 2nd Concerto tower?

Unknown

According to Westy, after May 2009's inhabitation of the first tower, the second tower will commence.

The Santa Monica Blvd. project entering Century City was finished about 2 years ago if my memory is correct. It definitely looks nice, but it's not nearly worth the costs and time spent on it.


Santa Monica Boulevard project months behind schedule: record rains latest in series of big problems.
Publication: Los Angeles Business Journal
Publication Date: 18-JUL-05 Format: Online

Completion of the Santa Monica Boulevard reconstruction project has been delayed another two months, to May 2006, and cost overruns have been pushed past $10 million.

The latest delays are being blamed on last winter's heavy rains. Originally, the project's planners had anticipated next a finishing construction month.

Meanwhile, the ongoing construction is raising tempers among several Westside homeowner groups, which contend that the city is building different project than approved.

In a July 14 letter signed by Tract 7260, the Westwood South of Santa Monica Association and the Westwood Homeowners Association, there are demands for 20 changes, ranging from small road repairs to removing electronic, freeway-style signs. The groups have asked the planners to respond by July 18.

The massive project involves realigning a 2.5-mile stretch of "Little" and "Big" Santa Monica Boulevards between the San Diego (405) Freeway and the border of Beverly Hills. With the two roadways combined, the finished boulevard will sport four lanes in each direction.

Before the most recent weather disruptions, the $77.5 million project had been fraught with delays and overruns caused by having to unexpectedly relocate underground utilities.

To quicken the pace of construction, project spokeswoman Tonya Durrell said some contractors were working longer hours.

In addition, a lane of traffic in each direction has been closed for several weeks, with the expectation of finishing construction along a section of the boulevard's commercial core by November. But that has made traffic even worse.

Before construction began, there were about 40,000 cars a day traveling on Santa Monica Boulevard near the Beverly Hills border and 50,000 cars passing near the entrance to the San Diego Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

That ranks Santa Monica Boulevard as among the busiest thoroughfares in Los Angeles, according to Glenn Ogura, a principal transportation engineer with the Los Angeles DOT. When the project is complete, Ogura said the department would be monitoring the boulevard to determine how traffic volumes change.

"It's probably safe to assume it'll go up," he said. "That goes for traffic citywide, too. Unless people get out of their cars, traffic volume everywhere will never decrease."
Los Angeles Business Journal

peek-a-boo

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/samceb/downtownla1-1.jpg

I heard the Concerto towers were going to be closer to 30 stories as opposed to 27? Nice shot by the way.

So we're not sure if it's topped off yet?

January 13, 2009

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January 18, 2009
(sorry.. a little late :D )

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What a weird angle. Where was that taken from?

Around 3rd street by Belmont High

It needs a twin to look complete.

It has an unborn twin. Let's put this bitch into early labour :)

January 28, 2009

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nice pics I.E especially that 2nd pic really shows how South Park is starting to densify alot. I must say though that Concerto definitely is not as impressive from its West elevation as it is from S,SE & E views. that glass is soo damn sexy esp in pic#5 omg. also good to see the 6 story coming along also.

isn't this building already topped out?

1/2 T/O

Yes, but if you look closely, the thread is called Concerto 335 ft 27 x 2.

SO technically, we are waiting for a second tower to top out to actually t/o.

Am I right?

yeah, the topic is about both towers, so technically it is U/C until both are T/O

That's right! Until both towers are topped out!

Yes, but if you look closely, the thread is called Concerto 335 ft 27 x 2.

SO technically, we are waiting for a second tower to top out to actually t/o.

Am I right?

well..we shouldn't take things so literally...otherwise, what would we do about this?

2 Kings 2:23-4
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!"

He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths

It's T/O'd ... for now

I like IE's "1/2 T/O"

February 2, 2009

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^ The glass is sexy. I can't wait for the second tower.

As much as I LOVE this building, I still can't imagine having a home with windows that don't open. I'd find it a deal breaker =/

i agree. It looks like an office building. Who'd want to LIVE in that?

work-aholics

Im pretty sure the windows will open. Like the hotel windows.

Hotel windows are double-paneled

You guys are so nit picky. It's a sexy building. But it won't be complete without it's twin.

it's fine if the windows don't open since the project design has plenty of open terrace space and anyway these type of buildings are perfect for raising new families in downtown.

don't have to worry about your baby, toddler, or pet crawling or walking out onto the balcony and falling off. also the terrace is a good place to take the kids and/or pets

February 15, 2009

Concerto

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7811/concerto200902151kn3.jpg

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Filling out the southern end of the skyline quite nicely, along with 717 Ninth.

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9528/concerto200902155pi8.jpg

fantastic!

HOLY WOW. Concerto is looking good !!

i have to say i was skeptical about this building when it was first introduced, it sure has grown on to me :)
cant wait for the twin to start :okay:

I love the weird angle the top half goes off at! Very interesting.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3639/3345720280_068a33a6bc_b.jpg
From Flickr, by JianG.~

^^
That is :nuts:

Great shot.

is that shot photoshopped?? cool to see the continual densification of South Park happening in our lifetimes hopefully soon after the economic slump we will see more lights, vibrancy and development. p.s I love that neon BENDIX sign in the background.

Holiday Inn? I say Holiday OUT!

A partial view...

March 11, 2009

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From Flickr, by 32°43'

March 24

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From Flickr, [Kwasi B.] (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebel_populace/)

UPDATE
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2009

Currently, glazing almost complete and at the top of the building. The construction crane might be removed by end of March. Interior walls are currently going up on level 20 and MEP sub-consultants are installing on level 22. Interior fixtures for bathrooms and kitchens are currently going in on selected units. At the Podium level, activity includes the installation of the pool and surrounding hardscape. The completed garage is currently being used for subcontractor parking.

http://www.webcor.com/auto_images/large/contmarch09ecopy1236892168.jpg

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www.webcor.com

I drove by this yesterday and it looks pretty cool in person. I STILL don't think it looks like a place where you'd want to set up a home, but it is a lot more interesting to see from the street than I would have predicted from early renderings and the construction photos.

any update on the Bladerunner screens Concerto is suppose to have
:dance2:

*want to have

most homes (houses) i've been to don't have balconies, they just are really close to open space (being backyards). this building is the same thing, you just have to leave your unit to get air (which you would do in a house anyway). street level, terraces, rooftop, pool... all is there, it's just a longer walk to get to. at least there is more to do in the neighborhood. :)

any update on the Bladerunner screens Concerto is suppose to have
:dance2:

*want to have



Yeah, I also want to know whatever happened to the giant sign ideal.

Concerto April 2009http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/3425112266_8ef51e6f34_b.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/3425111668_7ef9fd3d1e_o.jpg Eric Richardson/BlogDowntown

Interesting article regarding Concerto (and lots of pics to boot).

From Curbed LA:

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[img]

1. The Units: Two of three planned buildings are currently being sold. There’s the 77-unit loft building on Flower that will be ready for move-ins in June, and the 271-unit tower at Fig and 9th that will be ready for move-ins in October. The foundation for the third building, another tower which’ll go up on 9th, has been poured, but there’s no timeline for construction of that building. Additionally, a retail structure is planned for the rounded corner at 9th and Fig.

Prices will range from $350,000 for lofts to $3.5 million for penthouses. Overall, the tower starts at $500 a square foot and the loft buildings starts at $390 a square foot.


2. Sales Goal: Astani hopes to sell 150 units of the project’s units by September. At this point, they are “close to having 25 units in contract,” according to a sales rep. There are about 20 weeks till September, so means that Astani has to get 6 units a week if you subtract those 25 units (comparatively, reps for Evo reported earlier this year that they are currently closing about one contract a week).

In the event that units don’t sell quickly, would he consider going rental? “No,” he says. “There is so much competition in the downtown rental market.”

3. Famous Sushi Chef: Astani said he is finalizing a deal with a big name sushi chef from Tokyo to open his first US restaurant in Concerto, but a name for the restaurant hasn’t been determined. Retail is also coming to the loft building: Expected stores are a bike shop, café and a wine bar.

4. LED, Please: Developer Sonny Astani’s much-talked about "Blade Runner"-esque LED panel won’t rise on his first building. And the man is massively disappointed about this fact. He needed approvals for the LED signage, but that didn’t come in time for the construction (the sign requires pins that needed to be put into the cement during construction). When the city approvals did come, Astani had them transferred to the third building, the unbuilt tower. [/b]But the overall impact of the LED sign won’t be the same, he believes, given that the sign will now face 8th Street (looking towards Bunker Hill) rather than the more traffic-heavy 9th Street (towards the freeways). “It won’t be the same,” he says.[/b]

5. On Not Going to China: Let’s cut to the chase: Some parts of the building look expensive. Where did they spend a lot of money? The glass, according to Doug Hanson of the architectural firm DeStefano + Partners, the architect on the project. “The exterior skin, the big glass panels on the tower portion, it’s a very well made system,” says Hanson. “We didn’t go for more affordable, we didn’t go to China, it was American-made, we went for quality.” How expensive glass helps the design: “I was looking for material that picked up the shape of the building. It gets bigger at the top..it wouldn’t hold its shape..the glass helps the [definition of the shape]."

6. Yes, Downtowners Like Walking: “How do you make an all-glass building that is pedestrian friendly? ” Astani asks rhetorically. One solution: Adding terra cotta paneling alongside the building on Fig, the idea being that a earthy natural stone at the street level helps offset the glass above. [/b]Additionally, a paseo connecting Flower and Fig is planned (it’ll run parallel to the lot that’ll one day hold the new FIDM tower).[/b]

7. Yes, There Are Windows That Open: The crinkled steel paneling that breaks up the glass also hides windows; they are called hopper windows. Additionally, the steel paneling works aesthetically. "I wanted [the tower] to look like a wrinkled dress shirt,” says Astani. “To look like wrinkled and smooth at the same time.”

8. Meet LA Live: For better or for worse, the project is impacted by LA Live. Particularly before games at Staples Center, heavy pedestrian traffic flows down Fig. But that foot traffic is part is also going to draw people to the retail space. Referring to Concerto’s proximity to LA Live, Astani says: “We’re still trying to digest the effects of it,” he says, “It’s going to be monumental. There are have been criticisms of [LA Live] but that’s small compared to the benefits of it."

9. Boom and Busts: A former real estate agent, Astani has been through two real estate busts so far (the early 80s, and the early 90s.) What’s different about this one, if anything? "You can’t write a narrative about each one," he says. "There’s excess and then you have to adjust prices.”

10. Know Your Large Scale Art: At the very top of the building, there’s a large, dark art piece. According to Hanson, it was inspired by the large-scale ads and supegraphics in the neighborhood. Hanson points out that the attitudes towards supergraphics have changed since they originally designed the art piece (err, yes). Astani says the piece was also inspired by the artist Matisse. Also, the piece will impact some of the actual units themselves: Owners will see interesting shadows, for instance, in their units

4. LED, Please: Developer Sonny Astani’s much-talked about "Blade Runner"-esque LED panel won’t rise on his first building. And the man is massively disappointed about this fact. He needed approvals for the LED signage, but that didn’t come in time for the construction (the sign requires pins that needed to be put into the cement during construction). When the city approvals did come, Astani had them transferred to the third building, the unbuilt tower. [/b]But the overall impact of the LED sign won’t be the same, he believes, given that the sign will now face 8th Street (looking towards Bunker Hill) rather than the more traffic-heavy 9th Street (towards the freeways). “It won’t be the same,” he says.[/b]

please put it there in the future with proper/timely approvals. it feels so empty on the figueroa side of the lot.

I'm sure they can work their way around that concrete/pin business.

there has to be some way they can put those pins up, im sure their only talking about the concrete on that curved floor....cant something be done by astani? ahhhhhhh


im ruined


:badnews:

From the Los Angeles Times:
April 23, 2009
REAL ESTATE

Downtown builder brings high-rise condo project to market at a tough time
The developer of the $300-million Concerto complex thinks he can beat the odds and find buyers.

By Roger Vincent

When the Concerto high-rise condominium project opens this year in downtown Los Angeles, developer Hassan "Sonny" Astani will be lucky not to lose his shirt.

With the market for condos in woeful decline, he already knows he won't make much money -- if any.

Progress, at this point, would be to complete the $300-million project while staying out of bankruptcy.

Astani's struggles to keep the project going, his flirtations with disaster and his near-heroic efforts to save a project that is woefully out of time with the market are a painful illustration of the difficulties that face developers when boom goes bust.

Theirs is a business with a long timeline -- it takes years to bring a large project to fruition. But a lively market can go bust in a matter of months. And then what do you do?

"There is a huge inventory of unsold condos in downtown L.A.," said Delores Conway of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. "The supply is exceeding demand."

This month, the owners of the nearby Roosevelt Lofts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to sell enough condos to open the elaborately renovated office building to residents. Owners of the Brockman Building, another downtown condo project, also recently filed for bankruptcy protection.

Astani, an Iranian immigrant who adopted the nickname Sonny as a boy because he liked the singing duo Sonny and Cher, had a successful track record as an apartment and condo developer before tackling Concerto. It would be the 55-year-old's biggest project, filling a city block in the financial district with three buildings and a park.

But in 2007, after he had invested three years and $10 million, things started to go south. His bank had pulled out, his financial partners in Singapore wanted to walk away, and the once-hot condo market was losing steam. All he had to show for his time and money was a four-story hole in the ground across Figueroa Street from the Original Pantry restaurant.

Astani, who had been broke earlier in his career, was tempted to cut his losses. "People told me to stop," he said.

If the site, once a parking lot bringing in $1.2 million a year, went back to a block of smooth asphalt with painted white stripes, he could at least recoup a little money.

Instead, he pushed on through an exasperating sequence of setbacks and hurdles to build a 30-story condo tower and a six-story loft building, buying out his overseas partners and personally guaranteeing his loan, a risky move developers almost always avoid. He credits his practice of tai chi with teaching him to focus, stay calm and persist.

The condos are coming to market in the midst of one of the country's worst housing crashes. The sales office opened last week, but no deals have been closed so far.

The condos may or may not sell soon enough to make the developer any money. But the project's back story is also Astani's, and it proves his motto: "You have to have a Plan B and a Plan C."

The whole Concerto saga started with a fairly big risk when Astani paid $30 million for the 100,000-square-foot parcel in 2004, one of the highest prices per square foot ever paid for downtown land.

"It was a leap of faith that this would be the next big place," he said, because other developments, including a Ralphs supermarket and the $2.5-billion L.A. Live project, were planned for surrounding blocks. Both have come to pass, but the residential market is still soft.

Astani started digging a hole for the four-story underground garage in early 2007, but his construction lender, Fremont Investment & Loan, bailed out of commercial real estate lending under pressure from federal regulators. Astani had to stop work. He lined up another loan from Corus Bank, but his main financial partners in Singapore decided to get out.

"They wanted to stop wrestling with two banks," he said. Astani and a handful of remaining partners bought out the Singapore partners for $30 million and carried on, he said.

Meanwhile, even though credit markets were seizing up, construction costs were still rising in response to a long-running global real estate boom that had driven up demand for labor and materials such as steel and lumber. Astani calculated that he could save $15 million by taking over the role of general contractor. His lenders went along, but that put his financial neck on the line.

"I had to guarantee that I would finish the building, sell the units and pay them. If I fail, they can come in and take my house" and other assets, said Astani, who lives in Pacific Palisades. "I'm really betting the ranch."

He and his wife decided to press ahead, he said, after attending an ice-skating performance at Staples and seeing people out on the streets. "It's clear to me that people want to live here," he said.

Astani started as an industrial and systems engineer, with a degree from USC. But after six months in the field, he decided that he wasn't making enough money. He became a real estate agent and went to work selling condos on the burgeoning Wilshire Boulevard corridor near Westwood.

For a few years, commissions rolled in and Astani felt like a big shot. "I dressed like 'American Gigolo,' " he said, recalling the 1980 movie in which Richard Gere put Armani on the fashion map.

But the Wilshire condo market stalled, and Astani quickly ran out of money as he tried to keep up appearances. His black, two-seat Mercedes-Benz 450SL was repossessed, and he couldn't pay his rent.

With help from his family, Astani got back on his feet. He and his brother, Marco, went back to school at Cal State Los Angeles and got contractors licenses. From the mid- to late 1980s they built apartment buildings on the Westside that they sold to investors, including Lakers owner Jerry Buss and his real estate partner Frank Mariani.

Residential development worked for Astani until the early 1990s, when the Southern California real estate market crashed again. This time he got by through marketing himself to banks that owned repossessed commercial buildings they didn't want as someone who could manage properties while improving them for resale. He eventually started investing in some with Asian partners, which led him back to development in the 2000s as real estate again improved.

During his ups and downs, Astani learned to expect and prepare for bad times. He said the cycles have made him resilient -- and willing to make changes in order to survive.

"Sonny has always figured out how to work out whatever is thrown in his path," said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who represents much of downtown. "He is very linear in his focus and plans everything he does very well," .

Plans for a profit from the first stage of Concerto appear to be out the window, though.

Astani has cut prices substantially from what he set two years ago, with smaller units dropped to $400,000 from $575,000 and larger ones down to $590,000 from $800,000. He hopes the lower prices will make it easier for customers to finance the units with conforming loans backed by the federal mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He declined to say whether the prices had dropped below the break-even point.

"My priority is to sell these and pay off the bank," Astani said. He'll hang on to the penthouses in hope of getting as much as $3.5 million for them someday.

If the project stays afloat, Astani plans to build a second, complementary tower. "The tops of the buildings twist and turn -- one tower moves in, the other tower moves out," said architect Douglas Hanson. "The project will be stronger when the second tower is there."

Hanson, of DeStefano + Partners, was project architect for Frank Gehry's Bilbao museum design and has collaborated with the architect Renzo Piano. Hanson's goal at Concerto was to make the project connect with the streets around it. "The whole block should be livable and urban, and not a big building sitting on a parking garage."

The environmentally friendly development will have shops and restaurants at ground level, public green space and a park for the practice of tai chi.

Astani believes that someday his buildings will be full of residents, even if he has to help some come up with down payments. "In a hot market, people line up," he said. "In a cold market, they still want to buy."

roger.vincent@latimes.com

what is this one (in red):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/socorox/3457462025_72ee2e40c7_ojpg.jpg


????

it looks to be on top of that parking lot behind 717 Olympic?

I think this is it.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=530355

That's the FIDM Building.

Nice. I was at L.A. Live checking things out this past Sat and the whole area is looking "up".

May 2, 2009

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3411/3494648479_9e209ca9e2_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/3495466138_12f3462990_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3657/3494655659_94b589175d_b.jpg

^ That would be perfect if that Blade Runner screen was there. But alas it isn't so owell.

Where was the last photo taken from? Good stuff.

^^ California Market Center 13th floor

June 3, 2009

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/3596173537_e41abf4db3_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2255/3596986404_61107f7aa6_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3369/3596179649_e2799ec58f_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3410/3596990934_0ab1f867d4_b.jpg

Hi Guys. This is my first post! I was just in downtown two days ago and decided to take a bunch of pictures. Everything's looking great, except the weather. Haha. Well, enjoy!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1833.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1836.jpg

The tweak.
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1837.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1838.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1842.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1843.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1856.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1860-1.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1886.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1884.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1896.jpg

I took so many pictures, I thought I'd post some more! Enjoy.

Reflection.
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1898.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1900.jpg

It's still hard to believe most of what is in this picture wasn't here a couple of years ago! Goodbye parking lots!
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1901.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1909.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1909.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1911.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1917-1.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1918.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live/IMG_1919.jpg

We need more buildings like concerto. Like the curves on the two top floors

Well well well! Fight on Archies!, tell us about yourself ... and keep on picture taking :)

Great shot FonA and welcome to the L.A. Forum... btw, don't forget to make a quick stop @ the roll call thread and post your pix LA thread!!!!

BLADERUNNER SIGN ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
:cry:

is there still no hope?
any news on the fact its still somewhat possible to put it up?


i look at that building and feel as though tears are falling down its light less
sign less curves

Daniel, you a breaka my heart

The Los Angeles Council's ineptitude shattered mine

as well as Astani's glorious vision of a futuristic homage to the city's urban character


I WANT THAT ELECTRONIC SIGN UP:gunz:

I just need this song to be played here right now

8gh06zLZ4v0

I went and saw the loft units in the shorter building today before the big sale on 8/29 and i must say i was VERY impressed with this building and the layouts for the most part. the one bedrooms are very spacious, all about 950 - 1050 square feet and all have nice size bathrooms, closets, bedrooms and the open area is nicely positioned. The courtyard, park and pool area is going to be great and the location of Concerto cannot be beat.

^ LASF are you planning to move Downtown?

yes eventually, but im also a real estate agent so i check out as many properties as i can.

A few recent pictures.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live%203/DSCN0417.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live%203/DSCN0418.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww181/FightOnArchies/LA%20Live%203/DSCN0427-1.jpg

I've always said that this building looks better in person than it does in photographs, but your pictures do it justice. I wish the second tower would've broken ground before the economy tanked... much like so many other projects.

Omg I didn't realize that ugly thing in the upper middle section thing is permanent.. I thought they left it open for construction, not the part of the design

what, the dent or the 'artwork'?

The green/orange dent

Thanks Westsidelife!...Oh, and I agree, too bad about that second tower. Some day.

I think the dent in the building is supposed to be some balconies for special penthouse levels. Eventually it will all be orange, since they are covering it with the same ceramic tile as the first floor along Fig.

I E, I'm 300 miles away and even I know what time it is. Come off the farm, young man! :)

^^ Hmm... you and my farm. Want to visit?

Looks like the second tower is on its way.

=====

Concerto Sales Get Green Light


Bankruptcy Judge Decides Developer Can Close Escrow
by Anna Scott, Staff Writer
Published: Friday, October 30, 2009 11:54 AM PDT
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – A bankruptcy court judge ruled yesterday that developer Sonny Astani can move forward with closing sales at his Concerto project on Figueroa and Ninth streets, Astani confirmed today.

The developer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the unfinished condominium complex in September, after his lender, Corus Bank, was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance. The filing, Astani said, was necessary to close escrow on 77 units in a completed, six-story tower that is part of the project, which were sold in a recent auction.

Though a consortium of investors led by Starwood Capital Group subsequently purchased Corus’ portfolio, the FDIC two weeks ago asked the bankruptcy court not to approve the 77 sales because the prices were too low.

A court judge ruled on Thursday, Oct. 29, however, to allow Astani to complete the sales, and use the proceeds to fund the project’s next phase, a 30-story tower with 281 residences, the developer said. However, he added added, the new lender has said it will take a few weeks to approve the project’s budget.

Contact Anna Scott at anna@downtownnews.com.

©Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.

Looks like the second tower is on its way.

A court judge ruled on Thursday, Oct. 29, however, to allow Astani to complete the sales, and use the proceeds to fund the project’s next phase, a 30-story tower with 281 residences, the developer said. However, he added added, the new lender has said it will take a few weeks to approve the project’s budget.



I believe the "next phase" they refer to here is the completion of the first tower as opposed to the low-rise along Flower Street, not anything to do with the addition of a second tower.

Did you read the whole article?


A court judge ruled on Thursday, Oct. 29, however, to allow Astani to complete the sales, and use the proceeds to fund the project’s next phase, a 30-story tower with 281 residences, the developer said.

Anybody know why, if move-ins have now occurred in the mid-rise building along Flower and they are using the parking garage for Staples / LA Live event parking that a 1/4 of Flower Street is still blocked off in front of the development? It's not like there is ongoing construction happening here.

yes the move ins happened. They are all full!

^^ Have you seen the condo on 7th street for $99,000? If so, how is it?

yes the move ins happened. They are all full!

Yes, I know the move-ins happened, I was wondering if anyone knew why the street was still blocked off even after 717 Ninth removed all their traffic obstacles.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3339/4552517515_98a8c4236d_b.jpg
From Flickr, by rd_79

Concerto is now known as Apex.