Metropolis | 350ft | 500ft | 620ft X 2 | Pro

[tanzirian]

Originally Posted by soup or man

I'm a huge fan of 80's post modernism but I'm glad that THIS Metropolis didn't get built. THe plaza is facing the freeway, the towers are horribly colored and not attractive in the least.

I understand what you're saying, though I don't mind the towers as much. If the plaza was facing the freeway that would not be good, but I suppose facing downdown back in the 80s wasn't that attractive a prospect either.

In terms of the color scheme, Graves looks to be following the style of his Portland Public Services Building, which was well thought of at the time:



While I don't much care for Graves' brand of post-modernism, I love the work that KPF did back in those days. Their competition entry for the Bank of the Southwest Tower in Houston is one of my top two unbuilt skyscraper designs.

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by pesto

I think I'll go for door number 3.

[soup or man]

Originally Posted by tanzirian

I understand what you're saying, though I don't mind the towers as much. If the plaza was facing the freeway that would not be good, but I suppose facing downdown back in the 80s wasn't that attractive a prospect either.

In terms of the color scheme, Graves looks to be following the style of his Portland Public Services Building, which was well thought of at the time:



While I don't much care for Graves' brand of post-modernism, I love the work that KPF did back in those days. Their competition entry for the Bank of the Southwest Tower in Houston is one of my top two unbuilt skyscraper designs.

Graves designed the Portland Building? Blah. Though I wouldn't mind seeing something like this in WeHo. WeHo does 80's post modernism (read: lots of pink and pastels) really well.

[pesto]

from curbed, it looks like the Metropolis developer is now looking for indie shops, which means he may be having trouble with big boxes. This would be a REALLY good sign if true because it implies he can pull in people from the rest of DT and the surrounding areas rather than hoping to attract conventioneers.

Not my field of expertise, but I would think the national brands would rather pay more and be more centrally located in DT (Olive, Hill, Bway).

[DaveLA_CA]

This on again off again project appears to be dead again. Take a look at this article from this mornings LA Times. Buried as part of a different lead was this last section.

Downtown L.A. site is for sale

A vast parcel of empty land in downtown Los Angeles — just east of the Harbor Freeway and eyed by developers for years — has hit the market and could command as much as $140 million from a buyer.

It was intended for one of the biggest, most dramatic proposed developments of the 1980s commercial real estate boom. Known as Metropolis, the 6.3-acre tract lies between the thriving Staples Center-L.A. Live entertainment complex and the downtown financial district.

Currently used as a parking lot, the property already has the city's preliminary approval for construction of 1.65 million square feet of hotels, multifamily housing, offices and stores.

The parcel was assembled in the late 1980s by developers who promised a "city within a city" on the block bordered by the Harbor Freeway and Francisco, 8th and 9th streets.

Famed New York architect Michael Graves won an international design competition and created an elaborate — but inward looking — design for Metropolis in his signature post-modern style, said Patrick Spillane, president of IDS Real Estate Group.

It never came to pass. Spillane's Los Angeles company and a pension fund bought the property in 2005 with the intention of building a 33-story condominium tower, but the housing downturn a few years later scotched those plans, he said.

No price for the property has been set, but downtown land recently traded for nearly $500 a square foot, which could translate to as much as $140 million for the Metropolis land.

Urban planning tastes have changed since Graves envisioned Metropolis as a cluster of towers surrounding a central courtyard. Developers now would probably try to extend the burgeoning entertainment and hotel district north of L.A. Live into the space, said real estate broker Laurie Lustig-Bower of CBRE Group Inc., who represents the sellers.

Along with development, it might become a pedestrian-oriented corridor connecting the downtown office district with the recreation and convention center, she said. "Developers have the chance to literally brand the downtown skyline with this site."

[blackcat23]

I'm not sure that's a bad thing. The proposal IDS had for the site was pretty underwhelming.



Given the high price for the land, it's going to take some deep pockets to buy the property. It's entitled for five towers and has a very prominent location in terms of the downtown skyline. Hopefully we get something of high quality.

[croyboy]

If the price is too high, the lot might be broken up and sold off separately.

[milquetoast]

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YAYY!!

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

the fact that its for sale is a good thing. lots of interest from what im hearing.

i wouldnt be shocked if a big time developer bought this and built 4 or 5 distinctive hotels / residential towers. The location is primo... its time for something huge

[klamedia]

Let's collectively turn towards the Chinese or Koreans and see what they got.

[ZKB9]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

I'm not sure that's a bad thing. The proposal IDS had for the site was pretty underwhelming.



Given the high price for the land, it's going to take some deep pockets to buy the property. It's entitled for five towers and has a very prominent location in terms of the downtown skyline. Hopefully we get something of high quality.

This isnt really so bad looking, just a tad shorter than what the location demands.

[soup or man]

I'm surprised that no one posted these here yet.

[ZKB9]

So is that actually happening? I was under the impression that this project was dead

[PinkFloyd]

The land is for sale.

https://www.cbremarketplace.com/Metropolis/

[future_trance011]

Parcel B tower would be an incredible addition to the DTLA skyline! But those drive ways between the buildings totally kills the continuity for pedestrians. It gives off that same fortressy vibe that the Bonaventure Hotel currently does. The IDS proposal at least would've done a better job making the pedestrian experience tolerable. Hopefully, these aren't the final renderings.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by future_trance011

Parcel B tower would be an incredible addition to the DTLA skyline! But those drive ways between the buildings totally kills the continuity for pedestrians. It gives off that same fortressy vibe that the Bonaventure Hotel currently does. The IDS proposal at least would've done a better job making the pedestrian experience tolerable. Hopefully, these aren't the final renderings.

These aren't even official renderings. They're mock-ups being used by the broker to show potential buyers what the property is entitled for.

[pesto]

I'm not even sure anything is happening here except that the owner is trying to unload it.